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Game Day Notes - Grey Cup Winners' Slow Starts: The recent trend in the CFL is for Grey Cup winners to start slowly the next year. The all-time slowest 'next season' starts by GC winners (1945 to 2017) shows only THREE clubs with less than two wins and the average 6-game start for these 72 clubs being .618. Toronto's 1-5 start in 2018 matches the slowest-ever by a Grey Cup winning club (Montreal in 1950): Lewis Ward: Comes into Week #8 with the following accomplishments among ALL 1st-year players in CFL history:  Highest FG made %: 95.2%  Most FGs made 1st year player (tied)  3rd-longest FG made streak (17, 4 back of the record) McLeod Bethel-Thompson: The Argos have suggested that Bethel-Thompson will start at QB this week - he would become Toronto's 8th different QB starter since Oct 23/15, a span of 45 games and none have had a winning record (16-29): P- Debut QB Starts Since 2014: The last 5 CFL QB debuts have all resulted in losses for their clubs (Chris Streveler in 2018, Andrew Buckley, Matthew Shiltz and Ryan Lindley in 2017 plus Brock Jensen in 2016. The last QB to win his first career start was Vernon Adams Jr. on Oct 22/16. Since 2014, debut QB starters have gone just 9-17 .346. Toronto has bucked this trend though as their debut QB starters since 2013 have all won - Logan Kilgore on Jul 31/16, Trevor Harris on Nov 7/14 and Zach Collaros, a winner on Jul 30/13. The REDBLACKS are on 2-game win streak while Toronto comes into this contest riding 3 consecutive losses. This 3-game East Div. disparity in Ottawa's favour is the LARGEST EVER coming into a head-to-head meeting with Toronto. In 10 previous meetings Ottawa had never been more than one win ahead. Greg Ellingson 33 straight: Last week extended his consecutive game streak with a reception to 33 games in a row. Over his last 3 games however he has just 10 catches for under 100 yards (10 for 97, 0 TDs). - Brad Sinopoli 1600+/135 catch pace: Sinopoli trails only Duke Williams (672) with 552 receiving yards and is on pace for 1,656 this season. That would be a new Ottawa record - well ahead of Greg Ellingson's 1,457 yards set in 2017. Sinopoli has made a CFL-best 45 receptions on pace for 135 which would be the #2 mark in CFL history. Rivalry to the end: Although Toronto has won seven of 10 meetings against the REDBLACKS going back to 2014, eight of those games were decided in the final three minutes. This is Toronto’s first game against an East Division team in 2018. There is a three-win disparity between Toronto and Ottawa is the largest ever ahead of a head-to-head meeting between the two clubs. In their 10 previous games the REDBLACKS have never been more than one win ahead.

I will forever be grateful to Darian Durant for opening up cap space for Adam Bighill... truly his Blue and Gold legacy

Sask at Edmonton - Matchup: The Eskimos have dominated this rivalry since 2011 winning 13 of the 20 games and have not lost a season series to the Riders since 2013. Mike Reilly has started the Esks' last 6 games vs the Riders and is 4-2. In his last 9 starts vs SSK he is 7-2. They went to OT twice in 2016, but neither game last year was close., - 3-1 last 4 games: Edmonton has risen to #2 in the West with wins in 3 of their last 4 games. They overcame deficits of 3, 7 & 12 points to rebound with a win. - Trailing after Q1: Edmonton has started slowly all season long and have trailed after the 1st Quarter in each of their last 5 games. They rebounded to win 3 of those 5 - in 1st Quarters their scoring differential is -24 while from the 2nd Quarter on they are +48. - Charleston Hughes: Has a Sack in each of his last 4 games matching 4-game runs in 2017 & 2016. His consecutive games record with at least one is 6 games in a row - from Jun 28/14 to Aug 9/14. He has had at least one Sack in 72 of his 153 career games. - Christion Jones streak: Last week's game broke a remarkable streak of punt return excellence. It was the first one of his 17 career regular season games in which he did not produce at least one return of 13+ yards. His longest last week was just 8 yards. - The Riders have also started slowly so it will be interesting to see who is leading. They are even slower out of the gate at -34 in their 1st Quarters this year (Edmonton is -24), have just 11 First Quarter points but are +17 over the final 45:00 of games. - 3 Riders INT return TDs: The Riders have 3 TDs already with Tobi Antigha the latest in last week's game. The Riders' record for most interception return TDs in a season is 6 in 1976 (B.Manchuk, C.Vann, P.Williams, L.Richardson, K.McEachern & J.Marshall). They have 4 total defensive return TDs in 6 games - that SSK record is 6 in four different seasons. - Mike Reilly 6k/400: Reilly leads the CFL in passing with 2,063 yards on pace for 6,189 - that would rank #3 A/T behind Doug Flutie's 6,619 (1991) and Kent Austin (6,225 in 1992). Last week, he had 415 yards, his 6th career 400+ game and 2nd this year. - 4 Sacks Allowed: Edmonton has allowed only 4 Sacks all season on pace for only 12 in 2018 - the club record for fewest allowed in one season is 25 allowed in 2003, more than double their current pace. - Brandon Bridge: Has yet to throw for more than 165 yards in his 4 starts and has one TD pass in 104 attempts thus far. Last week, Bridge's his longest completion was with the receiver 10 yards downfield. He did not attempt a throw of deeper than 18 yards. - Brett Lauther: Made a career-high 5-of-5 FGs last week and has now made 18 of his last 19 attempts. He is #3 at 90% in 2018. - Naaman Roosevelt: Has a current 41-game game reception streak but has now gone 10 games without reaching 100 yards. - Brandon Bridge: Has yet to throw for more than 165 yards in his 4 starts and has one TD pass in 104 attempts thus far. - Kwaku Boateng: Had 3 QB Sacks last week to jump to #2 in the CFL with 5 in total. He now has 9 Sacks in 22 career games. - J.C. Sherritt: Has 34 defensive tackles and is on pace for his second career 100+ season. He set a then CFL record 130 in 2012. - 1200 Pace: C.J. Gable got back to 1200-yard rushing pace last week with 69 on 15 carries. - Duron Carter: Was targeted on Offence twice last week - he had been a receiving target just twice in the previous 4 games.

It of course is still an issue for exactly the reason you mention. People who were close to the stadium think that going to the other side of the city is just the worst thing ever! And I don't know where to park down there, and it's strange and new and why can't it still be the 1980s?

Always appreciate your Game Day Synopses Mr. Dee. Thank you!

I still see many comments in the Winnipeg Free Press from some incredibly bitter people about the location. Personally, I lived in river heights and I hated the polo park location. Parking was always a beeyach as was traffic exiting. I wonder if those who complain about parking and traffic today overlook yesterday’s problems. I don’t want this thread to get derailed so I’ll leave it at that. Like tracker said, the new stadium is so much an improvement, I can’t imagine the current location has a significant impact on attendance.

I'm certainly no Hurl apologist... but appears they are used in completely different ways,,, Hurl was given an "assignment" that seemed to attempt to hide or mask his inadequacies... where as Bighill seems to be given free range to do what he feels is best (for the most part)... the difference is Bighill can do it and is great at it... Hurl.... well.... not so much...

Harris.... what a player. got the ultimate compliment from O'Shea the other day: the Bombers are getting a lot of awards this season. All hard earned and well deserved. Jovon, is having so much on field fun playing this season........ so great to see a guy play with such verve. It reminds me of the good ole days of West, Battle and Jones. going to have to open up the piggy bank to extend Bighill.

CFL trends  1st Year Player / Most FGs Single Game & Longest Streak: The 7 field goals made by Lewis Ward tied the CFL record for most by a 1st-Year player matching Justin Medlock's 7-of-7 in 2009 and is the most by a true CFL rookie (Medlock was in his first CFL season but was NOT a "Rookie" since he had played in the NFL previously). Medlock made all 7 FG attempts on Aug 14/09 in his first CFL season and like Ward his feat came in CFL career game #6: The longest FG made streak by a 1st Year CFL player was set by Luca Congi in 2006 at 21 in a row:  Duke Williams 100+ in 5 straight: Williams' current run of consecutive 100-yard games has reached 5. With one more this week vs SSK he can get to a level that has been reached only 3 times in CFL history. The last to extend that streak to at least 6 games of 100+ in a row was Jamel Richardson in 2011. Williams has tied the Edmonton record set by Brian Kelly in 1983.  6-game win streaks as a starter: Bo Levi Mitchell has led Calgary to FIVE different win streaks of at least 6 games in his career. Only two other QBs have engineered more of these 6+ game winning runs for their club:  11.3 / 10.2 Pts Allowed: Calgary is challenging a long-held CFL record having allowed only 11.3 total points per game thus far. In the entire CFL Era (1958 to today), the fewest TOTAL points allowed record is held by the 1964 BC Lions at 10.5 per game and followed by Hamilton (1965) at 10.9 ppg against.  2000+ Pace: D'haquille Williams is bidding to become the first 2000+ yard receiver since Allen Pitts had 2,036 yards in 1994. First Full Divisional Week: This game marks the start of the first full 2018 week of nothing but Divisional rivals playing one another. Through Week #7 the West dominated the East 14 wins to 6 with only Ottawa coming through with a winning record. Hamilton, Toronto and Montreal played a combined 16 inter-games and went 4-14 .222.  No of different starters: Ottawa & Saskatchewan have had only 28 different players start at least one game compared to Montreal with the most at 40 players.  Games played milestones ahead: Nearing 100 games ... Justin Capicciotti 99, Dan West 98, Samuel Giguere 97, J.C. Sherritt 97, Sam Hurl 96.  700 Receptions: Weston Dressler has 696 career catches with 3 more to become the 13th player to reach that level. He is also now exactly 200 yards away from reaching 10,000 and his receptions streak is up to 119 consecutive games. - CFL Notes

I actually hope he does well here that might influence other elite football athletes on the bubble of cracking a starting NFL roster to think a bit more seriously about starting/having a pro career in the CFL instead of sitting on a practice roster in the NFL. I know the salary thing but one can dream.

Idk. It's been 3 years since hes played any meaningful football. 5 if you dont include his 2 years in the NFL where he didnt show very much. I really think the only reason he gets the Hype is because he was a first round pick and a Heisman winner. Had he been any further down he likely doesnt get this much hype. I think hes going to be another NFL gone CFL bust.

you're wrong

It could not be easier get to and from game.

yes they have Biggie playing the MLB position they way you need to in order to be successful..thus allowing JSK and Moe/Fenner to play accordingly to be successful..which ripples into the secondary...and further confirrms this 'gap filling' role of Hurl's was just a B.S smokescreen to not throw him under the bus for the team's oversight in not adequately filling that position and adjusting the ratio accordingly

Fixed that for you.

Not gonna lie. Manziel is giving the CFL tremendous coverage in the US. Football fans down there who'd never give the CFL a second thought will be tuning into Friday's game. We can ***** that TSN is over the top on Manziel but the reality is that he's a ratings draw. Sorry Vernon, go have a seat at the end of the bench, shut your mouth & know your role. You're not the first football player who got the shaft. Won't be the last. I can see a huge ticket rush in Montreal for this game. Expect 18,000 to show up.

What kind of pocket can the Montreal O line give him? Not much pocket to show presence in so far this season in Montreal.

SpeedFlex27 is right, Manziel is a draw and is giving and will continue to give the CFL media attention. Look at US sites such as nfl.com and espn.com have articles about his starting Friday.

I just have no respect for fans in Winnipeg who don't go to the games because it's too far. What I wouldn't give to be able to attend games.

as do I.

The location is such a red herring. I've been to more games at IGF because of the location than I went to at CIS. So at worst, you're swapping people out. In the first couple of years does that mean some season ticket holders dropped off that werent replaced? Maybe, but they will be replaced by people who find it more convenient. I think Goalie is more correct in that weekends in the Summer here, you're competing with cottage country. And everyone has TV at the cottage and half of the people with trailers do too so they're watching the game in HD at the lake when you couldn't do that in the past. The only time the location is an issue if its pouring with rain or freezing cold and people make the walk from Pembina. But since we've had games with rain and events in the cold that didnt seem to be an issue. I know going to CIS seems like, for revisionists, the easiest thing in the world, but it wasnt for a lot of people sitting in gridlock to get there or parking a mile away and walking.

It is affecting me going to a game.

I thought about that upset. But I think Reilly will be able to get a W there. I did pick MTL tonight though.

I can't imagine location still being such a sore point (though this is Winnipeg and people *are* set in their ways). Like you, I always found Polo Park to be a bit of a nightmare. Traffic / Parking at the U of M is pretty damned efficient now.

Done.

Maybe, but the upgrades over the old stadium (which had a lot of memories in it for me) more than offsets the nostalgia.

just to clarify... I'm assuming D'haquille is Duke??

Funny fake tweet posted to this feed.

To the surprise of no one - those two teams were the Grey Cup champions.

Well, it could be. I read he's at $425,000 & he gets a $25,000 raise next season. I do know he's signed thru next season. 3 Down has lost a lot of credibility with me as they have a lot of fanboyz posing as "journalists" writing about their teams.

Football is a business and the Als at this point know they are screwed so the least they can do it play Manziel and sell tickets. They owe Adams nothing. He was brought in because they needed a QB and only played because Manziel needed a week to learn the playbook. I personally think both he and Manziel suck but to say that Adams deserves more of a chance is ridiculous. He sucked last week and has basically sucked his whole career.

Would love for him to make a speech at center field, should be a truly beautiful moment.

Big-Knox-Mo > Phi Betta Kappa

Montreal didn't trade the farm to bring Manziel in so he could sit on the bench. Their plan was to rush him onto the field in 1 to 3 games tops. They know they don't have a choice. Hail mary, full of grace...

Any head coach in any sport making a statement like that sounds like the kiss of death.

The Jets playoff run definitely has a major impact on the Bombers bottom line. Mostly the casual fans, but these are the ones that make the difference between a break even year and a profitable one.

For me it's all the Bomber games, 12 regular season Jet games (plus some of the playoff tickets) Maybe 1-2 Goldeye games, and no to the Moose. I will likely buy some Valour FC tickets next year.

https://www.cfl.ca/2018/08/01/landry-no-sophomore-slump-eskimo-kwaku-boateng/ Not bad for a placeholder...

Als should just cut Adams now... Sherman blah blahing about how Manziel will get time to work through growing pains and issues - meanwhile Vernon Adams gets one game - ridiculous.

That's exactly what happened. Well said by Vernon.

Anyone else think that the whole Duron Carter at DB experiment was actually just because the Riders are already so tight to the cap that they can't really sign any legit replacements?

Anyone that has not watched Succession has got to give it a go, equal to Billions and Saul and better than Ozark imo. Cut-throat family dysfunction at it's finest.

We hammered away with picks for a while and finally drafted really well at wr. Mhm. Very limited action. But when they give those guys chances, they show some thing. A far cry from the past. What really pops for me is the completion percentage jump for the NIs, especially wolitarsky. We gotta get more touches for that guy.

Sorry if this was mentioned elsewhere, but I’m curious, did Bowman see the field in Montreal’s loss the other day? Also a funny coincidence that in the two games that Adams hasn’t had a ton of catches this season he has thrown completions.

Revisionist thinking > best thinking. As I recall, there were a lot of people that were happy that signing Durant gave us a veteran backup. I also remember how dismayed people were when he suddenly took off with the money. Funny that. No. I seem to recall a lot of excitement around here when his signing was announced. Yes, it's too bad that they money was wasted, but that's not the fault of Walters. That's just bad luck.

Thanks Captain Hindsight! Both players were heralded as good depth additions when they were signed in the off season.

This forum always needs a whipping boy. I'm curious who's up next, anybody want to make a pool? I'm thinking Simonize

Ya it's really frustrating that Walters can't see into the future like all the other GMs. It makes me mad when he spends money trying to make this team better. I want to go back to the good old days where we didn't try so hard and were happy raiding the scrapheaps of other teams. I mean, come on, look at all the success we had when we did that!