CFL.ca
The season starts after Labour Day, right?
Well here are 10 storylines I’ll be watching as we get closer and closer to the playoffs in November.
STRETCH RUN: BATTLE OF (SOUTHERN) ONTRIO TO HEAT UP?
Toronto and Hamilton could decided who has control of the East Division in the next two weeks if one of the two sweep the home-and-home that starts on Labour Day Monday. Both teams have exciting young quarterbacks with Trevor Harris and Zach Collaros leading the charge and leading the league among all quarterbacks in many stats. With play makers on both sides of the ball and decent special teams, the class of their division will be on display. I can’t wait to see how this plays out!
OTTAWA … PLAYOFFS?
It’s only year two for this young REDBLACKS team and right now they are only one win back of their Ontario rivals. We could include them in the above Battle of Ontario but they deserve their own storyline.
Ottawa has developed into a cohesive team and in year two have shown the talent is now their to have the playoffs in sight. Their defence hasn’t missed a beat from their debut last season and the improved receiving corps has extended the life of quarterback Henry Burris, who looks 10 years younger at times this year. The Ottawa fan base deserves to see this team in the post-season.
JIM POPP’S ALOUETTES … C’EST BON?
The Alouettes changed the coach and all seems fine with a big win over the Hamilton Tiger-Cats. Is it sustainable or was that one game wonder with a new coach and wanting to show well?
The Alouettes defence is showing off Noel Thorpe’s abilities to run an efficient unit may open some eyes for the Als as a coaching candidate in the future. Montreal is just two wins shy of the division leaders with games coming up against those above them. If Jim Popp finds some magic, the Alouettes are going to be a team you don’t want to play down the stretch.
NOT EASY BEING GREEN
The Saskatchewan Roughriders go into their last half in disarray. A winless season and now the coach and GM have been fired. Interim Head Coach Bob Dyce will have to do a great sell job with his team to get them up each and every week as the math shows they still have a chance, while history shows they do not. In the meantime, they are looking at developing new/younger players like quarterback Brett Smith that may get in the way of wins. That has some fans excited who have already accepted the playoff door closed in Sunday’s loss to Ottawa.
RICKY THE BACK-UP?
Ricky Ray is watching Trevor Harris pick apart the opposition while the perennial all-star gets closer and closer to getting his shoulder back to full strength. Ray was a unanimous choice as the league’s best pocket passer from fans, media and peers but it’s not sure if that will mean Ray gets his starting job back. If Harris can beat the Tiger-Cats and have the Argonauts looking like hosting a playoff game, it will be nearly impossible for Scott Milanovich to make a change at QB. The decision on Ray will be based on the next month of play by Trevor Harris.
POWER SHIFT? EAST TO WEST CROSSOVER?
Right now, the Montreal Alouettes would make history by being the first team from the East to crossover to the West Division. This is a serious story line for Montreal, Ottawa, B.C., Winnipeg and Saskatchewan as they all have games remaining against each other for two playoff spots. An East crossover would highlight the power shift that’s been going on all season with the East starting to dominate the West for the first time in a while.
NEXT GEN QBS
From James Franklin to Rakeem Cato; Brett Smith to Robert Marve and established young QBs like Zach Collaros to Bo Levi Mitchell, we are seeing the future of the CFL at the most important position. Drew Willy and Trevor Harris can also be included in this conversation as great QBs like Ray, Durant, Burris, Glenn and Lulay start to find the back half or twilight of their careers. The league looks like it’s in a good spot at quarterback going forward and I’m interested to see how these players turn into the stars of the CFL.
BATTLE OF ALBERTA
Last year was a nice change to see both the Eskimos and the Stampeders at the top of their game and games that determined who was going to play in the Grey Cup. They only play each other twice this season so the Labour Day Classic and rematch over the next two weeks are going to be knock ’em out drag ’em out football for these rivals to decide who is most likely to be hosting the West Final in two months.
ERIC ROGERS NEIGHBOURHOOD
The 24-year old Eric Rogers is having one of the best seasons we’ve seen at receiver in a long time. He’s on pace for over 1,600 yards which would be the most yards by a receiver since Jamel Richardson’s 1,777 in 2011. The big play receiver for Bo Levi Mitchell is also on pace for 14 touchdown receptions this year, which would be the most since Richardson caught 16 in 2008. As he gets more and more attention from opposing defences it’ll get harder to get open but it has been easy for DBs to cover him so far this season.
ROOKIE WATCH
I’ve listed a top 10 list of CFL rookies I’ll be watching. Receivers Vidal Hazelton, Terrence Toliver and Derel Walker are opening eyes and making DBs nervous across the CFL. Quarterbacks Rakeem Cato, Brett Smith and James Franklin want to finish the season strong and show their teams they can be #1 QBs going forward, despite veterans coming back from injury. And defenders Jeff Knox Jr., John Ojo, Khalil Bass and Craig Roh are making an impact and making some of these aforementioned offensive players feel some pain. Oh and bonus for fans of kickers, Richie Leone and Boris Bede are having good freshman seasons.
These youngsters won’t make it easy on voters for rookie of the year at the end of the season.
