Week 1 thoughts and review

[Nolby]

You can tell there was tons of rust  but lots of good new talent. Can't judge an entire season after this first week as no one knew what to expect at all but there are some observations;

-Calgary may or may not be falling from grace 

-Who the hell knows what's going on with BC and their QB situation

-Toronto looks to have taken big steps forward but we'll see if the old Argos show up or not.

-Montreal....TBD

-Hamilton should get back on their feet with some pieces returning soon.

-Ottawa ain't gonna win much with under 100 yards passing

-Edmonton could be a Jekyll or Hyde,who knows

-Saskatchewan thinks they're all that after beating a rookie qb and a mediocre defense at best(can't wait for them to play us)

-Bombers defense looks dominant and hasn't lost a step, Oliveira fit in just fine, Callaros needs a little tuning but was smart with passes and running for yards.

Feel free to add anything

Edited August 8, 2021 by Nolby

[Tracker]

Every season, there seems to be shortages of good players in one or two positions. This year there is a dearth of good quarterbacks (usual thing), running backs and good  kickers.

[Pete Catan's Ghost]

Elks won't win any games by outcoaching the opposition. Elizondo is a career coordinator that only got the HC job because he was last man standing when Milanovich bailed.

I foresee a Tim Burke-like head coaching campaign, with both he and Sunderland being fired at season's end.

[Tracker]

3 minutes ago, Pete Catan's Ghost said:

Elks won't win any games by outcoaching the opposition. Elizondo is a career coordinator that only got the HC job because he was last man standing when Milanovich bailed.

I foresee a Tim Burke-like head coaching campaign, with both he and Sunderland being fired at season's end.

Or a Noel Thorpe promotion.

[Mark H.]

Calgary: it's pretty clear that BLM will take more hits than he's used to.  He also threw more picks than you'd normally see from him. 

B.C. would have won with better place kicking.  IMO, they are the hardest team to predict - some good pieces there.

Toronto - I was impressed with MBT - we'll see if his ancesters can keep it up.

Hamilton - we will see how their OL performs against the Riders.  I mean, Masoli only had 3 targets on some plays, with all the protection they were using. 

Ottawa - it's going to be a long season - what a ridiculous win.

Edmonton - absolutely insane that they lost that game.  You just have to score more points with that talent - some of the best receivers in the CFL. Wilder Jr. was looking good.

Saskatchewan: TBD. BC almost beat them.  Some pretty good talent over there

Winnipeg: D looks fantastic, O is still gelling.  Looking forward to a 2 back set

[BBlink]

Hard to really come to any conclusions after 1 week. But maybe the eastern teams (especially Toronto) will be okay this year.

I think it's safe to say our lines are still really good. And with a good QB that goes a long way.

BC is probably going to be a tire fire. Though it was really crazy how they almost managed to win being down by 31 and a crippled QB throwing hot garbage.

[Pete Catan's Ghost]

Just now, Tracker said:

Or a Noel Thorpe promotion.

Another guy who's interviewed for (I'm assuming) many HC jobs with zero success. 

[Tracker]

We have two O-linemen (Tua and Gray) who would not only be starters on almost every other team, but stars.  At least four other GM's would give up their first round picks for the next two years plus their firstborns for either one.

Edited August 8, 2021 by Tracker

[BBlink]

And even though I hate the Riders a lot, Edmonton and Calgary both stating they gift-wrapped their games almost makes me want to cheer against them the hardest this year.

[Mark F]

1 hour ago, BBlink said:

And even though I hate the Riders a lot, Edmonton and Calgary both stating they gift-wrapped their games almost makes me want to cheer against them the hardest this year.

 

early in the season, but vegas oddsmakers heavily favour stamps being arrogant d##ck(enson)s

Edited August 8, 2021 by Mark F

[johnzo]

I went a perfect 0-4 in the pickems!

with a record like that, I can turn pro.  Call me, cfl.ca!

Edited August 8, 2021 by johnzo

[17to85]

I felt like the Bombers and Argos had the most impressive games of week one based on expectations of them and their opponents going into the games.

[johnzo]

unanswered questions:

real curious whether Nathan Rourke is for real or whether he put up a garbage time mirage against a lazy/overrated secondary. in any case, kudos to him for his mental toughness; he shut out the scoreboard and the noise and balled.

is Nichols game rostered for week 2?

when does Benevides replace Lapo?

is this the twilight of BLM?

 

[Nolby]

59 minutes ago, 17to85 said:

I felt like the Bombers and Argos had the most impressive games of week one based on expectations of them and their opponents going into the games.

Agreed. It would be good for the league if the Argos became relevant again so they can fill more of those seats at home.

[wbbfan]

52 minutes ago, johnzo said:

I went a perfect 0-4 in the pickems!

with a record like that, I can turn pro.  Call me, cfl.ca!

if you wouldve picked the riders to win and went 1-3 theyd give you a 10 year contract. 

35 minutes ago, johnzo said:

unanswered questions:

real curious whether Nathan Rourke is for real or whether he put up a garbage time mirage against a lazy/overrated secondary. in any case, kudos to him for his mental toughness; he shut out the scoreboard and the noise and balled.

is Nichols game rostered for week 2?

when does Benevides replace Lapo?

is this the twilight of BLM?

 

Rourke is 100% worth developing. He isnt ready to lead a team right now, but hes very talented. Will nichols be rostered for weekd 2? yes. Should he be? No. Im gonna say lapo gets the boot half way through the season. Last year was the twilight of blm and the stumps. This is the down fall, and I for one am gonna enjoy the $%^& out of it. 

50 minutes ago, 17to85 said:

I felt like the Bombers and Argos had the most impressive games of week one based on expectations of them and their opponents going into the games.

Agree. I think the argos offense is gonna trend down unless they get a legit run game going though. That defense is talented they could get better. I think a lot of teams with new offenses, and coaching staffs really struggled and will improve over the next few weeks. The argos passing game is where its gonna be. They have an edge, but will they keep it is the question. Same goes for us, we are far a head in execution and preparation we have a big edge to start the year but its up to us to use it and keep it. 

Some of my questions;

1) when does the air lift of import kickers come in to replace the globals. 

2) we are in the year of the back up qb 2.0, but the old guard of elite qbs have also fallen. Will reilly, nichols, etc get healthy? Can collaros stay healthy? Will harris implode into a toxic mess if he continues to struggle? etc. And most importantly who will step up and be the new stars. Fajardo, MBT, Vaj have the inside track on the yount movement, but we will see more new names given the chance to break through this year. 

3) League wide defenses feature tons and tons of rookie faces. Who is going to be the next wave of DOPTY candidates. 

4) Can teams who dont run well go far? 

5) Is this the end of Reilly in bc?

6) Finally, I wouldnt be surprised to see a fringe team become a seller and try to trade veteran imps for young NI talent to try and build up for a big push next year with what should be a short off season. 

Just now, Nolby said:

Agreed. It would be good for the league if the Argos became relevant again so they can fill more of those seats at home.

Last time they won the GC they still had a pitiful attendance. I dont think success brings the fans back in toronto. But entertainment might. And the argos could have a very fun down field run and gun offense this year. Hope for the best, but Id be surprised to ever see 30k people in attendance for an argo game again. 

[Mark F]

2 hours ago, johnzo said:

I went a perfect 0-4 in the pickems!

with a record like that, I can turn pro.  Call me, cfl.ca!

where can i get one of those shirts?

[Wanna-B-Fanboy]

4 minutes ago, Mark F said:

where can i get one of those shirts?

Call 1-855-WNA-BFNB

They can make one up for you in a jiffy.

Edited August 8, 2021 by wanna-b-fanboy

[kelownabomberfan]

6 hours ago, johnzo said:

I went a perfect 0-4 in the pickems!

with a record like that, I can turn pro.  Call me, cfl.ca!

Wait...you picked Hamilton??

[Mark H.]

4 minutes ago, kelownabomberfan said:

Wait...you picked Hamilton??

He clearly did....we'll let it pass this time...

[johnzo]

1 minute ago, kelownabomberfan said:

Wait...you picked Hamilton??

yup.  I'll own it.  Figured without Adams and Harris, we were in tough.

like I said, very smart.

[johnzo]

4 hours ago, Mark F said:

where can i get one of those shirts?

it's from this super fun online t-shirt making game called Tee KO (https://www.jackboxgames.com/tee-ko/)

We played it a ton during the pandemic.  Alas, don't have the purchase info for the shirts we made..

[TrueBlue4ever]

6 hours ago, johnzo said:

unanswered questions:

real curious whether Nathan Rourke is for real or whether he put up a garbage time mirage against a lazy/overrated secondary. in any case, kudos to him for his mental toughness; he shut out the scoreboard and the noise and balled.

is Nichols game rostered for week 2?

when does Benevides replace Lapo?

is this the twilight of BLM?

 

Too soon to say if Rourke is for real, but he hardly played in garbage time. Some promise there, but once teams have film on him then we will have a better picture of his talent. 

Nichols will be rostered for the indefinite future, even if he slips into back-up mode. The real question is will he be benched for ineffectiveness if his shoulder gets no better but no worse, or does he need to aggregate the injury to be pulled?

LaPo is not going anywhere this year. The club will re-assess at year’s end, and I think management understands the low expectations of this rebuilding season. 

BLM is 31 and has the highest winning percentage of any QB in CFL history. The team won 12 games last year. Unless you know something about his past injuries still being an issue, to suggest that he is close to being done is nonsense. 

[Booch]

MBT and Fajardo are hardly a youth movement..

 

[Geebrr]

I feel like Calgary has run end arounds and slants for 2Qs to bring guys up to the line up scrimmage so they can start taking shots for years but it still seems to work too often. 

Drives me nuts 

Edited August 9, 2021 by Geebrr

[johnzo]

6 minutes ago, TrueBlue4ever said:

Too soon to say if Rourke is for real, but he hardly played in garbage time.

Nichols will be rostered for the indefinite future, even if he slips into back-up mode. The real question is will he be benched for ineffectiveness if his shoulder gets no better but no worse, or does he need to aggregate the injury to be pulled?

LaPo is not going anywhere this year. The club will re-assess at year’s end, and I think management understands the low expectations of this rebuilding season. 

BLM is 31 and has the highest winning percentage of any QB in CFL history. The team won 12 games last year. Unless you know something about his past injuries still being an issue, to suggest that he is close to being done is nonsense. 

I think garbage time started during the second quarter of BC vs. Riders .... that's when the Rider secondary started getting real casual.

BLM is gonna win more games for sure, but something looks off with him.  He's missing throws he didn't miss before.  Is he gonna be ageless like Calvillo or Allen and find new peaks in his game?  or is he going to tail off now?  I don't think he's done by any stretch but I think the trend will be down for him.

Lapo, we'll see.  His team is swaggering in two phases of the game but doesn't look to have a lot of upside on O.  Could see him being the fall guy for the redblack's terrible offensive recruiting.