Morning-After Thoughts (Week 3)

There is nothing like the CFL. Every week brings something unique to the table, and every week fans are satisfied in new and exciting ways. This week was no different. Edmonton and Montreal continued to crush opponents, Hamilton got off the schneid, Toronto and Calgary continued to confound, Winnipeg's Defense was Winnipeg's Defense, and BC and Saskatchewan just looked lost. Week 3 in the CFL was a sight to behold.

1. The only place to start is to give a tip o' the cap to Anthony Calvillo for breaking the all-time career mark for touchdown passes. If he continues to play at the level he's playing at now, he could put this record out of reach for a very long time.
2. Now that Calvillo has broken the record, can we get a moratorium from commentators bringing up the new number every time he throws a TD pass? I don't need to hear Rod Black say, "And there's number 402." He broke the record, so there is no need for analysts to sound like broken records.
3. I know it's not just me, but I have noticed that players' helmets are popping off at an alarming rate. Having played football, I can say that helmets are not supposed to fly off like that. It should take a good pull and a tug to get them off your head. To see them flying off like dandelion heads being played with by a seven-year-old girl is disconcerting. The league needs to do something fast.
4. If I have to hear Glen Suitor say that this will be Doug Brown's last season one more time, I will build a time machine and go back in time and make Doug Brown retire this past off-season. Enough! We get it. Brown is a great player, but I don't need to be reminded every time Winnipeg plays that he's retiring at season's end. I got it the first 40 times you said it, Suits.
5. I found seeing two blocked field goals in one game to be very exciting. The blocked field goal might be the most interesting and unpredictable play in football, if not all sports.
6. Is there any Receiver that refuses to get tackled more than Nik Lewis? It takes at least three shots to get this guy to the ground.
7. Who had the Over/Under at 2.5 games before Buck Pierce got hurt? You would have had to push like Mike Wilbon on Pardon the Interruption.
8. I have to give a big hand to Joey Elliott for finishing the game with a torn ACL. That showed guts. I thought it looked bad when Keon Raymond awkwardly fell into Elliott after recovering a fumble, but to find out it's an ACL injury is surprising because Elliott stayed in the game. A big round of applause for Elliott for gutting it out.
9. During the second half of the Argos-Als game there was a faint, but audible, "Argos Suck" chant. It warms my heart to hear that.
10. With all the attention focused on Anthony Calvillo – and rightly so – Brandon Whitaker quietly had his best game as a pro. Whitaker had 214 total yards, led the Als in receiving yards and scored a TD. That's what you call a breakout performance.
11. Proving one of my favourite idioms correct – that a broken clock is right twice a day – Rod Black actually said something that I agree with. He said that for football fans, seeing a game at Molson Stadium should be on everyone's "bucket list." While I hate that term, he's right. I went to Montreal for a game last year, and the stadium is awesome. If you get the chance to see a game there, go. You will not regret it.
12. I'm just going to be blunt: the Saskatchewan Roughriders are a terrible football team. Their Offense is stagnant, their Defense is a complete sieve, their Special Teams are a notch above decent and their coaching has been atrocious. Nothing on this team is working right now, and it doesn't look like a fix will be coming any time soon.
13. Could one of the problems with the Riders be that Darian Durant is missing Andy Fantuz and Rob Bagg more than anyone knows?
14. Everyone always wondered why Greg Marshall never got a chance to be a Head Coach, and while I know it's early, perhaps we shouldn't be wondering anymore. Maybe all those front offices that passed on Marshall knew what they were doing after all.
15. It was nice to see Hamilton start the game by establishing the run. It was even nicer to see them stick to it. Sure, it was easier to do with a big lead, but it was still refreshing to see the Cats commit to running the football.
16. I stated at the beginning of the year that Edmonton was going to be the worst team in the CFL and that they would only win four games. Well, they have made me look like quite the idiot. Not only will Edmonton win more than four games, it could easily be argued that they are the best team in the league.
17. As much as I underestimated Edmonton to start the year, I overestimated BC by the same large margin. I had the Lions finishing first in the West Division, and they now sit at 0-3. This seems to be the Lions' game recently: start slow and finish strong. One of these years it is going to catch up to them, but I don't think it will be this year, because the Riders are also 0-3 and they look immensely worse. BC will once again get into the playoffs with an under .500 record.
18. If you did a one-sixth-poll (if something this silly existed) for MOP, Anthony Calvillo would probably be the winner; however, a ridiculously close second would be Ricky Ray. Ray is on pace for over 6,000 passing yards and has yet to throw an interception in 2011. The Ricky Ray of 2005 is back, people, and that only bodes well for the Eskimos.
19. Congratulations to Geroy Simon on becoming only the fourth player in CFL history to eclipse 14,000 receiving yards. The future Hall of Famer is on pace for over 1,600 yards this season, which would give him enough to pass Milt Stegall as the league's all-time leader in receiving yards.
20. After last week's disgusting 0-4 display, I needed a big week, an undefeated week, to get myself back to .500. Mission: accomplished. Yes, folks, 4-0. Calgary, check; Montreal, check; Hamilton, check; Edmonton, check. Now I wonder if I can keep the momentum going.