Berg vs. Ferg: Who will seize the Labour Day spotlight?

Berg vs. Ferg returns for another season on CFL.ca as columnists Pat Steinberg and Marshall Ferguson debate over some of the league’s most contentious storylines. This week the focus shifts to Mark’s Labour Day Weekend.

When it comes to Labour Day, there’s a feeling that just can’t be explained. The changing of the calendar, the hint of autumn in the air, the storied rivalries.

For the fans of four teams, Monday is like CFL Christmas. For the players, it’s one of the biggest stages they’ll see.

The Battle of Alberta, followed closely by the Argos and Ticats in Hamilton, will be theatre. At McMahon Stadium and Tim Hortons Field, familiar faces will seize the spotlight. New stars will be born.

Who is the player to watch on Labour Day? Pat Steinberg and Marshall Ferguson debate in the latest Berg vs. Ferg.

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BERG (6-6): NO BETTER TIME FOR JEREMIAH MASOLI

Pat Steinberg, CFL.ca
@Fan960Steinberg

Jeremiah Masoli has done a lot of good things in 2018. Halfway through his first full season as a starting quarterback, Masoli is the league’s second most prolific passer: With 2,884 passing yards in nine games, only Edmonton’s Mike Reilly has racked up a higher total. But as he enters Labour Day 2018, Masoli still has a lot to prove, which puts him under a finely tuned microscope.

First and foremost, Monday’s showdown with Toronto gives Masoli an opportunity to win an important game. Despite strong numbers, the Hamilton Tiger-Cats have underwhelmed in the most important statistical category: wins. At 4-5, Hamilton needs a win to create a bit of a cushion; they enter this weekend just a game ahead of the 3-6 Argos. With a West Division crossover likely, the Ticats currently occupy the last playoff spot in the East, so breathing room is crucial.

Individually, though, Masoli needs to get on top of one area more than anything else: finishing drives. While he’s racked up a ton of yards, Masoli has only thrown nine touchdown passes against 10 interceptions this season. That touchdown number just doesn’t correlate with how well Hamilton has moved the ball through the air. While it’s not all on him, one of Masoli’s biggest focuses in the second half of the season has to be finishing more possessions with six points on the board.

I’m a big fan of Masoli’s and I think he’s turned into a true number one quarterback in this league. However, there’s no doubting his team’s record is underwhelming compared to the talent they put on the field. If Masoli can start converting more drives into touchdowns, though, that record has a great chance of moving past the .500 mark. Let’s see if it all starts on Labour Day.

FERG (6-6): REILLY, ESKS NEED TO AMEND LABOUR DAY STRUGGLES

Marshall Ferguson, CFL.ca
@TSN_Marsh

He has to get one, right?

Mike Reilly hasn’t won on Labour Day since becoming an Edmonton Eskimo and it just doesn’t feel right.

One of the CFL’s best quarterbacks week in, week out has one major challenge in his football life: Overcoming the Calgary Stampeders. While there is certainly no shame in losing to Calgary, doing it repetitively sets the wrong tone for the ultimate goal every Edmonton player and Eskimos fan has: to win the Grey Cup.

I understand that the CFL is a ‘what have you done for me lately’ league. Everything can change so dramatically in a week, which is what I love about the game and the characters that comprise it, but to see a player of Reilly’s ability unable to hurdle the Red and White for a win year over year is getting to be ridiculous. The annual cycle of hope turning to frustration around this time of year in Edmonton for football fans has been repeated far too many times come November.

If Reilly and the Eskimos want to truly set a new course and change the tenor of their Alberta dominance conversation, they need to start winning on Labour Day and the man to get them over that hump is Mike Reilly.

Reilly prepares the right way, says the right things and appears to be an incredible teammate by all accounts. All of these positives make it that much more frustrating for Eskimos fans that the first Monday in September has felt the same for so long.

If the Eskimos want to win the Grey Cup at home this year they’ll have to overcome the Calgary Stampeders. Beating the Stamps now would go a long way towards building that confidence.

Pressure’s on, Mike.

DON’T SIT ON THE FENCE!

While both sides are pretty convincing, someone’s got to take it. Whose argument convinced you the most?

You can vote for this week’s winner both on CFL.ca and Twitter. Meanwhile, continue the conversation by tweeting @Fan960Steinberg and @TSN_Marsh.

The winner will be revealed in the following week’s Berg vs. Ferg.

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