First & Goal

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 28/10/2009 (5804 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Five storylines that jumped out while observing the past week of Canadian Football League action:

1 THERE are still two games left in the Toronto Argonauts’ season so, officially, the heart hasn’t stopped beating on the 2009 campaign just yet. That won’t stop us, however, from grabbing a scalpel and conducting our own autopsy on a squad that is about to miss the playoffs for the second year running.

The gruesome truth: The Argos are 3-21 since last September and a lot of folks across the CFL map will now be watching intently for what happens in the Big Smoke this off-season.

Do owners Howard Sokolowski and David Cynamon return? Does head coach Bart Andrus get another crack? What about personnel men Adam Rita and Greg Mohns?

Whatever happens in the corporate offices, a major overhaul is needed — again — on the on-field product. Simply put, it’s a shame for an outfit in the CFL’s biggest market to be so dreadful, but it’s an absolute sin to stink AND be long in the tooth.

Really, take a look at the Argos’ roster and some of their ‘marquee’ players: QB Kerry Joseph is 36, starting running back Jamal Robertson is 32, left tackle Rob Murphy — one of their big free agent splashes — is 32, starting middle linebacker Zeke Moreno is 31 as is defensive back Jordan Younger while end Jonathan Brown is 33. As well, several key Canadians are in their 30s: Adriano Belli (32), Kevin Eiben (30), Andre Talbot (31) and Jeff Johnson (32).

If there is a change up top, it would be mighty tempting to blow this thing up for the new owner/GM/head coach. What fans they have left will be demanding it.

2 I’M not saying, I’m just saying… so governments are on board for a $458-million upgrade to B.C. Place that includes a retractable roof and the group in Quebec City is after an NHL team and the Winter Olympics wants the three levels of governments to pony up $400 million toward a new arena in the provincial capital. And the Bombers and prospective owner David Asper had to fight and scratch just to get $35 million from the policy-makers for their new building? Hmmmmm…

3 ALLOW me, please, to weigh in on Casey Printers’ return to the B.C. Lions and the CFL… first off, let’s all recognize that Printers probably doesn’t step on the field unless the Lions’ QB depth is destroyed by injuries to Jarious Jackson, Buck Pierce and Travis Lulay. And let’s all acknowledge that Wally Buono deserves a ton of credit for bringing out the best in Printers when every other team in this league took a pass on taking a look at the 28-year-old former CFL Most Outstanding Player.

Now, while he was rusty in the OT loss to Saskatchewan on the weekend, it was hard not to be impressed by the physical skills that saw him pass for 339 yards and two touchdowns. But the interception he threw in the end zone in overtime was inexcusable and his comments to TSN before the game left many doubters convinced his time away from the game hasn’t changed his attitude. Said Printers: "I really don’t buy into what people say, because it’s just something to sell something. They’re usually trying to sell a paper or trying to do something for their own gain. In the locker-room, we call those haters. And we need haters, though. We need the haters, because you need people to try to bring you down. That’s what gives you the sense of urgency to get better."

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4 FURTHER to the Lions… you’d figure they’d had enough of all this gesture stuff after the controversy the crotch chop at the Blue Bombers’ bench drew twice this season. But, oh no, there were the Lions in Saturday’s loss to the Riders apparently ticking off another team and its fan base.

"They were out there telling the crowd that it’s over and slitting their throats and things like that," Rider QB Darian Durant told the Regina Leader-Post after rallying the Riders to victory. "We see things like that. It was definitely good to have that happen."

5 AND, finally, thanks for the many, many loyal readers who emailed with their picks for the Bomber Most Outstanding Player Award nominees. Based on our very informal poll, the majority of the fans’ picks would go like this: Most Outstanding: Fred Reid; Defence: (dead-heat tie) Jovon Johnson and Doug Brown; Canadian: Doug Brown; rookie: Jonathan Hefney and special teams: Jovon Johnson. The official votes should be tallied and released early next week.