Don’t bite the hand that feeds you

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This article was published 11/10/2021 (1643 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

It was a unique stretch in the Canadian Football League season, with Week 10 kicking off on a Tuesday and wrapping up with a pair of games on Thanksgiving Monday.

In total, there were five games on the docket, with the Ottawa Redblacks and Toronto Argonauts playing twice over the six-day period. The 4-4 B.C. Lions was the only idle team, off with the bye.

The Argonauts opened the week with a 35-16 win over the Redblacks, who dropped to 2-7 after losing to the Montreal Alouettes (4-4), 20-16, Monday afternoon. Toronto (6-3) finished the week with a nailbiting 24-23 road victory over the Hamiltion Tiger-Cats (4-5), thanks to a 51-yard field goal from Boris Bede with no time left on the clock.

In between those games saw the Winnipeg Blue Bombers build on their stellar season, dominating the Edmonton Elks, 30-3, to improve to a CFL-best 8-1 record. The Elks dropped to 2-6 with the loss, their fourth straight, and will host Bombers this week in the third and final tilt between the two clubs this year.

Finally, the Calgary Stampeders edged the Saskatchewan Roughriders, 22-19, to improve to 4-5 and stay relevant in the West Division playoff race. The Roughriders are now 5-4, clinging to second place in the Division, six points back of the Bombers.

There’s lots to get to this week, with drama unfolding on and off the field. Here’s the latest edition of CFL Rundown, a weekly column that looks at the week that was in the three-down loop.

1) More controversy coming out of Edmonton after former Elks defensive lineman Eddie Steele was fired as a radio analyst on 630 CHED for disparaging comments made about VP of football operations and GM Brock Sunderland. Steele was critical of Sunderland on an Elks pre-game show, then doubled down his position on The Rod Pedersen Show, where he also suggested bringing back former head coach Chris Jones to run the club.There was plenty of fallout after the move, with many rushing to defend Steele and criticize CHED for not defending their analyst and succumbing to team pressure. 2) I’m of two opinions. While Steele’s firing was unjust, it was also predictable. CHED is the broadcast rights holder for the Elks, meaning there’s an established relationship between the radio station and team. As an analyst for CHED, Steele isn’t an employee of the Elks but because of that relationship he’s also not free to say whatever he wants, particularly when it comes to criticizing management. Indeed, it’s a fine line to walk. 3) Steele continued to spit fire in the immediate aftermath but softened his stance as the week wore on. My biggest takeaways are the Elks are thin skinned and could have handled the matter behind closed doors, preventing worse press. But this also falls on CHED, who, according to Steele, provided him no guidance on his new role. What else did they expect from a former player with lots to say? 4) Bombers and CFL-leading receiver Kenny Lawler was sidelined this week after he was suspended one game following a charge for impaired driving. Lawler was drinking and then drove, resulting in a single-vehicle accident early Monday morning. No one was hurt and there’s no plan from the CFL to add to his punishment. 5) I’m careful to give credit to the Bombers, who got in front of it right away, issuing a statement before they could get scooped, or to Lawler, who was emotional speaking to reporters and vowed to be better from this experience. Truth is, if Lawler wasn’t having a breakout season he wouldn’t get that chance. Also, actions speak louder than words and I’m interested in seeing what Lawler has planned to earn the trust back that he lost. And it won’t come with more receiving yards and touchdowns. 6) Hamilton this week welcomed its biggest crowd of the season after a loosening on health protocols permitted a full house. They would fall just short of a 23,218 capacity, with 21,378 fans attending on the holiday Monday. On Tuesday, the Argonauts attracted 6,788 fans – the lowest in team history. 7) Roughriders quarterback Cody Fajardo publicly apologized this week after calling out his receivers for not making plays in a Week 9 road loss to Calgary. I was hoping he was embracing a bit of a bad boy image but that clearly isn’t the case. If he doesn’t like the criticism from fans, the only remedy is to win and the rest will take care of itself. 8) The Canadian government issued last week travel restrictions for people who aren’t vaccinated, with those who aren’t unable to board a plane or train come Nov. 30. There’s a grace period for all of November, meaning unvaccinated players can provide a negative test to travel until the hard deadline kicks in. 9) As far as the CFL schedule is concerned, it could have been a lot worse for the league. Still, under the current conditions, the games that will be affected are the West and East finals on Dec. 5, and then the Grey Cup on Dec. 12. It will be interesting what the teams and league will do to meet the conditions and what competitive advantages – travelling within the East and West Divisions vary significantly – will have to be discussed.

10) For a second it looked like Ottawa might just be on its way to another win, leading the Argonauts 9-8 at halftime. But they completely fell apart in the final two quarters, with a screen pass to D.J. Foster that went 63 yards for a touchdown and a pair of pick-6s enough to make it a blowout ending. 11) The Argonauts are a much better team at home than on the road this season. They’re 4-0 at BMO Field this year and have allowed just one point in the first quarter. Toronto is 1-4 on the road and have just eight points in the first frame of those games. Bet wisely. 12) A gruesome elbow injury to the longest tenured Argo, long-snapper Jake Reinhart, did not look good. He had to undergo emergency surgery in Guelph after the game and word is he won’t return this season. Here’s to a speedy recovery for one of the CFL’s good guys. 13) At 8-1, the Bombers are off to their best start since 1960. That year, the Bombers were also reigning Grey Cup champions and opened the season 10-0, finishing the 16-game regular season 14-2. Winnipeg would end up losing in a best-of-three series for the West Final, two games to one, to Edmonton. 14) After blanking the Elks in the second half, Winnipeg has given up a grand total of six fourth-quarter points through nine games, for an average of 0.67 points per game. Calgary currently holds the single-single season record for fewest points scored in the fourth quarter, with 28 points allowed in 16 games in 1969, for an eye-popping average of 1.75. 15) The Bombers defence didn’t give up a touchdown for the fourth time this season and held their opponent to fewer than 10 points for a sixth time in 2021. What was most impressive, however, was the three surrendered safeties by Edmonton on a day where the wind was no factor. Oh, plus five turnovers. Elks QB Trevor Harris, who finished 9-for-22 passing for 87 yards, said it was the first time in his CFL career that he felt embarrassed. 16) Speaking of Harris, Elks head coach Jaime Elizondo has decided to go with Taylor Cornelius and Dakota Prukop this week in the rematch against the Bombers. That means Harris won’t even be on the roster Friday – yikes! 17) The Bombers broke open the game late, turning a 17-3 into a 30-3 beatdown with a pair of Andrew Harris rushing touchdowns. Harris looked his vintage self, rushing 24 times for 150 yards and the two scores. He also had one catch for 24 yards. 18) Winnipeg’s kicking game has once again bottomed out. Ali Mourtada has likely played his last game as a Bomber, after going one-for-four on field goal attempts, while also missing on a single-point convert. In three games, Mourtada is four-for-10 on field goals, with his longest kick registering at 29 yards. 19) There was a touching moment postgame between Calgary and Saskatchewan, when Stampeders kicker Rene Parades dedicated his game-clinching field goal to Dr. Frank Lodato. A sports psychologist to many teams and players, including in the NHL and CFL, Dr. Lodato passed away last week at the age of 95. By all accounts, he was a great man who did a lot to help players with the mental part of the game. RIP, Dr. Frank. 20) The Stampeders do have a run game after all. Entering the week averaging the second-fewest rushing yards per game, with 71.6, Calgary leaned on Ka’Deem Carey, who finished with 20 carries for 109 yards, while adding another five catches for 69 yards. The last time a Stampeder rusher hit the 20-carry mark was in Week 14 of the 2017 season, when Jerome Messam rushed 23 times for 127 yards in a 15-9 win over Saskatchewan. 

21) Redblacks rookie Caleb Evans became the first Ottawa QB in franchise history to lead his team to a victory in his first start, while also tossing for three touchdowns. In two games since, he’s 36-for-63 (57 per cent) passing for 459 yards and four interceptions. Both of which were losses. 22) Vernon Adams Jr. was injured near the end of the game Monday, with his left arm held in a brace. That opened the door for No. 2 QB Matthew Shiltz to enter the game and guide the Alouettes on a game-saving drive. Down 16-13, Shiltz orchestrated a nine-play, 74-yard drive that was capped off with a seven-yard run from Cameron Artis-Payne. Shiltz went three-for-three passing on the drive and had one rush for 17 yards on the play before the touchdown. 23) The Argonauts showed some major guts clawing their way back to beat the Tiger-Cats. After punting the ball away on their first six drives, Toronto found their groove in the second half, scoring two touchdowns and two field goals on their final four series. 24) With the win, Toronto now has sole possession of top spot in the East, at 6-3. Hamilton (4-5) falls to third place with the loss, behind Montreal (4-4) and ahead of the lowly 2-7 Redblacks. 

jeff.hamilton@freepress.mb.ca

twitter: @jeffkhamilton