CFL delivers excitement

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 07/09/2021 (1493 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

What a great long weekend it was for the Canadian Football League. The Labour Day set of games, which kicked off Friday and wrapped up with a double-header on Monday, delivered in a major way – not even COVID-19 could put a damper on what’s known as the most exciting few days of the CFL regular-season.

The Winnipeg Blue Bombers (4-1) defeated the Saskatchewan Roughriders (3-1), 23-8, to move into top spot in the West Division, in what was just their second victory in the annual clash dating back to 2004. The Edmonton Elks (2-2) were also able to rid the monkey from their back, defeating the Calgary Stampeders (1-4) on the road for the first time in a decade.

The Montreal Alouettes (2-2) put some wind back in their sails after losing two straight with a 51-29 victory over the Ottawa Redblacks (1-3), who have now lost three straight and look like they’ll be in tough to claim a second victory. And the Hamilton Tiger-Cats (2-2) looked like team we thought they would be, dismantling the Toronto Argonauts (2-2), 32-19, to improve their Labour Day streak to seven straight games.

Indeed, there was lots to see on the field, and plenty of things off it worth talking about. So, let’s not waste time and get going on the latest edition of CFL Rundown.

1) I’ll start off by adding my condolences following the death of former Alouettes owner Bob Wentenhall. He died last Friday, of unknown reasons, at the age of 86.

Wentenhall, an investment banker in New York and a lover of all sports, played a major role in resurrecting the Alouettes. He bought what was a mismanaged club in 1997, including covering all the team’s existing debts, and had his name attached to it until Montreal was sold in 2019. His most successful stretch was between 1999 and 2010, with the Alouettes claiming the East Division nine times, reaching eight Grey Cups and winning three of them.

2) After a disastrous Week 4 for Edmonton that included 13 players test positive for COVID-19, cancelling their game against the Toronto Argonauts, the Elks were back leading the drama train to start Week 5.

Edmonton released Canadian O-lineman Jacob Ruby for breaking COVID protocols – in this case, Ruby was reported to continuously lie about being fully vaccinated. The CFL then issued a league-wide memo preventing any other team from signing him.

3) A couple things here. Good on the CFL for sending a clear message that this type of behaviour won’t be tolerated. Football is the ultimate team sport, and that level of irresponsibility not only contradicts the team-first mantra, it risks putting others in harm’s way.

4) But my bigger issue is with the Elks. How do you just take a player’s word for it rather than getting actual confirmation? That’s so bush league. Talking with front offices around the league, I’m told the error in judgement has the CFL fuming behind closed doors.

5) Speaking of the Elks, as well as the Roughriders, congratulations for finally succumbing to common sense and issuing a new policy that will have fans now show proof of vaccination or a negative COVID-19 test in order to attend a game. That puts all nine teams on the same page.

6) I’m enjoying the fresh voices of Dustin Neilson and Marshall Ferguson, both of whom are getting the opportunity to do play by play this season. Both are solid professionals and will only improve over time. But, man, do I miss Chris Cuthbert on the call.

7) It’s difficult who exactly to pin the blame on for what’s happening in Ottawa, but it began on Jan. 31, when the Redblacks opted to sign Matt Nichols over Nick Arbuckle – and, if you can believe it, the money was similar. Nichols showed once again he’s incapable of doing the job behind centre, at least on a team with a weak O-line and unproven receivers.

Unable to create a spark – or throw a touchdown – head coach Paul LaPolice had finally seen enough by the end of the first quarter, pulling Nichols in favour of Dom Davis. Davis was better, completing 70 per cent of his passes for 291 yards and two touchdowns, but he also had two interceptions, including one returned for a touchdown.

8) The buzz in Ottawa is Nichols has lost the offence and players want Davis to start. Not sure that’s going to help, as Davis had all of 2019 to prove something but didn’t. But it can’t get any worse, right? Davis opened practice Tuesday working with the No. 1 offence.

9) Vernon Adams Jr. threw four touchdowns, Eugene Lewis and Jake Wieneke eclipsed 100 yards receiving and each scored two touchdowns, and William Stanback averaged 7.5 yards per run, totalling 112 yards in the win. But Montreal’s best play in the game was handing the ball off to defensive tackle Almondo Sewell late in the fourth quarter for a one-yard score. It was Sewell’s first touchdown in 143 CFL games.

10) Adams had taken a lot of flak in recent weeks for his unsteady play, so it was cool to see the Alouettes quarterback show some real emotion, wiping away tears in his postgame interview with TSN. Now to do it against someone other than the Redblacks.

11) Bombers defensive end Willie Jefferson had some harsh words for his former team, all but calling the Roughriders pretenders despite a 3-0 record heading into the weekend. Jefferson and the defence would back it up big time, limiting the CFL’s highest-scoring team to just eight points and zero touchdowns.

I loved the comments by Jefferson and will take some credit for directing him that way in my questioning. The CFL needs more bulletin board material to showcase their product, as it only fuels rivalries and adds anticipation to the game.

12) The Bombers defence limited another opponent to fewer than 10 points, making it three times in five games this season. If the offence can continue to take steps and Winnipeg can figure out its special teams, we could be looking at a repeat in 2021.

13) Uh oh, maybe Cody Fajardo is who I thought he was. After going 23-for-39 for 211 yards, no touchdowns and three interceptions, Fajardo called it probably the worst game of his short career as a starter. Looking forward to seeing his response in next week’s Banjo Bowl rematch.

14) Trevor Harris apparently needed a COVID-19 outbreak on his team and some ensuing bad press to find the motivation to be his best this season. He threw for an eye-popping 398 yards and four touchdowns, with no interceptions, to earn his first win over Calgary. Afterwards, O-lineman Matt O’Donnell said Harris was “enjoying the haters” and that the team was “reading a lot of stuff in the media and the guys came out angry.” Let’s see if that can last.

15) James Wilder Jr. had another strong week, bringing his total rushing yards to a league-best 366 in four games. But as dangerous as he’s been, Edmonton is the only team without a rushing touchdown this year. Go figure.

16) Bo Levi Mitchell is expected to be back this week for the Stamps after missing the last three games with a leg injury, but something tells me we haven’t seen the last of Jake Maier. Maier eclipsed the 300-yard passing mark for a third straight game and has yet to throw an interception since throwing two pick-sixes in the first half of his first game. The guy has poise and a strong arm and at 24 years old has proven capable of running a CFL offence despite being in the league for barely a month.

17) I said in my first CFL Rundown column that Josh Huff was going to have a breakout season. He finished the weekend with six catches for 68 yards to move into first among all CFL receivers, with 374 yards – three more than Bombers receiver Kenny Lawler.

18) Kudos to Tiger-Cats owner Bob Young, who dipped into his pockets to buy a drink for every season-ticket holder that attended Monday’s game. Even with a capacity cut to 15,000, that’s a decent size round.

19) Able to come in and string together back-to-back wins after opening the season with consecutive losses, Hamilton is now Dane Evans’ team. Jeremiah Masoli started the year under centre but was unable to find traction in losses to Winnipeg and Saskatchewan. Masoli is a very talented quarterback, but Evans has been the better option so far this year. In two starts, Evans is 36-for-51, for 431 passing yards and four touchdowns.

20) Understanding it’s likely a fruitless endeavour, given how important it is to have not one but two quality quarterbacks on the roster, Ottawa should be asking about Masoli and/or Maier. Throw in McLeod Bethel-Thompson in Toronto, too.

21) The Argonauts were once again a model of undisciplined play in their loss to Hamilton. They finished with nine penalties for 93 yards, including four unnecessary roughness calls in the first half alone. Ryan Dinwiddie is a good coach and seems to be respected by his players, but that lack of discipline through four games suggests he needs to reel his guys in or get a stronger message across. It’s costing them games.

jeff.hamilton@freepress.mb.ca twitter: @jeffkhamilton