Grey Cup contestants determined

Opinion

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 25/10/2023 (718 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

With one week remaining in the CFL regular season, we finally know the six teams competing for the Grey Cup.

The Toronto Argonauts (15-2) and Winnipeg Blue Bombers (13-4) have clinched the East and West divisions, respectively, and will earn a bye to the division final on Saturday, Nov. 11. Both clubs have finished first place in each of the last three seasons.

The East semi-final will have the Montreal Alouettes (10-7) hosting the Hamilton Tiger-Cats (8-9) at Molson Stadium on Saturday, Nov. 4. It’s the third straight year the two clubs will meet for a chance to play in the East final, making it the first time that’s happened since 1965.

The Calgary Stampeders (6-11) somehow managed to earn a post-season berth, edging out the Saskatchewan Roughriders (6-12), who lost their last seven games to fall just outside the playoff line. The Stamps will now move on to play the B.C. Lions (12-6) at BC Place, immediately after the Eastern semi-final, for a chance to play the Bombers at IG Field and a ticket to the championship game.

That leaves three teams, including the Riders, Ottawa Redblacks (4-13) and Edmonton Elks (4-14), all on the outside looking in. The Grey Cup game will be played Sunday, Nov. 19 at Tim Hortons Field in Hamilton.

Now that we’ve got that settled, let’s dive into the top stories of Week 20 in the latest edition of CFL Rundown.

1) How’s this for some interesting trivia… the league’s standings, both East and West, are exactly the same (team order, not win-loss records) as the 2022 season. When was the last time the standings were identical in back-to-back years? The answer is never, whether it was a nine- or eight-team league. When it was an eight-team league, the only two seasons that had identical standings were 2006 and 2012. Thanks to reader Alon Weinberg for his hard work in digging this info up, all of which was corroborated by CFL stats guru Steve Daniel.

2) Team awards were announced Wednesday morning and while there are too many to list here, we will have a new winner for every award, including most outstanding player, offensive lineman, defensive player, Canadian, special teams and rookie. That means Bombers QB Zach Collaros, who was narrowly beat out by RB Brady Oliveira, won’t get a chance at the three-peat for MOP.

3) Well, we definitely saw this one coming. Craig Dickenson got his pink slip from the Riders; or said more delicately, will not have his contract renewed for next season. The only thing surprising about it is that no one else higher up got the same treatment, with GM Jeremy O’Day inking a three-year extension. This says to me president Craig Reynolds is in over his head and doesn’t know what to do, or is too cozy with O’Day to have the guts to start anew. While Dickenson let the patients run the asylum for two years, O’Day was the one who admitted them in the first place.

4) My unsoliticed advice to O’Day is to start by establishing a leadership group that holds the rest of the room accountable. The locker room has been a mess, with several players on their own agenda, which shows by how they conduct themselves on the field. The latest incident involves DE Anthony Lanier, who after a tackle on Argos QB Chad Kelly, grabbed his leg and twisted it, in what was a clear attempt to injure. It’s just wild how the Riders have gone from the flagship franchise to the garbage heap.

5) The Elks season is officially done and the focus has already shifted to next year. GM/HC Chris Jones said Tre Ford would return as the club’s No. 1 QB in 2024, but added that it will be a competition between Taylor Cornelius and Jarret Doege as well. I asked Jones last week where he felt he was in his vision with the team and if he had any regrets. He immediately said he regretted signing so many aging veterans his first year and if he could do it over, he’d go much younger, which is what he did this season. With his plan now in place, Jones has one more year to get it right or it could be it for him as a HC in the CFL.

6) The Elks released DL Kony Ealy this week. Ealy is a solid contributor, with four sacks in 15 games, and it got me wondering, given there’s still a week left in the regular season, if a team was still able to sign him? I don’t think they could, because the Elks are finished their season, but I couldn’t get confirmation from the CFL and no one else could provide an answer. It wouldn’t surprise me if they could.

7) I’m envious of the support Redblacks GM Shawn Burke has from his boss. If you’ve ever talked to Burke, it’s quite obvious he’s smart and passionate about football, but that hasn’t translated much in his first two seasons at the helm in Ottawa. Despite boasting an 8-27 record, Redblacks president Adrian Sciarra, in an interview on TSN 1200, said he had the full confidence of his GM. Maybe it was the fact Ottawa was horrible his first year, but Burke put together arguably the worst roster in the CFL this season.

8) What about HC Bob Dyce, who just finished his first season and has two more left on his deal? I thought for sure, because of the non-player football operations cap, he would be safe, but Sciarra created doubt after he said the ops cap wasn’t yet a factor in the club’s decision-making. I bet it does eventually, and Dyce comes back for one more year to prove himself.

9) It’s been a rough go in Ottawa the last two years, owing to two season-ending injuries to QB Jeremiah Masoli. They weren’t alone, though, as the Ticats (Bo Levi Mitchell) and Riders (Trevor Harris) also dealt with similar circumstances. We know GMs and HCs are super conservative when it comes to picking and playing their No. 1 QBs, but how could any of these three clubs go with their guy again next year? Masoli (35), Mitchell (33) and Harris (37) are all getting up there in age, with their best days behind them. With so many younger and arguably better options out there, I doubt fans will understand if they keep the status quo and things go sideways again.

10) Congrats to Nic Demski for hitting the 1,000-yard mark in receiving yards for the first time in seven seasons. Demski has always been good, but he hasn’t always been healthy, and this year he was both. He actually was forced from the game with an injury while at 999 yards. He admitted to me afterwards that he knew he was a yard short and that was part of his motivation to return.

Jeff.Hamilton@freepress.mb.ca

X: @jeffkhamilton