It's November. The weather's turning cold in Canada but the
CFL action is getting hotter. There are six teams and two rounds of games left
before the Grey Cup at the end of the month. The two games this week are
scheduled to be shown live as a double header on BT Sport ESPN on Sunday
evening.
The CFL announced
this week that the play-off and Grey Cup games will be streamed live
worldwide on YouTube. However it hasn't been made clear if the stream will be
available in the UK and Ireland where BTSport is broadcasting the games, or in
the Americas and Australia which is covered by ESPN.
Game Previews
Eastern Division Semi Final – Toronto Argonauts at
Hamilton Tiger-Cats
Tim Hortons Field, Hamilton
Sunday 15th November, live on BT Sport ESPN at 6.00pm UK time.
Sunday 15th November, live on BT Sport ESPN at 6.00pm UK time.
Weather forecast: 12°C, no rain, light winds.
The two bitter Southern Ontario rivals have had strong
periods during the season as they built ten win records but they've both
struggled towards the end. Toronto led the league during the weeks while the
TiCats were clearly the best during the middle period. That was when Hamilton
swept the three games between them. However neither team has been strong in the
later third of the season, the Als went three and three, Hamilton two and four.
If Toronto are going into the game with one advantage it's
that they have two first string quarterbacks. Future Hall of Famer Ricky Ray
has been restored to the starting slot after missing most of the season with a
shoulder injury. No one thinks he's back to his best but all that experience
counts for a lot and they do have Trevor Harris as back-up. The offence has
been boosted by the addition of ex Seattle and Cleveland receiver Phil Bates
while they'll probably have both Chad Kackert and Brandon Whitaker at running
back.
Hamilton on the other hand are reduced to second and third string quarterbacks after they lost Zach Collaros to injury. Jeremiah Masoli proved to be the best available last week though it's suggested Jeff Matthews might be fit to return. Beyond that the offence has benefited by the return of running back C J Gable and slotback Andy Fantuz. Their defence is still very strong, but it's not the scary force of mid season which threatened to break all sorts of records. Jeff Reinebold's Special teams unit have made a big contribution all year so watch for them having a trick or two up there sleeves.
Who will win? Home advantage is big at Tim Hortons Field, the crowd will be large, loud and shouting "Argos suck". But there's history in the CFL that says four wins by one team over another in a season doesn't happen. Toronto had a much less intense game last week, I think they might just spring a surprise.
Hamilton on the other hand are reduced to second and third string quarterbacks after they lost Zach Collaros to injury. Jeremiah Masoli proved to be the best available last week though it's suggested Jeff Matthews might be fit to return. Beyond that the offence has benefited by the return of running back C J Gable and slotback Andy Fantuz. Their defence is still very strong, but it's not the scary force of mid season which threatened to break all sorts of records. Jeff Reinebold's Special teams unit have made a big contribution all year so watch for them having a trick or two up there sleeves.
Who will win? Home advantage is big at Tim Hortons Field, the crowd will be large, loud and shouting "Argos suck". But there's history in the CFL that says four wins by one team over another in a season doesn't happen. Toronto had a much less intense game last week, I think they might just spring a surprise.
Western Division Semi Final – BC Lions at Calgary
Stampeders
McMahon Stadium, Calgary
Sunday 15th November, live on BT Sport ESPN at
9.30pm UK time.
Weather forecast: 1°C, chance of snow, light winds.
There's a saying in the CFL that the season really only
starts at Labour Day. It's a teams performance down the stretch that matters.
BC Lions are a team which is peaking at the right time. They struggled most of
the year but a late season surge and week 18 and 19 wins over Hamilton and
Toronto were enough to sneak them into the play offs. Their return to form
actually coincided with rookie quarterback Jonathon Jennings taking over from
the injured Travis Lulay. Other big name players keeping the BC fans hopeful
include running back Andrew Harris, wide receiver Emanuel Arceneaux and
linebacker Adam Bighill who was the only unanimous choice in the Divisional
All-star teams announced this week.
The Calgary Stampeders haven't beaten by any team except the
Eskimos since July. Their top running back Jon Cornish is expected to miss this
game. He missed a few games earlier in the season and the Stamps still won, and
now they have Jerome Messam to provide cover. Expect Bo Levi Mitchell to keep
making connections to the CFL's leading receiver Eric Rogers.
Who will win? I'm going to go with home advantage. The Lions
will provide a serious challenge but expect Calgary to edge it.
Next Week
The winners of these games will travel to Ottawa Redblacks
and Edmonton Eskimos for the Divisional Finals.
Other News This Week
The three teams which didn't qualify for the play-offs have started work for next year. To the surprise of very few, Winnipeg Blue Bombers announced that offensive coordinator Marcel Bellefeuille won't be having his contract renewed for next year. In contrast, almost everyone was surprised when the Montreal Alouettes announced that their general manager and interim head coach Jim Popp will continue as head coach next year. No word yet on who'll be offered the most high profile job, head coach at Saskatchewan Roughriders.
The three teams which didn't qualify for the play-offs have started work for next year. To the surprise of very few, Winnipeg Blue Bombers announced that offensive coordinator Marcel Bellefeuille won't be having his contract renewed for next year. In contrast, almost everyone was surprised when the Montreal Alouettes announced that their general manager and interim head coach Jim Popp will continue as head coach next year. No word yet on who'll be offered the most high profile job, head coach at Saskatchewan Roughriders.
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