The Rookies

Winnipeg running back Fred Reid (Mississippi State) breaks away from B.C. linebacker Javy Glatt (UBC) Friday night. The Bombers beat the Lions 37-10.

Everything’s coming up CFL this week; I discussed the league’s history (including a surprising role in the founding of American football), rules and teams over at The Phoenix Pub yesterday and then talked about the league for an hour with James Brown and Sculptor on last night’s Pubcast. Now, it’s time for my weekly review of all the CFL action. As always, stats, video highlights and U.S. broadcast schedules can be found here. One additional reason to follow the league that I forgot to mention yesterday is that it showcases a lot of former NCAA stars who never quite caught on in the NFL. It’s a cool way to find out what these guys have been doing since they left the bright lights of college football. That’s why I include every player’s school when I mention them, and also why I’ll be adding a “Former College Star of the Week” segment to this column. Comments? Questions? Things you like, don’t like or would like to see in this space? Let me know in the comments section below, or via e-mail, Twitter or Facebook.

The Week That Was: It was a quieter week than normal in the CFL, as four of the eight teams had byes. Still, the two games that were played Friday were both quite interesting. The Saskatchewan – Montreal clash was entertaining and close, as expected, but it did finish with another win for the Alouettes, also as expected. The Winnipeg – B.C. game (which I live-blogged)was a complete shocker, though.

Going into Friday night’s second game, B.C. seemed a sure lock. They’d rebounded from a 1-4 start with two straight wins, and had looked reasonably impressive in doing so. There were concerns, notably with Jarious Jackson (Notre Dame) starting under centre in place of concussed pivot Buck Pierce (New Mexico State), but they weren’t huge ones. The Lions had overcome three quarterback changes to beat Toronto 36-28 on the road in the previous week, so they seemed more than capable of getting it done in the familiar confines of B.C. Place.

Winnipeg, on the other hand, was reeling. They started the season 2-5, including a 39-12 pasting by the Montreal Alouettes last week. More importantly, their offence had been notably anemic. Recently-signed quarterback Michael Bishop (Kansas State) had been more effective than the man he replaced, Stefan LeFors(Louisville), but not by much: Bishop only completed 13 of 35 pass attempts for 155 yards against the Alouettes and was picked off twice. Combining the Bombers’ futility with the Lions’ impressive recent form seemed like a sure recipe for a B.C. victory.

That wasn’t what happened, though. The Winnipeg defence was effective all night long, and their running game was dominant, leading the Bombers to a remarkable 37-10 win. Winnipeg rushed for 393 yards on the night, one of the highest tallies in recent CFL history. Their passing game was good if not spectacular, as Bishop completed 11 of 20 passes for 131 yards and a touchdown, but this one was won on the ground.

For B.C., it was a different story. Wide receiver Emmanuel Arceneaux (Alcorn State) had an impressive game, making nine catches for 158 yards and a touchdown, but Winnipeg was able to shut down the rest of the Lions’ receiving corps. Perhaps most notable was the Bombers’ containment of the usually-fearsome duo of Geroy Simon (Maryland) and Paris Jackson (Utah), who were held to a combined total of four catches for 54 yards. Winnipeg also picked off B.C. quarterback Jarious Jackson three times and forced him to fumble twice; Jackson finished the day with 15 completions on 24 attempts for 185 yards and a solitary touchdown. The Bombers were effective at stopping the run as well, holding tailback Martell Mallett (Arkansas – Pine Bluff) to just 43 yards on seven carries.

With the win, the Bombers improve to 3-5 and kept their hopes of a playoff spot alive. They have a bye this week, but will take on Saskatchewan in Week 10. The Lions also have a 3-5 record, and it won’t get any easier for them; after their bye, they face the 7-1 Montreal Alouettes.

Alouette, gentille Alouette: The Alouettes were anything but gentille Friday night with a 34-25 win over the Saskatchewan Roughriders. This was an interesting matchup, as Saskatchewan was tied for first in the West with a 4-3 record heading into the game and was arguably the top CFL team other than Montreal to this point. The Riders played reasonably well, but they were simply outclassed in this one.

As in the B.C. – Winnipeg game, it was turnovers and rushing that made the difference. Montreal back Avon Cobourne (West Virginia) ran for 101 yards on 19 carries, while Saskatchewan’s Wes Cates (California University of Pennsylvania) was held to 33 yards on eight carries and Hugh Charles (Colorado) could only add 24 more on six carries. Saskatchewan quarterback Darian Durant was his usual model of inconsistency, looking brilliant at times while completing 19 of 31 passes for 326 yards and two touchdowns, but looking rather foolish on his three passes that were intercepted. By contrast, Montreal’s Anthony Calvillo (Utah State) was effective if not spectacular, finishing the day 19 for 28 for 170 yards and two touchdowns.

Saskatchewan receivers Weston Dressler (North Dakota, 179 yards on eight catches), Gerran Walker (Lehigh, 49 yards and a touchdown on two catches) and Rob Bagg (Queen’s, 46 yards and a touchdown on three catches) all looked very good, and there were also some great moments from slotbacks Chris Getzlaf (Regina) and Jason Clermont (Regina), as well as wide receiver Eric Morris (Texas Tech). The Riders have arguably the best receiving corps in the league, but they need more consistent passing from their quarterback. If Durant continues to be ineffective, we may see Steven Jyles (Louisiana – Monroe) or even Graham Harrell (Texas Tech) starting under centre for Saskatchewan before the end of the season.

Player Of The Week: Fred Reid, Winnipeg

Reid, who played collegiately at Mississippi State and had a brief cup of coffee with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2005, continued his impressive CFL career this week with 260 rushing yards and two touchdowns on 26 carries against B.C., setting a team rushing record in the process. He was a CFL All-Star last season and looks on pace to join those ranks again this year; he’s leading the league in rushing with 795 yards on 115 carries. Cobourne, his closest competitor, is 160 yards back despite 10 more carries.

Former College Star Of The Week: Chris Leak, Montreal

Leak quarterbacked the Florida Gators to a national championship in the 2006-2007 season, but hasn’t found much success since then. He went undrafted in 2007 and signed with the Chicago Bears, but they elected to keep the likes of Rex Grossman and Kyle Orton over him – not a good omen. He then tried to join Team Florida in the All American Football League, which collapsed before a game was ever played. He signed with Hamilton on June 3, 2008, but was released only five days later; an even worse omen considering that Hamilton finished last in the league in 2008. However, Montreal scooped him up one day after his release. He’s their third-string quarterback at the moment, but got into the game this week thanks to an injury to Calvillo’s backup, Adrian McPherson (Florida State). Leak only completed one pass, but it was good for two yards and a touchdown; not too bad for his first career passing attempt in the CFL. The real question is if Tim Tebow will be able to break the Florida quarterback jinx, though; quarterbacking the Gators hasn’t led to a lot of professional success for the likes of Leak, Grossman and Danny Wuerffel.

Off-field Story Of The Week: There’s a couple items of interest this week. One is the success of former B.C. Lions running back Stefan Logan (South Dakota) of the Pittsburgh Steelers, who put up 205 return yards against the Redskins this week, averaging 39 yards on kickoff returns and 12 yards on punts. It’s looking like he may have a good shot at sticking with the team as a return man, which is bad news for the Lions; they could certainly use his help. The other story is about Montreal wide receiver Kerry Watkins (Georgia Tech), who apparently gives his teammates haircuts for $10 apiece. Only in the CFL!

Defunct CFL Franchise Of The Week: The Las Vegas Posse:

Current Montreal quarterback Anthony Calvillo in his days with the Las Vegas Posse

Hey, UFL, your Las Vegas Locomotives aren’t a guaranteed success yet. Pro football’s been tried before in Las Vegas, and it’s failed rather miserably. The most recent attempt involved the Las Vegas Outlaws of the XFL, run by Bob Ackles of CFL and NFL fame. The Outlaws actually weren’t bad, but they were in a horribly-run league and they only lasted one year.

The Posse were a different story. They were a gong show right from the start in 1994, and had notable failures in everything from their practice field (only 70 yards long) to their choice of anthem singer (Dennis Parks, who tried to make “O Canada” sound like “O Christmas Tree”). Head coach Ron Meyer often ran practices with no shirt on and once got the team’s cheerleading squad (the “Showgirls”) to loiter by the B.C. Lions’ bench in an attempt to distract them. It didn’t work, as the Posse lost 39-16. They were an afterthought in the city, averaging only 8,953 fans, and played their final home game in Edmonton to draw a bigger crowd. They did have some talented players, including Calvillo, Jon Volpe (Stanford) and Greg Battle (Arizona State), but finished the year 5-13. After the season, Jimmy Buffett tried to pull together a group to buy the team and relocate them to Jackson, Mississippi, but the attempt failed and the league contracted the team. They remain perhaps the most bizarre footnote of the CFL’s American expansion era, and that’s saying something.

Game Of The Week: Hamilton at Edmonton (Saturday, 7:00 P.M. Eastern):

This game receives an elevation in importance thanks to lack of competition (there’s only one other match this week, as it’s a bye for half the league’s teams), but it likely would have chosen for this spot anyway. Both teams have been surprisingly good this year and boast identical 4-3 records. Edmonton’s in first place in the West, while Hamilton’s second only to the Alouettes in the East.

Surprisingly, they both have negative point differentials. The Eskimos have allowed 222 points against, the third-worst total in the league, and have only put up 187 points of their own. Hamilton’s recorded only 162 points, but their defence has been solid, holding opponents to 164 points, the best total in the league outside of Montreal.

This should be a good clash of styles. Edmonton plays a pass-focused game and boasts one of the league’s best pivots in Ricky Ray (Sacramento State), while both Kevin Glenn (Illinois State) and Quinton Porter (Boston College) have been inconsistent for Hamilton. The Tiger-Cats have found success through their solid defence and impressive ground game, led by running back DeAndra Cobb (Michigan State). It should be a close one, but I give the edge to the Eskimos here based on home-field advantage and their impressive passing game.

Pick: Edmonton

Other Games: Calgary at Toronto (Friday, 7:30 P.M. Eastern):

This could be a good game, but it’s more likely to be one-sided. With Winnipeg’s rebound victory last week, Toronto’s in last place in the league with a 2-5 record, and their play so far has been deserving of that spot. Meanwhile, the defending Grey Cup champion Stampeders have bounced back after a slow start. They lost to Edmonton by three points in their last match, but played well, and are looking more like the Stampeders of old every week. They should be able to knock off the Argonauts.

Pick: Calgary

Last Week: 1-1 (wrong on B.C. – Winnipeg)

To date: 7-3

Thanks for reading this edition of The Whole 110 Yards! See you next week!