Friday, October 30, 2015

When the Argos say they play for each other; they really mean that they play for each other

2015 by any measure has been perhaps the most baffling season ever for the Double Blue, a year that has seen the team collectively use up more Air Mile reward numbers than most Canadians use on an extended summer vacation.

Owing to any number of reasons, availability of their usual home the Rogers Centre became problematic for the Argos for much of the season, starting with the Pan Am games which saw Toronto punted from the stadium for the start of the season, a moment in CFL time thad delivered the Argos to Northern Alberta as the home team for Fort McMurray

Then came the fall and the Major League baseball run of the Blue Jays which found the Double Blue dispatched to Ottawa once and twice to Hamilton for home games through October.

Such has been the state of their season, that the Argos probably should have adopted the theme from Where in the World is Carmen San diego as their official team song for the year.

All in all, if gate receipts were to be the measure of the team this year, the financial books probably are smeared in red, an incidental account somewhere in the back pages of the Bell/MLSE reports.

The average attendance numbers for the Argos for 2015 to be forever marked by a string of asterisks dotted across the road maps of the nation.

Our attendance tracker will give you a glimpse into the state of the home by way of the road trip attendance figures for 2015, where the term lots of good seats available has never been more true.


As seen from a recent TSN broadcast, Argos (home) games
in Hamilton and elsewhere haven't really packed the stadiums

On the field though, the Argos seem to have taken the challenge of the endless road trip of 2015 as one of those US against the WORLD scenarios, rattling off win after impressive win, all of them while using their back up quarterback Tervor Harris at the helm, while Ricky Ray convalesced through the majority of the season.

Tonight, (providing they can remember how to find the stadium) the Argos reintroduce themselves to their Rogers Centre locker room, with a 7 PM match up with the British Columbia Lions, it marks the first time that they've had to make their way downtown since September 11th.

And for the first time in months, with the exception of news out of the Leafs camp, the Argos will have the news cycle to themselves, the Blue Jays now done for the year (with the off season drama perhaps to capture a bit of media attention for sure).

Toronto FC (the less than enthusiastic partner in the new digs for next year), has seen their season come to a conclusion as well.

So for the next two, three, maybe four more weeks if all goes well, perhaps the Argos can carve out some space and attention from the various media outlets of the Big Smoke.

They play their final regular season home game next week with Winnipeg coming to town and that milestone for the year gives us a thought, that the Argos perhaps may want to offer up a salute to their less than helpful landlords at the Rogers Centre as well.

Considering some of the anger that seems to be percolating towards Rogers Communications with the departure of the Blue Jays GM Alex Anthopoulos over the last few days. Maybe the Argos should provide the opportunity for Toronto sports fans of all persuasions, football, hockey, soccer and baseball to provide AA a proper and grateful send off from Toronto fans.

Anthopoulos bafflingly allowed to leave Jays in search of ‘right fit’
Alex Anthopoulos' Toronto Blue Jays departure a failure by ownership, and not a surprising one
Blue Jays ownership responsible for this ridiculous ending
To say Alex Anthopoulos rejected an extension from Blue Jays is ridiculous
Rogers not getting AA to re-sign is shameful


From Twitter: A fairly accurate perception as to how
Toronto residents may be feeling about Rogers these days

We say, bring AA into the Argo tent for the night, hold an Alex Anthopoulos thank you celebration at half time during next weeks regular season ender.

We have a feeling it might bring in the largest crowd in years and in the end make for the most effective way say thanks to their landlord, bidding Rogers adieu as they make their migration to BMO field for 2016.

Can you hear the chants now, I think I can, that ever popular call of ARGOOOOOOS replaced with something along the lines of ...  Rogers S ....





CFL Week Nineteen


Playoff placements are on the line as the CFL heads into its final two weeks of the 2015 season. As teams battle it out for first place byes into the playoffs and others seek to claim a spot at the bottom of the playoff entry list, perhaps by way of a cross over berth in the case of the Montreal Alouettes.

The weekend begins with something unusual, a Toronto Argonaut home game that actually, really will take place that might be familiar to the Double Blue, with the Argos playing host to the British Columbia Lions at the Rogers Centre.

One hopes that the Argo players can remember how to get to that distant memory of a stadium, having been punted out of their digs a number of times through the year for a range of reasons.

However, with Blue Jays now finished with the baseball thing for the year, barring some other mysterious request from Rogers Centre management, the Argos should finish out the season of the extended road trip at home. Bonus points for them if they can claim First place overall, as it would mean one more home date in downtown Toronto, pending Rogers approval we imagine.

Saturday brings a double header with the Saskatchewan Roughriders winding down their year of woe with a match up in Calgary with the Stamps, with the Riders looking perhaps to play the role of Stampeder spoiler, leaving the path clear for Edmonton to claim the top spot in the West.

The night cap match up brings the Ottawa RedBlacks into Hamilton, with Ottawa seeking to keep pace with their eastern cousins and make the final week of the season one that could deliver no shortage of drama.

Sunday finds the Alouettes in Edmonton with what should be a must win situation, should they have any hopes of making a run for a crossover spot in the 2015 playoff derby.

Below, is our archive for week number Nineteen

Check back regularly through the weekend for updated material.


Friday, October 30 

British Columbia Lions 27 at Toronto Argonauts 25
( 14,236 )


-- Ricky Ray could be Argos' ultimate X factor
-- Rookie, vet an unlikley mirror matchup

Game Reviews:

CFL.ca Game Recap
CFL.ca  Stats Review
CFL.ca Highlights

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Saturday, October 31 

Saskatchewan 19 at Calgary 42
( 31,591 )  TSN


-- Boom goes Brackenridge in war of words

Game Reviews:

CFL.ca Game Recap
CFL.ca Stats Review
CFL.ca Highlights

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


Sunday, November 1

Ottawa RedBlacks 12 at Hamilton Tiger Cats 6
( 24,340 ) 


Thursday, October 29, 2015

Shaw Top Performer Week Eighteen





It was repeat weekend for two out of the three Shaw Top Performers for Week Eighteen.

Picking up where he left off a week ago, Eskimos Slot Back Adarius Bowman picked up his second consecutive first place finish, on the strength of a 200 plus yard game over the Riders. Bowman collected 13 receptions during the game, accumulated 208 yards and scored a TD in the Eskimos 35-24 victory over Saskatchewan. The back to back first place finishes compliment his first place award from Week 12.

Henry Burris once again had a stellar weekend leading the RedBlacks to a 27-20 victory over Winnipeg keeping Ottawa nipping at the heels of the Argos and TiCats in the very competitive eastern division. Burris passed for 412 yards, the fifth time this year he has topped the 400 plus mark. On the way to the RedBlack win Burris tossed the ball 43 times, completing 29 of his passes for a 67.4 percentage, of the 29 one provided Ottawa with six points marking his only aerial TD of the day, though he did plunge into the end zone on a push from scrimmage for another major.

Eskimos QB Mike Reilly rounds out the three selections on the week, passing for 377 yards, while completing 29 of his 39 passes, three of them for majors on the way to the Esks victory over Saskatchewan.

No results from the fan voting for week number seven have been released as of yet.

The CFL's Shaw Top Performers for Week Seventeen

1st -- Adarius Bowman -- SB  -- Edmonton Eskimos -- 100 points

2nd -- Henry Burris -- QB  -- Ottawa RedBlacks -- 50 Points

3rd --  Mike Reilly -- QB -- Edmonton Eskimos  -- 25 points

Fan Vote -- Ballot Results not released yet--10 Points


CFL.ca review of the Players of the Week


Twelve Men on the Field Archive of the Shaw Top Performers Listings for the 2014 season

Friday, October 23, 2015

CFL Week Eighteen


With only three weeks remaining in the 2015 Regular season, those teams with playoff ambitions will be looking to secure their placement in the November sweepstakes to take them to Grey Cup Sunday.

With Saskatchewan already eliminated and the Eskimos, Stamps,Tiger Cats, Argos and RedBlacks all having clinched, the final playoff spot has become a marathon to the end of the season it seems between British Columbia, Winnipeg and Montreal.

And as we head into week eighteen, someone is going to slip behind by the time Sunday morning comes around

The week gets underway with a home game for the Argos, and much as it has been this year, that means that Toronto is playing somewhere else outside of the Six, with trek down the highway to Hamilton tonight as the Argos host the Alouettes at Tim Horton's field. With an eye still towards catching the Ti Cats for first place in the east, the Alouettes will have their hands full as they seek to keep their playoff hopes alive, looking to Kevin Glenn to have learned just a little bit more in the last week to spur the offence on.

Friday featured a double header with the under performing BC Lions playing host to the Tiger Cats, two teams that appear headed in opposite directions of late, withe the Cats overcoming the loss of starter Zach Collaros, while the Leos see hopeful signs from their QB's, but then inexplicably let victories slip away, a trend that BC is running out of time to correct.

Saturday also provides us with two match ups with the Ottawa RedBlacks heading to Winnipeg, the Bombers one of those three teams on the cross over bubble, seeking to secure third in the West to make the prospect of an Alouette jump across borders an unlikely event. For Ottawa, all eyes will be on QB Henry Burris who has had a remarkable season and looks to be close to setting even more records in his long and exciting CFL career.

The wrap up to the weekend probably looked pretty good when they drew up the schedule, the Riders and Eskimos, two teams that many expected would have break out years in the CFL.  And as the season has shown, the Break Out was all in Edmonton, while it seems now that it's Break Up season in Saskatchewan. The finale to week Seventeen of much more value to the Eskimos than the Riders, as the Green and Gold look to solidify a hold on the top spot in the CFL West and overall standings in the league as well.

Below, is our archive for week number Seventeen.

Check back regularly through the weekend for updated material.


Friday, October 23 

Montreal Alouettes at Toronto Argonauts (at Tim Horton's Field)
( 7 PM ET -- 4PM PT ) TSN


-- Alouettes GM/coach is running out of fingers to point
-- Samoan Fonoti stepping in for Argonauts

Game Reviews:

CFL.ca Game Recap
CFL.ca  Stats Review
CFL.ca Highlights

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Friday, October 24 

Hamilton Tiger Cats at British Columbia Lions
( 7 PM PT - 10 ET )  TSN




Game Reviews:

CFL.ca Game Recap
CFL.ca Stats Review
CFL.ca Highlights

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


Saturday, October 24

Ottawa RedBlacks at Winnipeg Blue Bombers
( 3 PM ET, 4 ET, 1 PT) TSN


-- Brad Sinopoli a great catch for RedBlacks so far
-- O'Shea says Bryant will be ready for Bombers


Game Reviews:

CFL.ca Game Recap
CFL.ca Stats Review
CFL.ca Highlights

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Saturday, October 24

Edmonton at Saskatchewan
(5 PM ST/MT, 7 ET, 4 PT) TSN


-- Eskimos LB JC Sherritt back from injury and eager to play Saturday
-- Eskimos provide though test for Roughriders


Game Reviews:

CFL.ca Game Recap
CFL.ca Stats Review
CFL.ca Highlights

Shaw Top Performers week Seventeen





A Receiver, a QB and a DB clam their spots this week with the Shaw Top Performers listings for Week Seventeen.

With a career game to save to the archives, the Eskimos Adarius Bowman claims the top spot of the week, his 11 receptions for 198 yards and a touchdown part of the story of the Eskimos come from behind victory over the BC Lions.  Bowman made his mark in the second quarter grabbing a 69 yard pass from Mike Reilly that made for Bowman's six TD reception on the year. Week Seventeen marks the second time that the Eskimo receiver has been ranked as a Top Performer, having claimed the title in Week 12 as well.

Another  remarkable outing for Ottawa RedBlacks QB Henry Burris gives him the second placement of the week, as the RedBlacks field general threw for 370 yards and a TD, completing 34 of his 43 pass attempts in a victory over the Winnipeg Blue Bombers. The long time CFL QB is having one of the best seasons of his career, set to streak by the 5,000 yard mark before this season is done, perhaps even before this upcoming weekend is finished. His success on week Seventeen is the fourth time this season he's been tapped as a Top Performer.

The defence gets its due this week as well, as the Stampeders Defensive Back Brandon Smith claims the third spot of the listings.  Smith snared two picks in the Stamps 27-15 win over the Argos, adding to his totals on the year that have second on the Stamps roster in interceptions at 3.

No results from the fan voting for week number seven have been released as of yet.

The CFL's Shaw Top Performers for Week Seventeen

1st -- Adarius Bowman -- SB  -- Edmonton Eskimos -- 100 points

2nd -- Henry Burris -- QB  -- Ottawa RedBlacks -- 50 Points

3rd --  Brandon Smith -- DR -- Calgary Stampeders  -- 25 points

Fan Vote -- Ballot Results not released yet--10 Points


CFL.ca review of the Players of the Week


Twelve Men on the Field Archive of the Shaw Top Performers Listings for the 2014 season

Friday, October 16, 2015

CFL Week Seventeen


The playoff push is on with but four weeks to go in the 2015 CFL season, a jockeying for positions that could mean the difference between home field advantage and long trek into enemy territory in a winner takes all showdown.

Two teams looking to secure their spot in the playoff rotation take to the field in the week seventeen opener, as the Winnipeg Blue Bombers head into Ottawa and a Friday Night Football match up with the Ottawa RedBlacks.

The team from the nations capital is currently trying to keep pace with the division leading TiCats and Argos, but two points behind the division leaders heading into the weekend. Winnipeg on the other hand are holding onto their dreams of a playoff berth by their finger nails tied with BC for the final spot and watching as the Alouettes look to secure a cross over berth for the CFL Semis.

Saturday afternoon finds the Argos back on the road for a home game, bounced once again from their Rogers Stadium home owing to the Blue Jays ALCS Division series, the Boatmen will be hoping that enough of their fans make the drive down the QEW to see Tim Horton's field where they will host the Stampeders in what should be a CFL thriller for the weekend.

The night cap on Saturday takes us out to Edmonton, where the Eskimos who currently hold the edge over Calgary for bragging rights in the West will look to add to the misery of the Lions season, which has seen missed opportunities slip through their fingers a number of times in 2015.  Currently locked into a third and final spot in the West, the Lions have seemingly done all they can of late to make sure that they have to fight to the very last game should they wish to have any post season plans this year.

The weekend wraps up in Montreal, where Kevin Glenn, recently acquired and taking a crash course in Alouette offensive plans will look to keep Montreal's playoff hopes alive as the Als take on the TiCats at Molson Stadium.  Week seventeen might provide a bit more of a challenge for the Cats, as Jeff Matthews who has taken over the helm of the Cats offence faces down a team that is still focused on a playoff spot, with a motivated Alouette defence no doubt looking to make this weekend a test for the rookie QB.

Below, is our archive for week number Seventeen.

Check back regularly through the weekend for updated material.


Friday, October 16 

Winnipeg 24 at Ottawa 27
( N/A )


-- Lots on the line for Ottawa RedBlacks, Winnipeg Blue Bombers
-- Bitter Jovon Johnson wants to make lives living hell for the Winnipeg Blue Bombers

Game Reviews:

CFL.ca Game Recap
CFL.ca  Stats Review
CFL.ca Highlights

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Saturday, October 17 

Calgary at Toronto (At Tim Horton's Field in Hamilton)
( 4PM ET, 2 PM MT, 1 PM PT )  TSN




Game Reviews:

CFL.ca Game Recap
CFL.ca Stats Review
CFL.ca Highlights

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


Saturday, October 17

British Columbia at Edmonton
(5 PM MT, 4 PT, 7 ET) TSN

Game Preview

-- Lions face a tough decision: Jennings or Lulay
-- Eskimos defence on target for one of CFL's all time best seasons


Game Reviews:

CFL.ca Game Recap
CFL.ca Stats Review
CFL.ca Highlights

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Monday, October 18

Hamilton at Montreal
(1 PM ET, 10 AM PT) TSN


-- QB Glenn gets crash course on Alouettes' system
-- Tiger Cats ready to face Kevin Glenn, again


Game Reviews:

CFL.ca Game Recap
CFL.ca Stats Review
CFL.ca Highlights

Bold move by Als, may just extend season

QB Kevin Glenn will be trading in the
Green of Saskatchewan for the
rouge, blanc et bleu of the Als
after a deadline day trade
Pretty well everyone expected Kevin Glenn to be on the move somewhere, the Riders season extinguished and the team clearly looking to retool and add some youth had one major chip to use in these final weeks of the 2015 season, a veteran QB with a few teams in need of same.

The favourite heading out of last weekend appeared to be the Hamilton Tiger Cats the conventional wisdom being that they Cats would be looking to strike a deal with Saskatchewan to bring a CFL veteran into the fold to take them down the playoff stretch.

Instead, the Alouettes were quickest on the telephone, snaring Glenn for this season and next all for but a fifth round pick to Saskatchewan and a contract extension for Glenn.

He will bring a steady hand to an Alouettes offence that has stumbled over the last few weeks, the young talent at the QB position wilting a bit as the pressure of a potential playoff  miss began to take its toll.

Still, Glenn can't do it all on his own, the struggles in Montreal have been more of a systemic kind of thing, the early season turmoil of the firing of head coach Tom Higgins, the saga of Michael Sam, all of it seeming to shift the sands under their feet right out of the gate.

Receivers will have to catch, runners gallop and the offensive line will have to provide more consistent protection than that which has been seen through the year to this point.

Yet with one flash of a pen, suddenly, the Als are back in the hunt for the last playoff position and if they should find success there, who knows how they may run the table into late November.

A salvage mission which may turn into a playoff run and no one in Montreal probably saw that happening but a few weeks ago.

Some background on the deal below:

Montreal Alouettes acquire QB Kevin Glenn from Roughriders
At the Deadline: Als acquire Kevin Glenn in trade with Riders
Alouettes deal for veteran QB Kevin Glenn
Kevin Glenn becomes Alouettes' last best hope at quarterback
QB Glenn gets crash course on Alouettes' system
Alouettes expect offensive boost with Glenn at helm
Saskatchewan Roughriders trade Kevin Glenn, Jerome Messam
Trading Rider's Kevin Glenn was the right move for all concerned
Glenn grateful for time spent in Saskatchewan

Shaw Performers, Week Sixteen





Two QB's and a receiver dominate the Shaw Top Performers listings for Week Sixteen.

With a completion rate of close to 73 percent and 367 yards through the air last week, Toronto's Trevor Harris picked up the top spot, with the panel quite impressed with his work against Ottawa last Tuesday night. 2015 has been quite the breakout year for the Argo, leading the CFL in Touchdowns at 31, collecting some 3,782 yard through the air and holding his pass completion rate in the seventies all year.

Pressed into duty following the injury to Zach Collaros, the Ticats Jeff Mathews is giving head coach Kent Austin opportunity to take a deep breath. Friday night, Mathews had an impressive showing against the Saskatchewan Roughriders, throwing 22 of 33 passes for 385 yards and three touchdowns and directing the Cats offence with confidence throughout the game.

Even though his team came up short on the weekend, Emmanuel Arceneaux held up his part of the bargain, hauling in a season high eight receptions for 151 yards and a pair of touchdowns, six of those eight catches were for 13 or more yards, with three taking him 25 yards or more down the field.

No results from the fan voting for week number seven have been released as of yet.

The CFL's Shaw Top Performers for Week Sixteen

1st -- Trevor Harris -- QB  -- Toronto Argonauts -- 100 points

2nd -- Jeff Matthews -- QB  -- Hamilton Tiger Cats -- 50 Points

3rd --  Emmanuel Arcenaux -- WR -- BC Lions  -- 25 points

Fan Vote -- Ballot Results not released yet--10 Points


CFL.ca review of the Players of the Week


Twelve Men on the Field Archive of the Shaw Top Performers Listings for the 2014 season

Monday, October 12, 2015

In the land of endless optimism ... the cold reality that the season is over!

Living on the prairies means having a lot of faith, enduring cold long winters, watching the skies through wet springs that can destroy any hope of a bounty from the crops. Saskatchewan is a province based on resource industries that live on the edge of a global market and its whims, so having a lot of faith is something that gets you through the day.

When it comes to Saskatchewan's favourite football team, keeping the faith has long been a mantra of  many a disappointing off season, with occasional bursts of greatness and a Grey Cup to carry the faithful on to next year.

So, with Friday night's loss to Hamilton extinguishing all hopes for 2015 (as long shot a prospect as that may have seemed) the RiderNation can now make the most of the rest of the CFL season to study the competition and see what they're doing right and how to shift some of the Rider way towards those directions.

2015 has been a pretty horrible year for fans in Green (unless you have a dash of Gold to go with your uniforms) it started with the loss of Starting quarterback Darian Durant and then the always dependable Kevin Glenn and just keep rolling on, one horrid game after another, some offering glimpses of possibility, a close match up here and there where a break, or a play going in the way of the Green, may have changed the entire season.

As  for the other games well, lets not talk about those, best to banish the memories.

For the Riders management group this year will be costly in many ways, they are on the hook for the departure buyouts of former GM Brendan Taman and Head Coach Cory Chamblin, the sales of Rider merchandise a CFL cash cow if ever there was one will surely dip as the Riders fade from our views this Thanksgiving.

And with rumblings from the devoted fan base of the need for some change, season ticket renewals may take a little longer into the winter and spring, depending on what off season moves are made in Riderland.

In Saskatchewan the final notice for their playoff hopes came on Friday night, but in reality the knowledgeable fans that fill Mosaic week in and week out, probably had a feeling that this year was lost by the time the Saskatchewan Day August long weekend had rolled around.

Now the real work will get underway, making the tough decisions required to put things back on track for 2016, whether that means further change in the Administrative and coaching ranks to changing personnel.

Whether its changing the name tag on Head Coach  Bob Dyce from interim to permanent, or a complete recalculation of the Riders roster, whoever is making the final decisions for the season to come is going to have a very busy and challenging off season.

Some final observations on a year lost can be found below:

Roughriders bow out of playoff chase
Roughriders slim playoff hopes dashed
Dismal defeats may ultimately help Roughriders
Riders eliminated from playoffs after loss to Hamilton

Saturday, October 10, 2015

CFL Week Sixteen


Week Sixteen kind of got away from us, starting with the Tuesday evening surprise of a CFL game from Ottawa, with the RedBlacks acting as guests in their own house for the Argonauts.

For whatever reason, we neglected to consult our schedule and suddenly discovered that the TSN broadcast was not a rebroadcast of some action of the week previous, but just the addition to the TD Place events calendar, required by the need for the Argos to find a place to play with Toronto on Blue Jays watch this week.

From there, we apparently lost track of time, missing the kick off between Saskatchewan and Hamilton on Friday Night Football and well, here we are playing some serious catch up into Saturday.

We'd blame the tryptophan for our slumber on the schedule, but alas, we don't dine out on our bird until later today.

So, with two games already under the belt, here we go with the rest of the week sixteen schedule.

Saturday is doubleheader day for the Thanksgiving weekend schedule, starting off with Edmonton heading down the road to take on their provincial rivals, the two teams continuing their dogfight for the top spot in the CFL West.

Game two on the day takes us out to BC Place and what could be a pivotal game for the Winnipeg Blue Bombers heading into the home stretch of the CFL season, the Bombers are in Vancouver to take on the Lions and with a win, they will pull themselves into a tie for third place in the CFL West.

Neither team has looked like a squad that has plans to go the distance to a Grey Cup berth, but before you dare to dream the dream, you have actually qualify for the playoffs, a few more losses and both the Lions and Bombers may be waving to the Montreal Alouettes as they claim a cross over spot for 2015.

Monday brings the Thanksgiving Weekend to an end, with the Argos perhaps wondering if they'll ever get some kind of reward for all their struggles this year, coming off but a six day break, the Double Blue travel to Montreal for the finale to week sixteen, should they win they'll have pulled off a Double down on week sixteen action, collecting four points within seven days, not bad for a team that barely knows how to find its way home of late.

Below, is our archive for week number Sixteen.

Check back regularly through the weekend for updated material.

Tuesday, October 6

Ottawa RedBlacks 35 at Toronto Argonauts 38

15,001 (Game Played in Ottawa)


Game Preview


-- Ottawa RedBlacks have eye on Owens
-- Argos use adversity as rallying point


Game Reviews:

CFL. ca Game Wrap
CFL. ca Stats Review
CFL.ca Highlights
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Friday, October 9 

Saskatchewan 15 at Hamilton 30
( 24,222 )


-- Riders down to final playoff life
-- Tiger-Cats focused on turnovers

Game Reviews:

CFL.ca Game Recap
CFL.ca  Stats Review
CFL.ca Highlights

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Saturday, October 10 

Edmonton 15 at Calgary 11
( 34,211 ) 




Game Reviews:

CFL.ca Game Recap
CFL.ca Stats Review
CFL.ca Highlights

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


Saturday, October 10

Winnipeg 29 at British Columbia 26
(19,826)


Shaw Performers, Week Fifteen





Henry Burris' remarkable season continues on, and with it so fall the CFL records, last week Burris set a new CFL record for pass completions in a single game, tossing 45 of 54 for 504 yards, with no interceptions to spoil the day, all part of Ottawa's 39-17 win over Montreal. Burris' control of the offensive play through week fifteen has found him on the Shaw Top Performers listings three times now, this most recent one another first place finish.

One of the newest arms in the league grabbed the second spot for week fifteen as the BC Lions Jonathan Jennings put on an impressive offensive performance as the Lions trampled the Riders 46-20, Jennings completed 19 of 25 pass attempts, rattling off four TD passes on the night. A showcase evening that earned him a placement in this weeks top performers

The Lions defence won't be left behind in week fifteen either, Mic'hael Brooks travelled at will in the Saskatchewan backfield this past weekend, taking two QB sacks and an interception on the evening to make life miserable for the Riders. So far this year, Brooks has recorded 40 tackles and three sacks in his first season of CFL play.

No results from the fan voting for week number seven have been released as of yet.

The CFL's Shaw Top Performers for Week Fifteen

1st -- Henry Burris -- QB  -- Ottawa RedBlacks -- 100 points

2nd -- Jonathan Jennings -- QB  -- BC Lions -- 50 Points

3rd --  Mic'hael Brooks -- DT -- BC Lions  -- 25 points

Fan Vote -- Henry Burris -- QB-- Ottawa RedBlacks--10 Points


CFL.ca review of the Players of the Week


Twelve Men on the Field Archive of the Shaw Top Performers Listings for the 2014 season

Thursday, October 01, 2015

CFL Week Fifteen


For the Hamilton Tiger Cats, week fifteen heralds the start of the rest of their season, one that will now proceed without the services of starting Quarterback Zach Collaros.

As most CFL fans are aware, Collaros suffered a season ending knee injury following a controversial hit in week thirteen, leaving the TiCats to ponder their plans for the future during the bye week of week Fourteen.  The Cats return to action on Friday night and for starter Jeff Matthews the job is no doubt daunting, particularly with the always tough Stampeder defence set to make his life a complicated thing.

And while all eyes will be on Hamilton on Friday, Week Fifteen however will kick off tonight as the Ottawa RedBlacks look to continue on with their winning ways as they take on the Montreal Alouettes at TD Place stadium.  Riding the arm of the red hot Henry Burris, the RedBlacks have moved beyond just looking to make the playoffs and continue to keep an eye on a first place finish in the CFL east.

Saturday is doubleheader day for the weekend schedule, starting off with Edmonton at Winnipeg, where the struggling Blue Bombers will attempt to bring down the high flying Eskimos, providing of course the officials have a better grip on the rule book.  For Winnipeg the hopes for a cross over spot are starting to fade, with the Blue needing to string some wins together, while hoping Montreal suffers a late season crash.

The nightcap and final match up of the weekend finds the Saskatchewan Roughriders in Vancouver to take on the BC Lions, two struggling teams that have found 2015 to be a very disappointing experience through the first fourteen weeks. The Lions are desperately hoping to secure the final playoff spot in the West, though at the moment even that prospect seems in peril, with Montreal starting to find its form down the home stretch with the cross over spot in their grasp.

Below, is our archive for week number fourteen.

Check back regularly through the weekend for updated material.

Thursday, October 1

Montreal Alouettes 17 at Ottawa RedBlacks 39

21,607

Game Preview


-- RedBlacks focused on taking down Als
-- Alouettes in Ottawa to play their second game within four days


Game Reviews:

CFL. ca Game Wrap
CFL. ca Stats Review
CFL.ca Highlights
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Friday, October 2 

Calgary 23 at Hamilton 20



-- QB Jeff Mathews begins climb up the team ladder of respect
-- Stampeders would clinch home playoff date with a win in Hamilton

Game Reviews:

CFL.ca Game Recap
CFL.ca  Stats Review
CFL.ca Highlights

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Saturday, October 3

Edmonton at Winnipeg
3:00 PM CT, 4 PM ET, 1 PT




Game Reviews:

CFL.ca Game Recap
CFL.ca Stats Review
CFL.ca Highlights

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


Saturday, October 3

Saskatchewan at British Columbia 
4 PM PT, 5 ST, 7 ET


-- Pressure on Lions' young QB a key to Roughriders' success
-- Buono isn't ready to take a hike


Game Reviews:

CFL.ca Game Recap
CFL.ca Stats Review
CFL.ca Highlights


CFL Players of the Month for September




He may be nearing the final lap of a pretty remarkable career, but the way Henry Burris has performed through the 2015 season suggests that there is still some mileage on the odometer yet for the RedBlacks Field General.  September was another busy month for the CFL statisticians as they tracked the numbers that Burris was putting for the thirty days of the month.  1,107 passing yards,  with a 66 completion rate and 65 yards on the run marked his monthly totals. Heading into October, Burris leads the league in passing yards with 3,611, a performance that secured his first place finish in the Shaw Top Performers for September.

There haven't been many highlights for the BC Lions this season to this point, but one aspect of Lions football that seems just fine is the kick return game. Chris Rainey found himself the subject of the highlight reels a number of times through the month of September, with 729 yards on returns and two spectacular runs for Touchdowns through the month. Not surprisingly, Rainey leads the league in punt return yards and holds the highest return average at 31.1, all of which gained him second spot on the month for Top Performers.

The season in Winnipeg has also been a long and frustrating experience, with any number of problems popping up to sideswipe what the locals had hoped would be a march to the Grey Cup hosted in their very own stadium.  And while there are concerns in River City, one bright spot has been the defensive play of Jamaal Westerman, who gains the third spot in the monthly rankings after he rattled off fourteen tackles and four QB sacks through September. In that latter category, Western is currently the league leader in bringing down the Quarterback with 11 sacks to his credit through the season.

All three players will have their bonus points added to the Top Performers listings through to the end of the season.

The CFL's Shaw Top Performers for September

1st -- Henry Burris  -- QB -- Ottawa RedBlacks -- 200 points

2nd -- Chris Rainey -- RB -- B. C. Lions -- 100 Points

3rd --  Jamaal Westerman  -- DE -- Winnipeg Blue Bombers -- 50 points


CFL.ca review of the Players of the Month

Twelve Men on the Field Archive of the Shaw Top Performers Listings for the 2014 season

Shaw Top Performers, Week Fourteen





Three interceptions, one of them for touchdown propelled Macho Harris to the top of the Shaw Top Performers depth chart for week fourteen of the CFL season. The Saskatchewan DB had a remarkable day against the Montreal Alouettes, accumulating 91 return yards on his three picks, serving notice that QB's may approach his sector of the field at their peril.

Marquay McDaniel snared second place on the week, based on the strength of his 159 receiving yards in Friday night's controversial match up with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers. The sure handed McDaniel's currently is third overall in receiving yards for 2015 with 815 and counting.

Derek Walker also had a strong game of pass and catch in week fourteen, with 121 receiving yards in the Eskimos victory over the Lions, his 21 yard touchdown catch for the winning TD on the day the exclamation point for the Eskimos comeback victory.

No results from the fan voting for week number seven have been released as of yet.

The CFL's Shaw Top Performers for Week Twelve 

1st -- Macho Harris -- DB  -- Saskatchewan Roughriders -- 100 points

2nd -- Marquay McDaniel -- SB  -- Calgary Stampeders -- 50 Points

3rd --  Derel Walker -- WR -- Edmonton Eskimos  -- 25 points

Fan Vote -- Ballot Results not released yet--10 Points


CFL.ca review of the Players of the Week


Twelve Men on the Field Archive of the Shaw Top Performers Listings for the 2014 season