From One of Their Own

So as I touched on in the Monday Mailbag, I was attacked by a few Rider fans over the weekend for my take on their fanbase. I was called jealous, a hater and some other nasty things that I simply will not reprint here. It was not the majority opinion, and not even the majority opinion from Riders fans, but there is still a segment of Rider Nation that views themselves as holier than thou.

Well, one of their own has decided to voice an opinion. Rider fan Jeremy Gourlay is also not a fan of the Riders adopting the "Canada's Team" moniker and makes many excellent points as to why. While he was not as harsh on the fans of the green and white as I was, his reasons are not much, if at all, different from my own.

So maybe, just maybe, all the Rider fans who took exception to what I said in my piece should check out Mr. Gourlay's. A voice from within Rider Nation is telling them to cool it, so maybe they will take it to heart more than they did mine.

It is a heckuva read and shows the side of Rider Nation that I want to be representative of the fanbase. More attitudes like Mr. Gourlay's will go a long way to changing the beliefs held by many CFL fans outside of Saskatchewan.

Monday Mailbag, Vol. 3

So I caused a bit of a stir over the weekend, eh?

While some of the vitriol that arrived following my piece about Rider Nation was certainly expected, there was one side effect that caught me off guard: support from Rider fans.

There were plenty that took offense – and if you took offense, well, not much I can say other than thanks for helping me prove my point – yet there were a lot of Rider fans who came out in support of the piece. They, too, said they hated the arrogant fans who think it is Riders only. It was very shocking and quite encouraging to read.

And in all honesty, it was not a piece I wanted to write, but one I felt had to be written. And with the outpouring of support from fans around the league, I now know that I definitely made the right choice in letting the world know how I feel about a certain segment of the Rider fanbase.

But this is the last I will say on the matter. Now, onto the mailbag.

Despite having Delvin Breaux, the Ti-Cats secondary wasn't exactly elite in 2014. Now without Breaux, are DBs Hamilton's biggest need?

Short answer: yes.

The two biggest areas of concern for the Ti-Cats heading into the offseason were the secondary and the offensive line. While they didn’t do anything to bolster the offensive line since the season ended, they will have a fully healthy Peter Dyakowski for an entire season, and adding the former East Division All-Star automatically makes the Tiger-Cats line better. Also, the Cats were breaking in a new centre last year (Mike Filer) and tackle (Jake Olson) and with a year under their belts, they should be better in 2015.

That leaves the secondary and coping with the loss of Breaux. His signing in the NFL was not just expected, but guaranteed, and he lives a gigantic hole in secondary. The Tiger-Cats decided not to pursue any veteran free agent defensive backs, so they will now rely on players already in-house or rookies they find in free agent camps or on their negotiation list. That doesn’t inspire a lot of confidence, but Hamilton has not had an elite secondary since... um… I don’t even know when, and it hasn’t been an impediment in getting to the last two Grey Cups. Every team has a weakness or two, Hamilton’s will be the secondary. It will be up to the other units on the team to step up their game until the secondary finds its rhythm.

Will the East do well enough to avoid the crossover this year?

Hamilton and Montreal are as close to locks to make the playoffs as exist in the East, so it comes down to whether you like one of Toronto or Ottawa better than two of Saskatchewan, BC and Winnipeg.

The RedBlacks made a ton of moves in the offseason to get better, so they will not be repeating their 2-16 season of 2014. Toronto has done the exact opposite of Ottawa and have been practically silent since the season ended. The Argos have Ricky Ray, which means they will be in every game they play, but I don’t see them doing much better than their 8-10 record last season. In fact, at this point, I would say they would be in tough to match last year’s record.

In the West, every team looks good. The last-place Bombers spent money to build themselves back up, the Riders found ways to sign a majority of their top-flight free agents, and BC is a wild card with a new head coach and a finally healthy Travis Lulay.

I just like what I see out of those three teams in the West. One of them will miss the playoffs, but I can’t tell you which one it will be – should I say Saskatchewan just to piss off Rider Nation one more time? – and I am not all that enamoured with the two teams that should be fighting for third in the East. So I think 2015 will once again feature a West team crossing over into the East.

Will Nik Lewis have the “Geroy Effect” in Montreal and put them over the top this year?

I think Nik Lewis is a phenomenal acquisition and makes the Als that much more dangerous, but I don’t think he is the final piece that will push them over the top.

The Als came one game short of making it to the Grey Cup last year and all they did in the offseason was get better. They re-signed an incredible number of their own free agents and brought in some great players to fill some needs they had. Lewis is the latest addition, but at this point it just seems like overkill. You can never have too many great players and the Als are proving that right now.

If I had to pick a player to have a Simon-like effect on the 2015 Als, I would pick Fred Stamps. Stamps was phased out of the Eskimos’ offense last season and I think he is going to have a massive bounce-back year. Add in that Stamps has never even played in a Grey Cup, let alone won one, and I think his hunger to finally sip from the Grey chalice will be what lights a fire under him in 2015.

Who will be Cats’ 2nd string QB? Masoli or the newly signed QB?

I am going to assume that “newly signed QB” refers to former Cornell signal caller Jeff Mathews, so that is what I will base this question on.

I think Masoli will start camp as the No. 2 and he may even make it to opening day as the backup behind entrenched starter Zach Collaros, but I think before the season ends, Mathews will move up the depth chart and supplant Masoli as the team’s primary backup.

There are a number of reasons why I think this. For starters, we have seen Masoli play and despite having spent a few years in the CFL, he does not look like a competent professional quarterback. He is a turnover prone and does not make reads well. Perhaps he can be groomed out of his bad habits, but he will be entering his fourth year in the CFL this season – he spent the 2012 season on the Edmonton Eskimos practice roster – and simply has not shown the progress that young pivots usually do.

Secondly, what Mathews lacks in CFL experience, he makes up for with Austin/Condell experience. Mathews played for the Ti-Cats head coach and general manager at Cornell, where he ran an offense designed by current Hamilton offense coordinator Tommy Condell. Mathews will be familiar with the terminology and that will give him a leg up over other similarly situated quarterbacks around the league.

I was a big fan of Masoli when he was coming out of college, and I thought he would make a very good CFL quarterback. But after two seasons in black and gold, I think we know what we have with him.

Thoughts on another ridiculous CFL.ca poll. Lawrence and White the best 1-2 RB combo? You kidding me?

Another week, another question about a CFL.ca poll. Last week, I was asked my feelings on receiving corps, this week it is running back tandems. I would not pick the Edmonton duo as the top tandem, but it is not as egregious as last week’s poll results crowing the RedBlacks receiving corps as the best in the league.

There are actually a number of great running back tandems in the CFL: C.J. Gable and Nic Grigsby, aka G&G TD Factory, in Hamilton (add in Mossis Madu and you get a pretty stellar Three-Headed Monster); the aforementioned White and Lawrence in Edmonton; Andrew Harris and Stefon Logan in BC; Tyrell Sutton and Brandon Whittaker in Montreal. There are some duos, like Jon Cornish and Matt Walter in Calgary, that would rank high because of how good one of those players (Cornish) is (that’s no knock on Walter, but c’mon, that’s not a deadly combo if Cornish isn’t the other guy). And while I am not as high on them as the rest, the Curtis Steele-Steve Slaton pairing in Toronto has a lot of potential.

I have to pick a tandem, don’t I? I know this will get me called a homer, but it has to be Gable and Grigsby. I don’t pick them by much, mind you. Logan’s and Lawrence’s biggest contributions don’t come from the running game, so I eliminated them. While Cornish is head and shoulders above every other running back, Walter doesn’t exactly make defensive coordinators tremble. And the Steele-Slaton duo is long on talent, but short on actual output. That left, at least for me, G&G and Sutton-Whittaker, and the Tiger-Cat twosome is just better. That is not meant as a slight, but we are talking about back-to-back East Division All-Stars in Gable (2013) and Grigsby (2014) as well as the East Division’s top rookie (Gable, 2013) and the CFL’s rushing touchdown leader among running backs (Grigsby). That, to me, vaults them to the top of the list.

A Condemnation of Rider Nation

All fanbases have their obnoxious fans. The ones who, no matter what, refuse to believe that their team is anything less than perfect. Their favourite team will go undefeated and win the championship every year, and any time they fail to do so, it is always someone else's fault.

I hate fans like that, and nowhere is that attitude better exemplified than with the people who make up "Rider Nation."

Earlier this week, the team itself sent out a tweet and in said tweet they referred to themselves as "Canada's Team."

Ugh.

Sorry to break it to everyone, but the Saskatchewan Roughriders are not, in any way, Canada's Team. In fact, NO team in the CFL is Canada's Team. To be considered the nation's team, one would have to be beloved by a vast majority of the nation. No team in CFL can claim anywhere near 50.1 per cent of the national population as being fans of their team. So just cut this Canada's Team shit out.

But it is not only this Canada's Team nonsense that irks many about the Riders are their fans. No, it goes deeper than that. And the sad part is, it wasn't always this way.

For quite some time, if you asked a CFL fan who they liked besides their own team, more often than not their answer would have been Saskatchewan. They were the plucky underdog, the lovable loser, the Chicago Cubs or Cleveland Browns of the Canadian Football League. The Roughriders WERE the identity of Saskatchewan (still are, frankly) and fans from around the country wished for nothing but good things for the team in green.

But then things changed. I don't know when it happened exactly, but that plucky underdog became a hypocritical, arrogant, insufferable juggernaut and fans turned. And I don't mean juggernaut off the field. Sure, the Riders have had plenty of success over the past decade or so, but no more so than any other team. No, it was the financial success of the team that turned their fans from fun loving into full-on jerks.

Now, I must stress that I am not trying to say every Rider fan is an asshole. This is about that segment of the fanbase that rational Rider fans probably despise.

Also, I do not in any way begrudge the Riders their financial success. I laud it, I cheer for it, as I would for any team (yes, even the Argos). I want every CFL team to be not just financially stable, but to be making money hand over fist. The better off each individual team is monetarily, the better the league is as a whole.

But it seems that once the Riders become the financial powerhouse that they are today, something changed. The fans become nastier, angrier and just downright rude to anyone who dared question Saskatchewan's superiority.

It is like they forgot that not long ago, it was their team that was on the brink of folding. It was their team that needed to hold a telethon in order to keep the lights on. It was their team that needed NFL money to help keep their team from going under.

And now, because they found stable footing and are rolling in money – again, good for them – they turn their noses up at the Hamiltons and Torontos of the league who have gone through tough times. You would think, or at least hope, that a group of people who so identify with their team would not wish the same on others. But yet, whenever someone dares say that the Riders aren't the be all and end all, one of the first things they thrown in your face is how much money they have.

Another point they love to make is how attendance goes up when the Riders are in town. There is no denying that Saskatchewan has a lot of fans nationwide, but so does every other team. I personally know Tiger-Cat fans in BC and PEI. I know of Cats fans who span the globe, be it in Taiwan or England (and these are just the ones I know personally, I am sure there are more). But the dirty little secret that Rider fans don't like to talk about is that all these fans around the country are not in Saskatchewan because they were forced to move to find work years ago. Saskatchewan is now a booming economy – and again, good for them – but that was not always the case. Many residents needed to move out-of-province in order to provide for their families. And they took their Rider pride with them.

But it is not just the arrogance, it is also the hypocrisy. The CFL has a salary cap, or more accurately a Salary Management System, and because it is not a hard cap, teams have exceeded the cap. In the seven years where data is available (the numbers from 2014 have not been released yet) there have been six violations of the SMS: one by Montreal, one by Winnipeg and four by Saskatchewan.

FOUR!

What also needs to be explained is that one of the teams who pushed hardest for some type of salary cap was...

The Saskatchewan Roughriders!

The Riders were so concerned that they couldn't compete financially that they essentially demanded that the league implement some type of salary cap to balance the competition league-wide and allow for more parity. They wanted to take away the competitive advantage from teams like the Eskimos, who routinely would just paid for all the best players, and make the league more equitable.

How the worm has turned.

Now that Saskatchewan is the financial workhouse of the league, you will often find Rider fans scoffing at the notion that they should have to play by the rules. And their four cap transgressions in seven seasons shows that their management is in lockstep with that idea. It is a horrible attitude and one that infuriates fans of the other eight teams.

So what you have is a team that cried poor and demanded some type of system that made it easier for them to compete becoming the one to basically say, "To hell with the rules, they don't apply to us because we're rich!"

And maybe the craziest thing is, they still think everyone loves them. They remind me of Red Sox fans. When the Sox were going through their 86-year championship drought, many opposing team fans quietly cheered for them. When they finally broke through and won it all in 2004, a lot of people were happy. But then the arrogance kicked it. For some insane reason, they thought everyone loved them because people cheered for them in '04. They thought everyone was a Red Sox fan. That by not being the Yankees, they were seen as the good guys. They were the scrappy underdog taking it to the big, bad Bronx Bombers. But the '04 run was a one-off. It was not the beginning of a growing of Red Sox Nation, it was simply people who felt sorry that they went over 80 years between championships cheering for them one time. And with the Red Sox trying to make themselves out to be the anti-Yankees, it made them look like hypocrites. The Red Sox are exactly like the Yankees. They spend obscene amounts of money to lure the best players to Boston in the hopes of maintaining their winning ways. They became the very thing they fought against all those years. Sound familiar?

I am already prepared for the backlash this will create. Normal, well-adjusted fans of the Riders will likely view this and go, "Yup, he's right. We do have a bunch of assholes in our fanbase." To those people, let it be known that I am not talking about you.

But to the other side – the one who will claim I am a hater or that I am jealous or some other such nonsense – bring it on. There is a comment section below that you are free to fire back at me. But do me one favour, don't be a coward. Put your name on it. You want to be the big, bad bully, then don't comment anonymously.

So have at me, Rider Nation. I'm not backing down.

Where Will the Top 20 Sign?

The time has come, football fans!

No, it's definitely not yet June. But rather, the second most exciting time of the offseason: free agency! There is a little more than 24 hours to go before players can put pen to paper with new clubs and, thankfully, a decent crop of free agents remain.

Since a staff writer at CFL.ca completely bombed their ranking of the Top 20 free agents still available – backup running back Kendial Lawrence was atop the list, while Kevin Glenn, a BACKUP quarterback, was listed ahead of two-time All-Star tackle Stanley Bryant – so I decided to take matters into my own hands and come out with what I believe is a more accurate list of the top 20 remaining free agents and where I think they may be heading.

(1) Brett Jones, Centre, Calgary
Only the Calgary Stampeders could afford to lose a player like Brett Jones and hardly suffer the next year. Jones, the 2014 Most Outstanding Lineman, is reportedly still drawing interest down south and, fortunately for Calgary, they have 2014 first-overall pick Pierre Lavertu ready to replace the 23-year-old phenom. Should Jones stay up north, expect Saskatchewan to go all out in pursuit of the Regina native. After losing Ben Heenan to the NFL and releasing former centre Dominic Picard for salary cap reasons, the Riders could really alleviate the consternation in Rider Nation by picking up Jones. Despite the Riders' room for Jones' salary and the Stamps being prepared to lose him, my gut feeling tells me Jones won't be able to leave the Stampeders just two years into his career. It will be close, but the Stamps will retain Brett Jones.

Prediction: Re-signs with Calgary.

(2) Stanley Bryant, Left Tackle, Calgary
Bryant, a back-to-back All-Star in 2013 and 2014, will likely be in the middle of a bidding war between the Ottawa RedBlacks and Winnipeg Blue Bombers. Bomber general manager Kyle Walters has stressed numerous times that upgrading Winnipeg's offensive line is his No. 1 priority this offseason. Ottawa general manager Marcel Desjardins would also like to beef up his offensive line, but there are other large holes to fill as well. Bryant will be in for some good money wherever he signs.

Prediction: Signs with Winnipeg.

(3) Geoff Tisdale, Cornerback, Montreal
I expect BC, Saskatchewan, Toronto and Ottawa to all be in on the auction to sign Tisdale, the only No. 1 corner still available. The Leos made it known they were looking for an upgrade over veteran Dante Marsh this offseason, which is why I believe Tisdale will return to the West Division and line up across from Ronnie Yell in BC in 2015.

Prediction: Signs with BC

(4) Brian Peters, Linebacker, Saskatchewan
Peters remains an absolute must re-sign for the Riders. If Saskatchewan lands Brett Jones or Geoff Tisdale, then Peters will follow Richie Hall, his defensive coordinator in Saskatchewan, to Winnipeg. Since I have my doubts regarding the Riders actually signing one of Jones or Tisdale, I think they hang on to their leading tackler.

Prediction: Re-signs with Saskatchewan.

(5) Ernest Jackson, Wide Receiver, BC
All signs point to Jackson reuniting with his college quarterback Drew Willy in Winnipeg. The Bombers are in need of another international receiver and Jackson is the best of those available; however, Winnipeg made a splash by signing Nick Moore in free agency last year and just inked Clarence Denmark to an extension last September, so I don't think Winnipeg will want all three of their international receivers to be making north of $180,000/year. Ottawa would be Jackson's next best option as they are still starving for playmakers and can give Jackson the money he desires.

Prediction: Signs with Ottawa.

(6) SirVincent Rogers, Left Tackle, Toronto
Ottawa will have to "settle" for SirVincent Rogers at left tackle after missing out on Bryant. Rogers will still be a major upgrade over the revolving door of players the RedBlacks plugged in to protect Henry Burris' blindside last season.

Prediction: Signs with Ottawa.

(7) Tristan Jackson, Cornerback, Saskatchewan
Jackson's skills in coverage have come a long way since his early days in Saskatchewan, when he was primarily used a returner. Hamilton and Montreal are both in the market for upgrades at cornerback, but I think Montreal will win out on this as they may be looking for Geoff Tisdale's replacement.

Prediction: Signs with Montreal.

(8) Nic Grigsby, Running Back, Hamilton
No teams are currently in the market for a No. 1 running back this off-season, so the market for Grigsby’s services might not be that hot. Perhaps the Argonauts will give the 2014East Division All-Star a look, but even I don't think Grigsby would change allegiances for a third time in less than a year… would he? Grigsby will re-sign in Hamilton and form a pretty dynamic duo with C.J. Gable in 2015.

Prediction: Re-signs with Hamilton.

(9) Kendial Lawrence, Running Back, Edmonton
Lawrence, named the No. 1 free agent by CFL.ca, had an impressive first year with the Eskimos, playing both slotback and running back. John White, Edmonton's starting tailback, had a good year but isn't exactly cemented as the team's starter like Jon Cornish is in Calgary or Andrew Harris is in BC. For that reason, and because no other team is in desperate need of a starting running back or return specialist, I think Lawrence stays in Edmonton and has another good year as a feature player in Edmonton's offence.

Prediction: Re-signs with Edmonton.

(10) Sam Giguère, Wide Receiver, Hamilton
National players often move back home in free agency and I fully expect the Sherbrooke, Quebec native to continue that trend this offseason. The Als are in need of another Canadian pass-catcher and Giguère is the best one available. Giggy would be the icing on the cake to an already successful offseason in Montreal.

Prediction: Signs with Montreal.

(11) Rennie Curran, Linebacker, Edmonton
Curran played very well while filling in for the oft-injured JC Sherritt in the middle of Edmonton's linebacker corps. Curran is the exact type of player Bomber head coach Mike O'Shea wants in the middle of his defence: big, physical, vocal and a locker-room favourite. Winnipeg needs a MIKE linebacker and Curran meets the requirements.

Prediction: Signs with Winnipeg.

(12) Brad Sinopoli, Wide Receiver, Calgary
Just like Giguère heading home to Montreal, Sinopoli will head home to Ottawa and immediately receive a large role in the RedBlacks’ offence. The former CIS quarterback has been steadily developing as a receiver since arriving in Calgary and will look for his first big role in the nation's capital.

Prediction: Signs with Ottawa.

(13) Glenn January, Left Tackle, Winnipeg
Calgary and Toronto are both likely losing their starting left tackles, Stanley Bryant and SirVincent Rogers, to Winnipeg and Ottawa, respectively, and may be looking for new starters in free agency. Hamilton may also be in the market for an upgrade at tackle, but I expect them and Calgary to address that need in the draft. The eight-year CFL veteran will have options this year as a cheaper alternative to Bryant and Rogers.

Prediction: Signs with Toronto.

(14) Kevin Glenn, Quarterback, BC
Riders general manager Brendan Taman will get run out of Riderville if he doesn't bring in another quarterback and Darian Durant gets injured once again. Taman will turn to the league's best insurance policy to add veteran the depth behind Durant.

Prediction: Signs with Saskatchewan.

(15) Johnny Sears, Defensive Back, Winnipeg
Sears can line up all over the field and would be a useful player for many teams. The Bombers are reportedly close to re-signing the four-year pro, who would likely start at SAM linebacker for Winnipeg in 2015.

Prediction: Re-signs with Winnipeg.

(16) Dan LeFevour, Quarterback, Hamilton
LeFevour looked impressive last year before tearing his ACL in his fourth game as Hamilton’s starter. The Lions will look to the scrambling Central Michigan product to provide some certainty at quarterback as Travis Lulay's shoulder injuries continue to hang over the franchise.

Prediction: Signs with BC.

(17) Justin Hickman, Defensive End, Hamilton
Hickman hasn't played in very many football games over the last few years, serving mostly as a reserve player with the NFL's Indianapolis Colts before signing back with Hamilton midway through the 2014 season. The Ti-Cats need another pass rusher opposite Eric Norwood and will turn to the 2011 CFL All-Star in the hopes that he can return to form in 2015.

Prediction: Re-signs with Hamilton.

(18) Jason Barnes, Wide Receiver, Toronto
Despite an injury-riddled campaign in 2014, Barnes is still one of the league’s best red zone targets. The BC Lions may look to add another international receiver if Ernest Jackson leaves and, coincidentally, Barnes and Jackson are similar receivers. The Ray-Barnes connection is six-years strong, so I see Barnes returning to T.O. after testing the market.

Prediction: Re-signs with Toronto.

(19) Dan Clark, Guard, Saskatchewan
If Clark's blocking skills are anywhere near as good as his hands, he will start somewhere in 2015. Edmonton and Hamilton are both in the market for offensive guards and would certainly like to bring in a national like Clark to compete for a starting spot in 2015.

Prediction: Signs with Hamilton.

(20) Bakari Grant, Wide Receiver, Hamilton
Grant hauled in 69 passes for 947 yards in 2013 and would fit in nicely as a third receiver in Winnipeg or BC and would do so at a much more reasonable price than many other receivers both teams could target. Hamilton is deep at the receiver position and will let Grant look for a larger role elsewhere.

Prediction: Signs with Winnipeg.

Other notable offseason signings:

Greg Ellingson, WR, Hamilton: Re-signs with Hamilton.
Nik Lewis, WR, Calgary: Signs with Ottawa.
Dante Marsh, CB, BC: Signs with Saskatchewan
Aaron Kelly, WR, Winnipeg: Signs with BC.
Curtis Steele, RB, Toronto: Re-signs with Toronto.
Spencer Watt, WR, Toronto: Signs with Calgary.
Edwin Harrison, RT, Calgary: Re-signs with Calgary

Taman Needs to Try to Getz as Much as He Can

It's been a crazy week for Saskatchewan Roughriders general manager Brendan Taman.

Taman made a series of trades recently, dealing defensive end Ricky Foley to Toronto in exchange for veteran linebacker Shea Emry, and also trading Kris Bastien, a second-round pick in 2015 and an unnamed player from their negotiation list to Winnipeg for receiver Cory Watson and a third-round pick in 2015. And in perhaps his most important moves, Taman secured the services of the league's best safety in Tyron Brackenridge and fan-favourite receiver Weston Dressler, ending six months’ worth of speculation debating where No. 7 would be playing in 2015.

Taman certainly deserves credit for what he has done so far leading up to the start of free agency, but he still has a lot left to do. Saskatchewan entered the offseason with a whopping 29 free agents – including three players that are arguably the best at their positions – and, as expected, can't bring them all back with their salary cap situation.

While we can only guess how much cap room Taman has left to work with, it is obvious there isn't much money left over for Ben Heenan, Brian Peters, Tristan Jackson and other starters like Brandon Boudreaux, Dan Clark and Rod Williams. Heenan, the best of the bunch, is likely gone with Winnipeg willing to make him the league's highest paid lineman. Even with the versatile guard/tackle gone, Saskatchewan currently has 16 other free agents and will still likely want to make other small improvements come February 10.

Fortunately, for Rider fans, Taman has demonstrated his willingness to trade this offseason, which is why I propose he continues to do so in order to balance out the roster as we head toward the opening of free agency in eight days.

Highlighting Saskatchewan's trade candidates has to be Canadian receiver Chris Getzlaf. The two-time 1,000-yard receiver carries a rumoured cap hit of $220,000/year and his 2014 production did not match the salary of a top-five receiver. While I would agree his underwhelming stats – 591 yards and one touchdown – were impacted by Saskatchewan's poor quarterbacking after Darian Durant was lost for the season; however, it should be mentioned he only averaged 15 yards per game during the 10 games Durant started, including three straight games with zero receptions. These coming from a guy who is considered the team’s No. 1 receiver is concerning. I am confident Getzlaf can rebound with a healthy Durant and new offence, and probably haul in around 850 or so yards in 2015, but all that could be good for nothing if Taman can't re-sign his key defenders. At 32 years old, Getzlaf is at the end of his prime and is a good fit for a team like the Ottawa RedBlacks or even the Winnipeg Blue Bombers.

Speaking of the Ottawa RedBlacks, they are desperate for play-makers and would surely overspend to acquire Getzlaf. With only one year left on his deal, and plenty of cap space left, Ottawa can take on his salary and play him alongside Mo Price and Marcus Henry to form a pretty dynamic receiving corps. If a trade were to occur, Saskatchewan could swap first-round picks with Ottawa and draft Heenan's replacement with the top pick, while also acquiring a second- or third-round pick.

With Dressler locked up, the Roughriders have one of the best receiving corps in the league and would survive without Getzlaf. Not only do they boast one of the best, but probably the most expensive, with approximately one-fifth of their entire salary cap dedicated to their group of pass catchers. Taman seems to have the Riders prepared for changes at slotback after taking a risk trading for Watson and signing another former 1,000-yard receiver in Jamel Richardson, who did not play in 2014 due to injury. Getzlaf's main replacement, Rob Bagg, played great in 2014, catching 54 passes for 803 yards while probably getting paid close to half of what Getzlaf brings in.

While I am sure Rider Nation would be sad to see a great player like Getzlaf go, it would be best for the team if it means re-signing Brian Peters or any other of the starters previously mentioned. Peters, 26, led the Riders in tackles and has the potential to be an elite WILL linebacker. Not re-signing Peters would also devalue the Foley-Emry trade, as Saskatchewan would be back to only one solid linebacker but with the added sting of no longer having an elite Canadian pass rusher. Getzlaf is not Saskatchewan's only option (Taj Smith seems expendable), however he carries the most trade value and a far higher cap hit.

Taman's reputation has gone on a crazy roller-coaster ride this week, and is currently on the upswing since Dressler's contract was announced. But all of that could change if February 10 rolls around and a good chunk of Heenan, Peters, Jackson and/or others aren't under contract. Taman has plenty of decisions to make and I wouldn't be shocked to hear that Chris Getzlaf's name was being mentioned during some calls with Marcel Desjardins' Ottawa Redblacks.

I'm sure it would be hard for Rider Nation to see fan-favourite players like Ricky Foley and Chris Getzlaf traded around the same time, but it should be appreciated that what they are getting in return will help balance out the positional talent level on the roster. It's a tough pill to swallow, but football is a business, and if Taman makes the right moves, business may once again be booming in Saskatchewan.

Barker & Foley: Getting Back Together With Your Ex

In a move that shocked many over the weekend, the Saskatchewan Roughriders traded defensive end Ricky Foley to the Toronto Argonauts for linebacker Shea Emry.

It is definitely intriguing in what can only be seen as an about face on the part of Argos general manager Jim Barker. Only two years ago, the architect and builder of the Good Ship Argonaut deemed the former York Lion expendable, as he let the Courtice, Ontario native walk unceremoniously into free agency. And just one year ago, the biggest free agency move in The Big Smoke was the acquisition of blue-chip linebacker Shea Emry from division rival Montreal.

Fast forward to now where Gambler Jim has traded away his No. 1 free agent acquisition from last season for a player he was not motivated to retain only a year prior to that.

Allow us all to scratch our collective heads and ponder that for a moment!

Now, I realize that things change rapidly in professional sports and no more so than in the Canadian Football League. But even this flip-flop has me wondering if we need to send Jim Barker to the quiet room for concussion protocol!

My main point as to why I believe Brendan Taman and the Riders won this trade, and this will come as to no surprise to anyone who knows me or follows me on Twitter, is that I believe Ricky Foley is vastly overrated!

When you look at his production numbers, and that would be quarterback sacks for a defensive end, you will see that he is not a No. 1 edge rusher, but rather a nice national compliment more suited as a secondary or tertiary option.

In 2011, his first full season with Toronto after he spurned Wally Buono and the BC Lions on a detoured drive to the airport, Foley recorded six sacks. Defensive tackle Kevin Huntley also had six quarterback takedowns for a loss. Claude Wroten and Ronald Flemons combined for an additional seven sacks. By no means was Mr. Foley a standout at the position since the league leaders were Justin Hickman, Odell Willis, John Bowman, Marcus Howard and Keron Williams all with double-digit numbers.

During the 2012 season, Foley was only able to achieve three tackles for loss on opposing quarterbacks. Three teammates with him in Double Blue – Armond Armstead, Brandon Issac and Marcus Ball – were all able to match or exceed Foley’s production.

During Foley’s time on the prairies with the Green Riders, he put up decent numbers. His eight- and 12-sack seasons in 2013 and 2014 tied him for tenth and fifth league-wide, respectively. Yet, my belief is that much of that is due to his pairing with John Chick on the opposite side along with defensive tackles like Tearrius George, Jermaine McElveen, Derek Walker and Keith Shologun, all of which have ranked amongst the top for quarterback sacks from the interior defensive line position.

The key takeaway when looking at all these numbers is that at no point in time since his return to Canada after his failed attempt in the NFL has No. 95 led his team in quarterback sacks.

Now what do the Roughriders get out of this trade? Well, first of all they get a player who has actually led their team in the statistical category most important to their position. Emry led the Argonauts in tackles this past season, as well as the Montreal Alouettes in defensive takedowns back in 2012.

But more importantly, the Riders get a valuable national player in what was a sub-par, underperforming linebacker unit. Emry is a significant upgrade to fellow Canadians Sam Hurl, Shomari Williams and Tristan Black. As good as these players are in other roles, they are back-ups and depth players while the former UBC Thunderbird and Eastern Washington Eagle is a bona fide starter.

At this point in time you have to ask yourself why Toronto would trade away the player that led their team in tackles this past season? The answer is very simple and it comes in the form of one Cory Greenwood, via the Detroit Lions and Kansas City Chiefs. With the late-season addition of the former third-overall pick from Concordia, the Argos will be able to maintain their roster ratio, while upgrading their overall linebacker unit. As good as Shea Emry is and has been, Cory Greenwood is an upgrade. (And a long-snapper to boot if need be!)

Toronto played four internationals along the defensive line for most of the 2014 season. If this trade dictates a ratio change for the Double Blue in the front four, then there may be some merit to the transaction. Yet, I feel that Toronto will suffer a performance decline in what they could get from starting a defensive end that does not possess a Canadian passport like Mr. Foley.

Overall, I see this as a win for Saskatchewan. They get a player four years younger and one that is signed for a longer duration. The gain in being able to start a cheaper and potentially better international player at defensive end significantly benefits the Riders. Over in Toronto, they re-acquire a player that I believe will be hard-pressed to start and contribute over any potential international player that they currently have or bring in at defensive end. The only way this trade works for Barker is if they are making a ratio change by playing three nationals on defense. Even then I feel it is not a worthwhile trade-off.

With the addition of Greenwood to the Argos, I believe Gambler Jim picked up the phone to see what he could get for Emry and, in what can only be referred to as a “booty call,” decided to hook up with an old ex-girlfriend for one last fling.

Rarely do such trysts work out well for any involved.

Inevitably both figure out why they broke up in the first-place.

Just One Number

On this first day of the first month of the New Year, I thought we would take a look at one change in one statistical number that each team should want to make for the upcoming season.

Much like many of our very own New Years’ resolutions, it involves a reduction in one aspect or an increase in another. (Except mine, of course, since I am at peak levels to be the first 45-year-old rookie long snapper in CFL history!)

I took the opportunity to look at 25 of the major factors/statistics that are tracked by the CFL. I will not bore everyone by listing each and every statistical category, but I can assure you that they are all covered. I left the “Captain Obvious” ones aside. So to those that are wont to say: “More Wins and Less Losses” or “Score More Points Than Your Opponent”, need not leave those sentiments in the comments section. I also did my best to stay away from those statistical measurements that encompass more than two other factors.

So, what is that one number? That one statistical measurement that stands out amongst the 200 statistics and comparisons for each team that is an eyesore compared to all the others?

As Duncan MacLeod of the Clan MacLeod would say: “There Can Be Only One!”

Ottawa RedBlacks

In their inaugural season, unsurprisingly, the RedBlacks were ranked last in many statistical categories. You could point to most any individual number and say that they need to improve that particular fragment of the game. Yet, one number does stand out versus all the others: Points Off Turnovers.

No matter which way you slice and dice it, points off turnovers were a significant factor for the CFL’s newest franchise. The RedBlacks scored the fewest in the league, with 38, while they also gave up a league-leading 117 points after a turnover. The 79 points in the negative is a differential of 55 more than the next-worst team. They gave up 154 per cent more than the average CFL franchise while scoring almost 30 per cent less.

Closing the gap, or even better, reversing the differential in Points Off Turnovers would definitely improve Ottawa’s fortunes in 2015.

Winnipeg Blue Bombers

Not only did it seem like the Bombers took one step forward while then taking two steps back in 2014, the numbers prove it. Winnipeg led the league in the area of Team Losses by a very large margin, as they incurred a whopping 637 yards against which was almost 55 per cent more than the average CFL team.

These Team Losses can mostly be attributed to quarterback-sacks-given-up – which the Bombers also led the league in – but they are also a result of fumbles behind the line of scrimmage, as well as bobbled snaps and safeties surrendered. Yet they are losses all the same and in order for Winnipeg to take continuous steps forward they must keep from taking losses and moving backwards.

Toronto Argonauts

It was not hard to get a grasp on the one area that Toronto needs to improve in from last season. In one word, or rather one phrase: “It’s A Fumble!” (Read in your own Chris Berman Voice!)

Holding onto the ball is definitely one area where the Argos demonstrated difficulty during the 2014 season. The Double Blue lost a league leading 25 fumbles which were five more than the next-worst team and 70 per cent more than average team.

But it is in the area of differentials that things get even worse for the Boatmen. While only recovering 12 fumbles from their opponents, the resultant -13 was the worst league-wide by eight more than the next team.

Toronto must get a handle on this number, and more importantly get a better handle on the actual pigskin, in order for their prospects to improve in the upcoming season.

BC Lions

For an average team overall, it would not come to anyone’s surprise that most of their statistics would hover around the mean, to the exception of one in particular. That would be the differential between Average Yards Per Rushing Attempt, both for and against.

While the Lions were not the worst team as far as running the ball – sixth in a nine-team league – the fact that they were the seventh team against the rush definitely compounds the ground game differential and magnifies the problematic issue, which resulted in the Leos finishing in second-last place as far as variance between offensive and defensive rush differential.

Not being able to rush the ball effectively, nor stop the other team from running rampant, affected so much of BC’s overall game in 2014. This factor must be addressed next season if the Lions hope to be in a position of dictating and controlling the game, and not being dictated and controlled by their opponents.

Saskatchewan Roughriders

It is fairly surprising with receivers like Weston Dressler and Rob Bagg that the Roughriders ranked last in the league as far as Yards After Catch or YAC.

When Saskatchewan had the ball their YAC was 48 per cent less than the average CFL franchise. When their opponents had possessed the pigskin, they gave up almost 13 per cent more Yards After Catch. The result was a league leading -67 per cent as far as differential between the yards they gained and the yards they gave up after a reception.

This simply cannot be explained by the absence of Dressler for the first part of the season. It had to be something more in the manner of play calling and design. Someone better write YAC with a big Sharpie and post it on new offensive coordinator Jacques Chapdelaine’s office door!

Montreal Alouettes

Although many of the Alouettes’ worst statistics revolved around their passing game, this was due in large part to the revolving door behind centre during the first half of the season. But the one number that remained consistently poor was in the area of special teams and Average Total Returns.

Montreal ranked last in the league as far as both punt and kick returns and the total return game. The Als’ punt returners produced 30 per cent less yards on average than their league counterparts. Those tasked with returning kickoffs and missed field goals were 20 per cent less productive on average. This resulted in the overall return game for the Larks being 21 per cent below the league average.

Head coach Tom Higgins relinquishing control and hiring a dedicated coach for special teams will undoubtedly help improve what was a surprisingly poor return game for a team that has usually been quite good in this area.

Edmonton Eskimos

With a 12-6 regular season record, it is not surprising that the Eskimos were amongst the top in many statistical categories. In fact, other than an inability to beat their provincial rivals, it was hard to find a major flaw in Edmonton’s on-field product. Then all of a sudden out of the corner of my eye, I saw a little orange flag and I instantly knew where the Eskimos needed to improve from this past season to the next.

Edmonton was the most penalized team in the league with a 20 per cent differential in Penalty Yards Against them versus penalty yards assessed to their opponents.

Some would say that this is a by-product of the type of on-the-edge team and game that head coach Chris Jones encourages, but it is clear that the Eskimos need to be more disciplined in their aggressive play if they are to take the next step and challenge their fellow Albertan brethren.

Hamilton Tiger-Cats

Oskee-Wee-Wee. Oskee-Waa-Waa. Holy Mackinaw. The Tiger-Cats’ Red-Zone Offense was really flawed!

For a team that won the East Division and appeared in the Grey Cup for the second year in a row, it is somewhat surprising how dreadful the Ti-Cats were in scoring touchdowns once getting into their opponents’ scoring zone. Hamilton’s 40 per cent touchdown-conversion rate in red zone was a league low and an incredible 33 per cent lower variance than the league average.

The fact that Hamilton was successful overall in 2014 despite scoring too many 3’s when they needed to get 7’s speaks to the fact that they were so good in the area of special teams and big plays. But there is no question that the Ti-Cats must be better next season in converting red-zone opportunities and not rely upon the fast footsteps of a certain speedy return man.

Calgary Stampeders

When I decided to delve into this exercise, I thought that analyzing Calgary’s statistical profile would prove to be the most difficult. In The Year of The Horse, the Grey Cup champs were outstanding in most each and every way on the field and in the numbers. Yet, it didn’t take long for me to find that one number. It practically jumps right out of the spreadsheets screaming; “Look At Me, Rene Paredes!”

The Stampeders ranked seventh in the league in Field Goal Percentage at 73.3 per cent. That is more than 11 per cent lower than the average CFL club.

Perhaps it was an aberration since Rene Parades has been very reliable in his previous years. Nor is it a significant concern when your team is winning by more than 12 points per game. But, it is a situation that can easily prove to be problematic in a very short time. And one that is difficult to remedy since top-notch placekickers are not readily available, especially when you are already set as far as ratio in the kicking game.

I realize that statistics are not the be-all or end-all of measuring a team’s value or success. But when you do a little digging you will be surprised at what you find. In the case of this exercise, I do believe that we have found that one individual number that each of the corresponding teams needs to address and improve upon in the 2015 CFL season.

Rough Ride Ahead for Saskatchewan

With the Grey Cup in the rear-view mirror, the offseason is now in full swing. Every team faces different challenges, and over the course of the next nine days we will look at each team individually and what they need to do prior to the start of next season. Today, we look at the Saskatchewan Roughriders.

The 101st Grey Cup champions’ 2014 season was a tale of two halves. The Riders started the season 8-2 and looked primed to make a run at a repeat, but an unfortunate injury to Darian Durant saw the team stumble down the stretch and win just two games the rest of the season. The Riders started three different quarterbacks in the second half of the season, finally settling on 41-year-old former MOP Kerry Joseph, before they were eliminated in the West Division Semi-Final by the Edmonton Eskimos.

After a disappointing end to their season – and frankly, it was all undone because the team did not have a capable backup quarterback, which falls on the talent evaluators – the Riders decided not to bring back both their coordinators. They said goodbye to a ton of experience by not renewing offensive coordinator George Cortez's contact and stripping defensive coordinator Richie Hall of his duties. Whomever is tasked with replacing them – signs are currently pointing to former BC Lions offensive coordinator Jacques Chapdelaine replacing Cortez – will have big, championship-winning shoes to fill.

But finding new coaches isn’t the only challenge facing the Riders this offseason. The Riders have a league-high 23 players currently headed for free agency in February, with big names such as Tyron Brackenridge, Weston Dressler and Ben Heenan being among them. Brackenridge is a two-time CFL All-Star and will command a hefty salary, while both Dressler and Heenan might push to be the highest-paid players at their respective positions. The team inked two other pending free agents to new contracts in the past week, re-upping with Tearrius George last Friday and Ricky Foley yesterday, so the Riders might be hard pressed to find room under the cap to bring back their three other All-Star-calibre players. And on top of that, breakout linebacker Brian Peters needs a new contract. Add it all up and I don't know how the Riders are going to be able to bring everyone back. The decision might be made for them if Dressler or Heenan sign in the NFL, but with so many good players looking for raises, at least one of these players will not be wearing green and white next year.

Depending on what happens with their own free agents, the Riders might not have a lot of room under the cap to upgrade the talent at other positions via free agency. One area they drastically need to find an upgrade at is backup quarterback. Tino Sunseri is a free agent and we may have seen the last of him in the CFL; Kerry Joseph retired following the season; Seth Doege looked completely out of his element in the one game he started; and Keith Price never saw the field, so he is a complete unknown. Going into next season with a similar quarterback stable is simply not an option for the Roughriders.

The two quarterbacks scheduled to hit the open market that should draw interest from Saskatchewan are Kevin Glenn and Dan LeFevour. I expect the Riders to go hard after Glenn, but adding Lefevour must interest the Riders. Unlike Glenn, you can play LeFevour every week with special packages that take advantage of his skills, as the Ti-Cats have done the last two years, so you would probably get more each week out of signing LeFevour than you would out of signing Glenn. But signing Glenn has its advantages as well. You know what you are getting out of Glenn, and that is comforting to have in a backup quarterback. Signing either player would be an upgrade for a Rider team that desperately needs one at backup quarterback.

Brandon Banks is a free agent that would intrigue every team, but especially the Riders. He has yet to show his full potential at receiver, but he is undoubtedly the best returnman in the league (and whomever you want to say is second isn’t even close) and that is worth its weight in gold. He can flip the field in an instant, and is capable of scoring every time he touches the ball. He would add a dimension the Riders have been lacking for some time. Banks has said that if he returns to the CFL – he seems to want to give the NFL another shot – his desire is to return to Hamilton, but the Riders might want to kick the tires to see if Banks has any interest in moving west.

With a new coaching staff and what could be a mass exodus of players, including some really good ones, this Rider team could look nothing like the one that won the Grey Cup just 13 months ago. In an always tough, West Division, Saskatchewan could be in for a rough ride in 2015.

Grey Cup Rotation System Fairest for All Teams

The Grey Cup is headed back to the west coast as Vancouver will host Canadian football's biggest game in 2014.

This will be the second time in four years and the third time in nine years that the game will be played at BC Place. The only other bid was from Winnipeg, who pulled out to concentrate on bidding on the 2015 game, so Vancouver was the only option.

But the CFL is seeing a stadium-building boom right now – Winnipeg opens their new facility in June, Hamilton and Ottawa should be ready by 2014, and Regina will have their new stadium in 2017 – which means the league should change how the Grey Cup is awarded. Instead of a bidding process, the league should institute a simple rotation system. Here is how I would do it (starting in 2017):

2017 - Vancouver
2018 - Hamilton
2019 - Calgary
2020 - Montreal
2021 - Regina
2022 - Ottawa
2023 - Edmonton
2024 - Toronto
2025 - Winnipeg

This is the fairest system not just for the teams, but also the fans. The game isn't held in the same region of the country two years in a row, the games in domes (2017, 2020, 2024) are spread out enough to ensure the game isn't played in the cold too often (for people who care/worry about that kind of thing), and every team gets the game every nine years.

With places like Hamilton soon able to host the game, all nine CFL cities will be viable candidates for the Grey Cup. It makes little sense to continue to have teams bid on the game when the league can just put in a schedule that sees teams get the game when it is their turn. Once all the stadia are complete, we should never see something like BC (or any city) hosting the game multiple times in less than a decade (let alone multiple times in less than half a decade). If every team can host, every team should host. The CFL has a chance to once again do right by its fans and I hope they make the necessary changes to ensure Grey Cup equality amongst their nine franchises.

Ti-Cats Add Patrick

One of the biggest areas of concern for the Ti-Cats entering the off-season was the secondary. It is a unit that hasn't live up to expectations over the last few seasons, so new players were going to be brought in. And that's exactly what the Ti-Cats did today by signing former all-star James Patrick.

Patrick had a down year last season, failing to intercept any passes despite starting 17 games. But in the two seasons prior to last, Patrick intercepted 14 passes, including a league-leading nine in 2010 when he was a league all-star and Saskatchewan's nominee for Most Outstanding Defensive Player. It is the Patrick of 2010 and 2011 that the Cats are hoping they acquired.

I wasn't as down on the secondary as many because I think the players in the unit have potential. I still like Ryan Hinds, I'm a huge fan of Dee Webb, I've grown to really like Bo Smith, I liked what I saw out of Ricardo Colclough, and I think Matt Bucknor can become a very solid player. Add in incoming rookie Courtney Stephen and I think the Ti-Cats could have a pretty decent secondary without adding anyone else. I think the biggest thing the Cats need to do in the secondary is find a lineup and stick with it. There has been a lot of player shuffling the last couple of seasons and I think that has been a major part of the unit's inconsistent play.

But adding Patrick is a nice move. If he can recapture his form from a couple years ago, this will turn out to be a great addition.

Cortez Lands in Saskatchewan

It didn't take long for George Cortez to find work. A little over a month after being fired by the Ti-Cats, Cortez has been named the offensive coordinator in Saskatchewan.

You can say a lot of bad things about Cortez's time with the Tiger-Cats, but one thing that cannot be denied is that the offense was spectacular. The Tiger-Cats were the highest-scoring team in the CFL last season and Cortez's schemes and philosophies were a main reason for it. The Ti-Cats could destroy people offensively, and had the team had a statistically average defense as opposed to an absolutely horrendous one, Cortez is likely still employed by the Tiger-Cats.

And it should come as no surprise that Cortez found work as quickly as he did. The guy is an offensive mastermind and the Roughriders will reap the benefits of his brilliance. I expect the Riders to field one of the best offense in the CFL in 2013, and look for Darian Durant to have his best season. Cortez has worked wonders with quarterbacks – in 2011, Henry Burris was washed up and benched in Calgary, but in Hamilton he put up some of the best numbers of his career – and Durant will be the next beneficiary of Cortez's offensive mind.

Three Questions: Saskatchewan Roughriders

The off-season is underway and every team faces questions. Today, I look at three questions concerning the Saskatchewan Roughriders.

1. Can they build off 2012?
The Riders went into the 2012 season coming off a nightmare 2011 campaign and finished 9-9 and took the eventual West Division champions to the wire in the first round of the playoffs. The ending was disappointing for Rider Nation, but the season was a big success for the team. Things should only get better in Year 2 of the Corey Chamblin era. Chamblin proved to be a better head coach than a defensive coordinator and turned things around in Riderville in one season. Now the goal is to build off that first season and turn it into a championship run in 2013.

2. Will they make it three for three?
The last two Grey Cup champions, BC and Toronto, won their championships at their home stadia. The 101st Grey Cup will be played at Mosaic Stadium in Regina, so you have to think the Riders want to make it three home wins in a row, and seeing as the last two champions lost in the semi-final (BC in 2010) and didn't make the playoffs (Toronto) the year before they won it all, it's entirely possible that the Riders could turn the trick as well. It is way too early to say for certain, obviously, but the Riders might be in prime position to extend the Grey Cup home winning streak to three.

3. Is Sheets the dark horse for MOP in 2013?
Before this season, did anyone have Jon Cornish or Chad Owens as the two MOP candidates? Did anyone have Owens winning the award? What about the year before; did anyone have Lulay winning it before the season started? It seems that guys who fly under the radar are emerging as MOP threats by the end of the season. Could Kory Sheets be that guy next year? Sheets had an amazing first year in the CFL. He was second in the league in rushing, tied for first in the league in rushing touchdowns and finished tied for second in total touchdowns with 13. Sheets was Saskatchewan's best player and don't be surprised if he takes home the MOP award next season.

10 Things I Learned... In Week 19

And with that, we bid adieu to the 2012 CFL regular season. Once again, it was a season that showed that as much as we think we know, we really don't know all that much. Aside from BC being the team with the best overall record, did anything play out like expected? Hamilton was supposed to be a Grey Cup contender, not the team with the top pick in next year's draft. Winnipeg was supposed to be a contender and play in a new stadium, not finish with four fewer wins and play the whole season at Canad Inns. Saskatchewan and Edmonton were supposed to struggle, not both make the playoffs. The East was talked about as possibly crossing over into the West, not the other way around. Montreal was old and ready to fall, not win another division title. Calgary was supposed to take as step up with Drew Tate, not Kevin Glenn. And Toronto was supposed to light the league on fire with Ricky Ray, not struggle to get to .500. Basically, it was just another typical season in the wild and crazy (in a good way) CFL.

(1) Parity or mediocrity
Parity is what most professional sports leagues strive for in the 21st century. Most leagues want to have as many teams in the playoff chase as possible and the CFL is no different. But does this hope for parity just bring out mediocrity? Just three teams (BC, Calgary and Montreal) finished the season above .500, while the one (Toronto) finished at .500 and four (Saskatchewan, Edmonton, Winnipeg, Hamilton) finished under .500 and two of those teams made the playoffs. The salary cap probably plays a role in this as well, but it seems as if the more equal the team are, the worse the football is. There was some great action this year, but I believe the parity that leagues strive for hurts the product more than helps.

(2) Record breaking weekend
Three CFL records went down in the final weekend of the season. JC Sherritt broke Calvin Tiggle's record for tackles in a season, Jon Cornish broke Normie Kwong's record for rushing yards in a season by a Canadian and Chad Owens broke Mike Clemons' record for all-purpose yards. Cornish, who also finished the season as the league's leading rusher, probably had the most impressive record-breaking year. Kwong's record stood for over 50 years and any time a record that old goes down, it is impressive. Sherritt was a beast on defense and it is fitting that he would break Tiggle's record, but it felt less than impressive when he did it on a play that netted the Stampeders a first down. I am not at all impressed with Owens' record because I think picking up a lot of kick return yards is essentially meaningless. But three records went down on one weekend and I can't recall the last time that happened.

(3) Chad Owens celebration was ill-timed
The Argos stopped the game when Owens broke Pinball's record and I am getting a little sick of teams doing this during a game. Owens broke the record near the end of the second quarter, and the game was stopped to honour the feat. I have no problem with teams celebrating the achievements of their players, but do it at a more appropriate time than in the middle of the game. Ceremonies for record-breaking performances should be held after the game, not during it. I didn't like when the game was stopped for Damon Allen, Ben Cahoon or Anthony Calvillo, and I didn't like that it was stopped by Owens. There is a time and a place to recognize records being broken and that time is not with four minutes left in the second quarter.

(4) Allen's rushing record probably safe
Staying on the topic of records, if there is one record that I think is safe, it is Damon Allen's record for rushing yards by a quarterback. Allen is the league's third leading rushing, regardless of position, with over 11,000 rushing yards. For a QB to top that mark, they would have to rush for over 1,000 yards for 11 straight season. I just don't see any QB breaking that mark. Records are made to be broken, but I bet Allen's stands for a very long time.

(5) Damon Allen: the most under-appreciated player in CFL history
Sticking with Allen, it was great to see him finally get into the Hall of Fame (he was eligible last year and was not voted in for some inexplicable reason). I believe that Allen is one of the most under-appreciated players in CFL history and I can't think of a more deserving player to make it into the Hall than Allen. The rest of his induction class was pretty good too (as much as I hate Milt Stegall, the guy was one of the best to ever play the game), but Allen deserved to be in last year and was denied. I can't imagine another player with the résumé of Allen having to wait one second longer than necessary to get into the Hall of Fame. I'm glad he is in now, but this was one year too late.

(6) Lulay's streak ends lamely
Travis Lulay's streak of games with a touchdown pass came to end on Saturday night when he failed to throw a TD in his one quarter of action. Lulay played in what was a meaningless game for the Lions and it was surprising to see BC not play him until he had his streak-continuing touchdown. I know players aren't supposed to play for records, but if Lulay wasn't going to be able to extend his streak, then there really was no point in playing him. There was nothing to gain for playing Lulay, and it was kind of disappointing to see his streak end in such a lame fashion.

(7) Winnipeg says goodbye to Canad Inns
Last week, it was Ivor Wynne Stadium; this week, it was Canad Inns Stadium. The Winnipeg Blue Bombers said goodbye, for real this time, to their long-time home. The Bombers will move, for real this time, into a new stadium next season. Like the Ti-Cats the week before, the Bombers sent their fans home happy with one final win. It is an exciting time to be a CFL fan as new stadia are being built across the league. Winnipeg's will open next year, Hamilton's and Ottawa's the year after, and Saskatchewan will get a brand new facility in 2017. Seeing new homes built shows that the CFL is moving in the right direction.

(8) The Anthony Calvillo bye week
An interesting stat that I saw this week was about Anthony Calvillo and his lack of playing time in the final week of the regular season. Calvillo has thrown a grand total of 17 passes in Week 19 since 2007, and all of those passes came in last year's finale. Calvillo sat out this week's game in Winnipeg and also sat out games in 2007, 2008, 2009 and 2010. This speaks to the success of the Als over the past six years. It also makes me wonder where Calvillo's records would be if he played in those games.

(9) Playoff predictions
I didn't do game predictions this year, part of it was forgetting in Week 1 and part of it was just not wanting to do it (hence me forgetting), but I figured I might as well put out how I think the playoffs will play out. In the West, I think Calgary beats Saskatchewan and then beats BC to head to the Grey Cup. In the East, I like the Eskimos to upset the Argos and then the Als to steamroll the Eskies. That sets up a Calgary-Montreal Grey Cup and I will take the Stamps to win it all. I'm sure I'll be wrong, but that's how I see it all playing out over the next three weekends.

(10) Players of the Week
As much as it is hard to give a guy who threw two interceptions, one which went for a touchdown, and fumbled once, you simply cannot ignore the near 500 passing yards and four touchdowns that Henry Burris threw against the Argos. You don't throw for 497 yards all that often and Burris did just that last Thursday. If the CFL handed out an offensive player of the year award, Burris would win it in a landslide. They don't, so he'll just have to accept being the final player to win offensive player of the week in 2012.

Picking up 11 tackles and one sack is impressive, but when one of those tackles sets a record for the most in a season by any player in CFL history, it is more impressive. JC Sherritt did just that in Calgary on Friday night. Sherritt was a machine all year and will likely be named the top defensive player this year. He made a strong final case for himself by being the best defender on the field this past weekend.

Hit all five field goals and nail a 51-yarder to knock your biggest rival from playoff contention was all in a game's work for Swayze Waters. Waters was huge in Toronto's win over Hamilton and is more than deserving of being name the final week's top special teams player.

The top Canadian was none other than Winnipeg linebacker Henoc Muamba. The top pick in 2011 draft picked up 10 tackles and one sack against Montreal. Muamba has been getting more and more involved on the defensive side of the ball and this type of performance could be a harbinger of things to come for Muamba. Expect big things from this week's top Canadian next season.

10 Things I Learned... In Week 18

Five of six playoff spots have been secured and all that is left to decide is who will play the Argos in East Division Semi-Final. It is down to Edmonton and Hamilton. A Tiger-Cat win and Edmonton loss means the Ti-Cats head to the playoffs; an Edmonton win or tie or a Hamilton loss means the Eskimos will cross over into the East to play the Argos. Hamilton's game is Thursday and Edmonton's is Friday. It all comes down to the final week.

(1) Emry should have been suspended
Shea Emry was fined for punching Brandon LaBatte in the groin during last week's Montreal-Saskatchewan game. The incident got Emry tossed from the game. This is the third time this season that Emry has been fined by the league and clearly he isn't learning anything or amending his ways. The league needs to find a way to make repeat offenders pay substantially higher fines and/or face suspensions if they continue to act like goons. Acts like Emry's have no place in the game and a mere fine, as he has proven, will do nothing. Emry doesn't seem to care and it is time he faced a stiffer punishment for his constant idiocy.

(2) Brandon Isaac should be suspended
Sticking with dirty players, I was stunned to see Brandon Isaac's helmet-to-helmet hit on Darian Durant go unpenalized. It was as obvious as any such hit all season and I can't believe the refs missed it. Like Emry, Isaac is a repeat offender and because of that he should be suspended for the next game. Clearly the fine he was given after his dirty hit on Buck Pierce did nothing to curtail his dirty ways. The refs need to be reamed out for missing the call and Isaac needs to be put on ice for at least a game.

(3) Glenn should start the rest of the year
Now that Drew Tate has returned from his injury, the question of who should start for the Stampeders has arisen. The answer is easy: Glenn should start the rest of the season and Tate should take the job back in the off-season. Glenn has led the Stamps since halftime of the second game this season, so this is his team right now. Glenn has spent pretty much the entire season developing chemistry with his teammates and one week before the playoffs start is not the time to mess with team chemistry.

(4) Eskimos should start Nichols
Did anyone else see what Matt Nichols did in a quarter of action? He threw for 230 yards and three touchdowns after taking over for an injured (and ineffective) Kerry Joseph. Kavis Reed has always said that Joseph will start in the season finale against Calgary, but Nichols is the future and even with a playoff spot on the line, I think Nichols should be handed the reins. It might cost Edmonton a playoff spot this year, but it could set them up for the next 10 years.

(5) Dressler's uncharacteristic drops
Weston Dressler is not known for dropping too many passes, but he had two very costly ones in Saskatchewan's loss to the Argos. His first big drop was on a two-point conversion attempt. The ball hit Dressler right in the hands, but he couldn't bring it in. That proved costly later when the Riders were trying to score at the end of the game. His second was later in the game one what would have been a first down. Dressler wasn't the sole reason the Riders lost to the Argos, but he had a big hand in it.

(6) Sandro's all too familiar misses
While Dressler deserves some blame for Saskatchewan losing, the bulk of the blame belongs on the shoulders of Sandro DeAngelis. Tiger-Cat fans know all to well about DeAngelis missing makeable kicks, but now Rider fans know the feeling. DeAngelis missed a chip shot 16-yard field goal that proved as costly as any mistake any player made. How far he has fallen from his peak with the Stampeders.

(7) I want more Gord Miller
Last week, I said I wanted to see Rod Smith call more games; this week, I will be saying the same thing about Gord Miller. Miller has called a few games in the past, but he is calling more now because of the NHL lockout. Once the NHL resumes play, either this year or next, Miller will go back to being the voice of the NFL on TSN. Until then, I hope Miller calls more CFL games.

(8) Ray is rollin'
It took longer than hoped for Argo fans, but Ricky Ray seems to have found his groove in Scott Milanovich's offense. Ray has thrown for eight touchdowns in the past two weeks and the first time in his career that he has thrown four touchdowns in back-to-back weeks. Ray is starting to get the offense clicking at just the right time. Even if Toronto doesn't make it to or win the Grey Cup, they have set themselves up to possibly take it all next year.

(9) Calvillo making strong case as best ever
I am sure there are people out there who already consider Anthony Calvillo the greatest CFL quarterback of all time. I still believe Doug Flutie is the best ever, but Calvillo is really starting to make me reconsider my thinking. He has all the career records and just topped Flutie for 5,000-yard passing seasons in a career. When Calvillo finally does hang up his cleats, I might have changed my mind on where he ranks on the all-time list.

(10) Players of the Week
For the second week in a row I am handing my offensive player of the week award to Ricky Ray. Ray came up big for the Argos in their playoff-clinching win in Regina. He went a cool 24 for 30 with 305 yards and four touchdowns. He was great in a crucial game for the Argos and stepped up when the team needed him to do so.

There were three contenders for defensive player of the week. Adam Bighill had eight tackles and two sacks for BC, while Geoff Tisdale picked up two interceptions for the Tiger-Cats. But in the end, Anwar Stewart and his four sacks earn the award. For a guy who was sitting on his couch less than a month ago, he played last week like he hadn't missed any time.

My special teams player of the week is BC returnman Tim Brown. Brown tallied over 200 kick return yards, including a 56-yard touchdown scamper in the second half. It wasn't enough to get BC the win, but it was enough for him to earn the award.

Top Canadian was a little tougher, but Akeem Foster's four catches for 94 yards and a touchdown are enough to give it to him. There were no monster days from any Canadian, but Foster was BC's leading receiver, so the award is his.

10 Things I Learned... In Week 17

As hard as it is to believe we are heading down the home stretch of the CFL season. I say the same thing every year, but I can't believe how quickly the season has flown by. As a fan of the league, it has been a great one to watch; lost of exciting games with unexpected twists and turns. It has been one of the most unpredictable seasons in recent memory and that makes for more exciting football.

(1) Kick for a Million regains some lost lustre
The Kick for a Million contest was fun when it first started. The very first guy kicked the 50 yarder and won the million, but after that it was a series of guys who couldn't make a 10-yard kick if they were allowed to throw it through the uprights. It started to become boring. But this year's kicker, Rich Pope, changed all that. He nailed the 20- and 30-yard field goals with ease and missed the 40 yarder wide (though it had the distance). For the first time, it looked possible that a million dollars would be handed out. He missed the kick short, but the excitement and anticipation was back. I hope we don't go another half decade between decent kickers, but this year's event was well worth watching.

(2) Game of the year: take your pick
When deciding the best game of the 2012 season, Week 17 will have three contenders. It started Friday night with a thrilling back-and-forth affair between the Argos and Bombers, continued Saturday afternoon in a game that went down to the final play between Montreal and Saskatchewan, and ended with the Snow Bowl in Calgary between the Ti-Cats and Stamps. All three showcased what the CFL is all about and anyone who watched any of them, let alone all three, was highly entertained. Hopefully these are the types of games we get when the playoffs start in a couple of weeks.

(3) Als, Lions claim division titles
Speaking of the playoffs, we now know that the road to the Grey Cup will go through BC and Montreal. Both the Als and Lions clinched their respective division titles over the weekend. Both teams have tremendous home-field advantages (they both play in domes) and it will be difficult for any team to beat them in the division finals. That said, I'm going to go out on a limb and say one of them doesn't get to the Grey Cup.

(4) Winnipeg's offensive explosion
Where was that offense all season? The Bombers average over their first 15 games was just under 20 points a week; on Friday night they scored 24 in the first half and ended the game scoring 44. It was Winnipeg's highest offensive output all season and the first game scoring over 40 since a double overtime win over BC in Week 15 of the 2010 season. If that is the type of offense the Bombers will put together next year, their bad 2012 season may prove to be a one-off.

(5) Mike Reilly should look at homes in Ottawa
With Ottawa returning in two years, speculation has already begun as to who they will take in the expansion draft. The position that is first discussed is always quarterback. Many names have been thrown out there, but Mike Reilly might be at the top of the list after his performance in his first career start against Edmonton on Friday. Reilly filled in for the injured Travis Lulay and the Lions didn't miss a beat. Reilly looked like a polished veteran and was impressive from start to finish. Reilly is a free agent after this season, and he could attract interest from teams this winter, but if he dosn't get a starting job in 2013, I fully expect him to be drafted by the Ottawa franchise to be their quarterback of the future.

(6) Golden age of Canadian running backs
For the first time since 1957, the CFL features two 1,000-yard Canadian running backs. Andrew Harris joined Jon Cornish as a 1,000-yard rusher this season. Two Canadians haven't rushed for 1,000 yards in the same season since Gerry Jones and Normie Kwong did it in 1957 (they also did it in 1955). If Jerome Messam had not tried his luck in the NFL, it is possible that we could have seen three Canadians rush for 1,000 yards (Messam rushed for 1,000 yards last year). There have been a lot of good Canadian running backs over the years, but I don't think we have ever seen as much Canadian talent at running back as we are right now.

(7) Need more Rod Smith
For the most part, I find the guys that do commentary and play-by-play for CFL games on TSN do a pretty good job (there is one big exception to that, and I'm sure everyone knows who that is), but I really enjoyed listening to Rod Smith call the game between Montreal and Saskatchewan. For a guy who has done just a handful of CFL games over the years, he sounds like a seasoned pro. With his duties hosting Sportscentre, I doubt he'll make a permanent move to the broadcast booth, but I would like to hear him call more games in the future.

(8) Snow games
I love games played in the elements. When the weather is bad, you get games like the one we saw between Hamilton and Calgary. A snowstorm, in October no less, made the Cats-Stamps game one for the ages. With the likelihood that four of five playoff games will be played indoors (East Semi-Final and Grey Cup at the Rogers Centre SkyDome in Toronto, East Final at Olympic Stadium in Montreal and West Final at BC Place in Vancouver), there is the possibility that we have seen our one and only snow game in 2012. Maybe we'll get lucky and the West Semi-Final, to be played at McMahon Stadium in Calgary, will feature another heavy snowfall. One can hope.

(9) Calvillo can scramble
One of the knocks, if you can call it that, on Anthony Calvillo is that he is not a great runner. While I have not bought that line of thinking for some time, I hope we can put it to rest after his two touchdown runs against the Roughriders. These weren't one-yard plunges, either; Calvillo's two touchdowns came on runs of 14 and 22 yards. The days of saying Calvillo can't run should have ended long ago, but hopefully now they are gone for good. (Side note: If I hear one more person refer to Calvillo as "The Kid from La Puente" I am going to punch a dying rabbit. I get it; they did a documentary about him with that as the title. I don't need to be pounded over the head with it every time he touches the ball.)

(10) Players of the Week
There were a lot of stellar offensive performances over the weekend, from Jason Barnes' three touchdown catches to Anthony Calvillo's masterful performance against the Roughriders, but Ricky Ray played perhaps his best game in an Argonaut uniform and is my offensive player of the week. Ray threw for 383 yards and four touchdowns in a losing effort against the Winnipeg Blue Bombers. The Argos may have come out on the losing end of that game, but it wasn't because of Ray.

There were some pretty good defensive performances, but Keon Raymond took an interception 100 yards for a touchdown against Hamilton and is my defensive player of the week. Raymond also had eight tackles and two sacks to go along with the interception touchdown, and was easily the best defensive player this week.

Not a lot in the way of special teams play this week; Hamilton's Onrea Jones had a big return and recovered a huge onside kick, but it wasn't enough to take my special teams player of the week award away from Saskatchewan's Weston Dressler. Dressler only had two punt returns, but he made the most of them by returning one of them to the house for a 43-yard touchdown. It's pretty standard to give a guy who returns a kick for a touchdown the award and this will be no different.

Tough to choose the top Canadian because there wasn't really any standout performances. But despite not doing anything in the running game, Jon Cornish found success in the passing game. Cornish had just 27 yards rushing, but had 108 receiving and scored two touchdowns. It was a typical night from Cornish, but it was good enough for me to name him the best Canadian in Week 17.

10 Things I Learned... In Week 16

The playoff field is starting to take shape with three weeks left in the season. Following in BC's footsteps last week, both the Calgary Stampeders and Montreal Alouettes have clinched playoff berths. That leaves three spots left for five teams. If I had to guess, the Argos, Riders and Esks will take those in the next couple of weeks. But I think that one of the three teams that have already clinched their spot in the tournament will be the one getting their names engraved on the Grey Cup at season's end.

(1) Ottawa is back
The best news of the week was finding out that Ottawa will be back in the CFL. It is still not entirely known if it will be in 2014 or 2015, but football will be returning to Ottawa soon. Now we just need to find out what the name will be. As a fan of history, I want the name to be Rough Riders, but that likely won't happen thanks to the other Roughriders (a decision that was both selfish and completely ridiculous). At the end of the day, what the team is called is pretty immaterial, but we can all celebrate that the CFL will once again have a team in our nation's capital.

(2) We got Pink, we need Brown
This week kicked off the second annual CFL Pink campaign. It is great that the CFL has gotten on board with raising awareness for women's cancers, but it is time the CFL take the lead at get on board the Movember train. With the vast majority of football fans being male, the CFL should do something during November to help raise awareness for men's cancers in the same way they do it for women's cancers. As far as I know, not sports league does anything for Movember and the CFL could set the trend rather than following the trend set by others. We have Pink, it is time for the CFL to add a little Brown.

(3) BC's time of possession
We all watched the Lions mauling of the Ti-Cats on Friday night and if you thought you saw a lot of the BC offense, you weren't mistaken. The Lions held the ball for almost 40 minutes (39:59 to be exact) and that is something I haven't seen since the NY Giants held the ball for a similar length against the Buffalo Bills in Super Bowl XXV. The way to beat the Ti-Cats is to keep their potent offense off the field; the Lions did just that on Friday night.

(4) Winnipeg's unbelieveable point differential
Last year, the Blue Bombers rode a stout defense to a Grey Cup appearance, so to find out that the Bombers have given up 165 more points than they have scored so far this season was shocking. I know the team made a lot of changes, but they are giving up an average of 11 points more per game than they are scoring. It might sound simplistic, but that pretty much sums up why the team that went 10-8 and made the Grey Cup last year is 4-11 and on the verge of elimination just one season later.

(5) Esks take a huge step forward
When Kavis Reed demoted Marcus Crandell and named Kerry Joseph his starter for the remainder of the season, it sure seemed like they were giving up on this season. Reed had no history on offense, save for one year as a running backs coach, and Joseph is nearly 40. It sounded like a recipe for disaster. Instead, the Eskimos have rolled off two straight wins and are not only looking good for a playoff spot, but they might not even be the crossover team. The Esks are just one game back of the Saskatchewan Roughriders, who they manhandled on Saturday, and could very easily find themselves in Calgary on Semi-Final weekend. The Esks might be hitting their stride at just the right time.

(6) Gotta give Glenn props
Everyone knows that I am a Kevin Glenn fan, so it is nice to see him play well, even if he is no longer a member of the Hamilton Tiger-Cats. But not even an ardent Glenn fan such as myself thought he'd have the type of season he is having right now. His numbers aren't otherworldly, save for one: completion percentage. Saturday's game against Winnipeg was the sixth time this season Glenn has surpassed the 70 per cent completion mark in a game. He has been incredibly accurate with the ball this season and that will bode well for the Stampeders when the weather gets cold in November and ball control becomes of the utmost importance.

(7) Boyd released again
Before the games got underway, the Eskimos made the not-so-surprising move to release veteran running back Cory Boyd. When the Argos did this back in the summer, it was met with derision from all because Boyd was leading the league in rushing at the time. But Boyd found himself as the odd-man out in Edmonton. Hugh Charles has established himself feature back, and Jerome Messam returned from the NFL just after Boyd was signed. At 27, Boyd's CFL career cannot be over; someone will take a chance on the him in the off-season (per CFL rules, he is ineligible to sign with another team at this point in the season). I don't know where that place will be, but I have to believe that Boyd will be on a roster when training camps open next June.

(8) Second place and under .500
Before the season started, many openly wondered if this was the year that an East Division team would cross over into the West. Instead, we have the possibility, and maybe even the certainty, of a West team crossing into the East. At this point in the season, only the Montreal Alouettes find themselves above .500; the Argos (7-8), Ti-Cats (5-10) and Bombers (4-11) could all finish under .500, with both the Ti-Cats and Bombers assured of doing so. So much for that power shift many thought was coming.

(9) Als still the Als
Sticking with the East, despite being a very flawed team, the Als are once again the class of the division. At 9-6, they are the lone team above the .500 mark and are looking like they will once again represent the East Division in the Grey Cup. Much like the belief that western dominance would come to an end, many thought the Als would take a step back this season. Instead, we get the same thing we've had for over a decade.

(10) Players of the Week
Hugh Charles ran over, under and around Roughrider defenders all night to the tune of 152 yards in a crucial win for the Eskimos. He may have had a little extra motivation playing against his former team, but Charles has put together a very good season in Edmonton and has already rushed for more yards this season than in his other four seasons combined. He was superb on Saturday night and is my offensive player of the week.

Get a pick six and chances are you'll find your name here, and Shea Emry got himself a pick six, so he is my defensive player of the week. The pick by Emry was the game-sealing play for the Alouettes, so the timing could not have been better. Emry was the best defender on any field this past weekend.

No highlight reel plays on special teams this week, but the best of the bunch was BC's Tim Brown. Brown returned three kicks for 104 yards, including a 77-yard scamper that set up a Lions touchdown. Brown didn't get much work because the Tiger-Cat offense didn't score much, but he made the most of his opportunity and is my special teams player of the week.

The battle for top Canadian is really heating up, but this week there was no contest. Andrew Harris was the top Canadian after putting up 121 total yards and two touchdowns in BC's win over Hamilton. Those 121 yards gave him 1,365 for the season, a new single-season record for yards from scrimmage by a Canadian player. Harris has been outstanding all season and was so once again on Friday night.