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.

Bombers, Redblacks Make Big Splash on Day 1 of Free Agency

February 10, 2015 was a good day for fans of the Ottawa RedBlacks and Winnipeg Blue Bombers.

As expected, both teams made a big slash Tuesday by signing a combined nine players on Day 1 of free agency. Winnipeg started the day off by signing national linebacker Sam Hurl from Saskatchewan and followed that up by bringing in slotback Darvin Adams from Toronto. Then they picked up back-to-back All-Star left tackle Stanley Bryant and former Hamilton Tiger-Cat tackle Marc Dile to bolster their offensive line, while also upgrading their Canadian talent on the defensive line by adding former Toronto Argonaut Ivan Brown.

The RedBlacks won the bidding war for solid left tackle SirVincent Rogers and upgraded their dreadful receiving corps with the acquisitions of Ernest Jackson from BC, Brad Sinopoli from Calgary and Greg Ellingson from Hamilton. There is no denying that both teams took a positive step forward in their rebuilds and are better football teams than they were just 24 hours ago.

It is difficult to say if there was a clear victor on the opening day of free agency as, simply put, both teams were. The Blue Bombers turned their weakest position group, offensive line, into one of the league's best, while the RedBlacks went from having the worst receiving corps in the CFL into having, at worst, an average group. More impressively, neither team necessarily mortgaged their future in free agent signings to load up for next season, particularly the Bombers.

Winnipeg went into the day with tons of cap space and likely left with still more money to spend. Stanley Bryant's reported salary of $160,000 isn't cheap for an import offensive tackle, but isn't outrageous either considering he's the league’s best at his position. Winnipeg also stocked up on crucial Canadian depth in signing Brown and Hurl, the latter being a strong contributor on special teams and will compete for their starting middle linebacker role in camp. Marc Dile's signing also adds depth to the offensive line as he'll join Devin Tyler and Jace Daniels as Winnipeg's three potential starting Right Tackles. Depth and a lack of competition plagued the Blue Bombers offensive line last season and Dile's signing immediately gives them more options. And finally, Darvin Adams will be given every opportunity to step up and fill in as Drew Willy's third receiving option. At 6'2” and 182 pounds with good speed and sure hands, Adams draws comparisons to former Bomber Terrance Edwards. While only time will tell if Adams can turn into anything like Terrance Edwards, he's in a perfect situation to achieve such a feat with young gun Drew Willy chucking the rock with confidence behind that offensive line.

Possibly the best part about Adams and the rest of the new signings are that they are all young and under 30. Winnipeg would surely love to win the Grey Cup on home turf in 2015, but I see these as signings that help the Blue Bombers in the long haul as well.

The same can also be said for Ottawa as the best is likely yet to come for Brad Sinopoli, Ernest Jackson, Greg Ellingson and even SirVincent Rogers. Ottawa saved a few years of developing receivers and will push to give their new talent some more playoff experience next season.

There is still work to be done for both teams in the upcoming days of free agency. Ottawa needs Canadian depth all over the field and an established pass rusher, leading me to think they will be in contact with Brandon Boudreaux of the Riders or Justin Hickman of the Ti-Cats.

I don't think Winnipeg is finished either. They need more linebacking help and may send offers to Brian Peters of Saskatchewan and/or Rennie Curran of Edmonton, who the Eskimos have reportedly parted ways with. Don't be surprised if both Ottawa and Winnipeg lead the way in Day 2 as well with how deep their pockets are.

There was no clear-cut winner on Day 1 of free agency, but both franchises took big steps forward in their respective rebuilds and are undoubtedly better teams now than in 2014. As stressed numerous times, the Grey Cup is not won in February, but expectations have certainly risen for Winnipeg and Ottawa.

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

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.

Bombers Must Look to Recruit the Enemy

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 assess what they need to do prior to the start of next season. Today, we look at the Winnipeg Blue Bombers.

Around this time last year, the Winnipeg Blue Bombers were in the dumps. They were coming off an embarrassing 3-15 season and had cut ties with almost all of their staff. But then in came new general manager Kyle Walters, and the reshaping of the boys in blue began.

The Bombers got off to a great start in 2014, starting the season at 5-1. But then the wheels came off, and Winnipeg went 2-10 over their last 12 games, including a seven game losing streak, and missed the playoffs for a third consecutive season.

However, the Bombers still took two steps forward in year one of the post-Joe Mack rebuild. They found a quarterback in Drew Willy, a running back in Paris Cotton, a decent receiving corps, several defensive backs and a taste of what it's like to be on top of the CFL. Many core players are in place, so now all Walters needs to do is find a few more and build around them. Turns out, those players may have been wearing green and white in Riderville this past season.

Not all players took a step forward in 2014. Many failed to capitalize on opportunities or found there was no room for them to succeed from a roster standpoint. The majority are defensive players, as I'm sure defensive coordinator Gary Etcheverry and Walters realize Big Blue needs bigger players. Etcheverry's odd scheme that included small and speedy players was solved by teams in the second half of the season. The solution was easy: give the ball to your backs to power up the middle. Walters will need to let go of his smaller defenders, as well as move on from certain underachieving offensive players in order to find success in 2015.

Time to say goodbye to

Demond Washington, defensive back
Washington is an extremely talented athlete, as was shown against Calgary when he was used as a slotback on end-arounds, but the same cannot be said regarding his game as a cover-man. Washington is 5'9”, making him useless in nickel packages and against bigger slotbacks. It's time to move on from him and bring in someone bigger.

Desia Dunn, linebacker/defensive back
Again, talent is not the issue, size is. Also at 5'9”, Dunn is no more useful than Washington as a defensive back, and at SAM linebacker, the Bombers are better off with both Johnny Sears and Teague Sherman.

Aaron Kelly, receiver
Kelly seemed like a reliable target for Drew Willy early on – he had the first 100-yard receving game of the 2014 season – but then flashed the same inconsistency that plagued him in Hamilton, and was virtually useless when going across the middle. Kelly was scratched in a handful of games near the end of the season in favour of Rory Kohlert and Cory Watson. The Bombers are better off cutting ties with Kelly and signing a receiver in free agency.

Zach Andersen, defensive tackle
Defensive line is a position I expect Walters to make drastic changes in. They need a true stud big man in middle, and Andersen, coming off a severe knee injury, is not the guy. He had flashes as a solid defensive tackle behind Bryant Turner, Jr., however I think Turner, Jr. will be pushed into a No. 2 role after Walters brings in a new lineman.

Carl Volny, running back
There are simply way too many good backup running backs out there. The Bombers could bring in one or two for a reasonable cost.

Players to bring back

A successful rebuild does not happen without certain players having breakout seasons. The Bombers had numerous players who came out of nowhere, and it's time for them to get paid.

Ian Wild, linebacker
Wild registered 73 tackles, despite missing a month due to injury. Wild is a tackle machine – he recorded an astounding 14 tackles in the 2014 Banjo Bowl – who would benefit greatly with a move to outside linebacker. This would allow Winnipeg to import a big middle linebacker to clean up the run defence. Wild is an obvious re-sign.

Matt Bucknor, defensive back
There aren't very many positions more valuable than a starting Canadian strong side cornerback. Bucknor is a solid corner who managed to play and start all 18 games after coming over in a trade with Hamilton. If Washington is in fact not re-signed, the Bombers would need Bucknor even more. No doubt, re-signing Bucknor is near the top of Kyle Walters' to-do list.

Glenn January, offensive tackle
January didn't have a good season by any means, but he was playing through injuries for the most of the year. The Bombers will need a veteran presence on a young offensive line next year, including someone who will likely end up taking over his spot in one or two seasons. A two-year deal for "The Manuary" would be ideal, but he would also probably have to accept a reduced salary from what he has been paid in years past.

Brian Brohm, quarterback
What's better than one good backup quarterback? Two good backup quarterbacks! I would like to see Robert Marve take over in games if Willy gets hurt, as teams will not have game planned for his unique skill set; however, should Willy be forced to sit out a week, Brohm would get the start as he fits the scheme better. Winnipeg needs a second drop-back passer on the depth chart, Brohm will return.

Johnny Sears, linebacker/defensive back
The Bombers need Sears' hard hitting body on the field at all times, whether he is at SAM linebacker on passing downs or free safety in cover 2 coverages. Sears was limited due to injuries in 2014, but made the most of his return late in the season.

Potential new faces in the Blue and Gold

Tristan Jackson, defensive back, Saskatchewan
Jackson is officially listed as a defensive back despite playing all of 2014 at corner, where his coverage skills have now matched his return skills. The Bombers should make room for Jackson; whether they need to move him to DB, put him ahead of Bucknor at corner or simply move Bucknor entirely to DB. Jackson is an upgrade in all phases compared to Washington, and is likely not going to be back in Riderville considering all the free agents they need to sign.

Ben Heenan, offensive lineman, Saskatchewan
If Weston Dressler stays, Ben Heenan goes. The Riders can afford to let him walk as Dan Clark, should he be re-signed, is capable of replacing him. In Winnipeg, Patrick Neufeld would be pushed to right tackle, as Mathias Goossen will take over newly re-signed Chris Greaves' spot at right guard while Heenan will replace Neufeld at guard.

Shawn Lemon, defensive end, Calgary
Winnipeg's greatest weak point was the defensive line, as the team finished last in sacks in 2014. Lemon would boost that stat tremendously, as he finished tied for second in the league with 13 sacks. In Winnipeg, Jason Vega struggled all year opposite Greg Peach at defensive end and no depth players stepped up. Lemon would transform Winnipeg's pass rush immediately.

Korey Williams, receiver, Saskatchewan
Williams showed flashes of potential after starting receiver Taj Smith went down with a broken collarbone. A tall wide receiver could help Winnipeg's red zone woes. Williams would be a huge upgrade for the Bombers at receiver.

Trevor Guyton, defensive tackle, Saskatchewan
Guyton was mainly a backup for the Riders behind Tearrius George in 2014, but he still managed to record 36 tackles and three sacks in a limited role. Guyton would be a good replacement for Andersen, and would help with the Bombers' run defence problems.

If Walters can sign even three of the above players, and add some depth players, expectations in Winnipeg will skyrocket.

Other offseason "To-Do's" for Winnipeg would be to fire both defensive and offensive coordinators before it's too late. George Cortez and Richie Hall, both formerly of the Roughriders, would be great fits for Winnipeg. Gary Etcheverry's and Marcel Bellefeuille’s schemes certainly slowed down the Bombers in 2014. There is a good group of players in Winnipeg, so to maximize the roster changes must be made to the coaching staff.

While it may be unrealistic to expect a Grey Cup championship in 2015 – when the game will be played at Winnipeg’s Investors Group Field – expecting a playoff appearance, and at least one victory, isn’t unreasonable.

Fans can no longer blame the team’s failures on Joe Mack, as Winnipeg has cut ties with a vast majority of the coaches and players who have ever had his name of their contract. The Winnipeg Blue Bombers now rest in the hands of Kyle Walters and his coach, Mike O'Shea. The success or failure of the franchise rests solely on their shoulders.

This winter, the Bombers should look to steal some players from one province west to make their Grey Cup aspirations that much more realistic.

Bombers Should Take a Page Out of Hamilton's Playbook

Well, here I am: a diehard Bomber fan writing on a diehard Tiger-Cat fan's blog. I am excited to be here, and I would like to give a quick "Thank You" to Josh for giving me this opportunity to take on the role of West Division writer on the blog. It seems only fitting that my first piece will look at both the Bombers and the Ti-Cats.

There is no denying that the Winnipeg Blue Bombers' offence was more than bad after Labour Day; however, the same cannot be said about the Tiger-Cats. Both teams have nearly equal amounts of talent on offence, yet one team succeeded and one team basically failed. The reason for that is because Winnipeg's offence doesn't suit their strengths, and the team would benefit greatly by taking a page (or 50) out of Hamilton's playbook.

Most fans, including myself, are quick to blame the offensive line for the Bombers' disastrous finish. Whether we like to admit it or not, Winnipeg's hogs aren't that much worse than Hamilton's or even Edmonton's. Their respective receiving corps are both talented (Winnipeg's might even be more talented) and their backfields were/still are similar, since they both employed Nic Grigsby during the season. More importantly, both Winnipeg and Hamilton had first-time starting quarterbacks who are both talented and find themselves in similar situations based on the talent around them.

Despite that, Winnipeg allowed significantly more sacks and had 609 fewer yards of total offence. Hamilton averaged more points per game and total touchdowns, despite the fact that the TiCats were missing their starting quarterback, Zach Collaros, for a large chunk of the season, while Winnipeg' anointed started, Drew Willy, started all but one game this season. As Bomber fans, we cannot use talent as an excuse, so there is only one place to put the blame: Bombers offensive coordinator, and former Tiger-Cats head coach, Marcel Bellefeuille.

It is not Bellefeuille's playcalling or coaching that was the cause of Winnipeg's consistent offensive woes, it was his system. Bellefeuille likes to employ a vertical deep passing offence with lots of post and corner routes. A deep pass offence does not suit Winnipeg's strengths. The offensive line cannot hold their blocks on five-step drops, and Drew Willy has not yet developed a reliable deep ball. The Bombers were better at the start of the season when they threw more curls, drags, and flat routes, but as the season went on and the run game struggled, Bellefeuile went to the long pass, leaving Willy beat up both physically and mentally. Imagine trying to keep your eyes downfield as a quarterback when you can't trust your offensive line to keep you off the ground. Willy endured this every game as a rookie, especially as the season progressed. Either Bellefeuille has to change his schemes or he has to be relieved of his duties.

One province east in Ontario, the Hamilton Tiger-Cats put together a great second half to the season, which included a second trip to the Grey Cup in as many years, once their starters returned from injury. Offensive coordinator Tommy Condell runs a system that is perfect for developing a young quarterback with a mediocre O-line. His offence is pass first, but it is centered around short passes with quick throws. They were not as effective when they did pass deep, as there were many times when Collaros had to run for his life, so they stuck to the short throws to raise their young quarterback's confidence and improves how fast he makes his reads. There's no telling how the season would have played out for the Bombers if they used a similar offense to Condell's.

Winnipeg has all the tools in place to use a system similar to Hamilton's. Clarence Denmark is great after the catch; Aaron Kelly is good across the middle; Nick Moore is a good deep threat; and Paris Cotton, a talented running back who got his shot after the acrimonious split with Grigsby, to convert in 2nd-and-short situations. Kyle Walters has assembled the right players for a Condell-like offence, but maybe not the right coordinator.

The sky very well could be the limit for both the Ti-Cats and Bombers once their offensive line's improve. Winnipeg has a lot of talent to build around, but a system that doesn't maximize that talent. If Bellefeuille does return, and employs a Hamilton-like short passing system, Winnipeg could be contenders in 2015. If he does not, it could be another long season in the Manitoba capital. For now, the Bombers are still the Bombers, but that could all change with one minor tweak.

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.

Hamilton's Place Among Sports' Most Futile

The Ti-Cats have been one of the least successful franchises in pro sports over the past four decades.

As we all wait breathlessly for the Ti-Cats to announce Kent Austin as their new general manager and head coach, I figured we could touch on the reason why Austin will be the sixth different head coach to lead the Ti-Cats since the turn of the century: Hamilton's Grey Cup drought.

While not the longest in the league – Winnipeg hasn't hoisted the Cup since 1990 – it is one of the longest in team history and the Ti-Cats have won the Grey Cup just three times since the 1972, have played for the championship just five more times during that span and have missed the playoffs 12 times during that time.

So in the last 40 years, Tiger-Cat fans have been able to cheer for their team in a championship game, on average, once every eight years, would get to witness a parade once every 13 years, but would not get to enjoy playoff football once every three years. So where does that put the Ti-Cats in the pantheon of the truly futile franchises? Here is a list of some of the most futile teams in the five major North American sports leagues.

Winnipeg Blue Bombers (Last Championship: 1990)
Might as well start with the aforementioned Blue Bombers since their success and failure can be measure equally with the Ti-Cats. Tiger-Cat fans often point out that no matter how bad they are, at least people in their mid-teens can remember when the Ti-Cats last won a championship. The same cannot be said of Bomber fans. It's been 22 long seasons since the Blue Bombers last one the Cup, so one would think that they would be the hardest done-by team in the league. But since the win in 1990, Winnipeg has played in five Grey Cups and missed the playoffs eight times. Going back further than that and stretching things to the 1972 date I used as the cutoff for the Cats, Winnipeg has won three Grey Cups (just like the Cats), appeared in five more (just like the Cats) and have missed the playoffs 11 times (one fewer than the Cats). So aside from Cup drought of nine extra years, the Cats and Bombers are actually pretty even when it comes to futility.

Chicago Cubs (Last Championship: 1908)
The poster boys for championship droughts, the Cubs have not won a World Series, as everyone knows, since 1908. They haven't made the World Series since 1945 (yes, the same year World War II ended) and have made the playoffs just six times since then. It was, and is, much harder to make the playoffs in Major League Baseball than the CFL, but to make the playoffs just six times in over 60 years is tough for anyone to handle.

Toronto Maple Leafs (Last Championship: 1967)
The poster boys in Canada for championship droughts, the Leafs have not won the Stanley Cup since Canada celebrated their centennial in 1967. They haven't played for one since then either and have missed the playoffs 16 times since Hamilton last won the Grey Cup won the Grey Cup in 1972. The Leafs are in the midst of their longest playoff-less drought in team history, at seven years (they haven't made the playoffs since the season before the previous NHL lockout), so that skews things a tad bit.

Pittsburgh Pirates (Last Championship: 1979)
The Pirates, who haven't won a championship in over three decades, are also currently in the midst of the longest under-.500 stretch in professional sports history. The Pirates have not have a .500 or better record since they last made the playoffs in 1992. Do the math; that's 18 consecutive seasons of under-.500 baseball for the Bucs. The Pirates haven't played in a World Series since they last won one and have just seven playoff appearances since 1972. The Pirates nearly broke both their under-.500 streak and their playoff-less streak this year, but they fell short of both goals as they trailed off at the end of the season after a hot start. Pirate fans must be wondering if they'll ever see playoff baseball in the steel city ever again.

Detroit Lions (Last Championship: 1957)
It's tough cheering for the Detroit Lions. The Lions have made the playoffs just 15 times in their existence, and a mere nine times over the past 40 years. They are one of just four current teams to have never played in a Super Bowl and have won just one playoff game in the Super Bowl era (1991). The Lions also have the ignominy of being the only 0-16 team in NFL history. They wasted the talents of one of the best running backs to ever play the game (Barry Sanders) and just last year the team snapped an 11-year playoff-less drought. The Curse of Bobby Layne remains.

Cincinnati Bengals (Last Championship: Never)
Ah, the Bengals. A team so bad that fans took to calling them the Bungles. After a decent run in the 1980s that saw them make two Super Bowl appearances, losing both times to the San Francisco 49ers, the Bengals went without a playoff appearance for a decade and a half. They were a wild card team in 1990 and then didn't return to the playoffs again until they won their division in 2005. The Bengals have never won a Super Bowl nor did they win any championships prior to the Super Bowl era. Nine playoff appearances and the aforementioned two Super Bowl appearances since 1972 is hardly anything to write home about.

Los Angeles Clippers (Last Championship: Never)
The Clippers, who were formed in 1970 as the Buffalo Braves, have zero championships, zero championship appearances, have made the playoffs just eight times in franchise history and have been unfathomably bad over the course of their existence. They have been so bad that you wouldn't believe it if you didn't see it. They have been out of the first round of the playoffs just three times in their history. Three series wins in 42 seasons of basketball. I guess lucky for those Angelenos, they have the Lakers and their 16 championships to console them. And let's be honest, no one is a Clippers fan. They are currently building a very good team around youngsters Chris Paul and Blake Griffin, but we all know this team will bengal bungle it up at some point. It's the Clipper way.

Cleveland (Cavaliers, Browns, Indians) (Last Championship: 1964)
It seems as if the the teams in the city of Cleveland are almost deathly allergic to winning. There have been spurts of greatness in Cleveland, most recently when LeBron James played for the Cavs, but it has been 144 combined seasons between the Cavs, Browns and Indians since the Browns won Cleveland's last title in 1964. That number will stretch to 146 after the Browns and Cavs fail to make the postseason in their current seasons. The Browns have made the playoffs just once since their 1999 rebirth and have just 10 playoff appearances in the last 40 years. The Indians haven't won a championship since 1948, have made the World Series just twice since then and have a mere seven playoff appearances since 1972 (all of them since 1995). Then we have the Cavs, whose high-water mark was their lone NBA Finals appearance in 2007. They have 12 playoff series wins, with eight of them coming during the LeBron James era (2003-2010), and 22 playoff-less seasons since 1972. There can't be any worse place to be a sports fan than in Cleveland.

So what does this all mean? Well, for starters, naming your city's team after a jungle cat doesn't work out all too well. But seriously, it is hard to judge from sport to sport and league to league – for instance, 75 per cent of CFL teams make the playoffs, whereas now just 33 per cent of MLB teams make the postseason – but Tiger-Cat fans are not the only fans out there that have dealt with failure and mediocrity more often than not over the last four decades.

The last 40 years of mostly no glory have been tough for Tiger-Cat fans to swallow, but they aren't alone. In the CFL itself, the Cats have some company in the form of the Winnipeg Blue Bombers. The two team have almost identical success rates over the past 40 years. The Bombers have had better luck recently, but over the last four decades, the two teams have been remarkably similar. Draw your own conclusions about the other teams, but Winnipeg fans and Hamilton fans have a lot in common when it comes to their respective teams.

Maybe the probable hiring of Kent Austin will reverse Hamilton's fortunes, but even if it doesn't, Tiger-Cat fans have plenty of company aboard the misery train.

Three Questions: Winnipeg Blue Bombers

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

1. Will they finally make a quarterback decision?
The time has come for the Bombers to pick a quarterback and go with him. They so desperately want that guy to be Buck Pierce but he just isn't reliable enough to be Winnipeg's starter in 2013. Joey Elliott showed some flashes during his time on the field, but he doesn't look like the answer either. Alex Brink was handed the reins and did pretty much nothing. I think he played himself out of the derby, and maybe out of the league, with his poor performances last year. If Elliott is not the guy going forward it is because Winnipeg went and signed Mike Reilly, Adrian McPherson or Quinton Porter. I've already said I think the Eskimos will go after McPherson, so that leaves Porter and Reilly. After five years in the league, Quinton Porter is what he is: a decent QB, but not a guy you can rely on game in and game out for 18 weeks. Reilly is the unknown, having played sparingly this past season. I think the Bombers make a play for Reilly and name him the starter going into camp. I think Pierce remains with the team as a backup and Elliott goes back to the No. 3 role.

2. What will they do at running back?
Like Edmonton, the Bombers have a running back conundrum of their own. Do they stick with Chad Simpson, who was marvellous in 2012, or do they go back to Chris Garrett, who was going to be the starter in 2012 before he was lost for the year in training camp? This isn't an easy decision, but I expect the Bombers to either bring both to camp or go with Simpson. Garrett looked great filling in for former Bomber Fred Reid a the tail end of 2011, but Simpson was much better in 2012 and the team could ride him like they did Charles Roberts for all those years in the early and mid-2000s. I think if they have to choose one, they should choose Simpson.

3. Will Joe Mack actually do anything this off-season?
Winnipeg's oft-criticized general manager took a beating last off-season for sitting idly by while other teams grabbed players during free agency. Members of his own team blasted him on Twitter for his supposed dithering. When the Bombers got off to their 0-4 start, the calls for Mack's head began. They finished the season tied for the league's worst record with Hamilton at 6-12. But Mack got a reprieve and will get a chance to run the Bombers once again in 2013. But will he change his philosophy and sign some free agents? Will he find a way to not lose some of his own free agents, like Johnny Sears and Jonathan Hefney? Mack used the Bombers 10-8, first-place finish as a reason not to go after guys in free agency, but he doesn't have the afterglow of a Grey Cup appearance this off-season to deflect criticism. I expect the Bombers to be players come mid-February as they attempt to rebuild a team that fell off in 2012.

Adios Casey Creehan

And now we can say it is official. The Hamilton Tiger-Cats are in the market for a new defensive coordinator as Casey Creehan is off to Winnipeg.

When the rumours started to swirl back in November, I touched on some of the guys I thought would be candidates for the job. The list included Greg Marshall, Gary Etcheverry, Mike O'Shea, Orlondo Steinauer and Chip Garber. We can now add Jeff Reinebold to the list as well.

I won't go into detail on each of them, but I will say that Marshall, Etcheverry, O'Shea and Steinauer would be fine candidates. All of them have coordinating experience and that is something I would like to see in the next defensive coordinator. The last two hires the team has made, Casey Creehan and Corey Chamblin, cut their coordinating teeth with the Ti-Cats and neither had much success. I would pass entirely on Reinebold and Garber. They may have experience, but they haven't had success.

And if Dee Webb has his way, Orlondo Steinauer will be the guy. Webb took to Twitter earlier today to stump for the Argos defensive backs coach.

"Bring Orlondo Steinauer back to the jungle," Webb tweeted out at 9:35 this morning.

Of all the possible replacements I've named, Steinauer has the least amount of experience. He was the Argos defensive coordinator in the second half of the 2011 season after the Argos fired Chip Garber and moved back to DB coach when the Argos hired Chris Jones. I think Steinauer would make a great defensive coordinator and would support his hiring fully. He may lack the experience of the other potential candidates, but if you look at the work he did with Toronto's secondary this season, you can't help but be impressed.

Another name to remember is Tim Tibesar. He was named the defensive coordinator in Montreal last year before abruptly leaving that position to take up the same one at Purdue University. But with the firing of Purdue head coach Danny Hope, Tibesar is free. He might be a long shot, but he has CFL experience, so keep his name in the back of your mind.

Unlike last year's head coaching search, I don't expect this coaching search to last almost six weeks. The Ti-Cats will do their due diligence, but they probably won't drag this out. I don't know when a new defensive coordinator will be named, but I'd be surprised if we didn't know who he was before Santa comes down the chimney.

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.

Tim Burke To Remain Bombers Head Coach

News out of Winnipeg today is that Tim Burke has had the interim tag removed from his name and will be the head coach of the Blue Bombers next year. Burke took over the job in August following the firing of Paul LaPolice. Winnipeg, who made the Grey Cup last season, was officially eliminated from playoff contention last week.

Burke was a finalist for the Hamilton head coaching job last winter and word is that if George Cortez had not agreed to come to Hamilton, Burke would have been the man to lead the Tiger-Cats this season. Instead, Cortez was hired and Burke remained in Winnipeg as the defensive coordinator until taking over as head coach at mid-season.

There was a slight hope in me that Burke would not be retained by the Bombers and would find his way to Hamilton as the team's defensive coordinator. But the Bombers have played better with Burke and it comes as no surprise that he will be given a chance to shape the team in the way he wants.

So where does that leave Hamilton? A lot of Hamilton's defensive deficiencies have been blamed on first-year coordinator Casey Creehan, but the defense has recently played very well – not coincidentally, players like Bo Smith and Markeith Knowlton have started to get healthy – and that bodes well for Creehan. In a statement I probably wouldn't have made back in the summer, I think Creehan will be back as Hamilton's defensive coordinator 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.

Hamilton 28, Winnipeg 18

And that's a wrap. In the final game that will ever be played at Ivor Wynne Stadium, the Ti-Cats went out and beat the Blue Bombers to send the fans home happy. It was a dreary day and the game was decided pretty much by halftime, but it was nice to watch the Cats win the last game at Ivor Wynne.

Positives
This game was won by the defense. All season, people have been saying that if the offense sputtered, the defense wouldn't be good enough to win a game. That proved incorrect on Saturday. Sure, it took until the 18th week of the season for the defense to put in a performance that used to be typical in these parts, but the defense stepped up when they needed to, forcing five turnovers on the afternoon. They even found a way into the end zone. On a day when the offense mostly played a C- game, the defense came through with an A+ performance.

Geoff Tisdale played maybe the best game of his entire career, picking up two interceptions and locking down receivers all afternoon. Tisdale was reacquired to be a steady presence in the secondary, but has been shuffled in and out of the lineup all season. But Tisdale came through on Saturday with a stellar performance.

Another defensive back, and one that I have had no qualms about ripping, had a great game as well: Bo Smith. Smith has been a whipping boy around these parts for some time, but after his return a couple seasons ago from the New York Jets he played like a different player. He continued that play this season before getting injured and missing a dozen or so games. Smith returned to the lineup yesterday and made fans wonder how good the secondary could have been with him healthy all season.

Negatives
The offense left a lot to be desired, especially in the second half. The Ti-Cats took a 22-3 lead into the locker room and seemed to take their foot off the gas during the final 30 minutes. They allowed Winnipeg to hang around for a little too long, but the luckily the defense bailed them out with key stops.

Much like his play, I've run hot and cold on Henry Burris all season. Yesterday, while he wasn't horrible, he did throw a lot of bad balls. He was over- and under-throwing receivers all afternoon and never seemed to find a rhythm. It is typical of Burris to have a less than decent game after having a pretty good one, and the opposite is also true. If Saturday's game was a mediocre one from Burris, he should be able to light up the scoreboard next week.

Final Thoughts
So that is it; there will never be another game played on the turf at Ivor Wynne Stadium. The Argos made that official with their win over Saskatchewan just a few hours after this game. The Ti-Cats playoff hopes now rest in not just their hands, but in the hands of the Montreal Alouettes and Calgary Stampeders.

For Hamilton to make the playoffs and head to Toronto for the East Division Semi-Final, they have to take care of business themselves next week in Toronto. But they also need to see Edmonton fall to Montreal later this afternoon and to Calgary next Friday. If Edmonton can find a way to win or tie one of those two games, the season will be over for the Ti-Cats.

But more than just the season is over at Ivor Wynne. It now has a date with the wreaking ball. A day that I never truly believed would come is almost here. But at least the Ti-Cats sent the stadium out the right way: with one last win.

Preview: Blue Bombers at Tiger-Cats

5-11

5-11

Overlooked amidst all the hoopla revolving around the closing of Ivor Wynne Stadium is that the final game is still a game, and a darn important one too: the loser of this contest is officially eliminated from playoff contention, while the winner will still have a faint hope heading into the final week of the season. The winner could still be eliminated later in the weekend, but whoever comes out on top in this game will still be alive for at least a couple of days afterwards.

Hamilton comes into the game after last week's heartbreaking loss to the Calgary Stampeders. Moral victories mean nothing at this time of year, but the Ti-Cats showed they still have some fight in them. Winnipeg heads to Hamilton coming off a convincing 44-32 win in Toronto. Left for dead just a month ago, the Bombers are playing their best football right now. But it might be too little, too late for both squads.

Hamilton will also need to reverse close to two years of losing to the Blue Bombers if they hope to keep their slim playoff chances alive. Hamilton has lost six straight to Winnipeg, including last year's East Division Final, with two of those losses coming at Ivor Wynne Stadium.

If the Ti-Cats play with the heart they displayed a week ago in Calgary, they should be able to get the win. Winnipeg is playing some great football right now, so they cannot be overlooked. They just play better with Buck Pierce at quarterback and Pierce has made a living torturing the Ti-Cats since he signed with the Bombers in 2010.

I expect this game to be a good one, with two teams clinging to faint playoff hopes fighting it out to stay alive. Hamilton might have the emotional edge and the fans are going to be ramped up for their final visit to Ivor Wynne Stadium, so this game is shaping up to be a fantastic one. Kick off is at 1:00PM.

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.