Morning-After Thoughts (Week 9)

Thank God we are now over bye weeks. From here on out the only time the Cats might not play is the week of the East Division Semi-Final. I'm alright with that being an off week because that means the Cats are hosting the East Division Final. Wishful thinking? Perhaps, but now all the teams go full speed ahead into the second half of the season.

1. Henry Burris keeps showing week in, week out, that he is one of the best QBs in the CFL. He torched the Lions, and with the exception of his end-of-the-first-half interception-a-thon, he was near unstoppable.
2. It is any wonder that the Stamps' dominance coincided with the return of Ken-Yon Rambo? Rambo looks to be completely healthy, and that does not bode well for the rest of the CFL.
3. Something is wrong with Geroy Simon. He still has the abilities to make plays, but perhaps age is starting to catch up with him. Or maybe it's the QB situation in BC. Either way, he has been performing at a high level for such a long time that to see him almost disappear doesn't feel right.
4. I don't have any answers for the problems in BC. I guess the obvious issue is that the play of the QB hasn't been good enough to win. But in watching the game this week, it seemed abundantly clear that the O-Line isn't giving the QB anywhere near enough time to make plays. Casey Printers seemed to be running for his life as soon as the ball was snapped. Things do not look good in British Columbia right now.
5. The biggest upset so far this season did not come as much of a surprise, at least to me. I know, I know, it's easy to say that after the fact, and I did think Saskatchewan would win, but when Edmonton did win, it didn't shock me. I don't know why, but it didn't.
6. This loss might be a good thing for the Roughriders in the long run. It was a humbling experience for the reigning West Division champions, and every team needs to be humbled every now and then. One trend I have noticed that does not bode well for the Riders is that all three of their losses have come on the road (at Calgary, at Montreal, at Edmonton). With it being very likely that they will have to go to McMahon Stadium for the West Final, they will need to solve their road woes if they are to go back to the Grey Cup for the third time in four seasons.
7. Is there going to be a QB controversy in Edmonton? Jared Zabransky looked good when he replaced Ricky Ray, but I don't know if he is the answer right now for the Eskimos. He showed flashes of what made him a star at Boise State, but he still has a lot to learn about the Canadian game. Ricky Ray still gives the Eskimos the best chance to win, but Edmonton might have found a guy worth keeping in Zabransky.
8. Keeping with Zabransky, has anyone else noticed the preponderance of red-headed QBs in the CFL? I don't mean just now, where there are Jared Zabransky and Travis Lulay, but also in the past with guys like Jeff Garcia and Dave Dickenson. This just struck me as odd considering you don't see many ginger athletes, let alone professional Quarterbacks.
9. For those that frequent the CFL forums, you'll know that there was a thread started that asked whether Darian Durant was the next Doug Flutie. The levelheaded amongst us thought it was a ridiculous statement, and following Durant's game against Edmonton, he proved that it was. From now on, can we please refrain from making those types of statements, especially when a player is only in his second season as a starter?
10. After last week's 2-0 mark, I slipped a little this week, going 1-1. I got the Stamps right, but whiffed on the Riders. But 3-1 over the two bye weeks is nothing to sneeze at, and that puts me at 16-16 going into Labour Day. A .500 mark at the midway point of the season is alright by me.