By Greg Frers,
CFL.ca
Weeks 7 through 11 are the toughest string of games in any season. The thrill of a new season has faded and pains in the body start to mount as the greatest battle tends to be more in your head than on the field.
The first-third of the season has had its fair share of injuries, coaches have been fired and teams have already questioned themselves if they can stay the course to make a push for the 2006 championship. Going through a football season is a very tough and draining experience, definitely not for the faint at heart or an individual with thin skin.
This season more than any in recent years has been very perplexing. It has been a tough year to figure out as teams that should be doing well are struggling and teams can look great one week and then get embarrassed then next. The crazy part of it all is that there is not one team that is more than one win away from being right in this race.
B.C. Lions (5-3) @ Winnipeg Blue Bombers (5-3)
Hit with adversity early with the loss of two of their potent offensive weapons (Jason Clermont and Tony Simmons), B.C. has stayed the course through some average performances and missed opportunities this year. Clermont will be back two weeks ahead of schedule from his knee injury and B.C.’s defence is finally looking less confused as head coach Wally Buono and defensive coordinator Dave Ritchie have gotten on the same page as their players. I for one am excited to see what quarterback Buck Pierce can do as he gets the start because of Dave Dickenson’s ankle injury. But with a defence that can hold a team like Edmonton to 22 yards passing in the first half last week and has 10 sacks in two games, I don’t see this three-game winning streak coming to an end any time soon.
The loss of Mr. Stegall and quarterback Kevin Glenn are very damaging to Winnipeg offensively. Not only because Stegall and Charles Roberts have been representing 60 percent of their total offence, but because Stegall brings the veteran leadership that was blatantly missing last week as they looked confused against the Tiger-Cats. Journeyman Mike Quinn gets the start at quarterback and the last time that happened for him was 1998. As this game will be the battle of the backup quarterback, I am also very interested to see how Quinn does because I thought he looked very composed against Montreal the last time he saw CFL action (prior to getting his bell wrung and ending up on the injury reserve list). I hope that everyone will enjoy a defensive battle because the Bomber stifling defence was not so stifling last week and will be eager to erase the memory of running back Josh Ranek from their mind.
Saskatchewan Roughriders (3-4) @ Edmonton Eskimos (2-5)
Head coach Danny Barrett did everything he could to set the sense of urgency in the minds of his players last week. Knowing that his team seems to play well when they feel this urgency, every comment he made in the pre-game press conference last week some how ended up with a statement about the Week 8 tie-breaker game as a defining moment of their 2006 season. Unfortunately, Barrett needs to get his team back on the couch to figure out what makes them tick, because this yo-yo season needs to stop. The lack of mobility of quarterback Kerry Joseph due to a bruised knee really means nothing if you have a defence that can’t seem to stop anyone. Surprisingly, the Roughriders are the worst defence in the CFL right now as they have conceded more points per game than anyone else. Fortunately for them, neither can the Eskimos and the Riders have been able to find a way to actually score touchdowns.
Edmonton needs to go back to the basics. Head coach Danny Maciocia and defensive coordinator Rick Campbell have fallen under criticism as of late for their play calling. Although, some of the criticism is justified, players still need to make plays when they are in the position to do so. Blitzing on second down and 29 may not have been the best call at the time but safety Kelly Wiltshire needs to make the tackle on Geroy Simon, and if so the Eskimo’s defence would have been off the field. Rather than the Eskimos having good field position the play turns into a 92-yard touchdown reception for the Lions. I love the statement by injured linebacker, A.J. Gass — “It’s not wanting to win, but understanding how to win.” The Eskimo’s don’t need to do more; they just need to do what is asked of them, correctly. Also, they are a much better team when they get running back Troy Davis active. It’s criminal that he has touched the football 72 times less than Winnipeg running back, Charles Roberts.
Toronto Argonauts (2-5) @ Hamilton Tiger-Cats (2-6)
Can you say, dysfunctional! If one team proves my concern that their were too many teams in the CFL that were one hit away from having problems, the Argos take the cake. Throwing for only six first downs in a football game will get any offensive coordinator fired. When you don’t have a quarterback to pull the trigger, unfortunately for the offensive coordinator, you’re more of a scapegoat than the problem. Hopefully quarterback Damon Allen will be able to deal with the pain in his hand so he can start and keep his passes on target. I will be very interested to see if running back John Avery has returned to his 2002 form as many in the organization have stated.
It was convenient for the Tiger-Cats to come up against a Bomber team that was without their starting quarterback and their MOP candidate Mr. Stegall, however, you must give credit to Hamilton’s struggling offensive line for pushing around the best the CFL has to offer this season. It’s not often that throwing for only 170 yards will get it done. Jason Maas and the Hamilton offence needs to become more productive. Hang in there Jamie Boreham. Who knows, you may become special teams player of the year the way this season is going.
Montreal Alouettes (7-0) @ Calgary Stampeders (4-4)
This should be the best game of the bunch this week. Montreal special teams coach Noel Thorpe and defensive coordinator Chris Jones need to get a lot of credit for the Als undefeated season so far. Many have speculated that their record is misleading, however, winning is never easy and what has been impressive to me is that this team is finding ways to get it done. Although 246 yards passing doesn’t look too impressive, 243 yards rushing, a score of 31-7 last week and a 7-0 season record sure does.
Quarterback Henry Burris is finally learning that this team doesn’t need to rest on his shoulders and that he doesn’t need to score a touchdown on every play. Calgary has so much offensive talent that all Burris needs to do is take what the defence gives him, get the ball in the hands of his receivers and let them do the rest. It will be interesting how much talking receiver Jeremaine Copeland does facing his old team as he was once again humbled by Saskatchewan defensive back Davin Bush last week as he recorded only three catches for 24 yards. Defensive coordinator Denny Creehan did a very nice job of rotating his players on defence against the Riders, which brought a degree of creativity that will once again be needed for Calgary to have success again this week.
Greg Frers played 10 seasons in the CFL with the Calgary Stampeders, Winnipeg Blue Bombers and B.C. Lions and has been a panelist on the CFL on CBC since 2003.
(The opinions expressed are those of the author and not necessarily of the Canadian Football League)
