It’s duck hunting season so I decided to fire off a couple of scattered shotgun bursts of opinions about the CFL season as we get closer to the playoffs. The only question marks are the locations of the playoff games.
Do not rule out a playoff game in the air-conditioned comfort of Commonwealth Stadium in a few weeks. The only question mark is whether the Eskimos host a West final or a semi-final game. Bet on the West final.
Edmonton GM Eric Tillman has definitely put his stamp on this team. He stole tailback Jerome Messam from the Lions and now this 245lb battering ram is on a rampage as the Eskimos’ feature back.
Messam is bigger than most CFL fullbacks and he runs at warp speed compared to the average fullback. These are heady times for the Eskimos because defensive coordinator Rich Stubler has built a roster of assassins on his defense. These guys like to bring the hurt on every play and nothing will hurt more than late November football collisions in frosty early winter Alberta.
Tillman is a gridiron genius that understands basic football talent as well as he understands how to juggle his Canadian/American roster. His rapid transformation of Edmonton from a football punch bag to a legitimate Grey Cup heavyweight contender comes as no surprise to people who know the game.
The BC Lions are hell-bent on a warm and comfortable playoff game in the new BC Place. The thought seemed entirely probable two weeks ago, however the Lions have run into an injury bug at exactly the wrong time of the year.
The Lions will be hard-pressed to host the West Final, but the upside is that the 7 or 8 Lions fans that may have felt a burning desire to riot, torch and loot will not be provoked by a BC Lion playoff loss at home.
What has happened to the 2010 outstanding CFL player? Henry Burris has stumbled badly over the past several games as Calgary’s starting quarterback and now has found a warm place on the bench.
Henry has been replaced by Drew Tate because football is like every other sport where the coach wants to win —what have you done lately? There is little room for sentiment in the game and Burris is now yesterday’s news in Calgary because Calgary coach John Hufnagel really wants to win games.
However, it is doubtful that we have seen the last of Hank this year. Any stumble by Tate could result in a quick exit from a game because every game is very important for the Stamps at this time of year.
I like the way Winnipeg sports fans have embraced the Bombers even though their recent past (up until 2011) has been a disaster and the Jets are new out-of-the-box on the sports scene.
The Blue Bombers won a character game against Montreal and want to invite the Alouettes to an East final on a frozen prairie football field.
Right now I lean toward a Manitoba East final playoff game because Montreal faces two tough opponents from the West to close out the regular season, and their last game is a late West Coast game against the Lions. The time change has always hurt Eastern opponents.
A lot of playoff questions will be answered, likely even by the end of this Halloween weekend. It could well be a horror story for some teams.
jim@mystarcollectorcar.com