Peter King's most excellent football adventure!

Peter King and a new found friend in Regina

He came, He watched, He wrote!

With a coffee break at Tim's along the way and for good measure he shook hands with high society in Saskatchewan...

Well OK, it was Gainer, but you get the drift!

The week long review of Canadian Football for the Sports Illustrated portal Monday Morning Quarterback has come to an end.

SI's Peter King providing the final wrap up to Canada week on the site, that after his two province exploration journey to Alberta and Saskatchewan.

And from his reviews, we get the feeling that Mr. King gets the CFL, he understands the devotion that fans from most locales across the country deliver to their local teams (Oh Toronto, (sigh), Toronto why are you always the exception).

His opening paragraphs of the extensive accounts of his travels, seem to have captured our attachment to our game quite correctly.  Highlighting how Canadians love all forms of football including the NFL.

And while we respect and follow the league to the south quite religiously, we don't pine for the Big Show and more often than not, we sometimes wonder why America just doesn't take a glance our way from time to time.

He frequently touched on the theme of community and at it's heart that has always been the CFL's resonance and to do that he went deep into the home of CFL country, Saskatchewan.  A journey that took him to the province in the midst of incredible scenes of flooding to the east and to a game that was no gem of football lore, one played in about the worst possible conditions you could think of.

And still he found the story, not through the results of a pair of blow out season openers in Regina and Calgary, but in the stories of the trip along the way.

His wrap up to the CFL travelogue is quite the thing, touching a number of emotional themes along with a fair amount of background information on the game itself which should make for quite the introduction for many in the USA who may not have had much access to anything on the CFL.

King's eloquent words and attention to the little things, call to mind some of the past essays of Stephen  Brunt and Bruce Arthur to name a few.  The cream of a Canadian journalist crop who set the scene brilliantly pretty well every time they send work out to be published.


From the start the SI team assembled for this project approached the entire exercise with enthusiasm, with results that highlighted that passion for football that doesn't let something such as a border get in the way of objectivity.

His final item of the review, the Ten Things I think I think, provides a good capsule of his experiences during his tour of the prairies of the last few days.

Readers can contribute to that theme with their comments to the SI portal, outlining what they liked or didn't like about the MMQB coverage of the week.

And while Mr. King doesn't commit to an expanded placement of the CFL on the SI portal, he does suggest that the league may get more than an occasional glance in the months to come.

A good place for some of that coverage might be the Labour Day weekend and while it of course lands in the heart of the NFL training camp period, a journey to lets say Alberta, Regina or Hamilton would deliver another bit of exposure to the CFL experience.

And of course, Grey Cup week in Vancouver should find some kind of way to a MMQB day planner, the ultimate celebration of all things CFL would make a convert to the game of anyone, someone save Mr. King a ticket will ya?

For a look at the final instalment of the MMQB journey see this link, you can find our archive of the entire week of their travels here.

Riders pick up where they left off in November

The season opener for the Saskatchewan Roughriders was clearly the secondary item of interest for residents of the province and neighbouring Manitoba this weekend, with torrential rains delivering severe flooding to residents of much of the wide swath of land making up that region.

To those that face the many tasks ahead, we offer up our best wishes for what lays ahead and a quick repair to the impact that the severe weather has delivered to many communities in the two provinces.

With travel conditions clearly very dangerous and in some cases roads washed or flooded out, just making the trip to Mosaic Field proved to be problematic. Thus the opening day crowd of just under 20,000 was clearly not going to be in the numbers of past RiderNation experiences.

The remaining 10,000 or so season ticket holders either could not an unobstructed road o the park, or owing to distance chose to stay back in the many towns and hamlets that make up RiderNation, following the game on television or radio.

Those that did gather at Mosaic however found that the home side football squad is more than ready for the 2014 season. As the Riders picked up their winning ways right where they left off in November, with a fairly convincing 31 to 10 victory over the Hamilton Tiger Cats.

Rider Head Coach Cory Chamblin had to like what he saw from the Green and While on opening day, defensively they played shut down football, having learned Defensive coordinator Richie Hall's lessons well and leaving little for the Cats to work with on the day.

On offence, Darian Durant appeared on a mission to not let the flow from November go to waste in the new season, his impressive game management and crisp passes in less than terrific conditions showcased his stature as one of the top QBs in the league at the moment.

Key to the Saskatchewan attack was the running game of Anthony Allen, who it appears won't be running in the shadow of the departed Kory Sheets for long.

On the day Allen ran for over 150 yards and picked up two touchdowns in his starting role debut, his only flaw on the game a first quarter fumble, though losing the ball was not an unknown thing owing to the day's weather conditions.

For Hamilton's Kent Austin the season opener highlighted that he has much work ahead of him to get the Tiger Cats ready to mount any kind of defence of their Eastern championship status.

TSN as they do at the start of each game offered up the visuals of the pre game speeches from both coaches, for Austin his remarks provided a balance between working hard and having fun...

Themes which by half time we suspect were getting a bit of a test, on the hard work theme the first thirty minutes provided a challenge to the goal, the fun aspect of the day no doubt far off by the thiry minute break.

Somehow, we have a feeling that the focus of the half time speech was perhaps a little bit different in the Tiger Cat room.

The weather clearly had an impact on the play, the swirling winds, the driving rain clearly didn't provide for the perfect foundation for the best display of all that the CFL likes to deliver.

Hamilton's Zach Collaros in particular seemed to find that the elements had a major impact on his game, though a portion of his troubles on the day could be assigned to an offensive front line that did not offer
up anything near the level of protection required for him to have an effective day of it.

Such was the pressure that Collaros was under that by games end, the sack count on behalf of the Riders was at 10, a statistic that will provide for much extra work for the O line coaching staff this week.

As the scoreboard indicated, the Cats struggled through the entire game, offensive drives would sputter, while the defensive unit found itself on the field for lengthy periods of time, unable to slow down the Rider march through the day.

The only thing remotely positive for Hamilton on the day, the fact that both Toronto and Montreal looked equally inept this weekend.  All of which suggests that 2014 may be shaping up as another year where the East Division would appear to be the weakest of the league.

Though perhaps we should wait for Ottawa's debut later this week in Winnipeg. Without playing a game the RedBlacks now sit atop the East Division, with the best Points Against record in the division.

Yes, it may indeed be only one week in the books, but the trend line looks fairly solid after opening week.

With Saskatchewan's dominance of Sunday, combined with Calgary's strong showing and impressive victories by both Edmonton and Winnipeg, the division of high tempo scoring and punishing defence would appear to be found west of the Manitoba border once again.

Some reviews of Sunday's week one finale can be found below:

Regina Leader Post-- Robust debut for 2014 Riders
Regina Leader Post-- Allen shines as riders newcomers make their mark
Hamilton Spectator-- Green Riders run roughshod over sad-sack Ticats
Toronto Sun-- Saskatchewan Roughriders hammer Hamilton Tiger-Cats
CBC-- Roughriders sock it to Tiger-Cats in rain-soaked opener

Lions and Esks keep it competitive in game three of the weekend

With some rather lopsided efforts to kickoff the season,  the programming department (not to mention sales) at TSN no doubt were thankful that the Lions and the Eskimos could keep things a little competitive for the second game of the Saturday doubleheader.

To be honest, prior to kick off, that's not exactly the scenario we anticipated, with memories of Edmonton's dysfunction of last year still fresh in our memories, combined with the anticipation that the Lions were ready to launch their march to a home field appearance at Grey Cup 102 in November.

And if the truth would be told, the blue print for our Lions / Eskimos review was going to feature the theme of insurance.

The focus of our pre game item planning along the lines as to how Kevin Glenn's arrival in British Columbia, was another reminder as to the wisdom of the ages that Wally Buono brings to the Lions management.

Always planning for the unexpected, making the moves that take into account all possibilities.

And while we still suspect that theme will play out through the 2014 season, we have to admit we were starting to rewrite the outline shortly after the half time kickoff.

That was not the case in the first thirty minutes, as Glenn, who took on the starters role with the placement of Travis Lulay on the injured list for the next six weeks, started the Lions season opener off with some impressive play management.

Pacing the Lions to seven points on the team's first possession, just the kind of of sign that Lions fans had been hoping to see and while the Edmonton answered that opening salvo nicely in the first quarter, when the first quarter came to an end, the Lions were in the lead by 7 and looking confident.

Then the stars began to adjust a bit, the Lions offence sputtered, the defence who were outstanding through three quarters, were on the field far too much through the game and finally began to give way to the Eskimo attack.

By games end Kevin Glenn would find that his statistical review on the day was something to put behind him.

While 18 completions on 28 attempts is a fairly good day at the office, the key statistic of Saturday afternoon's review was the Interceptions column, with Glenn surrendering four picks on the day, timely turnovers if you were an Edmonton fan.

The Eskimos the push back came from the play of the defence and the arm of Mike Reilly, who started turning around the momentum in the second quarter, taking charge of the game in the second half and pacing the Esks to their 27 to 20 victory.  

Edmonton which had a season to forget in 2013, clearly has banished the negative vibes with a new head coach in place, as Chris Jones reconfigures an Eskimo squad that might just get Edmonton fans interested in the on field work, as opposed to the off field dramas.

Creativity would be highlighted from the Eskimo side of the field on Saturday, with two plays that caught the Lions unaware and flat footed.  A fake field goal that set up a touchdown drive and an onside kick that gave the Eskimos field position and clock control. Both surprises, offering up the theme for the Lions practices this week, where special teams assignments will no doubt get a lengthy review.

The confidence of the Eskimos seemed to burst forward from those two plays, with Reilly taking charge of the game through the fourth, delivering a fairly significant win for a team that will be building on everything they brought to BC for opening week.

The opening day results for the Green and Gold provided pretty well everything that they could have hoped for and provides a foundation for turning around what was once one of the most impressive football machines in the country.

In Vancouver, Lions head coach Mike Benevides will be looking at adjustments in the week ahead, mostly from the offensive side of the ball, where the need to focus seems greatest.

While it's unlikely that Kevin Glenn will be making a habit of serving up four interceptions per game, per week. He will require a bit of time, both on the field to create plays (the Esks defensive play provided for much pressure on Saturday) and off the field, the latter to better mesh with the moving parts that for the moment make up his offensive unit.

One game does set the tone for a season and having an experienced hand such as Glenn at the wheel, while Lulay recuperates, should keep any sense of early season panic to a minimum.

Prior to Saturday's kickoff the Lions were considered to be one of the favourites for the long term of the 2014 season, that probably should still be the conventional thinking for CFL followers, the miscues of the season opener a blip on the overall plan.

Still, the return of the Eskimos to a competitive frame of mind, bodes well for an exciting season in the West.

Our original theme of the day was that of Insurance, one of those things that you don't really think about until it's needed.

Wally Buono clearly had the early season in mind when he picked up Glenn from the expansion RedBlacks, it will take a few games for Lions fans to learn if that was the right policy.

The concept would suggest it is, however after game number one,  you might have a problem convincing some of the Lions fan base of the theory.

Some reviews of the Lions and Eskimos can be found below:


Vancouver Province-- Kevin Glenn's game magnifies Lulay's absence
Vancouver Sun-- Opening loss stuns Lions
Edmonton Journal-- Eskimos tame Lions in season debut
Edmonton Sun-- Edmonton Eskimos overcome early deficit to edge B. C. Lions
CBC-- Mike Reilly rallies Edmonton past Lions in opener

Bo can throw, Bo can run; on Opening Day the Stamps had lots of fun!

It's only one game into a lengthy CFL season, but opening day for the Calgary Stampeders provided some impressive themes for the hometown crowd to chew on.

The faithful appeared split when head coach John Hufnagel announced Bo Levi Mitchell as the Stamps starter for 2014, a good segment of Calgary fans firmly in the Drew Tate camp, however with a bit of an assist from a strong Alberta wind, Mitchell seemingly channeling the days of Peter Liske, showcased an aerial attack that had McMahon Stadium buzzing early into the first half of Saturday's game.

A spectacular 100 plus pass and catch pattern with Mo Price set the pace early for the Stampeders, launching Mitchell's status as starter in a pretty impressive style. Later in the half, the Stamps QB provided for some fancy footwork, a short deke and a ramble down the field to pick up some yardage offering up some diversity to the Stampeder air attack.

He made good use of running back Jon Cornish through the game, providing Canada's athlete of the year some solid touches of the football.  His play on the day however marred by a nasty and controversial hit by the Als' Kyries Hebert, the result of which at one point appeared to leave the Calgary crowd fearing that Cornish would have to be taken off the field by ambulance.

The collective sigh of relief was clear as the Stamps back finally took to his feet, to walk off to the sidelines, while Hebert was banished from the remainder of the game and perhaps for a bit longer.

Hebert, might want to possibly go ahead and make some plans for the Quebec mountainside for a portion of July, as his ugly hit on Jon Cornish probably guarantees him at least a review from the CFL head office and maybe a bit of down time.

The Stamps total offence on the day provided for impressive numbers, with Mitchell finding the aerial range for over 300 yards in passing, the Stamps picking up their pace through quarters two, three and four on their way to a convincing 29 to 8 victory.

Clearly the post training camp message from Stamps coach Hufnagel's was heard, the Stamps firing out of the locker room to take the play to the Als in the season opener, a very different impression than that delivered just a week ago in their final tune up match with the Lions.

For Montreal, the pre season woes continued on into the first regular season game. The Als offence a major concern, the legend of Anthony Calvillo's career work looming large over a Montreal team that doesn't appear quite comfortable with it's new rebuilding theme.

Clearly, it all is very much a work in progress, with Troy Smith still working to find his comfort zone with the Alouettes game plan.

There were glimpses of what could be with the promise of Chad (Ochocinco) Johnson to showcase in the league, his path to the CFL grabbed a fair amount of the attention in the pre season, though to his credit he time and time again he offered up caution amid his observations on his new adventure.

However, for all his NFL experience, the CFL is clearly a new game for the star receiver, the quirks of the play, the larger expanse of the field and the pace of the game all aspects that will no doubt take a little bit of time to adjust to.

Though as Vicki Hall of the Calgary Herald was first to advise the football world, Johnson's first statistic in the CFL would be that of a tackle. Somehow, we imagine that Als fans will be more interested in pass receptions, yardage and Touchdowns once the full season review is complete.

For Tom Higgins, the challenge of rebuilding the one time perennial contenders looms large, there were signs of concern for all aspects of the Alouette game, defensive miscues provided the Stamps with much opportunity to add to their lead.

Issues of on field discipline would appear to be something that will require attention, the Als were guilty of a number of plays that resulted in penalties, a feature of their game that left the Als playing from behind through the day, with the expected scoreboard result.

When it came to watching that scoreboard, the Als coaching staff had but one opportunity to see major points arrive on their portion of the McMahon stadium board, with the Als scoring their lone touchdown on the day, on the final play of the game.

A short burst of offence, long after the Stamps had put the game away. The more lasting image for Higgins and his coaches will be the stalled drives and lost opportunities.

When both coaches review their film from Day One of the new campaign, Hufnagel will find much to like on the play of the Stamps. The stumbles through prep-season long forgotten now that there are points up for grabs and standings to track.

Down Montreal way, the focus for Tom Higgins will be on correction. He and his coaches clearly have a fair amount of work to do in Montreal should they hope to make the 2014 year a bounce back year from last years troubles.

So far, that task looms larger than evan perhaps on the first day of training camp, with one month of practices and now game time experience, the many flaws in the Als game plan are there for the viewing, it will be a long week in the film room for all units in Montreal.

A few reviews of the night can be found below:


Calgary Sun-- Calgary Stampeders win season-opener
Calgary Herald-- Clothesline hit rocks Cornish, sparks concussion fears
Montreal Gazette-- Punchless Montreal Alouettes fall prey Stampeders
TSN-- Stampeders Crush Alouettes, Los RB Cornish to Injury
CBC-- Stampeders thump Alouettes in season opener

The CFL gets some impressive Southern Exposure

The opening of the 2014 CFL season has fans across Canada welcoming the return of the three down game from east to west and to the reachers of the north (with a shout out to the returning flock in Ottawa).

And as the road to the Grey Cup is launched this last week of June, the league finds itself in a fairly impressive spotlight directed towards the south.

Peter King's Monday Morning Quarterback project, a must read feature of every NFL season has made the trek north this week.

The week started with a string of articles that led up to the CFL Kickoff  from Winnipeg of Thursday night.

The publication schedule destined for some wrap up thoughts from Mosaic Field, following the Riders and Ti-Cats reprise of last years Grey Cup on Sunday.

Along the way, the online portal from Sports Illustrated has offered up a number of glimpses of life in the CFL, which no doubt outline a very different experience for those accustomed to the massive industry that the NFL has become.

The contributions have come from some familiar names of Canadian football with Marc Trestman and Doug Flutie offering up their remembrances of the three down game.

One of Canada's top sports journalists, Bruce Arthur provided another excellent account of the game and the passion that some have for it. And for balance he combined those moments of pure Canadiana, with a nod towards those that at times are inclined to ignore the nation affirming concept of the league itself.

As well, Peter King has also put together his own team of correspondents, sending them out to the northern frontier to explore and report back.

So far they've had a fairly full workload and have clearly picked up the vibe and pulse of the Canadian game and relayed the uniqueness of it all that Canadians have long cherished.

Some of the features of the week thus far (we'll add to the inventory to this space as the week wraps up).

Peter King wraps up Canada week with:  Canadian Appreciation

Jenny Vrentas with the CFL primer from Winnipeg:  What the CFL Feels Like

Bruce Arthur and the attachment of Canadians to their teams: They're Ours, We're Theirs

Emily Kaplan with the tale of Jon Cornish: The CFL's Most Outstanding Player Moonlights as a Banker

Doug Flutie and his memories of a CFL career:  "You couldn't tell me winning a Super Bowl would feel any nicer"

Marc Trestman with his Welcome to Canada week observations

Whether Sports Illustrated will offer up more space to the CFL in the months to come remains to be seen, the results of the MMQB tour of Canada will probably be the barometer for further coverage.

One thing is helpful towards the cause, the timing of the week long feature comes just as the CFL announced the terms of a renewed agreement with ESPN that will continue to bring the Canadian game to the variety of broadcast and internet options that ESPN has to offer.

And while Canadians no doubt are clicking on each and every item offered up, the real audience for SI is that of the great football collective across America.

If they don't click, then we imagine word of the CFL will once again return to an occasional but always enjoyable shout out from Chris Berman along with what seems to be the American fasciation of the always popular videos of football in snow in October and November, wrapped up with a year end salute to the Grey Cup.

The review of our game is a welcome thing from a Canadian perspective, fans of the league should offer up their tanks for the work of the team assembled by Mr. King, with a cordial invitation to come on back sometime.

As every CFL fan knows, June through August is just the preamble to the drama to come. For Mr. King and the SI team, we recommend another road trip surrounding the Labour Day games. Cultural events steeped in rivalry and with the home stretch towards the playoffs and Grey Cup clearly in sight.

Canadians always want to know what the neighbours downstairs think about us. It's just part of our nature, the inquisitive side of us looking for hints on notice and yes, even a little acknowledgment from time to time.

For one week in June  MMQB has offered up a snapshot of their impressions of Canadian Football, you can follow through for the rest of the tour from the MMQB portal.

Bombers performance suggests that this might be a very different season from recent past

We're going to hazard a guess that prior to kick off on Thursday evening, if anyone suggested that there was going to a dominating offensive performance on the field in Winnipeg, the bulk of the money would have been invested on the Argonauts.

Even with the complete makeover of the Winnipeg Blue Bombers of the off season, they entered the 2014 campaign very much the team of the unknown.

So, with the kickoff to another year of Canadian ball set to tee it up at Investors Group Field, one would give the Bomber faithful a bit of latitude in their attitude of show us!

And show them the Big Blue did, from that opening kick off, right through to the last snaps of the night, the Bombers banished all talk of the disaster that was 2013. Starting with a first quarter that seemed to overwhelm the Argos, the pointe where the Bombers took total control of the game.

Drew Willy had an amazing debut as the Bombers starter and we have a feeling that the combination of Willy to Kelly is going to be something that we hear a fair amount of this year. Willy found Aaron Kelly twice on the night on the way to the Bombers impressive 45-21 victory, adding to Willy's offensive output of 308 yards by air, completing 19 of 27 passes and securing 4 touchdowns on the night through the aerial attack.

Willy clearly put his stamp on the Bomber attack, crisp passing, inventive field management and a command of the offensive assets that suggested that he and his offensive unit were paying attention during new head coach Mike O'Shea's training camp sessions.

That's something that you couldn't say for the Argos, defensively they were a mess, missed assignments and incredibly poor discipline proved to be the recipe for the disaster that opening night became.

On offence, Ricky Ray one of the league's most dominating of quarterbacks was for much of the game abandoned by his offensive line, Argos coach Scott Milanovich pulled his QB in the later stages of the second half, no doubt for concerns for his health.

The way the Argos were playing he probably should have left him in the dressing room at the half, not owing to his performance, but more as a message to his team mates that they were clearly not on the same page as their star player.

For much of the game, the Bombers took to their tasks as though it was the week after Labour Day and the home stretch for the Grey Cup was on.  Over on the Argos side of the field, the impression was of a team that must have still thought that it was the third day of training camp, every aspect of the Argo game would appear to need a bit of work, film day for the Argos will not be a very enjoyable viewing for anyone.

Of all the statistics of horror for the Double Blue on Thursday night, one stands out as the key to the woes of the night, with the 22 penalties and 163 yards lost to them clearly a major concern to be addressed.

Any momentum that the Argos might have been considering on the evening, was quickly brought to a halt over selfish and undisciplined play, a topic that Milanovich will no doubt be discussing this week.

In between all of that horror to be reviewed, Milanovich may wish to put the spectacular Chad Owens 83 yard punt return on an endless loop for the troops.

If for no other reason than to show the rest of the Argonauts the need to play every play. On a night of misery for the Argos, Owens offered up the one highlight reel moment featuring somebody in a visiting uniform.

For Bomber fans, the new leadership team in the coaching ranks should offer up some confidence that this team will compete each and every night.  The Bombers have clearly understood Mike O'Shea's overall message of focus and accountability.

The coaching staff assembled by O'Shea might be the strongest one that the Bombers have had in a long, long time, Marcel Bellefeuille's offensive playbook was executed to perfection on Thursday night,  his assistant coaches clearly having schooled their students well.

While on the defensive side of the ball, Gary Etcheverry and his unit coaches have clearly made an impression on the Defensive team, with everyone for the most part on the same page in all facets of the defensive game.

Through the sixty minutes of opening night, the defensive squad made life as miserable as possible for Ricky Ray and the Argos, there were a few miscues as there always will be in the early stages of a season.

But Etcheverry must have walked off the field Thursday night in very good humour, his defensive blue print clearly taking hold in River city.

It's a long journey from June 26th to Grey Cup Sunday in November, but for long suffering Bomber fans, Opening night of 2014 offers a whole lot more promise than in recent years.

The Bomber faithful clearly were looking for a few signs of that promise. Only 24,872 took in opening night, the empty seats in the sparkling new stadium a testimony to the wait and see attitude.

Should game one be the template of effort for the remaining 17 games of the season, empty seats will be hard to find at Investors Group Field in the weeks to come!

A few reviews of the night can be found below:


CFL.ca-- Stellar Start:  Bombers shine in season opening win
Winnipeg Sun-- Bombers are the talk of the town after Argos beatdown
Winnipeg Sun-- New QB Drew Willy goes wild as Blue Bombers hammer Argos in season opener
Winnipeg Free Press-- Slick Willy puts on a great show
Winnipeg Free Press-- New-look Blue thrill fans
Toronto Sun-- Argos crushed by Blue Bombers in CFL season opener
Toronto Sun-- Argos look to clean things up after ugly opener
Toronto Star-- Argos embarrassed by Blue Bombers in season opener

CFL 2014: Week one

It's kickoff week for the CFL, their labour issues taken care of and with the excitement of a return of an old friend in a franchise in Ottawa, the 2014 season launch provides for the promise of exciting football and the start of the drive for the Grey Cup in Vancouver come November.

With new stadiums playing host to Winnipeg, Hamilton and Ottawa and plans in the works for a new stadium in Regina, the growing confidence for the league continues to increase in many of the leagues member cities.

Opening week finds a Grey Cup rematch on the schedule and an opportunity for all eight of this weeks starting grid to get a feel for how their teams will shape up in the 2014 campaign.

Below, we'll provide the scoreboard for the week, as well as any items of note from the first week of the brand new season.


June 29-- Hamilton 10 at Saskatchewan 31 ( 19,285 )

Video Highlights-- Hamilton/Saskatchewan
Game Recap-- All Allen: Riders' new tailback runs wild in win over 'Cats
Stats Pack-- Hamilton Saskatchewan

Game Reviews:

12 Men-- Riders pick up where they left off in November
Regina Leader Post-- Robust debut for 2014 Riders
Regina Leader Post-- Allen shines as riders newcomers make their mark
Hamilton Spectator-- Green Riders run roughshod over sad-sack Ticats
Toronto Sun-- Saskatchewan Roughriders hammer Hamilton Tiger-Cats
CBC-- Roughriders sock it to Tiger-Cats in rain-soaked opener

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June 28-- Edmonton 27 at British Columbia 20 ( 24,524 )

Video Highlights-- Edmonton/British Columbia
Game Recap-- Road ready: Esks put freeze on Lions in 27-20 win
Stats Pack-- Edmonton/British Columbia

Game Reviews:

12 Men-- Lions and Esks keep it competitive in Game Three of the weekend
Vancouver Province-- Kevin Glenn's game magnifies Lulay's absence
Vancouver Sun-- Opening loss stuns Lions
Edmonton Journal-- Eskimos tame Lions in season debut
Edmonton Sun-- Edmonton Eskimos overcome early deficit to edge B. C. Lions
CBC-- Mike Reilly rallies Edmonton past Lions in opener

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June 28-- Montreal 8 at Calgary 29 ( 26,135 )

Video Highlights-- Montreal/Calgary
Game Recap-- Stamps defence stymies Als in season-win
Stats Pack-- Montreal/Calgary

Game Reviews:

12 Men-- Bo Can Throw, Bo Can Run; on Opening Day the Stamps had lots of fun!
Calgary Sun-- Calgary Stampeders win season-opener
Calgary Herald-- Clothesline hit rocks Cornish, sparks concussion fears
Montreal Gazette-- Punchless Montreal Alouettes fall prey Stampeders
CBC-- Stampeders thump Alouettes in season opener

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June 26-- Toronto 21 at Winnipeg 45   ( 24,872  )

Video Highlights-- Toronto/Winnipeg
Game Recap-- Stellar Start: Bombers shine in season-opening win
Stats Pack-- Toronto/Winnipeg 

Game Reviews:

12 Men-- Bombers Performance suggests that this might be a very different season from recent past
Winnipeg Free Press-- Slick Willy puts on a great show
Sun Newspapers-- New QB Drew Willy goes wild as Blue Bombers hammer Argos in CFL season opener
CBC-- Blue Bombers destroy Argonauts in CFL opener
TSN-- Willy leads Bombers to Blowout of Argos in Season opener

Cut down weekend brings a few surprising names to the list of the departures

Considering the Ottawa RedBlacks have the first bye week of the 2014 season, they'll have some fascinating reading during their week off, looking over the lists of cuts from their eight other CFL lodge members and measuring the risk or reward of adding from the names of the departures.

CFL cut down weekend has come and gone, the nine CFL teams making their final roster moves heading into next week's season opening games.

The team by team roster moves can be found below:

British Columbia Lions
Edmonton Eskimos
Calgary Stampeders
Saskatchewan Roughriders
Winnipeg Blue Bombers
Hamilton Tiger Cats
Toronto Argonauts
Ottawa RedBlacks
Montreal Alouettes

Ratifications and Ramifications

With the countdown towards the kickoff to the 2014 season underway, the CFLPA is taking the recent contract agreement with the league to its membership for a vote.

CFL, Players to vote on tentative labour agreement this week
CFL players holding ratification votes on tentative agreement with league

And while most expect the new deal to be approved, it seemingly won't be accepted by all as a major advance in the lot of the CFL player.

Montreal

CFL players should know results of vote on pact by Thursday night

Ottawa

Redblacks player rep Eric Fraser waiting for result of vote on tentative deal

Toronto

Players got shortchanged in new CFL labour deal

Hamilton

Players give in, reach tentative deal to avoid strike

Winnipeg

Players to vote Thursday on new CFL CBA

Saskatchewan

CFLPA rep meets with Roughriders to explain deal

Edmonton

Esks players vow to stick together regardless of vote

Calgary

Stamps player set for Thursday's ratification vote

British Columbia

Second thoughts may undercut CFL labour pact

As with any labour dispute, there could still be surprises along the way, but the process of the voting is underway and the final verdict of the players will soon be delivered.

Still, while there will be some who clearly believe the CFLPA could have forced more out of the league, once the players are into the weekly grind of the 2014 schedule we imagine that the majority will put the labour issues behind them.

The CFL has always been a bit of mixed bag when it comes to what their players hope to achieve through their careers.

For some, though only a few, it's a stepping stone to a hoped for opportunity with the larger machine of the NFL.

Whether it's a young player out of University ball who was overlooked by the football industry that is the NFL, or a player who has crossed the border after spending time on NFL rosters, with the prospect of once again taking their game to the four down variety continuing to burn bright.

For a number of Americans that perhaps thought that their stay in Canada would be a short one, they find that they quickly settle into the rhythm of the league, make impressive careers for themselves and take all that experience to the coaching levels or finding a place in a Canadian community to make a life after football.

For the majority of the Canadian players migrating from Canadian or US university ball, the CFL will most likely be their only home. For many, like those that play hockey and aspire to the NHL, the CFL and Grey Cup is their vision.

They obviously make significantly less than those that chose to chase pucks instead of pigskins, but the desire and love of the CFL game is equal to that of any NHLer, for them the CFL offers a chance to add some years of football to their resume, find a niche in a game they love and make their name for life after football.

It's those cards that the league knows very well, that in the end make for labour deals.

Though with growing revenue streams, returning a portion of that new economic order should be a priority moving forward for Commissioner Mark Cohon and the team owners.

Nobody is going to get rich from a CFL lifestyle, for many it makes for a comfortable way station on the way to the NFL or a future career out of the sport, making the journey for the players a little more rewarding and a little more secure is something that all sides should continue to work on even after the new contract is in place.

A little good faith today, will likely go a long ways in times of trouble.

CFL Attendance Tracker 2014

Overall Attendance Leaders
(Regular Season Only -- Average of Attendance)

Montreal   20,278
Ottawa      24,315
Toronto     16,930
Hamilton    6,500
Winnipeg   29,159
Saskatchewan 28,257
Edmonton  34,100
Calgary      27,335
British Columbia 24,786

League Average

24,600

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Team by Team
Week by Week


Montreal Alouettes

August 8-- Edmonton 33 at Montreal 23  ( 20,054 )
August 1-- Toronto 31 at Montreal 5 ( 20,692 )
July 11-- Winnipeg 34 at Montreal 33 ( 20,348 )
July 4-- British Columbia 9 at Montreal 24 ( 20,018 )

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Pre Season-- Ottawa 26 at Montreal 10  (18,141)

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Ottawa RedBlacks  

August 2-- Saskatchewan 38 at Ottawa 14  ( 24,303 )
July 18-- Toronto 17 at Ottawa 18 ( 24,326 )

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Pre Season-- June 14 -- Saskatchewan 21 vs Ottawa 17 (in Regina) (13,014)

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Toronto Argonauts

August 12-- Winnipeg 21 at Toronto 38  ( 18,106 )
July 12-- Calgary 34 at Toronto 15  ( 16,102 )
July 6-- Saskatchewan 15 at Toronto 48 ( 17,758 )

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Pre Season-- June 19 -- Hamilton 23 at Toronto 41 (at Varsity Stadium) (5,216)

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Hamilton Tiger Cats

July 31-- Winnipeg 27 at Hamilton 26 ( 6,500 ) (At McMaster)
July 26-- Ottawa 23 at Hamilton 33 ( 6,500 ) (At McMaster)

** Tim Horton's Field was not ready for the start of the season
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Pre-Season-- June 14-- Montreal 23 at Hamilton 28 (at McMaster) (5,573)

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Winnipeg Blue Bombers 

August 7-- Saskatchewan 23 at Winnipeg 17 ( 33,234 )
July 17-- Edmonton 26 at Winnipeg 3  ( 30,976 )
July 3-- Ottawa 28 at Winnipeg 36  ( 27,553 )
June 26-- Toronto 21 at Winnipeg 45 (24,872)

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Pre-Season-- June 9 -- Toronto 24 at Winnipeg 22   (24,000)

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Saskatchewan Roughriders

July 26-- Toronto 9 at Saskatchewan 37 ( 32,621 )
July 12-- British Columbia 26 at Saskatchewan 13 ( 32,864 )
June 29--  Hamilton 10 at Saskatchewan 31 ( 19,285 )

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Pre-Season-- June 20-- Edmonton 19 at Saskatchewan 14 (15,353)

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Edmonton Eskimos

July 24-- Calgary 26 at Edmonton 22 ( 40,066 )
July 11 -- Ottawa 11 at Edmonton 27 ( 31,521 )
July 4-- Hamilton 24 at Edmonton 28  ( 30, 714 )

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Pre Season-- June 13-- British Columbia 14 at Edmonton 11 (25,963)

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Calgary Stampeders

August 9-- Ottawa 17 at Calgary 38 ( 28,391 )
August 1-- British Columbia 25 at Calgary 24  ( 27,266 )
July 18-- Hamilton 7 at Calgary 10 ( 27,546 )
June 28-- Montreal 8 at Calgary 29 (26,135)

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Pre-Season-- June 14 -- Winnipeg 20 at Calgary 23 (27,103)

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British Columbia Lions

August 8-- Hamilton 29 at British Columbia 36  ( 24,236 )
July 25-- Winnipeg 23 at British Columbia 6 ( 25, 321 )
July 19-- Montreal 5 at British Columbia 41 ( 25,063 )
June 28-- Edmonton 27 at British Columbia 20 (24,524)

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Pre Season-- June 20-- Calgary 13 at British Columbia 37 (26,445)

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CFL Scoreboard 2014

The Road to the 102nd Grey Cup starts with the training camps of June and takes CFL fans on a journey through the summer and into the fall, all of it charting a course to BC Place for this Years Grey Cup in late November.

Below is our archive of scores from the 2014 season, tracked on a week to week basis.

The full CFL schedule can be found here.

Once again this year TSN provides coverage of all CFL Regular season games and select Pre-Season contests, you can access their Broadcast portal here.

Regular Season

Week Eight

12 Men Week Seven Preview/Recap

August 12-- Winnipeg 21 at Toronto 38 ( Stats )  ( Recap ) ( 18,106 )
August 15-- Edmonton at Ottawa ( 7:30 PM ET, 5:30 MT, 4:30 PT ) TSN
August 16-- Calgary at Hamilton ( 3 PM ET, 1 MT, Noon PT )  TSN
August 16-- Montreal at Saskatchewan ( 7 PM ET, 5 ST, 4 PT )  TSN
August 17-- British Columbia at Toronto ( 7 :30 ET, 4:30 PT )  TSN


Week Seven

12 Men Week Seven Preview/Recap

August 7-- Saskatchewan 23 at Winnipeg 17 ( Stats )  ( Recap ) ( 33,324 )
August 8-- Edmonton 33 at Montreal 23 (  Stats )  ( Recap )  ( 20,054 ) 
August 8-- Hamilton 29 at British Columbia 36 ( Stats ) ( Recap )  ( 24,236 )
August 9-- Ottawa 17 at Calgary 38 ( Stats ) ( Recap)  ( 28,391 )  

Week Six

12 Men Week Six Preview/Recap

July 31-- Winnipeg 27 at Hamilton 26 ( Stats ) ( Recap ) ( 6,500 ) at McMaster
August 1-- Toronto 41 at Montreal 5 ( Stats ) ( Recap ) ( 20,692 )
August 1-- British Columbia 25 at Calgary 24 ( Stats ) ( Recap ) ( 27,266 )
August 2-- Saskatchewan 38 at Ottawa 14 ( Stats ) ( Recap ) ( 24,303 )


Week Five

12 Men - Week Five Preview/Recap 

July 24-- Calgary 26 at Edmonton 22  ( Stats)   ( Recap ) ( 40.066 )
July 25-- Winnipeg  23 at British Columbia 6 ( Stats ) ( Recap ) ( 25,321 )
July 26-- Ottawa 23 at Hamilton 33  ( Stats )  ( Recap) ( 6,500 ) at McMaster
July 26-- Toronto 9 at Saskatchewan 37  ( Stats )  ( Recap ) (  32,621 )

Week Four

12 Men - Week Four Preview/Recap

July 19-- Montreal 5 at British Columbia 41 ( Stats ) ( Recap )  ( 25,063 ) 
July 18-- Hamilton 7 at Calgary 10 ( Stats ) ( Recap )  ( 27,546 ) 
July 18-- Toronto 17 at Ottawa 18 ( Stats ) ( Recap )  ( 24,326 ) 
July 17-- Edmonton 26 at Winnipeg 3 ( Stats ) ( Recap )  ( 30,976 ) 


Week Three

12 Men - Week Three Preview/Recap

July 12-- BC 26 at Saskatchewan 13 ( Stats ) ( Recap ) ( 32,864 )  
July 12-- Calgary 34 at Toronto 15 ( Stats ) ( Recap ) ( 16,102 ) 
July 11-- Ottawa 11 at Edmonton 27  ( Stats )  ( Recap )  ( 31,521 ) 
July 11-- Winnipeg 34 at Montreal 33   ( Stats ) ( Recap )  ( 20,348 )


Week Two

12 Men - Week Two Preview/Recap

July 5-- Saskatchewan 15 at Toronto 48  ( Stats ) ( Recap )  ( 17,758 )
July 4-- Hamilton 24 at Edmonton 28 ( Stats ) ( Recap )  ( 30,714 )
July 4-- British Columbia 9 at Montreal 24 ( Stats )  ( Recap )  ( 20,018 )
July 3-- Ottawa 28 at Winnipeg 36  ( Stats)  ( Recap )  ( 27,553 )

Week One

 12 Men - Week One Preview/Recap

June 29-- Hamilton 10 at Saskatchewan 31 ( Stats ) ( Recap ) ( 19,285  )
June 28-- Edmonton 27 at British Columbia 20 (Stats)  (Recap) (24,524)
June 28-- Montreal 8 at Calgary 29 (Stats) (Recap)  (26,135)
June 26-- Toronto 21 at Winnipeg 45  (Stats) (Recap) (24,872)

Pre Season

June 20-- Calgary 13 at British Columbia 37 (Stats) (Recap) (26,445)
June 20-- Edmonton 19 at Saskatchewan 14 (Stats) (Recap) (15,353)
June 20-- Ottawa 26 at Montreal 10 (Stats) (Recap) (18,141) 
June 19-- Hamilton 23 at Toronto 41 (at Varsity Stadium) (Stats) (Recap) (5,216)

June 14-- Winnipeg 20 at Calgary 23 (Stats) (Recap) ( 27,103 )
June 14-- Saskatchewan 21 vs Ottawa 17  (at Mosaic Field) (Stats) (Recap) (13,014)
June 14-- Montreal 23 at Hamilton 28 (at McMaster) (Stats) (Recap) (5,573)
June 13-- British Columbia 14  at Edmonton 11(Stats) (Recap) (25,963)
June 9-- Toronto 24 at Winnipeg 22 (Stats) (Recap) (24,000)