This week I want to drag out my crystal ball and pick the order of finish in the Wild West.
I should add that I had already made my picks before the first weekend of the 2011 CFL season — the results just proved my early season point.
The obvious choice for first place in the CFL West is not my own beloved Roughriders this year. And they don’t have a horse on their helmet. The B.C. Lions are my pick for first place in the CFL West regular season because these cats have a lot of talent on both sides of the ball.
I like B.C. quarterback Travis Lulay as the undisputed starter on this team. He is already the best young pivot in the CFL and the fire in his red hair is nothing compared to the fire in his belly.
Lulay plays like a man possessed on the field — and he possesses some incredible football talents to throw into the mix. He can run, pass and read defenses with the best of the quarterbacks in the CFL. This is a quarterback-driven league and I would suggest that you enjoy this young quarterback while you can in the CFL.
It doesn’t hurt that Lulay will actually have some protection this year with the addition of all star left tackle Jesse Newman in 2011. Last year the B.C. pivots took a playbook and a prayer book into every game because they were under serious fire after every snap.
Wally Buono did not become the winningest coach in CFL history by making the same mistake twice, so this year the O-line will give Lulay some serious protection.
Throw in a Lion defense with some serious fangs and this BC team looks like a bloodthirsty predator in the 2011 season.
Second place in the CFL West will belong to another animal — in fact a horse of a different color. The Calgary Stampeders will slip a little this year, but they look like a solid bet for second in the West Division.
This year the concerns will be a weakened secondary and O-line for the Stamps. The secondary may get lit up this year by the loss of Calgary’s talented corners, while the run game and quarterback protection demonstrated by the Hoggies thus far should concern the Stampeders. Quarterback Henry Burris will balance the equation enough to get second place for the Stamps.
Third place will be the new home of the Saskatchewan Roughriders as they rely upon overrated pivot Darian Durant to get things done without two of his favorite receivers this year.
The only thing uglier than the ’Riders’ loss to Edmonton was the disgusting Wendy’s commercial in which the hot chick licked food sauce off the nerd’s face-approximately a 100 times during the broadcast.
Another woeful display by the ’Rider defense and that commercial will seem very appealing by comparison. Vanilla schemes on both sides of the ball mean that Saskatchewan’s coaches have some serious homework early in the season.
Some might wonder why I picked Edmonton for last place in the West after they beat the hell out of the ’Riders in the season opener. Outside of my natural dislike for the Eskimos is a stone-cold reality: Edmonton is not that good and Saskatchewan is not that bad. The entire body of the season will prove this fact.
See you next week.
Jim may be reached at jim@mystarcollectorcar.com