Cats, Riders punch tickets to finals

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This article was published 29/11/2021 (1406 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Then there were four.

The Canadian Football League playoffs kicked off with a double-header on Sunday, with the West Division and East Division semi-finals played back-to-back to determine who would move on to the Division finals on Dec. 5.

The Hamilton Tiger-Cats, backed by a dominating second quarter, defeated the Montreal Alouettes 23-12 at Tim Hortons Field. They’ll now travel to Toronto to take on the Argonauts in the East final, with a victory giving the Tiger-Cats a chance to play for a Grey Cup in Hamilton for the first time in nearly 50 years.

The Saskatchewan Roughriders earned their first postseason victory at the new(ish) Mosaic Stadium, narrowly edging the Calgary Stampeders, 33-30, in double overtime. The Roughriders advancing makes it a classic prairie showdown for the West final, with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers playing hosts as they continue their bid to win consecutive Grey Cups.

Soon, the stage will be set for the 108th Grey Cup and what a week that will be after the entire 2020 CFL season was wiped out owing to the COVID-19 pandemic. But before we look too far ahead, let’s look back at the week that was in the three-down game with the latest edition of CFL Rundown.

1) Chris Streveler was released by the NFL’s Arizona Cardinals recently, sending CFL fans, particularly in Winnipeg, into a frenzy over whether the former Bomber might be interested in a Grey Cup reunion in Winnipeg. While the Bombers would likely love to have Streveler, especially with No. 2 QB Sean McGuire nicked up, they’re not holding their breath. Streveler broke his silence over social media, thanking Arizona and noting his excitement for what comes next. But a CFL playoff run just doesn’t seem to be in the cards.

2) I’ve read from my peers in several places that Roughriders defensive end A.C. Leonard was robbed of a CFL West Division all-star nomination. I don’t get it. While Leonard had a great season, including a CFL-high 11 quarterbacks sacks (as well as one interception), he didn’t get robbed by Willie Jefferson (7 sacks; 2 INTs; 1 TD; 3 forced fumbles) and Jackson Jeffcoat (9 sacks; 4 FF) getting the nod. Leonard also was suspended three games — two for not being able to provide a urine sample and one for abuse of testing officials. Find a new hill.

3) Your weekly reminder of the league’s rules around travel for unvaccinated players and coaches. Teams are not allowed to make alternative plans for those who are unvaccinated. That means teams must travel together and if they’re wanting to bus to a game – remember after Dec. 1, you can’t fly domestically without proof of vaccination – to accommodate the unvaccinated, then the entire team must bus, too. The CFL has said it expects to have 95 per cent of its players vaccinated by Dec. 1.

4) There’s been a fair amount of flack aimed towards the Edmonton Elks organization about their decision to hire former CFL GM/HC Wally Buono as a consultant, as they look to replace key executives following the firing of the team’s president, general manager and head coach. I always thought Buono was progressive in how he ran the Lions, who were by far the most transparent team in the CFL during his leadership. If openness is what he brings to the Elks, I can’t think of something that organization needs more of.

5) There’s some buzz that Alouettes head coach Khari Jones might be in danger of losing his job following the loss to Hamilton in the semi-final, which was the second first-round exit in as many years that Jones has been the head coach. With only two seasons under Jones, one of which was clouded by the COVID-19 pandemic, it seems like an incredibly premature decision by the Alouettes. Especially with Jones under contract for 2022 and having the respect of his players.

6) Per TSN’s Dave Naylor, the Tiger-Cats last week were fined by the CFL for having an illegal roster during portions of their regular-season finale win over the Roughriders. Hamilton did not have the required minimum seven Canadian starters for the entire game. The $ amount wasn’t disclosed but the CFL wasn’t overly worried about it because it was an inconsequential game. Still, I always wondered if the league kept an eye on a rule that seems hard to enforce.

7) The CFL’s TV viewership for the final week of the regular season took a major hit. The lowest rating belonged to the Edmonton and Toronto game Tuesday night, which, for the first time this season, drew fewer than 200,000 viewers. With gate revenue also on a steady decline, comissioner Randy Ambrosie’s state of the union address will be among the most important parts of a busy Grey Cup week.

8) There was yet another reason this week to celebrate the long career of play-by-play legend Bob Irving, who will hang up the headset after nearly 50 years following the West final on Sunday. The Bombers announced Irving will be the 13th member to be added to the team’s Ring of Honour. A brief celebration will be held prior to kickoff.

9) So much for Patrick Levels making good on his guarantee the Alouettes would beat the Tiger-Cats. I loved the sound bite from Levels and believe there should be more trash talk to get fans interested in the game. It was almost as good as the video the Tiger-Cats posted after their win, splicing Levels’ comments with highlights from the game.

10) Hamilton had just 18 yards of net offence in the first quarter, but came alive in the second, outscoring the Alouettes 20-0. Here are the results of Montreal’s four possessions in the second quarter: fumble, punt, fumble, interception. The game was decided in a 13-minute stretch.

11) If the Alouettes had any chance of winning, they were going to need big games from QB Trevor Harris and RB William Stanback. By eliminating Stanback, who finished with 12 carries for just 29 yards, Harris was forced to win the game through the air. While he tossed for 364 yards, he fumbled three times and had one interception.

12) That defensive front-four for Hamilton, consisting of Dylan Wynn, Julian Howsare, Ted Laurent and Ja’Gared Davis, is going to be a real handful for Toronto. In total, they combined for 11 defensive tackles, five sacks, three forced fumbles and two fumble recoveries.

13) In the first half between the Roughriders and Stampeders I truly believed neither team wanted to win. It might have been the ugliest half of football I’ve ever witnessed. Between the two teams, there were five interceptions, two turnover-on-downs and two missed field goals.

14) By the end of the game, my heart was racing. Saskatchewan led 10-8 at halftime, but in the final two quarters and into OT there was a combined 48 points scored and several lead changes. It went from a dud to a classic.

15) That’s not to say things weren’t ugly at times. The Stampeders essentially gifted the Roughriders the game after kicker Rene Parades missed three field goals, including a botched 44-yard attempt in the second OT. The biggest mistake by Calgary, though, came during its first possession in extra time. After RB Ka’Deem Carey rushed for nine yards, setting up second-and-short at Saskatchewan’s 16, the Stampeders called a play from shotgun and ended up losing a yard. That’s an inexcusable play call.

16) Stampeders DE Shawn Lemon was ejected from the game shortly after the end of the second quarter for punching Roughriders receiver Duke Williams in the helmet. Lemon said after the game that Duke Williams had spit on him, so we’ll see what, if any, additional punishment comes from the league. The footage doesn’t show Williams doing much before Lemon delivers a two-handed strike.

17) I still don’t think Cody Fajardo is a good enough QB to win a Grey Cup and he didn’t make much of a case against that on Sunday. After essentially saying he was going to have a big game after sitting out the regular-season finale, Fajardo finished 22-for-33 passing for 189 yards, with one touchdown (plus one rushing score) compared to four interceptions. How bad was his performance? Fajardo apologized for his performance on TV afterwards.

18) There’s no hiding it was a tough season for Calgary QB Bo Levi Mitchell. Mitchell battled injuries and inconsistency all season and after an up-and-down performance on Sunday, there are now questions about his future in Cowtown. Head coach Dave Dickenson said he wanted Mitchell back and Mitchell hoped to return to his normal self after the offseason. The reality is if he wants to be a No. 1 again, he’s likely going to have to take a pay cut. Ditto for Michael Reilly in B.C. and Harris in Montreal.

jeff.hamilton@freepress.mb.ca

twitter: @jeffkhamilton