Jim Lang
CFL.ca
EDMONTON AT SASKATCHEWAN
Any time someone mentions that the 18 game CFL regular season is too long; they should talk to the Edmonton Eskimos. Written off as dead in the water just after Labour Day, the Eskimos have won five of their last six games to put themselves in a position to grab the final playoff spot in the West.
I had a chance to catch up with Eskimos linebacker Maurice Lloyd this week as they were preparing for the Riders game. A dedicated player, Lloyd told me it is amazing to think the Eskimos are even in a position to make the playoffs after the way they started the season.
“Starting the season 0 and 4, nearly everyone had written us off,” he said.
In what has been a tumultuous season that saw Danny Maciocia fired and Eric Tillman hired to run the football operations, Lloyd said the Eskimos finally began to turn things around in late August.
“We really didn’t find ourselves until after the bye week. We treated each game after the bye week like a new season and each game like it was our last. Our attitude since the bye week is to leave it all on the field “
It still took a little while for the Eskimos to get into a groove after their bye week, but since they did, they’ve been tough to beat. The team has gone 6 and 4 since that time. The team really started to come together when they embarked on their great Maritime adventure for Touchdown Atlantic. Lloyd told me it was the tipping point in the season for the Eskimos.
“Moncton was the most important road trip we had all year. It gave us a chance to know each other as a person as opposed to just knowing each other as players”
As a member of the 2007 Grey Cup winning team, Lloyd considers it an honour to face his old team with the playoffs on the line. And unlike some members of Riderville, Lloyd is very respectful of Ken Miller’s team. “They’re a strong team, forget their recent four game losing streak – this a playoff game for us,” he said.
The Eskimos are a dangerous team right now and there is a chance they are about to get better for their game against the Riders. Ricky Ray was back at practice on Tuesday and there is a very good chance he will be good to go this weekend.
What makes this weekend’s game against the Riders even more intriguing is the fact that if the Eskimos win, they will play the same Riders team one week later in the Western Semi-Final. Because they hold the tiebreaker, all the Eskimos have to do is win and they are in. It doesn’t matter what the Lions do, the Eskimos have their fate in their own hands.
The Riders have a lot of people across the CFL scratching their heads. Rider nation isn’t used to seeing their team go on four game losing streaks. What is even more troubling is the timing of the ugly losing streak with the playoffs just around the corner. With that in mind, I highly doubt the Riders are going to take this game very lightly. Stopping the losing streak and going into the Western Semi on a winning note is a huge priority for the Riders.
Ken Miller can’t be very pleased with the turnovers and all the breakdowns in his special teams. Let’s face it, when you have lost four straight games, there are a lot of things that will make the coach upset. In Thursday’s Regina Leader-Post, Rob Vanstone wrote an excellent column on the level of panic spreading throughout the province in regards to their beloved football team. Firing anyone at this point in the season makes no sense. Fans can be upset with Ken Miller and his coaching staff all they want, but the answers to the Riders’ problems reside within the walls of their locker room.
Can the Riders actually end the season on a five game losing streak? Yes they can. The only way the Riders can stop the bleeding is tighten up on special teams, stop turning the ball over on offence and not be sloppy with their tackling on defence.
Should the Lions lose earlier Saturday afternoon, the Eskimos will know they have made the playoffs. However I don’t think they want to get in that way. As Maurice Lloyd mentioned to me, look for the Eskimos to treat this as a playoff game and punch their ticket to Regina and the West Semi-Final. Meanwhile the level of panic in the streets of Regina will reach epic proportions.
B.C. AT HAMILTON
After losses in week 15 and week 16, the B.C. Lions have put themselves in a position to make the post season after reeling off back-to-back wins. For Wally Buono and the Lions to get in the playoffs, they would have to beat the Tiger-Cats on Saturday afternoon, and then cheer on the Riders Saturday night.
The Ticats know they are going to be hosting the Argos in the East Semi-Final. Coach Marcel Bellefeuille wants his team to head into the post-season on a winning note though.
“It’s important to win, because it’s nice to see results in the standings, but it’s more important to be playing well. It’s tough to just turn it off and on at this point in the season,” he said.
If Coach Bellefeuille’s comments are any indication, the Ticats are not about to lie down for the Lions. You can sure be sure Tabbies players like Stevie Baggs, DeAndra’ Cobb and Kevin Glenn share the coaches’ sentiments and will be playing to win.
But then again, Wally Buono and the Lions knew that already. All the Lions can do is take care of their business Saturday afternoon, and then hope for the best Saturday night. Defensively, Buono can rely on rookie linebacker Solomon Elimimian to hit like a ton of bricks.
Yonus Davis and the Lions special teams played a big role in last week Hamilton. Much like the Eskimos, it is amazing to think the Lions even have a chance at the post-season considering they started the year at 1-7.
As much as Bellefeuille and the Cats are taking this game seriously and want to win, their season isn’t on the line. It is for the Lions and that is why I believe a desperate B.C. team will win the game and put the pressure squarely on the shoulders of the Edmonton Eskimos.
TORONTO AT MONTREAL
For Marc Trestman and the Alouettes, this will be their final game until they host the East Final on November the 21st. The Als didn’t exactly look awesome in last week’s win over the Argos. They haven’t actually played what you could call an “awesome” game since their win over the Stamps back on October 11.
Jim Barker has one more game to get his offence ready for what he’s calling the three game mini-season on the road to the Grey Cup. Barker’s biggest worry heading into the post-season is his starting quarterback, Cleo Lemon. Everything else is basically in place for the Argos, except a reliable starting quarterback who won’t turn the ball over. The fact the Alouettes were able to mount two separate 90 yard scoring drives in the fourth quarter also must be keeping Barker up at night. The Argos feel have they what it takes to beat the Alouettes in a playoff game. To do it, they can’t make any mistakes or have any defensive breakdowns.
It is clear that both Barker and Alouettes coach Marc Trestman want to get through this game without suffering injuries. To that end, both coaches are not taking any chances. Anthony Calvillo will not be in the lineup for the Als as he gives his 38-year-old body an extra week of rest. With Calvillo sitting this one out, Adrian McPherson will get the start at quarterback. According to the Montreal Gazette, the Als are also resting Avon Cobourne, Ben Cahoon, Jamel Richardson, Anwar Stewart and Chip Cox. Basically, a
ll of the Alouettes star players will be sitting this one out.
For the Argos, it is likely that their best player, running back Cory Boyd, will not be in the lineup either. He’s listed as day-to-day and Barker won’t dress any player for this game who is a little banged up. Two of the Argos best special teams players, Bryan Crawford and Jeff Johnson will not even make the trip to Montreal as they take care of some minor injuries.
I did like the fact that not only was Rob Murphy voted the Argos best offensive lineman, he was also voted the CFL “nastiest” player in a comprehensive league wide poll conducted by TSN. No argument here on either count.
It is obvious that to both head coaches the only thing that really matters in this game is that nobody gets hurt.
CALGARY AT WINNIPEG
Like the Alouettes, this will be the Stampeders final game until November 21st. And like the Als, the Stamps have been playing some inconsistent football down the stretch. In their last eight games, the Stamps have gone 4 and 4. I asked Coach Hufnagel about the importance of winning this game before heading into their bye week. In typical Hufnagel fashion, he made it clear what his true intentions are this weekend.
“We’re preparing for this game like any other game. Truthfully, I’m not smart enough of a coach to know of any other way to prepare except to try and win the football game. That’s what we get paid to do, that’s what we pay the players to do — to win football games. We’re going to try to win and it’s going to be a difficult task with all our guns going because Winnipeg is a very good football team.”
That sounds like a man that wants to win and it also sounds like a man who would like to get his team to play consistent, winning football. I also think it is important for Henry Burris to have a strong mistake free game heading into the post-season.
For the Blue Bombers, maybe they can end what has been a painful season with a little pride. A win over a team like the Stamps might help heal the wounds of all those losses this year. The cold, hard truth is that when a team is 4-13, a number of good people will be in danger of losing their jobs in the off-season. I am not saying a win over the Stamps will put a halt to any potential off season changes in Winnipeg, but at least it will help salvage some pride for the players and coaches who have endured all of those tough losses.
As much as pride and jobs are on the line for the Bombers, in a battle between Joey Elliott and Stamps Henry Burris and backup Drew Tate who will likely see extended minutes, I will take the Stamps duo over the Bombers fourth QB. The Stamps will win their final regular season game and begin preparations for the West Final.
