If the first six weeks of the CFL season are any indication, this will be a goofy and entertaining season.
The Saskatchewan Roughriders 38-25 victory over the B.C. Lions on Saturday is a prime indication of how interesting it’s going to be. The Lions dominated a great part of this football game but still found a way to lose it.
B.C. led the way in most statistical indicators: time of possession, offence, rushing and plays from scrimmage. Even the turnover battle was even.
The difference was that the Riders found a little of the 2018 big-play defence and special teams that were missing in the first four games of the season.
B.C. was able to do what they wanted between the 20’s but when they began to threaten the end zone, the Green and White stiffened and the Lions had to settle for four Sergio Castillo field goals. The Riders were led by the ageless wonder Charleston Hughes.
The 35-year-old defensive end from Saginaw, Michigan had one of his best games in his long and illustrious career. His 11 tackles was easily a career high; Hughes had his eighth 3-sack game as well as two forced fumbles and a pair of tackles for a loss.
Heading into the game one of the key factors was the brutal offensive line for the Lions. By the end of the game Lions quarterback Mike Reilly was again bruised and battered and looked like football was the last thing he wanted to do.
The turning point of the game came after the Lions finally broke the end zone and took a 16-10 lead with less than 30 seconds remaining in the first half. Marcus Thigpen and the Rider kickoff team changed the game on a dime with a 100-yard touchdown return. That play took absolutely everything out of a fragile Lions mindset and they couldn’t recover.
Cody Fajardo bounced back after a tough game against the Calgary Stampeders but it took until the second half to knock off the bye-week rust (but one could say that for the Riders as a whole). This game may be more indicative of what Fajardo will be as a long-term starter. He’ll take some shots down field, take off for key first down runs, but will also make some mistakes that a gunslinger is bound to make.
Fajardo was like this at Nevada. He was a starter in all four years with the Wolfpack and finished his college career completing 65% of his passes and threw two touchdowns to every interception. He twice ran for over 1,000 yards, which is even more remarkable because NCAA stats place sack yards lost on a quarterbacks rushing stats.
The long-standing cliché in all sports is that a player cannot lose his job because of injury, but when Zach Collaros comes off the injured list he will be on the sidelines watching Fajardo on the field. This sounds brutal for Collaros but it’s a great luxury for a Rider club that has been looking for just one quarterback to lead a dynamic offence since Darian Durant left.
The one rough spot for the Riders was on the defensive side of the ball. For as bad as the Lions offensive line has played, they really had their way running the football against the Rider defensive front. Brandon Rutley was having a fantastic game until he was hurt early in the second half. Even with the win, there is still a lot of game film to mull over for the Riders heading into Vancouver on Saturday night.
The Riders should mop the floor with the Lions next week in the cavernous, empty B.C. Place and considering how the West Division is starting to play out, it will be crucial to sweep the Lions.
As for B.C., this is a team with no real identity. We said in this column at the beginning of the season that either the Edmonton Eskimos or B.C. Lions would have a terrible season. These were the two teams who made the biggest splashes in the free agency pool with huge signings across the board.
The difference between the Lions and Eskimos is that Edmonton kept pieces of what their strengths were: their offensive and defensive lines.
The Eskimos have kept Trevor Harris fairly clean while their defensive line has been a terror getting after the quarterback (though they were gashed by a solid Alouette running game on Saturday). The Lions have been the complete opposite in the trenches. Once they figure that out, their 2019 season will turn around.
One last note from the Riders victory over the Lions: The 5:00pm local start on a Saturday night is the sweet spot for the Saskatchewan Roughriders. It was a solid, lively crowd that had some fun with the country theme.
The Saskatchewan Roughriders need to claw and scratch for as many Saturday late-afternoon, early-evening kickoffs as they can get. This season is a good one for them with three more coming up later in the season. This works for the football club, the league and for TSN’s schedule.
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It was a pretty chalky Week 6 of the season with the favourites winning across the board except in sweltering Montreal on Saturday. The humidity pushed the thermometer over 40 degrees at Percival Molson Stadium and it felt like the Alouettes thrived on it.
The formula for the Als’ success is limiting mistakes, making big plays on defence and playing smash-mouth offensive football. Even their offensive stats reflect this.
With Montreal playing well and with Ottawa and Toronto floundering, it could be a remarkable 2019 for an Alouettes team that so desperately needs it. A big shoutout to their head coach Khari Jones for keeping this team together while a dumpster fire is burning all around him.
Also, for the good of the league, let’s hope either the Redblacks or Argonauts can turn things around so that their is no western crossover.
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Jeffrey LankovPotential Montreal Alouettes owner Jeffrey Lenkov says buying the troubled CFL team is a “once in a lifetime” opportunity.
Jeffrey and his brother Peter are part of an ownership group that is in the midst of exclusive negotiations with the league to buy the Alouettes. The CFL took control of the team earlier this season from previous owners Bob and Andrew Wettenhall.
Jeffrey is a Los Angeles-based lawyer while Peter is a Hollywood producer, writer and showrunner. Both brothers, who grew up in Laval, Que., were in Montreal Saturday to watch the Alouettes defeat the Edmonton Eskimos 20-10 for their third straight victory.
“What are the chances of growing up, loving a franchise and then having the opportunity to be involved with them?” said Jeffrey Lenkov. “I am one of these guys who gets a thrill from seeing the players. I’m still a little kid excited at heart. The opportunity arose, it’s crazy not to look at it.”
Lenkov, who attended Montreal’s McGill University in the 1980s, is a self-proclaimed “huge Alouettes fan.” He says he has Als memorabilia in his office in L.A., including an old team helmet. He owns vintage Gerry Dattilio and Johnny Rodgers jerseys, and even knows some of the old players like Junior Ah You and Vince Ferragamo personally.
But it’s not just about nostalgia. The 54-year-old says he sees this as a viable business opportunity, despite the team having lost money the last few years.
Lenkov says it’s about getting fans in the seats, putting a winning product on the field and re-energizing the community that may have fallen out of love with the Alouettes.
“There’s a lot of elements as to what constitutes a financial success,” he said. “Not everything is the bottom line. That said, you still have to be fiscally responsible when you have partners. You have a lot of people’s livelihoods with the team involved, people who really care about it. Part of the process is about being responsible and diligent in the decision-making.”
Lenkov firmly believes the Als are on the upswing, and it’s not just the three-game winning streak. He pointed to coach Khari Jones and a slew of young players as the recipe for success in the near future.
He also feels that, as an owner, he would be able to contribute to returning the team to its glory days. Montreal has not made the playoffs since 2014. The last Grey Cup win was in 2010.
“People talk about timelines,” said the lawyer. “I would like to see us win the Grey Cup this year. In my mind, if they keep winning, I don’t see any limits. We wouldn’t get involved if it was a five-year or 10-year plan.”
Lenkov refused to reveal any specifics about the potential sale or who else was part of his ownership group “for the sake of confidentiality.” He did say it was important to him that former CFLers, like Ferragamo for example, had input in the franchise.
The Lenkov brothers were soaking in what they hope was the last game as strictly Alouettes fans before becoming team owners.
“It’s incredible to be here,” said Jeffrey Lenkov. “I went to McGill. I played on that field. To see the team and the energy of the fans, this is what it’s all about. Beautiful Montreal night. What more could we want? A little poutine, some Molson, that’s it.”
(With files from Canadian Press/RODPEDERSEN.COM STAFF)
The difference between the Eskimos & the Lions is the Eskimos kept 2 good lines but also the pieces they added were all proven veterans – Harris, who gets rid of the ball quickly thus helping the OL immensely, Daniels, Elllingson, Collins & Rogers on offence plus Dean, Unamba, Santos-Knox & Orange on defence. The Lions added 2 stars in Reilly on offence & Grymes on defence but let go a lot of veteran leadership due to money restraints & have a boatload of players the Eskimos cut, had on the practice roster or had lost their starting positions. Woodman,… Read more »
Small sample on Fajardo. 2015 Brett Smith 15 TD/9 INT decent 94.4 efficiency rating. You can look good for a good portion of a season. What happened to him? Fajardo has been kicking around the CFL for awhile. Is he the real deal? I like what I see but I don’t think BC or the Argos are a true litmus test at this point of the season. The more film teams have on Cody the more they can game plan him. It’s too early IMO to anoint him the next one. Credit to him for making the most of his… Read more »
I don’t think Smith is a good comparison to Fajardo, but I do agree that it’s too soon to say that he’s the next one, although he’s doing very well so far.
B.C. was able to do what they wanted between the 20’s but when they began to threaten the end zone, the Green and White stiffened and the Lions had to settle for four Sergio Castillo field goals. The Riders were led by the ageless wonder Charleston Hughes.
The long-standing cliché in all sports is that a player cannot lose his job because of injury, but when Zach Collaros comes off the injured list he will be on the sidelines watching Fajardo on the field. This sounds brutal for Collaros but it’s a great luxury for a Rider club that has been looking for just one quarterback to lead a dynamic offence since Darian Durant left.
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The difference between the Eskimos & the Lions is the Eskimos kept 2 good lines but also the pieces they added were all proven veterans – Harris, who gets rid of the ball quickly thus helping the OL immensely, Daniels, Elllingson, Collins & Rogers on offence plus Dean, Unamba, Santos-Knox & Orange on defence. The Lions added 2 stars in Reilly on offence & Grymes on defence but let go a lot of veteran leadership due to money restraints & have a boatload of players the Eskimos cut, had on the practice roster or had lost their starting positions. Woodman,… Read more »
Houston we have a problem.
Cody Farjardo is legit! Roger that, let’s move forward now.
Small sample on Fajardo. 2015 Brett Smith 15 TD/9 INT decent 94.4 efficiency rating. You can look good for a good portion of a season. What happened to him? Fajardo has been kicking around the CFL for awhile. Is he the real deal? I like what I see but I don’t think BC or the Argos are a true litmus test at this point of the season. The more film teams have on Cody the more they can game plan him. It’s too early IMO to anoint him the next one. Credit to him for making the most of his… Read more »
I don’t think Smith is a good comparison to Fajardo, but I do agree that it’s too soon to say that he’s the next one, although he’s doing very well so far.