OUT OF THE TUNNEL: WALK OFF WEEK 10
BY: RODPEDERSEN.COM STAFF
As many of us across Canada were having small and safe Thanksgiving gatherings and embracing everything that we are thankful for in this great country, the CFL tried to give back.
Thanksgiving week in football is meant to be a marquee platform for the game; the CFL did their best by scheduling five games on this Thanksgiving week. It started off with two blowouts (Toronto over Ottawa 35-16 and Winnipeg over Edmonton 30-3), followed by a bit of a snoozer at Mosaic Stadium in Regina (Calgary over Saskatchewan 22-19). That said, the Thanksgiving games were weirdly good with the salve coming in the final game of the week (Toronto over Hamilton 24-23). All-in-all, all offences not clad in Blue & Gold are having their problems.
This isn’t your father’s CFL of the 1990’s when seven touchdowns were scored in one game. Or the CFL in 2019 when there were 15, 400-yard passing games.
The touted CFL fireworks show is no more, all hail defence and special teams.
If anything has been the constant storyline all year, it has been this: low scoring, stout defences and whomever can score two offensive touchdowns will more than likely win the game.
The CFL has changed from giant-armed quarterbacks throwing the ball downfield with a vertical game to everything going horizontal, trying to give playmakers the ball in space to make a play. It’s just not working and it’s not entertaining. It’s a very safe brand of football right now. I guess we will just chalk it up to a very weird season under extreme circumstances.
On the positive side, it could be a great run to the finish line with five teams currently separated by two points. Parity or mediocrity, we will let you decide.
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No team has welcomed a bye-week more than the 2021 Saskatchewan Roughriders. It’s been some tough sledding the past few weeks. After starting the season 3-0, the Riders are now 5-4 with four of their last five regular season games on the road.
The good part is their defence is very reliable and have been able to come up with key sacks and turnovers all while giving up just 20 points per game. The offence on the other hand has a lot of things to work out as it has just 7 offensive touchdowns in their last seven games after starting the season with six in their first two games.
The installation of the Jason Maas offence doesn’t seem to be clicking with Cody Fajardo. With Stephen McAdoo as the offensive coordinator, the Roughrider quarterback was able to throw for over 4,000 yards and run for over 600. It almost feels now like it was the right quarterback with the right coordinator.
Other than centre Dan Clark, this is also an offensive line that is trying to still figure things out. Throw in the injury to deep threat Shaq Evans and a reliance on a very short passing game and well, it’s been tough to watch. But with the potential insertion of CFL All-Star receiver Duke Williams, hope may be around the corner.
If the Green & White want a shot at a home playoff game, they will need to come up with wins in historically tough places to play like Calgary, Montreal and Hamilton.
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The Calgary Stampeders were written off for dead a few weeks ago and now with back-to-back wins over the Saskatchewan Roughriders they are a game within second in the West Division. The 22-19 win at Mosaic Stadium was indicative of the Calgary season, go up and down the field but then a crucial error puts them behind the eight-ball.
This time the defence stood up and stifled Cody Fajardo and the Roughrider offence. It all led to Rene Paredes’ walk-off field goal to win. If Calgary didn’t slip up in the beginning of the season by losing three tight games, they would be walking away with the second spot in the West.
It’s another crucial two weeks for the Stamps coming up with a game in Vancouver against the B.C. Lions and a third game in four weeks against Saskatchewan.
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Even though the game wasn’t all that good, putting the Montreal Alouettes and Ottawa Redblacks on Thanksgiving is great (Montreal 20 Ottawa 16)! These two should always play on Thanksgiving from here on in. It’s two natural CFL rivals and as we move on in the future it should be a Canadian holiday tradition that the league can build upon.
As an idea, the second game on Thanksgiving can always be in Vancouver. Give the B.C. Lions the Dallas Cowboys spot from American Thanksgiving. The Leos can host the rotation of their four western rivals in the late game of the day.
Let’s make Thanksgiving in the CFL as big as Labour Day.
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The Edmonton Elks stink on the field and are not doing well off the field. It’s easy to pile on the worst team in the CFL right now and like many fans across the country, we relish it.
It’s so bad right now that reports have either Taylor Cornelius or Dakota Prukop playing ahead of a healthy Trevor Harris this week. If there is an entertaining dumpster fire of the year, the capital city of Alberta has it covered.
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Football other than pro. The NCAA had an incredible Saturday of games, Canada West football is tighter than ever with entertaining actions, the OUA west division is wild, everyone is beating everyone else in Quebec and if you love junior football there is nothing better than the Regina Thunder and Saskatoon Hilltops rivalry.
It’s affordable and wildly entertaining action that everyone should go see. There is a team to watch almost everywhere in the country. Go support your local team, you will be better for it.
Both the Canada West and the Prairie Junior Football Conference took the Thanksgiving week off before they make the final push towards the playoffs and there are some great games coming up this week.
This Week in Canada West
All times local
Saturday, October 16
Calgary (1-1) at Manitoba (1-1) 1:00pm IG Field
UBC (0-2) at Regina (1-1) 2:00pm Mosaic Stadium
Alberta (1-1) at Saskatchewan (1-1) 2:00pm Griffiths Stadium
This Week in the Prairie Football Conference
All times local
Sunday, October 17
Edmonton Wildcats (2-4) at Saskatoon Hilltops (4-2) 1:00pm SMF Field
Regina Thunder (6-0) at Edmonton Huskies (4-2) 1:00pm Jasper Place
Winnipeg Rifles (2-4) at Calgary Colts (0-6) 1:00pm Shouldice Park
Canadian Player to Watch in the NCAA
Deane Leonard (Super senior)
Defensive back
Mississippi
6’0”/195
Calgary, Alberta
High School – Notre Dame
Deane Leonard is a familiar name on both sides of the border over the past six years beginning with the Calgary Dinos before transferring to Mississippi for the 2020 season. In four games this season Leonard has racked up 18 total tackles and this past week in an incredible 52-51 win over Arkansas, he had eight total tackles and shared a tackle for loss.
Leonard is the property of the Hamilton Tiger-Cats after they selected the defensive back 18th overall in the 2021 CFL Draft. He is exercising his extra year of eligibility this year due to the pandemic.
(RODPEDERSEN.COM STAFF/Photo: Toronto Argonauts)
Did Saskatchewan Roughriders gm Jeremy O’Day sign duel threat kicker Takeru Yamasaki formerly of the BC Lions Football Club? If he did, was it to put pressure on the current sporadic incumbents on the roster? Some team player trades should and must be taken into consideration.
Correction, Saskatchewan Roughriders gm Jeremy ODay signed Global duel kicker Kaare Vedvik instead of Takeru Yamasaki.