FIRST AND GOAL

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 26/10/2010 (5457 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Five storylines that jumped out while watching the last week of Canadian Football League action:

1 Inject Toronto Argonaut head coach Jim Barker with a truth serum and we’re certain he’d spend hours outlining all that ails his football team with two weeks left in the regular season.

Shoot, it might not even take a dose of sodium pentothal to get him to fess up with a list of Argo sins.

But here’s the interesting thing about Barker & Co. as the CFL heads into the second-last week of the campaign: He’s got his squad at 8-8 and, flaws and all, it’s headed to the postseason for the first time since 2007. This from a crew that was 3-15 last season and easily one of the worst CFL teams in recent memory.

They’ve done it with defence, special teams and running back Cory Boyd and in spite of an anemic passing attack. And that certainly makes a man passed over for the GM job here in Winnipeg one of the CFL’s coach-of-the-year candidates.

2 If last Saturday’s Saskatchewan-Edmonton tilt from Commonwealth Stadium was a preview of the West Semifinal then Roughrider fans should begin gnawing on their fingernails ASAP.

The Riders have lost three straight and, save for two late Ryan Dinwiddie-to-Cary Koch touchdowns inside the final three minutes, were flattered by the 39-24 final.

Interestingly, Eskimo GM Eric Tillman has already made some decisions that are paying huge dividends for the green and gold. Three of the players he signed after becoming boss — receiver Derick Armstrong, returner Jason Armstead and running back Daniel Porter — scored TDs in Saturday’s win.

And Porter, a product of Louisiana Tech, has 292 yards rushing in the last two weeks.

“He’s a monster, this kid. A monster,” Esks centre Aaron Fiacconi told the Edmonton Journal. “He’s doing a great job and we’re feeling the momentum. We’re attacking defences, the tempo is there and we’re starting to play good football up front.

“It seems like we’re rising from the ashes, like the Phoenix around here.”

Just FYI, it looks like Jared Zabransky will start for the Eskimos this Saturday against Joey Elliott and the Bombers. Not exactly the Ricky Ray vs. Buck Pierce marquee matchup everyone would have envisioned back in July.

3 Not sure what to make of Chris Bauman — the pride of Brandon, former Regina Ram and first overall pick in the 2007 draft — but his handiwork for the Ticats in last week’s win over the Alouettes should have the Canadian-challenged Bombers paying attention.

Bauman, a 6-4, 212 pound target with outstanding speed but iffy numbers during his days in Hamilton, pulled in six passes for 147 yards and two TDs while filling in for Arland Bruce III.

Oh, and he’s a potential free agent this winter.

4 Not sure if Stampeder receiver Nik Lewis is a legit Most-Outstanding-Player candidate — many in Calgary sure think so — but has any CFL receiver been on more highlight packages this season?

If he’s not hurdling over Bomber safety Brady Browne, he’s running over Montreal cornerback Mark Estelle. And in last week’s loss to B.C. he not only pulled in seven catches for 149 yards and two TDs, he absolutely ear-holed Lion defender Adam Leonard on a cutback block.

And many Lions are crying foul, especially given the attention drawn to the hits by B.C. linebacker Solomon Elimimian, including one on Ricky Ray that drew a fine.

“Thank God Nik Lewis didn’t didn’t take his knee out,” Lions boss Buono told the Vancouver Sun. “If Nik Lewis had been a real chicken (bleep), he’d have taken his knee out. I guarantee you that Adam Leonard would not be playing this week. At least give Nik kudos of that.

“But you look at how he launches himself, how he becomes a projectile. I believe that his intent is to take his head off. Thank God Adam didn’t get killed.”

5 And, finally, this gem from Alouette defensive tackle Eric Wilson — a former Bomber — and a guy whose leadership would be a welcome addition to the clubhouse here in River City:

“It’s like a teeter-totter,” Wilson told the Montreal Gazette after the Als were crushed by Hamilton last week. “When we lose, we get our asses whipped. This team needs to find out who we want to be in the playoffs. When we don’t show up we get our asses kicked. Just because we’ve clinched first doesn’t mean we’re on a damn vacation ride. It’s a lack of focus when your teammates play like that. We’re in first place, but you’ve got to rise. If we wanted to take a game off, they should have just taken our cheques and we could have stayed home.”