The Rookies

After a hiatus thanks to other work commitments, I’m back with another issue of The Whole 110 Yards, just in time for the start of the CFL playoffs today. I’ll be taking you all the way through the playoffs and will be bringing you on-the-ground coverage from the Grey Cup in Calgary in two weeks. However, we still have two playoff rounds to get through before then. Without further ado, let’s get to the breakdowns of the first round. Start us off, Jim Mora!

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Edmonton quarterback Ricky Ray (Sacramento State) gets a pass off before being hit by Saskatchewan linebacker Jerrell Freeman (University of Mary Hardin-Baylor) Sunday.

Welcome to another installment of The Whole 110 Yards. As always, check the CFL home page for statistics, video highlights and broadcast schedules. Comments, questions or suggestions? Leave them below, or send them to me via e-mail, Twitter or Facebook.

The Week That Was: This week saw plenty of action in the CFL, but the overarching theme was a all-but-decided East Division and an up-for-grabs West Division. There are still seven weeks on the schedule, but the 9-2 Montreal Alouettes have all but clinched the East title. They maintained their three-game lead at the top of the division with a 33-14 thumping of the 3-8 Winnipeg Blue Bombers Sunday. Meanwhile, the Hamilton Tiger-Cats strengthened their hold on second place in the East with a 24-17 win over the Calgary Stampeders Friday, improving their record to 6-5. Barring an unexpected implosion on the part of the Alouettes, a division title doesn’t appear in the cards for the Tiger-Cats, but they do seem set to return to the playoffs for the first time since 2004.
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B.C. defensive end Ricky Foley sacks Saskatchewan QB Darian Durant Friday. The Lions won 35-20, increasing the storm of questions around the Riders' quarterbacking situation.

It’s the second week of my adventures in CFL column writing. Video highlight reels of each game, as well as scores, stats and U.S. broadcast schedules can all be found on the league home page. As always, if you have comments or suggestions for future columns, leave them below or e-mail them to me.

The Week That Was:

It was a crazy week in the CFL, complete with a shutout in Montreal, a clash of passing and running offences in Hamilton and a surprisingly close game in Calgary. Still, my vote for the most interesting game of the past week goes to the B.C. Lions’ 35-20 win over the Saskatchewan Roughriders in Vancouver Friday night. This game had it all, but it deserves special notice for marking a potential turnaround. Heading into Saturday, the Riders were sitting pretty at 3-2 and looked like the best team in the West. Meanwhile, the Lions were reeling at 1-4 and had just came off a brutal loss to Hamilton. Only a few of us nuts thought they might win this one. The victory improves their record to 2-4, while the Riders fall into a three-way tie for first in the West at 3-3. The game itself was a roller-coaster ride, including five interceptions, a couple of fumbles and a bizarre special-teams play.
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B.C. linebacker Javy Glatt tries to pull down Hamilton running back DeAndra Cobb Friday night. The Lions lost 30-18 to drop to 1-4, and Glatt lost his starting job to new signing JoJuan Armour.

This is a new column idea we’re trying out. To help you survive the NFL and college football offseason, I’ll bring you an update on the Canadian Football League every Tuesday. If there’s certain features you’d like to see included, let me know in the comments or at andrew_bucholtz at hotmail.com. If you’re looking for highlights of any of the games, you can check them out at CFL.ca. Read the rest of this entry →