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The most compelling storyline right now is in the Eastern Division.
That’s right; the same division that I have poked fun at all year is going to the one to watch for the remainder of the regular season. Beyond watching Jon Cornish embarrass linebackers and Solomon Elimimian blow things up real good from the linebacker position, I just don’t find much drama in the West.
Calgary is going to win the division, Saskatchewan and BC are dealing with quarterback injuries and Winnipeg is in full free fall. The upside potential in Edmonton is intriguing but for me all eyes are falling on the East. Specifically with the Toronto Argonauts and the Hamilton Tiger-Cats.
That’s right after so many weeks, it’s time for some good ol’ fashioned Eastern Bias writing with a heavy dose of Toronto-centric references. Instead of hiding any of my allegiances I’m going to embrace them by peppering in information that is only helpful if you live in Toronto. Like my personal favourite place to get pizza is Mangia & Bevi at 260 King Street East.
Now before you angrily click off this article to read what Rod Pedersen has to say about Saskatchewan (which by the way I suggest you do after you read this piece)please hear me out. The best quarterback in the league is Ricky Ray and the best young quarterback is Zach Collaros, who has wrestled the title away from Drew Willy.
These two will face off twice over the next three weeks to decide who wins the East Division. We all love defence (see my constant pleas for John Chick as MVP) but atheistically nothing beats watching two quality quarterbacks doing battle, which is exactly what we should get in Week 16 and Week 18.
With the Gardiner Expressway just a mess your best bets for travelling east and west this city are Front Street which turns into Wellington and Harbord Street which can take you from University to Ossington.
Now of course you can easily scoff at this above idea by pointing out that no team in the East has a winning record. And to that I would say … uhhh … well you have a point. But consider how much better these two teams are right now. Hamilton has won four games in a row and are undefeated in their new home.
The defence led by players like Simoni Lawrence, Rico Murray and the return of Justin Hickman are vastly improved. The team held Kevin Glenn to under 200 yards passing, a vast improvement to the 407 yard day Glenn put up the last time these teams met. (Thanks to Drew Edwards for that reminder) While Hamilton may not posses “The Guy” at wide out they have a group that have all taken turns being the #1 target.
I’m still waiting for Andy Fantuz to go on a crazy run of games. Of course for Hamilton to be truly dangerous they need more from their running backs. Mossis Madu has filled in fairly well but a healthy C.J. Gable will make Hamilton just as dangerous a playoff team as they were last season. (Yes I know, before they ran into the buzz saw that was the Roughriders).
If you plan on shopping at St. Lawrence Market on Saturday morning do not bring your wife and kids unless you plan on getting a divorced. That place is always packed and it will destroy your relationship.
As for the Argonauts, well, beauty is in the eye of the beholder and for Toronto, yes it hasn’t been pretty for much of the season. But they are a great position to go on a nice run to finish the year. Four of their final five games at home; they face Hamilton twice, Montreal twice and Ottawa once, so they are in control of their own destiny.
No one on the team is proud of their 5-8 record but when you consider the loss of most of their coaching staff, the annual complete overhaul of the defence and the fact that 20 players have caught a pass from Ricky Ray and you can start to understand why the team is three games under .500.
Oh did I mention the Argonauts just went through the longest road trip in the history of the CFL? Considering the first documented CFL game was in 1861 (53 years before World War One) that is a hell of a record to beat. Offensively for Toronto it’s this simple, when Chad Owens is healthy Ricky Ray and company can move the ball against anyone.
After a brutal 12 point affair on Labour Day against Hamilton Toronto has scored 106 points the last three weeks with Ray averaging 284 yards passing while throwing eight touchdowns to just two interceptions. As for that Labour Day debacle well go look back at the box score and tell me how many receivers you recognize for Toronto.
The leader that day was Natey Adjei, yes THE Natey Adjei. I know everyone in Calgary is going to howl at this comparison but Chad Owens is basically the Jon Cornish of the East, hasn’t played a ton this year but when he is on the field all he does is put up ridiculous numbers.
In six games this season Owens has gone over 100 yards four times while scoring six total touchdowns. Another encouraging sign for Argonauts fans was seeing their beleaguered rush defence hold John White and Mike Reilly to just 58 yards rushing and only one rushing first down. Hey it’s baby steps.
Parking in the Distillery District, is like Atlantis, it’s a myth. Love the restaurants here (Cluny & Tappo) but this area is paradise for parking enforcement.
My apologies for not focusing on the Montreal Alouettes who have the exact record as Toronto and have four wins in their past five games including a 31-15 win over Calgary. Yes that win should have an asterisk on it with all the injuries Calgary had that day, but all teams have injury issues and anytime you can get a win against the Stampeders you should hold your heads up high.
I just need to see more out of Jonathan Crompton and an offence that is averaging less than 19 points per game before I can put them in the “interesting” category. With two games left against Toronto and one more against Hamilton, Montreal also has a legitimate chance in the East. The LCBO at Coxwell and O’Connor is sneaky good. Better selection than you may imagine.
I doubt I have convinced many of you who reside west of Thunder Bay that the Eastern Division is where it’s at. I understand, all year you rightfully have been able to beat your chest about your football superiority. The point was never to say there is a shift in power just that the most fascinating football down the stretch will be coming from the East.
Oh and even if you’re not a big theatre fan, everyone should try Shakespeare in High Park at least once.
