Week 1 a thriller

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 15/06/2022 (1181 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

What an opening weekend for the Canadian Football League. After a long off-season, fans of three-down football were treated to an exciting slate of games that had a bit of everything.

The Calgary Stampeders rallied back from a 10-point deficit in the first half to down the visiting Montreal Alouettes, 30-27, in the season-opener Thursday night. Meanwhile, the back-to-back Grey Cup champion Winnipeg Blue Bombers narrowly escaped defeat at the hands of the new-look Ottawa Redblacks, nailing a last-minute field goal to seal a 19-17 victory at IG Field.

It would take the Saskatchewan Roughriders a bit to hit their groove against the Hamilton Tiger-Cats, but an offensive outburst in the second half resulted in a 30-13 win over the Tabbies. The B.C. Lions wasted little time making their presence felt against the Edmonton Elks, registering six touchdowns through the first two quarters en route to a dominating 59-15 win at a spirited BC Place.

Indeed, it was as good a showing as the CFL could have asked for to open a new campaign. And as is always the case, there are plenty of juicy notes and storylines that have emerged heading into Week 2.

But before we look ahead, let’s take a glance back at the week that was in the three-down loop in the latest edition of CFL Rundown.

1) It didn’t take long for the quarterback controversy to rear its ugly head again in Calgary after starter Bo Levi Mitchell suffered an ankle injury late in the game, making way for backup Jake Maier to come in and lead the Stampeders to victory. Mitchell wasn’t incredible, completing 62 per cent of his passes for 199 yards, one touchdown and one interception, while Maier completed four of five passes for 57 yards. Don’t expect a change to occur behind centre; Mitchell doesn’t appear to be seriously injured, with an MRI clearing him of any soft tissue damage, and is expected to start again this week in Hamilton.

2) The Alouettes weren’t as fortunate on the injury front, with all-star running back William Stanback expected to miss a majority of the season after undergoing surgery on his left ankle. Stanback, the East Division’s nominee for most outstanding player last year, pulled up lame late in the first half, a yard short of what would have been his second score of the evening. That’s a massive loss for Montreal, who will look to Canadian tailback Jeshrun Antwi this week against Toronto before testing out a few other pieces they’ve acquired over the last few days.

3) I’m all for players and team personnel creating billboard material, and Alouettes owner Gary Stern is proving to be among the best trash talkers there is in the CFL. Shortly after taking over the Als in 2019, Stern took a shot at the Argonauts, telling reporters they sucked. Earlier this week, when asked about their Week 2 matchup against Toronto, Stern predicted Montreal would kill their opponent.

4) The Argonauts were the lone team sidelined with a bye, but not even they could exit the week unscathed. Receivers Juwan Brescacin and Eric Rogers were both added to the six-game injured list, which is a major blow to an offence that will now have the rely even more on aging stars in running back Andrew Harris and receiver Brandon Banks.

5) The Bombers unveiled their second Grey Cup banner in as many years and this time they did it right. This time they honoured the actual year the team won the title — while also being sure to add “Back-to-Back” — rather than acknowledging how many cups, as they did for 2019.

6) Let’s get real for a second: the Bombers should have lost against the Redblacks, even if they deserve credit for clawing their way to victory. Some misplays and a couple dropped interceptions are what ultimately did them in.

7) No mistake was greater, though, than what happened just prior to halftime, when the Redblacks inexcusably let the clock run out despite being in field goal range. After running a QB sneak to get a fresh set of downs at Winnipeg’s 34-yard line, head coach Paul LaPolice opted to call a passing play with 17 seconds remaining, with Jaelon Acklin reeling in a catch before being tackled at the Bombers’ 11 with no time remaining. What’s more, Acklin actually celebrated the first down while the rest of us looked on dumbfounded.

8) It was the right call for the CFL’s injury spotter to remove Zach Collaros from the game after his head bounced off the turf following a hit late in the fourth. The same should have happened with Roughriders quarterback Cody Fajardo, who took a head shot from Simoni Lawrence and despite being in visible pain was allowed to stay in the game. Concussion spotters are important, but they need to be consistent.

9) The hit from Lawrence was late and cheap, and it’s hard not to think — given his history of dirty hits — he knew exactly what he was doing.

10) Speaking of Fajardo, with a healthy arsenal of receivers and an improved O-line, could the third-year starter return to his 2019 form, when he was a finalist for league MOP? Against Hamilton, he finished 22-for-32 passing for 311 yards and one touchdown, while also leading his team in rushing with 10 carries for 42 yards and another score. Fajardo had one 300-yard passing game all last season, with one already this year.

11) If Week 1 is any indication, the Ticats are only going to be as good as their offensive line, which wasn’t very good against Saskatchewan. You won’t win many games giving up eight sacks.

12) What a debut from Canadian QB Nathan Rourke, who dazzled in his first game as the Lions undisputed starter. The 24-year-old Rourke was near perfect, completing 26 of 29 passes for 282 yards and three touchdowns, along with seven carries for 78 yards and two rushing scores. Rourke set a new record for completion percentage in a game by a Canadian, his 89.7 per cent topping the old mark of 79.3. He was also just the second Canadian QB in CFL history, since Russ Jackson in 1966, to account for five touchdowns.

13) Rourke rightfully earned top performer of the week, with teammates, running back James Butler, who had two rushing and two receiving TDs, and defensive back T.J. Lee, who registered three defensive tackles and two interceptions, rounding out the Top 3 for a Lions sweep.

14) So much for Elks GM and coach Chris Jones being a defensive guru. The 59 points given up by the Elks is the most in team history, and man was it ugly to watch. The question I’m left with: are the Lions that good or are the Elks that bad?

15) The Lions also scored a major victory off the field, attracting 34,082 fans to Saturday’s affair. What a great sign for a city that has struggled for years to attract fans to games. The other attendance figures include Saskatchewan (28,216), Winnipeg (26,002) and Calgary (21,139).

16) The attendance figures weren’t the greatest, but they were somewhat on par to Week 1 in 2019. It was interesting to read Regina Leader Post columnist Rob Vanstone write, after speaking with Riders president Craig Reynolds, that approximately 4,000 fans never occupied their paid seat. Reynolds suggested the high gas prices likely had an effect, given how many fans in Saskatchewan drive from towns and cities outside of Regina.

17) Finally, tickets for the 2022 Grey Cup in Regina went on sale to the public Tuesday. More than 80 per cent of tickets had already been sold, leaving around 6,000 still up for grabs. For those iffy about spending a week in Regina, I definitely get it. But if anyone can put on a party for the championship game, it’s our friends in Riderville.

Jeff.Hamilton@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @jeffkhamilton