Revenge will be a common motive for half the combatants in the CFL this weekend.
Tonight’s matchups are the second part of Monday’s games in a bad schedule arrangement. Football is a violently brutal game and one would think that teams should get as much recovery time as possible.
Tonight’s teams have had only four days between smacking each other around on a football field while B.C. and Montreal will have nine days to recuperate. Saskatchewan and Winnipeg will have six days between acquaintance renewals.
Toronto is behind a giant eight ball in tonight’s game as they pursue a playoff spot that will be challenged by Winnipeg or a more likely Western opponent. The Argos rely almost exclusively on an overworked defence while the offence is more anemic than a vampire victim. The Argos need this win more than the Hamilton Ticats and will find just enough offence to win at home for the first time in over a year.
Revenge will be on the minds of the Edmonton Eskimos as they host the Calgary Stampeders later tonight. The Eskimos always enjoy a home-field advantage at Commonwealth because they have the worst natural turf on the planet and Edmonton knows how to use it to their advantage.
The Stampeders have few admirers outside of their own fans because they put the low in rent. This is a team of giant egos who showboat too much on the field and whine too much off the field about no respect for their talents. They are a talented team but they are not a classy team.
Ricky Ray and the Eskimos win the rematch and do it with more class.
The B.C. Lions travel across the country to play the Montreal Alouettes, who have a lot to prove on Sunday. Sunday morning will be a big factor in this game because the Lions will have to adjust to a morning game after a night in Montreal. Even if Montreal was a patsy, this would be a tough game for those two reasons.
Montreal was robbed by the ineptitude of CFL officials last Friday night when a last-minute tying touchdown was whistled down by a huge communication breakdown between the timekeeper and the onfield officials. The result was a game decided by a mistake made by some guys who never took a hit in the game — sort of like kickers with whistles.
All of this has angered the Alouettes, who need to stay motivated in the second half of the season and they have now found the lightning rod for this game. They will wreak vengeance on the unfortunate Leos, who will leave Montreal with a whole lot of great Saturday night memories and some very unpleasant Sunday morning football memories.
It’s very doubtful that Montreal’s defence will be as generous as they were in B.C.
Lastly, legendary Winnipeg quarterback and coach killer Michael Bishop has revenge on his mind in the Sunday afternoon rematch between the Winnipeg Blue Bombers and Saskatchewan Roughriders.
So much so that Bishop has guaranteed a win in Winnipeg for his Bombers in a “we’ll kick their a--” statement he made after the game. A victory for the Bombers will not happen unless Kenny Ploen is suddenly 25 again and Bishop doesn’t play a down. ’Riders win the rematch.
Jim Sutherland is a local freelance writer whose CFL column appears Tuesdays and Fridays. He can be reached at mystarcollectorcar.com