Bodog, TSN and Five QBs

Quite a bit of news regarding the Tiger-Cats came out over the last few days, especially last night thanks mostly to TSN, but also from the team itself.

For starters, Bodog (a gambling website) released their odds for the upcoming CFL season and they like the Cats. Bodog has the Ti-Cats as the favourites to win the East Division, while placing them behind just the BC Lions as favourites to the Grey Cup.

TSN spent three hours on Monday night covering the CFL. They continued their excellent series of "Road to the Grey Cup" features which looked at last year's champs, the BC Lions. One of the big stories: last season's trade of Arland Bruce. While I concede that the team looks better this year without Bruce, I still have a hard time stomaching just how little the Cats got in return for Bruce. But I don't want to harp on it. What's done is done and it is time (for me) to move on and shut up about it.

TSN followed up their look at last year's Lions by unveiling their list of the Top 50 players of 2012. Out of the 50, seven of them were Tiger-Cats, with Jamall Johnson being the highest ranked at No. 22. Avon Cobourne (No. 46), Markeith Knowlton (No. 39), Chris Williams (No. 34), Henry Burris (No. 32), Rey Williams (No. 28) and Andy Fantuz (No. 25) were the other six. Matt Duingian noted that only four linebackers made the list, and three of them were Hamilton Tiger-Cats. Best linebacking group in the CFL? Damn right!

Marwan Hage did not make the list, which was somewhat of a surprise. My guess is that his injury last season caused his stock to plummet. Should he regain his form, he'll find himself on the list in 2013.

TSN also aired their annual CFL on TSN season preview show, which means analysts gave their predictions. Four panelists picked the Cats to go to the Grey Cup. Milt Stegall, Doug Brown and Matt Dunigan had the Tabbies losing to the Lions in Toronto, but it was Jock Climie who tossed out the dream match of all dream matches, at least as far as I am concerned: Hamilton versus Toronto for the title. Climie believes that with a weaker West Division, the Argos will crossover into the West and win the West Final to earn the right to take on the Tiger-Cats in Toronto for the Grey Cup. That would just be awesome. While I think it is unlikely to happen, I wouldn't be the least bit upset if it did.

And last, but certainly not least, the Ti-Cats themselves unvieled (via the Tiger-Cats Show on AM900 CHML) who are the five quarterbacks that fans will get to choose between for the All-Time Tiger-Cat team. Voting on the team began today, and will continue from now until October 5th, with a new batch of players being unvieled each week until Labour Day on the Tiger-Cats Show. Anyway, here are the five QBs to choose from:

• Danny McManus
• Bernie Faloney
• Joe Zuger
• Mike Kerrigan
• Tom Clements

No real surprises on the list, and I would have to think, as I posited previously, that the battle is between Danny Mac and Bernie Faloney. Only one QB will make the team and my vote is going to Danny Mac. I respect what Faloney did for the team, but I never got to see him play. In my opinion, it would be unfair of me to vote for a player simply on reputation when I saw another player dominate during his time here. If any of the five are voted as the QB, it is deserving, but my vote is going to McManus.