FIRST & GOAL Aug. 18

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 18/08/2009 (6181 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:

2Look, we love the guy’s game — he’s not afraid to tuck it away and put his head down on a defender and he has decent passing skills — but the 27-year-old’s future is very much in doubt now after he had his bell rung again in Toronto last week.

In case you missed it, the Lions’ starter took a shot from Argonaut end Claudie Harriott and his head banged off the turf — again. According to The Province in Vancouver, Pierce then experienced nausea and vomited, although he did not lose consciousness. The likable five-year vet has had five concussion-like experiences in the last 11 months, including taking a nasty hit in Edmonton a month ago and suffering through dizzy spells in the win over Saskatchewan earlier this month.

The Lions will start Jarious Jackson against the Bombers on Friday as the club lets Pierce heal and, undoubtedly, weighs the risks of putting him back in harm’s way.

"I don’t know if I’m susceptible to something. I hate to think that way, but I don’t know," said Pierce after the Argo game. "I took a hit and unfortunately I couldn’t shake it. I just couldn’t get rid of the cobwebs… I don’t know what (doctors) will think about next week. The thing is I want to feel better now."

2Pierce’s woes likely means Jarious Jackson will get a long stint as the No. 1 gun. And it says here that makes the Lions one of the most intriguing squads to watch over the last two thirds of the season. Jackson, the former Notre Dame star, can be spectacular and awful from one series to the next. As The Province’s Ed Willes so perfectly described him, Jackson ‘can look like LaToya Jackson one minute and Russ Jackson the next.’

"If (Jackson) was a golfer, he’d be a long-ball hitter," said Lions GM and head coach Wally Buono. "If it was a par-five, he might be on the green in two. Or he might be in the water for eight. Buck will be on the green in three and might make the putt for birdie."

2"That was atrocious. That was terrible. That’s nothing like we practise at all," cornerback Dwight Anderson told The Calgary Sun. "Now that we’ve watched the tape and I’ve had a chance to see what really went on, we gave that game to them. Ain’t no bounces, ain’t bad luck or none of that. That’s on our shoulders, period."

Question is, then, why did the Stamps opt to make seven changes on the defensive side of the ball if they were already ranked No. 1?

2In one of our earlier Huddle rants this season we brought up our frustration over seeing the RONA spot where the brain-dead husband builds a deck INSIDE his house. It’s stupid, it makes no sense and we’re seeing more and more fans moan about it in chat rooms all over the CFL and in our own ‘Cover-it-Live’ discussion board on winnipegfreepress.com. Seriously, if Kia Forte can spike those spots that made all their owners look like fools — ‘Kung fu/bee-keeping … not my Forte, but that is…’ — why can’t RONA see it also has a complete dud on its hands? Anyone for starting a petition to get the thing yanked? We’ll be the first to sign…

2Please email your responses to ed.tait@freepress.mb.ca

POWER RANKINGS

One man’s totally subjective rankings of the eight CFL teams after Week 7 of the season (last week’s rank in parenthesis):

1. (1) MONTREAL ALOUETTES (6-1): The Bombers were just another speed bump en route to first in the East.

2. (5) EDMONTON ESKIMOS (4-3): Amazing what a proven QB and return-man can do, isn’t it?

3. (4) SASKATCHEWAN ROUGHRIDERS (4-3): Ken Miller has done wonders with this football team.

4. (2) HAMILTON TIGER-CATS (4-3): We still like Quinton Porter, even though he was quick to be yanked in Regina.

5. (3) CALGARY STAMPEDERS (3-4): Lots of firepower, but their run defence is horrendous and kick coverage is terrible.

6. (6) B.C. LIONS (3-4): Jarious Jackson to the rescue… again.

7. (8) TORONTO ARGONAUTS (2-5): Showed progress with Cody Pickett at QB.

8. (7) WINNIPEG BLUE BOMBERS (2-5): Barely treading water… and with an anvil strapped to their backs.

JUICY NUMBER — 9

The Argos have now lost nine consecutive home games, a club record. Toronto last won at Rogers Centre on Aug. 1, 2008 over the Bombers, a stretch of 383 days

FYI

The Alouette defence has now gone two full games, including Saturday’s victory over Winnipeg, without allowing a TD. That said, they were bemoaning lost opportunities post-game, including whiffing on some errant throws by Michael Bishop. "We could have had six interceptions. The way we were coming off the ball was like a horse at the track coming out of the gate," Als’ linebacker Diamond Ferri told The Montreal Gazette… The Ticats have now lost 11 straight to Saskatchewan. And if you thought the Bombers’ one first down and 30 yards passing in the first half of the 19-5 loss to Toronto a few weeks back was ugly, get this: Hamilton had zero first down and minus-seven yards offence in the first half against the Riders on Sunday… TSN’s Brian Williams was in Winnipeg on Monday for a sit-down interview with Bomber linebacker Siddeeq Shabazz regarding his relationship with his brother, who is in the U.S. military. Williams also travelled to North Carolina to speak to Shabazz’s brother and his work is always one of the highlights of TSN’s telecast. It sounds like this one, scheduled to air this Friday, should be a dandy… Ben Cahoon’s father-in-law Gary Herbert was recently sworn in as the new governor of Utah. Cahoon attended the swearing-in in Utah, attended by 6,000 people.

SAY WHAT?!

"I understand that people are frustrated, I just have to put that aside. But I may get the windows in my car darkened because people at the stoplight just love to say hello."

— Bombers head coach Mike Kelly