Gibson's Players of the Month Archive for 2013

Our Archive of the Selections for the Gibson's Player of the Month for the 2013 CFL season.


Players of the Month for July


Selections by Player


July-- Kory Sheets, Saskatchewan
July-- Kyries Hebert, Montreal
July-- Rene Paredes, Calgary
July-- Jon Cornish, Calgary


Selections by Team

Calgary--2
Saskatchewan-- 1
Montreal-- 1

Repeat Winners This Year

--


Players of the Month for 2012

Gibson's Players of the Month: July 2013

Not surprisingly when you give some thought to his start, Kory Sheets dominated the Gibson's scorecard for the July Player of the Month selections.

Sheets' who appears on a pace for not only a record breaking but an award winning season, ran his way onto the Gibson's roster for July, his running totals for the month  of 712 yards on 118 carries for 4 touchdowns, setting a pace for the rest of the league's running backs to set as their gold standard for 2013.

The Als Kyries Hebert claimed the Defensive honours for the month, one of the few bright moments for an Alouette season of misery so far, the Als defensive unit doing their best to keep the Als hopes alive, led by Hebert who has been spectacular on defence in the early going.

Joining them on the Gibson's Player of the Month roster are two Stampeders, Jon Cornish who like Sheets sets the pace for pretty well every game he plays in, securing a spot as Canadian Player for July, the Stamps kicker Rene Paredes who continues to impress with his reliable kicking foot rounds out the monthly awards as Special Teams player for July.


A review of the the Gibson's panel selections can be found below.

Offensive Player of the Week
Kory Sheets, RB, Saskatchewan Roughriders

Defensive Player of the Week
Kyries Hebert, Safety, Montreal Alouettes

Special Teams Player of the Week
Rene Paredes, K, Calgary Stampeders

Canadian Player of the Week
Jon Cornish, RB, Calgary Stampeders

CFL.ca review of the Players of the Month

Video review of the Players of the  Month

CFL Regular Season: Week 5

The usually compact schedule of weekend football that the CFL normally features gets a bit of a stretch for week number five, with games stretching from Thursday through to next Tuesday, the Alouettes hosting the week five kick off, while the Argos will bookend the week on Tuesday when they host eh Lions.

The previews of the six day work week can be found below.

Edmonton at Montreal (Thursday, July 25)
(7:30 PM ET, 5:30 MT, 4:30 ET)

Two teams that really need to sort things out quickly meet in Montreal on Thursday, night as the still trying to find their way Eskimos meet up with the imploding Alouettes, the loser set to hold title as team in most distress after five weeks of football.

The Eskimos have proven to be their own worst enemies at times, miscues, mental mistakes and very untimely penalties have wreaked havoc on any of head coach Kavis Reed's plans, his now Internet famous slow burn on YouTube indicative as to just how concerned the head coach is at the focus of his players.

Montreal as well has a problem with keeping things moving in a forward momentum, a sudden glimpse of hope last week in the first half of their visit to Calgary all came crashing down to earth in the final thirty minutes when Calgary not only swarmed back to erase a 24 point deficit but seemed to crush the will of the Alouettes to compete, perhaps a more dangerous thing than any account on a score board.

So, it's with that narrative that week five will get underway, two teams trying to find their way, already falling behind in the early stages of the CFL season and showing no indication that any kind of turn around is imminent.

Once upon a time a Montreal / Edmonton match up was a thing of legend for CFL fans, past Grey Cups a historical point in the CFL's archives, 2013 offers up a very different vision of that storied rivalry, which for now isn't so much about the past as it is about where the two teams wish to go in the immediate future.

A quick look at the key points for Thursday night can be found below.

Montreal Gazette-- Much penalized Als facing big test
Edmonton Journal-- Eskimos, Alouettes find themselves in the same sinking boat

CFL.ca Eskimos/Alouettes preview

Twelve Men Eskimo page
Twelve Men Alouette page

Calgary at Winnipeg (Friday, July 27)
(7 PM CT, 8 ET, 6 MT, 5 PT)

What's needed for the Friday night football showcase is someone with a Ouija board, so as to better advise us as to which Quarterback will stand behind a centre once the Bombers and Stamps kick it off at Investors Group Field.

Both the Stampeders and Bombers are working their way down the depth charts (and in some cases back up again) as they try to fill in holes at the pivotal position for any offence.

The Stamps have seen Drew Tate go down in the early stages of the 2013 season, followed by Kevin Glenn last week, sending us to scour the listings to find Bo Levi Mitchell,  who took on the quarterback duties last week for Calgary and may be the go to guy Friday, depending on how the convalescence of Mr. Tate has come along.

Across the field the Bombers spent much of the week trying to figure out if the already much injured Buck Pierce has another game, half, oh maybe even a quarter perhaps to give in week five.  Late this week Buck said he was ready to go, the coach seemingly not quite on board, so it is anticipated that Justin Goltz gets the nod to carry the Bombers hopes and desires for a home field win to christen the new stadium in victory for the home town fans.

So far in two regular season starts, the home town fans have gone home disappointed and a little bewildered at the state of their squad and how 2013 is starting to resemble 2012 in any number of ways, the majority of them on the injury lists.

Caught up in the sub plots of the quarterback concerns is the fact that Rene Paredes, the Stamps field goal kicker has a chance to grab a share of the record books tonight with but one field goal, a record that is back within his grasp despite a blocked kick of last week against Montreal, by quirk of CFL rules, a blocked kick is not attempt so Paredes is good to go for the record, strange as many seem to find it all.

Beyond that, the themes of holding a lead, or at least not surrendering too many points will be of concern to both squads, Calgary's remarkable comeback last week should not deflect focus on the fact that they gave up 24 points in the first half, a trend that head coach John Hufnagel will wish to bring to an end we imagine.

Likewise, the Bombers will be looking to adding points to the scoreboard, while holding the Stamps back, defensively the Blue are holding their own,  about middle of the pack of defensive stats. Offensively thought they need to pick up the pace, at the moment hosting the second worst points for record in the league, with only the struggling Hamilton Tiger Cats to keep them from the CFL basement.

The Stamps will be looking to keep pace with the Saskatchewan Roughriders,  who currently rule the roost in the CFL West with a perfect record of 4 and 0.

Calgary holds a 3 -1 record heading into week five, the Bombers 1 and 3, the task of reversing that trend the main focus for Friday night.

Calgary Sun-- Simpson, Cornish should see ball plenty in Stampeders-Bombers tilt
Winnipeg Free Press-- Goltz gets the ball -- we knew that -- but the question is, will he keep it?

CFL.ca Bombers/Stampeders preview

Twelve Men Bomber page
Twelve Men Stampeder page


Saskatchewan at Hamilton (Saturday, July 27)
(7:30 PM ET, 6:30 ST, 4:30 PT)

The second half of a back to back for the Riders and the Cats arrives on Saturday, the hometown Tabbies (well as home town as a trip down the road to Guelph can provide for) looking to make amends for their performance of last week in Regina.

Week four was not kind to Hamilton, the Riders laid bare all of the Tiger Cat shortcomings for 2013, a defensive unit that is struggling to say the least and an offensive unit that while loaded with talented players, has yet to make its mark where it counts in points on a scoreboard.

Saskatchewan enters week five looking to not only carry forward their momentum thus far, but to secure undefeated status for yet another week.

The Riders have simply been the Best of the CFL in their early season work, dominating on both sides of the ball, Darian Durant even when hobbled by injury has been simply amazing in his ability to pick apart opposing defensive units. When the time for a run arrives, which in the first four weeks has been fairly regular, Kory Sheets takes the rock and runs it and runs it and runs it, his stats package for 2013 setting the pace for trophies by November.

For the Riders, the pieces are such, that those that step in when required, just carry on with the overall plan, a process that may be in place on Saturday as concerns over Durant continue with Drew Willy ready to fill in if required, with hardly a blip for the Riders game plan expected.

Hamilton on the other hand is once again an enigmatic squad, while they rebuild a new stadium in Steeltown, the product on the field appears destined for renovation as well. Kent Austin looking to find the right combinations that will begin to turn a growing sense of unease in Hamilton that rather than going forward, the Cats are heading backwards.

Perhaps understandable with a new GM and coach at the controls, but for TiCat fans whether in the stands in Guelph or back home in Hamilton, the omens thus far suggest that 2013 may be a year of frustration.

Trying to turn it all around is tough enough at the best of times, but having to go back to back against what has become the CFL's signature squad for 2013, is a task that may be a little beyond the grasp of the Cats at this point.

Maybe by November they'll have more to say, but they'll have to make it that far to stake out a playoff spot, the one thing in their favour a once again quite weak Eastern Division where second place is still within sight and with a quick retool and some forward momentum first may yet be a possibility.

The road there however will require focus and delivery on the field, something which has been inconsistent to say the least thus far.

A look ahead to a Saturday evening in Guelph can be found below.

Regina Leader Post-- Taman's critics silenced
Hamilton Spectator-- Time for Ticats to make a 'statement'

CFL.ca Riders/Tiger Cats preview

Twelve Men on the Field Riders page
Twelve Men on the Field Tiger Cats page

British Columbia at Toronto (Tuesday, July 30)
(7:30 ET, 4:30 PT)

The Lions and Argos bring the curtain down on week number five, an extended deadline for the fifth week of football, a rare Tuesday game which has provided the Lions with a ten day break as it all turns out, making them well rested for the game.

Providing the Lions offence a good opportunity to continue to work out the few mis-communications over the first four weeks, Lions QB Travis Lulay has looked very comfortable at the helm of the BC offence, gaining confidence in young receivers and making a good mix of his running and passing game.

The task will be on the Argos defence Tuesday, to make sure that the Lions don't gain any early momentum, getting to Lulay on a regular basis and disrupting the Lions full approach to the Tuesday game plan.

The Bad news for the Argos, who in addition to taking on a refreshed Lions squad will have to do so without starting quarterback Ricky Ray, who sits out tonights game, providing Zach Collaros with his CFL debut as a starter.

A tough road for the Argo youngster, going up against one of the CFL's top defensive units.

It has been a week for the understudies across the league, Calgary, Winnipeg and Saskatchewan all used the number two spot on the depth chart to fill in for injured starters, with Calgary and Saskatchewan having particular success with back up plans in effect.

Watching carefully as all the understudies have taken to the field will be the scouting and managerial staff of the Ottawa RedBlacks, who will be looking to fill out roster positions next year, judging by the recent success of the number two's (and in some cases the number three's) the QB spot may be one of their lesser concerns for 2014.

Toronto Sun-- Argonauts' QB Collaros faces tough odds in debut
Vancouver Province-- Rich Stubler: Lions defensive genius mutes his praise

Lions/Argos preview fro CFL.ca

Twelve Men on the Field Lions page
Twelve Men on the Field Argos page

The week five schedule, with Reviews from CFL.ca can be found below

July 30-- British Columbia 12 at Toronto 38 (20,064)
July 27-- Saskatchewan 32 at Hamilton 20   (13,002)
July 26-- Calgary 37 at Winnipeg 24 (31,567)
July 25-- Edmonton 27 at Montreal 32 (23,021)

All Games on TSN

Gibson's Players of the Week: Week Four

The domination of the CFL by the Saskatchewan Roughriders in week four once again translated in Gibson's Awards, as the CFL's Gibson's panel looked for the most part to the Riders win over the Tiger Cats for their selection pool of the week.

The Riders Darian Durant led off the Gibson's parade earning Offensive player of the week honours, while the Riders Renauld Williams also found Gibson's Player of the Week fame on the D side, for an exclamation point, the Riders Robb Bagg, picked up Top Canadian efforts for the Green and White.

Only the Stamps Rene Paredes, once again kept it from being a sweep of Green for the Gibson's, his special teams selection, breaking the monopoly of the Riders for week four.

A review of the the Gibson's panel selections can be found below.

Offensive Player of the Week
Darian Durant, QB, Saskatchewan Roughriders

Defensive Player of the Week
Renauld Williams, DT, Saskatchewan Roughriders

Special Teams Player of the Week
Rene Paredes, K, Calgary Stampeders

Canadian Player of the Week
Robb Bagg, SB, Saskatchewan Roughriders

CFL.ca review of the Players of the Week

Video review of the Players of the Week

Top Ten Plays of Week Number 4

Ultimate Replay for Week Number 4

Twelve Men on the Field Archive of the Players of the Week Listings for the 2013 season

CFL Regular Season: Week Four Review

Week Four once again delivered for the Rider Nation, as a convincing win over the Hamilton Tiger Cats kept the Riders as the cream of the CFL crop for yet another week.

Elsewhere its shaping up to be an early season of concern, with struggles in Montreal and Winnipeg, injury concerns in Toronto and Calgary and a growing frustration in Hamilton and Edmonton.

Leaving but British Columbia at the moment as a team that may yet mount a challenge for the league leading Riders.

The reviews of the week that was below.

Toronto at Winnipeg

The Toronto Argonauts Ricky Ray put on a quarterbacking clinic in Winnipeg on Friday evening, highlighting a stats package that found him 19 of 20 and throwing for 286 yards on the night, connecting for two TD passes before and here's the more important fact of the night, before having to leave the game with an injury.

Joining him in the training room post game was running back Chad Kackert who also suffered an injury during the course of the Friday night game, twin injuries that make the two points collected at the expense of the Blue Bombers an incidental fact for the game.

The only silver lining in the twin injuries, the Argos have over a week off to heal up, time that will be required should the injuries prove to be of a serious nature, not enough time if they are of the variety that take a portion of the season to heal.

The Argos had an easy time of it against the Bombers, the 35 to 19 score perhaps a bit flattering to the home side, which once again delivered a bit of a smelly egg for the huge crowd at the shiny new ball park.

Injuries again stalked the Blue Bombers, with (stop us if you've heard this one before) Buck Pierce sent to the sidelines with an injury to his upper torso, leaving the Bombers offence in the hands of Justin Goltz for the remainder of the second half and while Goltz did put together some drives to keep the Bombers in the game, the ongoing concern over the QB position seems to be the never ending circle of hell for Bombers fans.

Toronto will continue to hold sway over the upper reaches of the CFL East as long as they can keep Ray, Kackert and their offensive weapons healthy for the entire season, the distance between first and last growing by the week while Winnipeg, Montreal and Hamilton continue to struggle.

For Winnipeg, the only salvation to what is already shaping up as a frustrating season is the fact that three of their four competitors for playoffs spots are equally woeful, not exactly a standard of excellence to thrill the fans with.

The review of the week four opener can be found at CFL.ca

Montreal at Calgary

For thirty minutes of football it appeared that the Montreal Alouettes had exorcised every one of their demons from the first few weeks of the 2013, the first two halves of football a showcase of all that many remember the Alouettes for.

Anthony Calvillo was on fire, the offence in sync with their leader and piling up the points on what appeared to be a shell shocked Calgary Stampeder defence, Montreal's defensive unit made life as miserable for Kevin Glenn all of which resulted in a 24 - 0 lead for the Als at the half.

And then... well, it would seem it's too bad that they took the break.

The second half provided for as epic a collapse as you could ever find in recent CFL history, whatever John Hufnagel said to his team at the half clearly resonated with the Stamps, the final thirty minutes of football providing for a turn around of 38 points.

Calgary sent the Als home seriously discouraged at their fate and perhaps at their future, the destruction of the Alouettes defensive unit in those final two quarters the strongest signal yet as to just how bad the Als are this year and a collapse that seems to have stirred on the demands that something has to change in Montreal quickly.

While the impressive comeback provided some push back for the Stamps, Saturdays victory did come with a cost,  Kevin Glenn was injured in the third quarter forced from the game, turning the ball over to the third spot on the Stamps depth chart at the moment, Bo Levi Mitchell, receiver Brad Sinopoli may want to take some reps this week as well, as you just never know who may be forced into action.

The Stamps are waiting to see how the recovery process moves for their QB position, original starter in week one Drew Tate is on the mend, though no one is sure if he's ready to take control again just yet. Glenn's injury is kind of a mysterious thing at the moment, the Stamps not inclined to say too much about it, all of which could make Mitchell the go to guy when the Stamps kick it off on Friday in Winnipeg.

The Stamps also found themselves in the midst of a bit of a CFL controversy as part of the Saturday night game, a field goal attempt, one that would have put him into elite record territory for placekickers in the CFL, was blocked, seemingly bringing his quest for most successful consecutive field goals to an end.

But, it appears that the CFL with a few quirks to their rules doesn't consider a blocked attempt as an attempt, a confusing little bit of rule making, that leaves the Calgary kicker still in the hunt for a record on Friday.

It was just one of the three main take aways from the Stamps and Als game, the others being the nature of an unexpected Stampeder comeback and Alouette implosion making for the bulk of the reviews of week four.

A recap of the Als and Stamps can be found at CFL.ca

Edmonton at British Columbia

The BC Lions went 2 for 2 in their back to back matches with the Edmonton Eskimos, Saturday night in BC Place providing for a powerful offensive display for the hometown fans and helping keep the Lions on the heels of the undefeated Saskatchewan Roughriders in the CFL West.

Travis Lulay had a strong night completing 18 of 24 passes for 284 yards, connecting for one TD on the way to the Lions 31 to 21 victory over the Eks, it was also another showcase game for Andrew Harris who carried the ball 17 times for 103 yards and three touchdowns for the Leos.

The Eskimos struggles on defence clearly were still there, the young team still seeking to find some balance in a season that is offering up a number of issues that need to be addressed before forward momentum will be found.

The Esks are at 1 and 3 on the year so far, and beyond the rebuilding woes for the team, on field discipline is proving to be a bit of a concern as penalties and untimely turnovers continue to prove troublesome for Edmonton.

A tendency to fall apart in the third quarter is also something that head coach Kavis Reed is going to have to address, for the majority of the Eskimos games this year, the third quarter has provided for the turning point in the wrong direction, it's in those fifteen minutes that the opposition finds its most success, in the most part putting Edmonton away before  the 4th even begins.

The Lions on the other hand seem to have begun to get the hang of their road ahead, a nice mix of pass and run spurs the offence on, while defensively British Columbia is making opposing teams work for each yard, pay the price for points that they may score inside the Lions redzone.

Considering the start that the Saskatchewan Roughriders have enjoyed, the early season games may just play as large a role in the rush for playoff spots as the final month of the season normally does, towards that theme the Lions are keeping pace and keeping their focus on a run for first place. 

The Esks on the other hand will have to review what's gone wrong and begin to claw their way back into contention, as things are shaping up after four weeks of play, the Esks may find that the only way into a playoff spot is via the crossover route to the East playoffs, where the woeful Eastern teams give some hope for Eskimo fans.

The Lions/Esks review can be found at CFL.ca

Hamilton at Saskatchewan 

They are the class of the CFL so far in 2013 and judging by the total dominance that they seem to employ on the field, the Riders may carry this momentum all the way through to the Grey Cup, which Regina hosts in November.

Week number four once again provided a total team concept from the Riders, who easily tossed aside the Hamilton Tiger Cats on the way to their 37 to 0 shutout of the Tabbies.

Dariant Durant who many thought would be on the sidelines for the game, instead put on yet another impressive performance, throwing 32 passes, connecting on 20 of them for 347 yards, putting four of them into the hands of receivers for touchdowns.

Kory Sheets, who seems to want to wrap up the Most Outstanding Player balloting before Labour Day once again rambled for over 100 yards, picking up 130 yards on 24 carries.

Even Geroy Simon got in on the action, the high profile Rider acquisition from the off season saw his first action of the regular season  grabbing 2 passes for 38 yards part of a strong aerial attack that features Rob Bagg, Weston Dresler and Taj Smith all of whom collected passes to roll up the stats.

Defensively the Riders are turning into a Legion of Doom, teams not only have troubles scoring, but just gaining traction is proving to be troublesome under a withering Rider rush. just ask Henry Burris for confirmation, the Ti Cat QB found that time was of the essence as the Riders flooded the TiCat backfield, much to the enjoyment of the Rider faithful who cheered on every moment as Burris scrambled for his life.

The TiCats offence continued to struggle to gain points, a recurring theme so far in 2013, but as worrisome as that may be, of more immediate concern is the nature of the TiCat defence which seems incapable at the moment of shutting down their competition, having surrendered a league leading 126 points.

For Kent Austin, the return to the field where he found some of his greatest CFL glory surely didn't deliver the kind of result he had hoped for, as it turned out he along with the 30,000 plus in the stands would be observers to a finely tuned machine in Green, one which heading into August is looking to be the CFL's team to beat in 2013.

The CFL.ca review of the week four finale can be found here.

CFL Regular Season: Week 4

Friday Night Football heralds week number four of the CFL season, the first of the four games of the weekend, with two games set for Saturday and the wrap to the week arriving on Sunday.

Toronto at Winnipeg (Friday, July 19)
(8 PM ET, 7 MT, 5 PT)

A tough road beckons for the Toronto Argonauts, who head into Winnipeg on Friday night looking to take two points out of some hostile territory, with another large crowd anticipated for the new showcase stadium in the CFL Investors Group Field.

The Argos head into the Friday night game coming off shellacking at the hands of the Saskatchewan Roughriders last week, the Riders controlled the bulk of the action through the sixty minutes, with the running game of Kory Sheets providing particular difficulty for the Argonaut defensive unit.

That will be a glaring hole that the Bombers will seek to exploit, as they seek to regain some momentum in the CFL east after their loss to the Ti Cats last week.  Winnipeg has yet to secure a victory at home in their new digs, having spent two of the first three weeks on the road, so the home side fans will be eager to see the Blue put it all together at the expense of their eastern visitors.

The success of that game plan will involve keeping the Argo defensive front line at bay, giving QB Buck Pierce time to set the offensive game plan in motion and more importantly keep the sacks, hits and rushes on the QB to a minimum.

The Argos however will have some home side rooting of their own at Friday night's game, with Mayor Rob Ford apparently having made the trek west to take in some football at the new football palace of the CFL.

Some snippets of preview of Friday nights game can be found below


Toronto Sun-- Argos have to pull it together
Winnipeg Sun -- It's early but this is already a huge game for Blue Bombers

CFL.ca Argos/Bombers preview

Twelve Men Argo page
Twelve Men Bombers page

Montreal at Calgary (Saturday, July 20)
(5 PM MT, 7 ET, 4 PT)

Fans of the Montreal Alouettes haven't seen this kind of inside turmoil with the Als for a number of years, the franchise that normally works with a clock like precision, suddenly is starting to resemble your grandfathers old timepiece, it runs a little slow, sometimes the hands stick and while it still looks nice, there's a bit of dust, a little tarnish on the casing.

The start to the 2013 season has not been the Als finest of hours, frustration at a game plan that doesn't seem to be catching on has provided for an outburst from the team's leader Anthony Calvillo, a most unguarded moment that saw him blast everyone but the owner (always a good strategy) but even Bob Wetenhall must realize that the changeover from the Marc Trestman era has not been a smooth one.

The Als are having problems protecting their QB, the playbook is seemingly leaving many of them a little confused as to their place on the field and the results are a 1 and 2 record and frankly, they're lucky to have the one at this point.

The Als have surrendered 74 points thus far in 2013, 52 of them in two contests with Winnipeg, which is a team that isn't exactly showing that it's going to make a run for the Grey Cup this year, in their first test against a Western team last week, the Stamps marched into Montreal and offered up just how much work Montreal has ahead of it this year, lesson number two arrives on Saturday when the Als play the second of a home and home at McMahon Stadium.

Calgary too has a few issues to sort out, a rough start to the year so far already has them looking way up the standings board at the surging Saskatchewan Roughriders, a situation that will probably make those Rider fans that call Calgary home (count the Green Jersey's at Stamps games later this year) but for the true believers in the Red and White, the need to kick it in gear quickly is here.

The Stamps have already suffered an early season setback with starter Drew Tate suffering injury in week two, however Kevin Glenn has the kind of CFL experience that is beyond value for a team that wants to keep in the hunt in the West.

Glenn is back under the centre for week four, hoping to recapture his efforts of last week when he made rather quick work of the Montreal defensive unit, keeping them on the field for lengthy periods of time, followed up by scoring drives that propelled the Stamps to victory, Glenn had a stand out game with 268 yards on 22 of 28 passes.  One of the reasons, that the Als defensive unit is atop the CFL East in points allowed.

Week three offered up some evidence that the Stamps are inclined to the get their game back on track for  a run in the CFL West, whether Montreal has similar inclinations for the east will get another review on Saturday.

Some pre game thoughts can be found below.

Montreal Gazette-- Calvillo will face Stampeders after injury scare
Calgary Sun-- Calgary Stampeders to go without Maurice Price against Alouettes

CFL.ca Als/Stamps preview

Twelve Men Alouettes page
Twelve Men Stampeders page


Edmonton at British Columbia (Saturday, July 20)
( 7 PM PT, 10 ET, 8 MT)

Kavis Reed probably knew that the 2013 season was going to be a frustrating thing, the Eskimos rebuilding on the fly as they are, does not leave room for much in the way of error, and errors have been a plenty in the first three weeks of the current campaign.

Nothing indicates Reeds' level of concern more than his now much reviewed post game comments from last weeks loss to the Lions.  He clearly knows what the problems are with his squad, their lack of discipline and the effects that those mis-steps have provided for.

You get the feeling he will address those concerns, however, he clearly needs some help from the upper office holders that put him into this mess, the Eskimos are still clearly trying to recover from the great steal of 2012, when Eric Tillman sent the face of the franchise Ricky Ray to Toronto, securing a Grey Cup for the Argos, leaving the Eskimos to try and pick up the pieces of that now legendary error.

Coaches coach, but they need some players that can play, the Esks once a team that had so much depth that the practice roster could probably challenge for a first place finish, now have problems executing simple game plans and make those mental errors that clearly is placing no shortage of stress on their coach.

While the Lions may not wish to add to Reed's stress levels, they won't be particularly accommodating when they take to the home field at BC Place Saturday night, with Saskatchewan off to a lightning fast start, keeping pace with the Riders is key to any first place ambitions that the Lions may have.

Last week, the Lions began to shape up into the kind of team many expected to see out of the gate in the CFL west, despite torrential rains and a first half of some ugly football, the second half for BC was the kind of offensive mastery that Travis Lulay has been able to summon in the past.

The Lions QB made the most of all of his offensive weapons, a strong running game, sure handed pass receivers and his own scrambling kept the Eskimos off their defensive game for most of that second half, the now identified problem area of Eskimo penalties and turnovers only aiding the Lions cause.

The conditions will be very much more enjoyable for both squads at BC Place, perhaps providing a much better arena to showcase the showdown between the teacher an his understudy, as Lulay once again matches up with Mike Reilly, his one time back up in BC who now has the starting duties in Edmonton.

Reilly has been inconsistent thus far, though considering the last two Eskimo games have been played with an Ark under construction beside the stadiums, it's perhaps unfair to judge his stats just yet.  His chance and that of the Eskimos will get a more controlled environment in week four.

The Esks head into Vancouver on Saturday seeking to regain some kind of forward momentum, last weeks loss in the Edmonton monsoon perhaps the lowest point of the season thus far for the Green and Gold, at least, we imagine coach Reed is hoping that marks the lowest point of the season.

A look ahead to Saturday night can be found below:

Edmonton Journal-- Reed's message to players: Be responsible
Vancouver Sun-- Tiny Tim back in as Lions look for some good returns

CFL.ca Esks/Lions preview

Twelve Men Eskimos page
Twelve Men Lions page


Hamilton at Saskatchewan (Sunday, July 21)
(6 PM ST, 7 ET, 4 PT)

Three weeks in and the Riders are already the team to beat, three consecutive victories the testimony to the standard for the CFL, West or East in 2013.

With Kory Sheets literally running away with MOP honours thus far and an offence that when it is clicking, is the highlight reel machine the Riders are providing for much to appreciate among the huge crowds that pack themselves into Mosaic Field.

Add on a defensive unit that is punishing opposing squads in this early portion of the CFL season and you begin to understand the challenge that the visiting Hamilton Tiger Cats are up against, now mix in the drama of the return of Ti Cat head coach/GM Kent Austin to where he was once idolized , to give you a sense of the importance of football in Saskatchewan is, the main topic of conversation this week has been will the fans salute him for his years of success in Regina, or will they treat him along the lines of a Winnipeg Blue Bomber on Labour day.

As you can tell , Sunday offers up some fascinating plot lines to bring to an end week number four.

There are sub plots galore mark the lead up to Sunday's contest, while the main homecoming belongs to Kent Austin this time, let's not forget a fellow named Henry Burris who once called Regina home and well, the locals still remember him, not always with a gentle wave (of all their fingers on one hand)

Not enough drama for you, how about an injured Darian Durant, the Riders starter, who may or may not take the field to lead the Riders, if his sprained foot is not game ready, it will be Drew Willy into the line up as starter, not that the Riders seem to miss a beat when he gets his playing time.

That offence comes from the play designs of George Cortez, who of course is familiar to Ti Cat fans, in much the same way Rider fans salute Burris, the former TiCat coach struggled in Steeltown, but back in Saskatchewan it's his play designs that have led to the 3 and 0 start for the Riders. Suggesting perhaps, that some of the problems in Hamilton may not have been totally involving the coaching.

Under Cortez the Riders offensive unit is the talk of the CFL, a machine already in high gear with but three weeks under their belt, record books could be in peril if such pace continues on into October.

Though, with head coach Corey Chamblin, the  Riders have been able to take it all just one week at a time, with a total focus on the game at hand.

And on Sunday a good bit of that focus will be on the Hamilton Defensive unit,  for good reason, the Cats bring a struggling group that far to often this season have allowed a turning point that seems to have cost Hamilton a game.

The Cats D unit so far this year has been the polar opposite of the one they face in Regina Sunday, where Rider fans watch a unit that closes doors and then blots them up it seems.

Oh, did we mention Geroy Simon? No we didn't?  Well just for fun we can also factor Superman into the equation for today.

The long time CFL star, who signed with the Riders this year, has yet to even get on the field, recouperating from injury in training camp, that all changes for kick off, as he has  been give the Green light to play on Sunday, just one more thing for the Hamilton defence to keep in mind.

The challenges for the Ticats are many, inconsistent play in the previous three weeks has delivered them a 1 and 2 record so far, if they haven't worked that out of their system, 1 and 3 won't be much more than 60 minutes away.

Some pre game thoughts can be found below:

Hamilton Spectator-- Ticats bracing for Rider Nation
Regina Leader Post-- Durant's status still doubtful after return

CFL.ca Ticats/Riders preview

Twelve Men Ticats page
Twelve Men Riders page



The week four schedule, with Reviews from CFL.ca can be found below:


July 21-- Hamilton 0 at Saskatchewan 37 ( 37,732 )
July 20-- Edmonton 21 at British Columbia 31 (26,623)
July 20-- Montreal 27 at Calgary 38 (27,378)
July 19-- Toronto 35 at Winnipeg 19 (31,257)

All Games on TSN

Gibson's Players of the Week: Week Three

The running game once again held the highlight reel for  yet another week, with Kory Sheets yard gobbling efforts of week three on behalf of the Saskatchewan Roughriders of particular note.

The Riders Renauld Williams also found Gibson's Player of the Week fame, as  did Argo Slot back Andre Durie who picked up the third Gibson's of week three from the  Argos/Riders game.

Only the Stamps Rene Paredes, kept it from being a Thursday night sweep for the Gibson's, his special teams selection, breaking the monopoly of Blue and Green for week three.

The Gibson's panel, which seemed focused on the Riders and Argos for week three offered up their  four top selections for Week Three, details on which can be found below:

Offensive Player of the Week
Kory Sheets, RB, Saskatchewan Roughriders

Defensive Player of the Week
Renauld Williams, DT, Saskatchewan Roughriders

Special Teams Player of the Week
Rene Paredes, K, Calgary Stampeders

Canadian Player of the Week
Andre Durie, SB, Toronto Argonauts

CFL.ca review of the Players of the Week

Video review of the Players of the Week

Top Ten Plays of Week Number 3

Ultimate Replay for Week Number 3

Twelve Men on the Field Archive of the Players of the Week Listings for the 2013 season

CFL Regular Season: Week Three Review

Week Three gave Rider nation one more week to strut across the land, Saskatchewan remaining undefeated as the third week of CFL play came to an end, elsewhere the fans perhaps are a little more concerned.

Montreal continued to struggle, Toronto's defensive unit clearly needs a bit of work and those Edmonton's fans that sat through the monsoon rains at Commonwealth probably had wished they'd stayed somewhere nice and dry when week three came to an end.

The reviews of the week that was below.

Saskatchewan at Toronto

The Riders remained the CFL's sole undefeated team at the end of week number three, registering a convincing 39-28 victory over the Toronto Argonauts, in front of a small crowd at Rogers Centre that at times seemed to feature a fair amount of green among the mix.

It was the Darian Durant show for Saskatchewan as the Rider QB put on an impressive display, one that serves to remind the CFL and perhaps more importantly TSN, that there are other quarterbacks in the league not named Ricky Ray.

Durant was 14 for 19 for 245 yards, tossing three TD passes before injury sent him to the sidelines, giving way to Drew Willy for the remainder of the game in the fourth quarter.

When CFL fans weren't marvelling at the passing accuracy of Durant they were mesmerized by the running of Kory Sheets, he had his third straight 100 yard game picking up 2 touchdowns in the 26 times he was handed the ball, by games end Sheets had accumulated 178 yards rushing.

The stats package for Durant and Sheets alone tells you much about the dominance of the Riders over the Argos, who held their own for the first quarter but the Riders grabbed control of the game in the second and built upon that through the third and fourth quarter.

While the scoreboard didn't indicate it much, Argo QB Ricky Ray had some decent numbers, though the finishing aspect in the end zone was lacking for the Argos on Friday night.

With the Riders building up their lead as the game moved into the final stages of the fourth, the Argos turned the final moments of the fourth quarter into a learning situation.

The Argos building a bit of confidence in the final frame to bring the score a little closer as backup QB Zach Collaros led an impressive drive downfield. Though we imagine any thoughts of usurping Ray as the Argos starter probably don't last much beyond the day dream stage for the young understudy.

The Riders head home for week four the talk of the CFL, the only issue of concern the status of Durant, the most recent diagnosis being that x rays had come back as negative, with rehab on the schedule for the Riders Starter with hopes of being ready for Sunday's home game with the


You can review the CFL.ca recap of the game here.

Calgary at Montreal

Week two offered up a bounce back week for two CFL teams but only one found some bouncing in Montreal, as the Calgary Stampeders took advantage of another struggling performance on the offensive side of the ball for the Alouettes.

The Stamps surrendered an early lead to Montreal who gave the appearance that they had solved their offensive woes with an impressive first quarter drive that propelled them to  the end zone and the early lead, however, the Stamps quickly shored up their defensive ways, making the rest of the night a most miserable experience for Anthony Calvillo and the Als.

There was a bit of rust for Kevin Glenn to shake off after taking charge of the offence for Drew Tate who was injured last week, but once he found some pace Glenn had a successful outing in his return to starters duties.

When the final gun had sounded Glenn had put together a nice stats package for review, 22 of 28 in passing, with 268 yards in the air and most importantly his team featuring 22 points on the scoreboard as opposed to the Alouettes 14.

While the Stamps QB was busy getting his game plan in place, the Als were going in the other direction, Montreal's offensive line clearly had troubles holding back the Stampeder attack, when Anthony Calvillo wasn't being sacked (twice), he was busy scrambling for his life, something that does tend to make the playbook options rather limited.

Even more concerning than the lack of protection, was the inability of Montreal to keep their drives alive, at one stretch recording three consecutive two and outs, the Als QB fumbled once and was  intercepted once in a frustrating sixty minutes.  Overall, the Als turned over the ball four times before the Stamps went home with the win.

The Als QB touched on that inconsistency in his post game comments, though he was more measured in his commentary after game two than he was in game number one, however, many of his concerns of game one were reprised against the Stamps, showcasing the work ahead for the Als to try and turn around what is shaping up to be a rather tough year.

You can pick up the full review of the Stamps victory over the Als from the CFL.ca recap.

Winnipeg at Hamilton

The weather was certainly more agreeable for the crowd (and the players for that matter) last week's torrential rains that washed through Guelph long gone, giving way to a bright sun filled afternoon at Alumni Field, all that was missing was a win for the home side Ti Cats and the day would be a perfect family outing, by the time sixty minutes had passed the temporary home side team had delivered.

Henry Burris shook off the disappointments of the past two weeks with a rather impressive performance Saturday as his Ti Cats held off the Blue Bombers, claiming the first victory of the young CFL season for the Guelph based Cats a 25-20 victory over Winnipeg.

Burris through for 362 yards and ran for another 47 as the Cats battled the Bombers back and forth through four quarters, a half time score of 13-12 for the Blue indicative as to how close the two teams were through the first thirty, with the second half providing much of the same.

The Bombers built much of their success on the day on the legs of Chad Simpson who rambled for 100 yards on five carries in the first half alone, yet for all the passing and the running, it would be the kickers that provided a fair amount of the entertainment, as drives stalled and field goals exchanged.

Things finally broke in the third when Henry Burris altered the CFL history books,  with  a third quarter passing play to fullback John Delahunt for a touchdown, beyond the seven points on the board for  25-13 lead, the touchdown moved Burris into a tie with Matt Dunnigan on the all time TD passing list, both Burris and Dunnigan have 306.

The Bombers launched a bit of comeback, narrowing the lead to five points, but the Stamps would seal the win with some great clock management and successive first downs, the Bombers reduced to spectators by the end of the game.

The full review of the Bombers and Cats can be found at CFL.ca.

British Columbia at Edmonton

The Eskimos training and equipment staff are probably wondering if perhaps a mega order of water wings should not be in the budget for Eskimo football this week, with the Eskimos playing their second game of the year in some of the worst weather conditions imaginable for July.

With the Esks perhaps not even dried out from last weeks deluge in Guelph, they took to the field at Commonwealth in a driving rain storm, one which didn't seem to let up until the late stages of the fourth quarter, not good for an offence that has struggled much this season and as the first half stats showcased not good for the usual high octane offence that the CFL is known for.

The poor weather played havoc with the game plan for both squads, indicated by the 3-1 half time lead that the Esks carried into the dressing room after thirty minutes.  Those three Eskimo points a gift of sorts from the Lions who had attempted a third and short gamble only to have the ball come lose giving the Eskies some fine field position which they translated into their three points, as things would turn out the only points they would have on the night.

The Lions finally generated some offence in the third quarter with Travis Lulay leading a nine play drive down field capped by a toss to Emmanuel Arceneaux for 12 yard touchdown pass, the Lions followed up that drive with another shortly after with Andrew Harris taking a backfield pass into the end zone  building up the Lions lead to 15-3, the Lions picked up two more points with a safety late in the fourth, marking the final score of 17-3.

It was another frustrating night out for Esks QB Mike Reilly, who with nasty weather proving to be as large an obstacle as defending units, though the Eskimos offensive line will need to provide better protection should the Esks hope to keep their offensive unit on the field for any length of time.

And considering some of the defensive woes of late, giving the Defensive unit some rest would be most beneficial for the Green and Gold. The Eskimo defensive unit is spending far too much time on the field, getting worn down and making mental mistakes.

Another concern for head coach Kavis Reed will be the undisciplined play of some of his players, once again untimely penalties proved troublesome for Edmonton, moving them out of field position and giving the Lions opportunity to keep control of the ball.

With the Esks 1 for 2 in back to back monsoon games, we imagine they are looking forward to Saturday night in Vancouver, where the field will be dry and the opportunity to return the favour of a home field loss will present itself in week four.

The CFL.ca review of Saturday night's week three finale can be found here.

CFL Regular Season: Week 3

The CFL kicks off week number three in Toronto on Thursday, the first of the four games set for the weekend, with a solitary Friday night matchup on the sched followed by a Saturday double header.


Saskatchewan at Toronto (Thursday, July 11)

The Saskatchewan Roughriders seek to keep their undefeated status in place as they take on the Argonauts at Rogers Stadium.

A match up that will offer the Riders opportunity to show that they learned a few lessons from last weeks game with the Stamps which saw them seemingly only focused on one half of football.

Perhaps not unexpected early in the season, but CFL games for the most part so far have been two mini games in one, momentum shifts seemingly taking place at the half time point when coaches readdress their concerns and set a new course.

Likewise, the Argos need to put together a complete game, they had similar troubles as the Riders pop up in Vancouver last week, though in the case of the Double Blue they did not have a comeback to secure a victory in the second half.

Key to the Argos approach to Thursday night will be in getting their high octane offence untracked, as well as some attention to special teams.

For the Riders, the focus will be on consistency for both halves of football, that and keeping up with the roll that they have developed after successive victories over Edmonton and Calgary.

Some snippets of preview of Thursday nights game can be found below


Toronto Sun-- Argos need to get in line
Regina Leader Post-- Players remain focus of Riders, Argos co-ordinators

CFL.ca Argos/Riders preview

Twelve Men Argo page
Twelve Men Rider page

Calgary at Montreal (Friday, July 12)

Two teams looking to bounce back from worrisome efforts of last week meet on Friday night in Montreal, the Stamps and Als, with many an issue to sort out look to change their direction in week number three.

The Als, who heard some uncharacteristic venting from their iconic QB last week following their loss to Winnipeg will try to all be on the same page once they kick off week three, all facets of the Als game plan seemed to be steeped in a bit of confusion last week, something noted by Anthony Calvillo in a now much discussed outburst post game.

While he was talking back some of his anger earlier this week, his thoughts on the Als effort of last week did highlight some of the frustrations for all in Montreal in the post Marc Trestman era of Alouette football.

Patience and a few wins as one time coach Doug Berry advised will cure many ills in Montreal, something that the Als will be working towards at Molson Stadium Friday.

For Calgary, the early season has provided for a number of challenges, the latest one being the loss of starter Drew Tate, who was forced out of last weeks loss to Saskatchewan due to injury and continues to recuperate, bringing Kevin Glenn back to starter status for Friday's game.

That may be the least of John Hufnagel's concerns in week three, Glenn is a proven pro, he knows the Stamps playbook as well as anyone and stepping in for Tate is probably less of a worry than many might think.

Where Hufnagel and his coaching staff may wish to address their thoughts will be with the defence which last week collapsed in the face of a Rider attack, most of it in the last thirty minutes of football.

That shellacking of the second half should serve as a wake up call for the Stamps Defensive unit to knuckle down and secure both halves of football.

Friday offers up the opportunity for both teams to show that they've learned from last week and have made the necessary adjustments, three hours of football at Molson will show which one studied harder in the run up to week number three.

A couple of key observations for Friday's game can be found below

Calgary Sun-- Stampeders QB hunters to set sights on Als veteran Calvillo
Montreal Gazette-- Als get chance to prove they can play defence

CFL.ca Stamps/Als Preview

Twelve Men Stamps page
Twelve men Als page

Winnipeg at Hamilton (Saturday, July 13)

After last week's home season debut in Guelph, the Tiger Cats have a guy named Noah on standby, ready to launch the Ark just in case,  though we imagine that the Cats would prefer that Saturday afternoon at the ballpark be a much calmer affair, weather wise at any rate.

Week Number three brings the Winnipeg Blue Bombers, hot off a hard fought victory over Montreal last week into Alumni Stadium, their task to keep the Tiger Cats off the win side of the CFL ledger for another week.

The Cats have struggled out of the gate once again, turnovers at key times proving to be their undoing for the last two weeks of the 2013 season. No doubt a frustrating situation for Head coach/GM and Lord of all he surveys Kent Austin.

The Cats have generated some offence in the last two weeks, with 54 points on the board, however a defensive deficit of 69 points after 120 minutes highlights the struggles for Austin and his team, that and the turnovers, concerns that have provided for untimely interruptions to drives and taken away from scoring possibilities. Perhaps just the nature of a team learning to get on the same page early in the season, or maybe indicators of a larger issue to come.

Week three will tell Austin much about his squad and their ability to get back on track.

For the Bombers the third week of the season offers them to take yet two more points from their Eastern Division competition, a placement in the standings tables that will provide for benefit in October when it counts the most.

The Bombers were full value for their win in Montreal last week, their defensive unit made life quite difficult for Anthony Calvillo, no doubt a theme they will wish to revisit as they seek to make for another long and frustrating day for Henry Burris.

Last week produced an effective game for Buck Pierce, even if he wasn't involved in the two key offensive pushes that resulted in the Bombers win, for much of those drives it was Pierce at the helm leading the Bombers down field, the short yardage game (and subsequent touchdowns) turned over to back up Justin Goltz.

Perhaps a little frustrating for the starter to not get the final drive in, but clearly effective in the short term, mixing up the offence and with causing a bit of confusion for defenders, it may not be a long term plan (CFL defences will figure it out sooner rather than later) but in the early weeks, it's providing points and for a Bomber squad looking to build up some momentum, it's working.

Some observations prior to kick off can be found below.

Winnipeg Sun-- Bombers ready to roll up Ticats to win
Hamilton Spectator-- This is not a must-win game, but it sure comes close to that

CFL.ca Bombers/TiCats Preview

Twelve Men Bombers page
Twelve Men TiCats page 



British Columbia at Edmonton (Saturday, July 13)

It's a reunion of sorts as the BC Lions arrive at Commonwealth Stadium in Edmonton, a chance for some of the Leos to catch up with their former back up QB Mike, who is on a steep learning curve with the Eskimos as he takes the helm of the struggling Edmonton squad.

Reilly acquired the starters job in the pre-season when injury to Matt Nicholls reduced the competitive nature to the Eskimos camp, since then the Esks have been Reilly's team, though not without a few bumps along the way.

The quest to try and help the Eskimo fans get over the departure of Ricky Ray last year (the chorus of damn you Eric Tillman can still be heard in the stands Commonwealth) has been a hard one for the Green and Gold, the fond memories of Ray's time in Edmonton still part of the football culture in the Alberta capital.

A rough start to week one at the hands of ever present rival Saskatchewan didn't help matters, but an impressive bounce back in the monsoon rains of Guelph last week provides hope for Eskies fans that all may not be lost this year after all.

It may still be a rebuilding year for the Esks as the various pieces attempt to move in sync, but there are signs of both offensive and defensive units are beginning to find their place in Kavis Reed's big picture.

The task Saturday however isn't going to provide for a true test for Edmonton, the Lions roll into town with an impressive victory of their own under their belts from last week where they schooled the Argos (and that Ray fellow) for the majority of the game.

Injuries however are starting to provide for an impact on the Lions roster, both Adam Bighill and Shawn Gore will be out of the lineup owing to injury from last week's Argos game, Paris Jackson fills in for Gore, so there is some veteran comfort for Travis Lulay to call on, filling the shoes of Bighill will no doubt be the larger of challenges for head coach Mike Benevides.

With Saskatchewan running up to a 3-0 record, the pressure is already on the CFL West to try and keep up with the pace of the Riders, BC will be looking to keep nipping at the Riders heels with a victory at Commonwealth.


The winner of Saturday will be keeping the Riders in sight, the loser slips a little in the CFL West, a place where a few bad weeks in a row can prove fatal by November.

Some pre game thoughts can be found below.

Edmonton Journal-- Eskimos young-gun quarterback out to shoot holes in the B. C. Lions' defensive game plan
Vancouver Sun-- Lions turn once again to receiver Paris Jackson

CFL.ca Lions/Eskimos preview

Twelve Men Lions Page
Twelve Men Eskimos Page 

The week two schedule, with Reviews from CFL.ca can be found below:

July 13-- British Columbia 17 at Edmonton 3 (31,310)
July 13-- Winnipeg 20 at Hamilton 25 (Guelph)  (13,085)
July 12-- Calgary 22 at Montreal 14 (23,184)
July 11-- Saskatchewan 39 at Toronto 28  (18,211)

All Games on TSN

CFL Players of the Week: Week Two

The running game held the highlight reel for week number two, making space on the Players of the Week roster for a pair of tailbacks, a pair that gained recognition for their work from the Gibson's Players of the Week panel.

The four top selections for Week Two can be found below:

Offensive Player of the Week
Hugh Charles, RB Edmonton Eskimos

Defensive Player of the Week
Bryant Turner, DT, Winnipeg Blue Bombers

Special Teams Player of the Week
Jock Sanders, KR, Saskatchewan Roughriders

Canadian Player of the Week
Andrew Harris, SB, British Columbia Lions

CFL.ca review of the Players of the Week

Video review of the Players of the Week

Top Ten Plays of Week Number 2

CFL Power Rankings for Week 2

Twelve Men on the Field Archive of the Players of the Week Listings for the 2013 season

CFL Regular Season: Week 2 Review

Week two featured a few surprises and perhaps items of concern for a few CFL coaches, with losses for Montreal and Calgary suggesting that there is a bit of work to be done to get everyone on the same page in those two camps.

On the West Coast the Lions regained some roar for a new season and in Guelph, the Ticats learned that their temporary home is apparently located in a monsoon rain forest (at least for one game anyway).

The reviews of the week that was below.

Winnipeg at Montreal

You know things are going the wrong way in Montreal when Anthony Calvillo throws everyone from coach to player to himself under the bus. Following Montreal's 19 to 11 loss to the visiting Winnipeg Blue Bombers, the Als QB unleashed to the media, some of the frustration that was becoming quite apparent on the field in the last few games.

Calvillo proclaiming that everyone needs to be better, the efforts against the Bombers a measuring stick that he wasn't pleased with, nor we imagine anyone else in the Als organization.

There clearly are some growing pains for the Als in the post Marc Trestman era, something that their fellow teams in the East may wish to take advantage of while the Als try and find their balance.

For the Bombers, the victory over the Als was a salute to their defence which as through Calvillo's frustrations, made his life quite miserable through the night. Interestingly enough it was back up QB Justin Goltz who scored the bulk of the Bombers offensive points, put in for starter Buck Pierce to handle short haul running plays, he engineered two TD's on the night, though to be fair to the starter the bulk of the offensive load was his to bear on the night.

You can review the CFL.ca recap of the game here.

Toronto at British Columbia

They're celebrating 60 years of football in British Columbia this year and while the start of the year of celebration got off to a rough start in Calgary in week one, the Lions home debut provided for a fair amount to enjoy in week two.

The Lions were quick out of the gate to get some points and mark their game plan by picking up their first TD of the game on the second possession, if not for a Khalif Mitchell tackle (cue the villain music here) the Lions may very well have been ahead by 14 points heading into the half. Instead, on the strength of the Mitchell tackle, the Lions settled for a field goal the second of the half.

The Lions defence kept Ricky Ray off balance for the majority of the first quarter, however he finally got in sync with his offence into the second, though the Argos would be limited to but three points by the half time mark.

The second thirty minutes saw a bit of the momentum shift to the double blue, though increased yardage didn't translate into much in the way of points, by three quarter time the score was 17-6 Leos.

The fourth quarter saw the Lions turn to Andrew Harris who put the game away for BC with a pair of key runs, a lengthy ramble for yardage at a key point of the fourth, followed by a four yard scamper into the end zone to put away the Lions first victory of the regular season.

The game however came at a cost for the Lions, Adam Bighill was lost with a leg injury, while Shawn Gore left the game with a concussion.

The CFL.ca review of the Lions/Argos can be found here.

Calgary at Saskatchewan

For all their good work in week one, the Stampeders were quickly given a lesson for week two, it takes a full sixty minutes to secure a wain, especially if you're playing a team in Regina.

The Riders and Stamps put on an offensive explosion at Mosaic Field for the Riders home debut, a tale of two games crammed into one sixty minute shell.

The Stamps were all control in the first thirty, rolling over the Riders to a quick 21 points, holding a seven point lead heading into the half, at which point it appears that the Riders head coach Cory Chamblin reminded his charges that defensive play was part of the package in the CFL.

A message clearly heard as the Riders shut down the Stamps completely in the second half, Ralph Tate's air offensive of the first thirty minutes was grounded, Jon Cornish also found the slogging tough at Mosaic, in week one he tore up the field with yardage, week two was a much more limiting experience for the Stamps explosive running back.

For the Riders, the final thirty minutes provided some head turning offensive moments for the crowd at Mosaic, Darian Durant loaded and reloaded his throwing arm, tearing apart the Stampeders defensive backfield almost at will.

When they weren't throwing the ball to success, Kory Sheets was rumbling down the field untouched for the most part, helping the Riders turn around that horrid first half and taking all the misery to the Stamps, who will no doubt be paying much more attention to defensive tasks in the run up to week three.

With the Riders momentum in full swing, the scoreboard continued to rattle off the points for the team in Green, a 36- 21 final score securing the second half smack down and moving the Riders into uncontested control of the lead in the CFL West.

The CFL.ca account of the Riders/Stamps can be found here.

Edmonton at Hamilton

We're not sure if the story is true, but rumour has it that Noah left his seats in Guelp at half time, seeking to finish off the Ark just in case the water levels crested at Alumni Stadium.

The wrap up to the CFL's week number two took place at the temporary home of the Hamilton Tiger Cats and with Mother Nature rolling in to take in some CFL action, the option of water wings probably could be a future addition to CFL equipment bags.

The weather proved to be the story for both the Edmonton Eskimos and Tiger Cats, a torrential downpour seemed to settle over Guelph for the majority of the Sunday wrap up, making the task of moving the ball rather challenging and no doubt providing for no amount of misery for players and fans alike.

Once you ignored the gigantic rain drops that seemed to pound the field, the two teams put on a fairly entertaining game,  the teams going back and forth in the first quarter, the rains arrived in the second quarter and the passing game was all but put away for the short term, as both teams made do with the run, hoping that running backs would secure the ball for the jaunt through the puddles.

Edmonton took their 16-13 lead to half time, allowing for everyone to take shelter from the storm for a brief respite (the fans a little less sheltered than the players we imagine judging by the nature of Alumni Stadium.

Those that stuck around for the final thirty minutes and there were quite a few, were treated to much of the same as the first half, the rain would stop for a bit, but the ominous clouds from the west suggested and then delivered that even more rain was soon to arrive.

The momentum turned to the Eskimos for good in the third as they picked off a Henry Burris inside the Hamilton 25 yard line, converting that to an offensive touchdown.

In the fourth, Mike Reilly tucked the ball away himself and scrambled into the Cats end zone, the final Esks TD of the game securing the victory for the most part, though the Tiger Cats would gain seven points back late in the game, but it proved to be not enough scoring with not enough time left, the Cats losing to the Esks by 10 points, 30 to 20.

Clearly the elements played a role in the outcome for the Tiger Cats, but both teams were playing in the rain and the Eskimos made less errors, provided for fewer turnovers and found a way to win despite the torrents of rain.

For Hamilton, beyond the need to stiffen up the defensive play, the untimely turnovers whether by fumble or interception could prove to be a theme that they will need to address as the season moves forward.

The review of the final game of week two can be found from CFL.ca here.

CFL Regular Season: Week 2

The second week of the CFL's 2013 campaign kicks off on the 4th of July,  with two Thursday night match-ups that may provide for a few fireworks to fill in for what the American roster players may be missing out on from back home.

Winnipeg at Montreal 

The Blue Bombers head off to Montreal, the guests for the Alouettes home opener for 2013. There's no particular love lost between the two team as recent history has shown, the Als having ruined the Bombers grand opening celebrations of InvestorGroup field with a late game comeback to topple the Blue.

Add on some interesting comments making it into the newspapers heading up to Thursday and the attitude may be one of payback in any number of ways.

The Als of course will be relying on Anthony Calvillo, who continues on with his legendary ways, last week's comeback just another chapter in the game isn't over until AC says it's over.

Winnipeg heads into Montreal a little banged up, Buck Pierce as always will be in the back of the minds of many Bomber fans, hopeful that the Bombers offensive line can keep him from harm for the full sixty minutes.

A sample of some of the pre game anticipation can be found below.

Winnipeg Sun-- Alouettes even stronger with Whitaker back in lineup against Bombers
Montreal Gazette-- Calvillo won't let age change his playing

CFL.ca preview


Toronto at British Columbia

Game number two on Thursday takes us out to BC Place, where the Lions who have struggled through the pre season and their first regular season game will try to get things back on track, eager to send them to an 0 and 2 regular start will be the Toronto Argonauts, who with a squeak out win over Hamilton under their belts in week one, will seek to register another win and hold their lead atop the East Division.

Both Toronto and BC showed weaknesses on defence, gaps that both defensive coordinators will be eager to fix before the season gets too long into July.

When it comes to scoring, both have the potential to light up the board, by way of the run, the pass or with some dangerous talent on special teams.

It all should make for an interesting test for both squads early in the season.

Some of the talking points for Thursday's night cap can be found below.

Toronto Star-- Reformed Bad Boy Khalif Mitchell '100 per cent committed' to team's success
Vancouver Province-- B. C. Lions' Solomon Elimimian brimming with motivation

CFL.ca preview

Calgary at Saskatchewan

Friday Night's marquee matchup brings the two teams atop the CFL West at the moment together for a week two showdown, with the Calgary Stampeders heading east to Regina and a matchup with the always challenging Riders.

Calgary dominated much of their season opener against the Lions, while Saskatchewan provided the Eskimos with the realization that there is still much work to do to keep pace in the CFL West.

Both teams offer some high octane offence and a stingy defence and for motivational purposes, a win from either propels them to the top of the CFL West with all other Western teams looking up.

A snapshot as to what some see as the key points to Friday night's game can be found below.

Calgary Herald-- Calgary Stampeders won't bite on Dwight Anderson's trash talk
Regina Leader Post-- Geroy Simon remains a spectator for Roughriders

CFL.ca preview

Edmonton at Hamilton

The final game of the weekend arrives on Sunday when the Hamilton Tiger Cats open up their home season at their temporary home in Guelph, playing on the Campus of the University of Guelph the Cats will have a very cosy (and rather small capacity) atmosphere, never a good thing for visiting teams when they travel to the Hammer, with the collective of Cats fans hoping to transfer that bit of nasty to their neighbours in Guelph.

In town for the Cats home opener, a struggling Eskimo team that has its work cut out for it. Besides addressing many of their own numerous concerns, they face a Hamilton team still snarling over a loss to Toronto last week.

A game that they could have won at any number of times, but let slip away. Something we imagine Kent Austin has addressed in full for the week leading up to Sunday's game, not a good omen for the Eskimos who have to head into that cauldron of Catdom and try and steal themselves a victory.

The look ahead to Sunday's match up can be found below

Edmonton Journal-- Eskimos quarterback Mike Reilly aims for 'quick start' against Hamilton...
Hamilton Spectator-- Ticats defence shakin' up

CFL.ca preview

The week two schedule, with Reviews from CFL.ca can be found below:

July 7-- Edmonton 30 at Hamilton 20 (Guelph) (12,612)
July 5-- Calgary 21 at Saskatchewan 36 ( 35,296)
July 4-- Toronto 16 at British Columbia 24 ( 25,255 )
July 4-- Winnipeg 19 at Montreal 11 ( 22,134 )