And so begins another Canadian Football League season, appropriately on Canada Day.
Let me preface this season with another reminder that I am a dedicated Saskatchewan Roughrider fan. That information may have gotten lost, because a few readers have registered their irritation with my green and white bias in this CFL column. They can take comfort in the knowledge that I have been bombarded with every 13th-man joke ever conceived and subsequently parroted by every wannabe comedian on the planet. I’ve done horrible penance as a Rider fan.
Anyhow, let’s get this party started with a look at the CFL East, where the Montreal Alouettes have enjoyed a long reign as the Beast of the East. That title will be ripped out of their hands this year. The East standings will have a slightly different look by the end of the season.
Except for last place, where the Toronto Argonauts will run aground early and sink slowly into the depths of the East cellar. They know the way very well. However, there is reason for optimism this year for the Argos because Jim Barker is the new helmsman for the Boatmen.
But it will take a little while to turn this football Titanic around, so Toronto fans (all 50 of them) will have to wait for Captain Barker to chart a new course. The quarterback position is one big question mark, thus patience will be absolutely necessary in TO.
Things will be better in Winnipeg this season. They unloaded a guy (head coach Mike Kelly) with a big enough ego to believe that he could re-invent the game itself. His current state of unemployment shows how well that arrogant plan worked for him. Paul LaPolice is a better fit as a head coach.
LaPolice brought in Buck Pierce as his number one quarterback, and Steven Jyles as his number one quarterback when Pierce gets whacked on the field. If Pierce was able to last a season, the Bombers could climb higher than third place in the East.
This is the season where Montreal begins a descent for a landing. An injury to superstar quarterback Anthony Calvillo would make it a crash landing. Calvillo is nearly old enough to be Father Time’s favorite uncle in a violent game where youth is a big asset. It means that you heal faster.
The Alouettes still have the best head coach in the league with Mark Trestman, but his job is so much easier with a healthy Calvillo. I can’t help but think that an injury to AC would test Trestman to the very limits of his ability.
Regardless, I pick the Hamilton Tiger-Cats to finish first in the CFL East Division. They have settled on the steady if unspectacular Kevin Glenn to quarterback the team to first place in the East. The Ticats will be the new Beasts of the East. It is hard to believe, because any vet with half a heart and a full syringe would have put these Tabbies out of their misery just a few short years ago. But these are heady times for the Tiger-Cats, and they will claw their way to first place in the East. Next: The West.
Jim Sutherland is a local freelance writer whose column on the CFL appears Tuesdays and Fridays. He can be reached at mystarcollectorcar.com