Twelve men on the Field

Quick Snaps Winnipeg Blue Bombers - December 2011

2011-12-28T11:54:00.001-08:00

Items of note that don't get the full blog treatment, but offer up a news and background on the Winnipeg Blue Bombers.

December 27-- Bombers made headlines
December 22-- Bombers' year in review
December 22-- Sports year in review
December 20-- Bombers safely sign Logan
December 16-- Khari or Dyce for Bombers?
December 16-- Top 10 most-loved athletes in Winnipeg history
December 14-- Just call it the Money Pit
December 11-- Bombers fans happy but not satisfied
December 10-- Bombers' Johnson takes run at the NFL
December 9-- Bombers re-sign long snapper
December 9-- Bombers boot Boreham, reclaim Cvetkovic
December 5-- Mack's pat on back

Quick Snaps Saskatchewan Roughriders - December 2011

2011-12-28T11:02:00.000-08:00

Items of note that don't get the full blog treatment, but offer up news and background on the Saskatchewan Roughriders.

December 25-- No 'Rough Riders" for Ottawa
December 23-- There is life after Andy Fantuz
December 22-- Riders should hire Bobby Dyce and Khari Jones
December 22-- Punter-kicker Chris Milo is proud of his accomplishments with the Riders
December 22-- U of R Rams punter Chris Bodnar to get chance with Riders
December 21-- Roughriders GM Brendan Taman keeping busy
December 21-- Andy Fantuz watch never stops
December 20-- Riders release Luca Congi and Tamon George
December 20-- Andy Fantuz shoots down rumours
December 16-- Saskatchewan Roughriders players, staff impressed by Chamblin
December 16-- Rey Williams praises coach Corey Chamblin's work ethic
December 16-- Optics didn't sway Brendan Taman
December 16-- Regina city councillors to decide on Mosaic Stadium replacement
December 16-- Riders head coach Corey Chamblin enjoyed a rapid rise through the ranks
December 16-- Auspicious debut for Corey Chamblin
December 16-- Hiring staff next step for new Riders coach Corey Chamblin
December 16-- Riders Live Chat December 16
December 15-- Roughriders hire Corey Chamblin as their new head coach
December 15-- Roughriders hire ex-Tiger-Cats co-ordinator Corey Chamblin as head coach
December 15-- Riders name Corey Chamblin new head coach
December 15-- Twitter reacts to the Riders' hiring of Corey Chamblin
December 15-- Readers' Poll: Do you think the Riders' decision to make Corey Chamblin..
December 14-- Business as usual for Roughriders director of player personnel Craig Smith
December 14-- Riders giving Kolten Solomon another chance
December 13-- Riders move forward without Kent Austin
December 13-- Dollars don't drive Kent Autsin
December 13-- Austin picks Cornell over CFL
December 12-- Kent Austin return to Riders appears unlikely
December 9-- Riders could make a three-in-one deal
December 8-- Kent Austin dictates Roughriders' timing
December 8-- Riders interview Stamps coach Dave Dickenson for head-coaching post
December 8-- Free agents on Riders' list of off-season issues
December 7-- More than football on Riders' Mo Lloyd's mind
December 7-- Riders release Barrin Simpson, sign Maurice Lloyd
December 6-- Lions give Riders permission to talk to Mike Benevides
December 6-- Riders cleared to talk to Kent Austin
December 3-- Roughriders must act fast with Austin
December 2-- Roughriders GM Brendan Taman plays by the rules
December 2--- Kent Austin talk won't relent
December 2-- Riders GM Brendan Taman trusts in process to find a new head coach
December 2-- Roughriders will upgrade Mosaic Stadium in advance of 2013 Grey Cup
December 1-- TSN's Glen Suitor weighs on in Riders' head-coach search
December 1-- Riders' rivals coaching moves causing unease

Quick Snaps Calgary Stampeders - December 2011

2011-12-28T10:19:00.000-08:00

Items of note that don't get the full blog treatment, but offer up news and background on the Calgary Stampeders.

December 23-- Stampeders promote Walkosky to defensive co-ordinator
December 23-- Stampeders name Walkosky defensive co-ordinator
December 20-- Stamps lose former longtime equipment manager
December 18-- Stamps' Claybrooks expected to retire
December 17-- Stampeders working to extend Tate's deal
December 13-- Stampeders to announce contract extension for RB Jon Cornish
December 13-- Cornish signs on dotted line
December 13-- Burris Big Smoked
December 13-- Cornish, Stamps agree on long-term deal
December 12-- Cornish gets contract bump
December 8-- CFL teams face tough decisions as free agency approaches
December 8-- Dave Dickenson interviews for Riders coaching gig
December 6-- Stampeders sign star running back Matt Walter
December 5-- Toronto Argonauts unveil co-ordinators lured from Calgary, Montreal
December 3-- Stampeders re-sign Lethbridge's Gott
December 3-- CFL fines Scullers big $5Gs
December 2-- CFL fines Argonauts $5,000 for tampering
December 2-- Argos fined for tampering after contact with ex- Stampeders co-ordinator...
December 2-- CFL fines Argonauts $.000 for tampering
December 2-- Stampeders file grievance in Argos reported hiring
December 1-- Stamps' Claybrooks wants to get into coaching- eventually

Quick Snaps Edmonton Eskimos - December 2011

2011-12-28T09:54:00.000-08:00

Items of note that don't get the full blog treatment, but offer up news and background on the Edmonton Eskimos.

December 20-- Maas begins coaching career with Argos
December 20-- Argos snag new receivers coach
December 19-- Eskimos' deal with Schiavone clouds kicking situation
December 16-- Acquiring veteran Ray gives Argos huge boost
December 15-- Ray takes his biggest hit in the off-season
December 14-- Ray says he's adjusting to shock of being dealt to Argos
December 14-- Inside the Ricky Ray deal
December 14-- Ray 'shocked' by trade to Argos
December 14-- Shock turns to excitement for new Argos pivot
December 14-- Eskimos introduce Steven Jyles
December 14-- Trade to Argonauts a shocker: Ricky Ray
December 14-- Ray just what Argos need, CFL legend says
December 14-- The sky's the limit for Ray and Argos
December 14-- Why the Argos won the Ricky Ray trade
December 14-- Like Flutie, Joseph, Argos deal for another Star QB
December 14-- Eskimos say Steven Jyles is their No. 1 quarterback
December 14-- Ray surprised by trade to Argos
December 13-- Eskimos look to the future with Ray trade
December 13-- Argonauts sing praises of new QB Ricky Ray
December 13-- Ray trade an ego play
December 13-- Ray acquisition makes Himebauch's job easier
December 12-- Maas 'definitely surprised' with trade of former teammate, good friend
December 12-- Trade a 'shocker' for Esks' Stamps
December 12-- Trade for Ricky Ray helps Argos prepare for run at Grey Cup
December 12-- Ray trade an outrage
December 12-- Eskimos send Ricky Ray to Argonauts
December 12-- Tough call for Esks' Reed
December 12-- Argos acquire QB Ricky Ray
December 12-- Argonauts 'aggressively' pursued Ray trade: Tillman
December 12-- Key dates in Ricky Ray's football career
December 12-- Eskimos send Ricky Ray to Argonauts
December 7-- Charles back on board with Eskimos

Quick Snaps British Columbia Lions - December 2011

2011-12-27T13:58:00.000-08:00

Items of note that don't get the full blog treatment, but offer up news and background on the British Columbia Lions.

December 26-- B. C. Lions named Postmedia team of the year after miracle season
December 23-- Lions show teeth as story of 2011
December 23-- Two Lions find their pride in family gatherings
December 15-- Lions asst. coach Jacques Chapdelaine may go back to Bishop's
December 14-- Lions Mike Benvides banked on blind trust
December 14-- He's made to measure
December 14-- Sadly, Sweats Still Suit Benevides
December 14-- Coaching staff have 'first rights of refusal'
December 13-- Benevides gets promotion with Lions
December 13-- Mike Benevides takes Lions' coaching reins
December 13-- New Lions coach Benevides "blessed" to have GM Buono in his corner
December 13-- Benevides thrilled to take over Lions
December 13-- Grey Cup champs hand coaching reins to Mike Benevides
December 13-- Mike Benevides' All-Canadian coaching career about to take the next important step
December 12-- Lions set to name Benevides head coach
December 12-- "Little Wally" to replace Buono as Lions head coach
December 11-- Buono expects to lead more balanced life
December 8-- GM Buono shows he's pass master
December 8-- Looking at the Lions: McCallum a must
December 8-- Search for the next coach of the Lions begins
December 7-- Lions on defensive with potential free agents
December 7-- Lions Wally Buono can opt for maximum stability
December 7-- Buono can opt for maximum stability for BC Lions
December 6-- Buono Voyage: B. C. Lions coach leaves the field after 22 seasons
December 6-- It was a pleasure being in Wally's World
December 6-- Curtain closes on coaching career
December 6-- Lions won't be the same without Buono
December 6-- Chronology of a legend: The sideline life and times of Wally Buono
December 5-- Wally Buono hangs up the whistle, sticks around as Lions GM
December 5-- Khalif Mitchell to audition for three NFL teams
December 5-- Wally Buono retires as B. C. Lions coach
December 5-- Buono ends coaching career on top
December 5-- Wally Buono through the years
December 5-- Wally's wisdom will be missed
December 5-- Passing half the baton
December 2-- After 0-5 start, Lions finish season with a 13-2 run...

Ahoy Captain Milanovich, the Good Ship Argonaut welcomes you aboard!

2011-12-02T21:36:00.000-08:00

The negotiations were seemingly kept well under wraps, with little word leaking out of Toronto during Grey Cup week that the Argonauts were on the cusp of hiring on a new field boss.

In fact, the early reports out of Toronto had it that the Argonauts were eyeing a well known CFL name for an assistants job, the task of finding a head coach still seemingly off to the future.

But with the Grey Cup glow finally dimming on the west coast, the Argoanuts grabbed some headlines from the BC Lions with the announcement that Scott Milanovich, most recently the offensive co-ordinator and assistant head coach of the Montreal Alouettes was trading in le rouge, blanc get bleu, for some double blue.

With the announcement, Jim Barker moves back to his General Manager's duties, leaving behind the ever present head aches of the day to day on field direction, though with the task of bringing the Argos back to CFL relevance will continue on, with an emphasis on finding the quality players required to turn around the Argos dismal past year.

The hiring of Milanovich is no doubt a good start to that goal, his record in Montreal speaks for itself, one of the most dominant of CFL offences for much of the past decade, it was only this year where the Als began to struggle, an inevitably when age catches up to roster positions.

Still, from an offensive point of view, the Argo challenge will be large, there's no Anthony Calvillo on the depth chart, some might even suggest that there's no Adrian MacPherson, who perhaps as an understudy to Calvillo has yet to come into his own in the CFL.

Whether Steven Jyles is the QB for Milanovich to set his future roster with remains to be seen, one tempting option could be for the Argos to acquire Henry Burris, seemingly on his way out in Calgary, though discussions with the Stamps could be a tad frosty for Barker going forward.

The Stamps were just a little bit outraged to learn of discussions between the Argos and their defensive coordinator over the last few weeks, discussions which led to Chris Jones leaving the Stamps bound for Toronto, a move which saw the Argos fined this week by the CFL for tampering.

And while we can sympathize with the Stamps on the poaching, we imagine it's indicative of the Argos newfound dedication to improve all aspects of their play from this past season, piracy if you will but considering the new head coach made his mark in the NFL as a back up quarterback with Tony Dungy's Tampa Bay Bucaneers, a little bit of swashbuckling probably can't hurt the cause.

Perhaps the Argos can incorporate an eye patch into their logo, just to set the new tone of business.

The moves out of Toronto this week should prove positive in the long run, knowledgeable football men taking on the key positions, bringing with them experience and connections (a training camp visit and motivational speech by Dungy would certainly bring some focus to the Argos in 2012) that makes for a helpful combination for a team that seemed adrift for most of 2011.

The captain has the off season to chart his new course, one that the Argos hope will include a home date the last weekend of November.

Globe and Mail-- Milanovich agrees on deal to be new Argos head coach: report
Globe and Mail-- CFL fines Argonauts $5,000 for tampering
Globe and Mail-- Argps add Calgary defensive co-ordinator Chris Jones to staff
Globe and Mail-- Hufnagel blind-sided by co-ordinator's move to Argos
Globe and Mail-- Argos could benefit from Milanovich as coach
National Post-- Argos fined for tampering after contact with ex-Stampeders co-ordinator
National Post-- Argos keep focus on the field
National Post-- Stampeders file grievance in Argos reported hiring
National Post-- Argos hire Scott Milanovich as head coach
Toronto Star-- Scott Milanovich takes over Argo coaching reins
Toronto Star-- Argo coaching soap opera hits new heights
Toronto Star-- Argo head coaching mystery continues
Toronto Sun-- Argos can't get QB wrong
Toronto Sun-- Argos get the coaching thing right
Toronto Sun-- Milanovich to choose own staff
Toronto Sun-- Dungy gives Argo coach thumbs up
Toronto Sun-- Barker scrapes coach off his plate
Toronto Sun-- Stamps confirm Jones T. O. move

Cleaning out the management lockers in the CFL

2011-12-01T11:20:00.000-08:00

The week following Grey Cup has featured a bit of coaching housecleaning for CFL clubs.

The broom came out in Hamilton where the Tiger Cats parted ways with head coach Marcel Bellefeuille, praising him for bringing them to where they were this year, but suggesting that they didn't think that he could push them over the top and on to a Grey Cup berth.

The fact that the Cats kept tinkering with their line up through the season (new faces, old faces going to new places) seemed to wreak a little havoc with Bellefeuille's planning, making it hard to build up any consistency through the year.

Something that would seem to be the mark of an office a little further up the food chain in Hamilton.

Still, as we've learned from the firing frenzy in the NHL this week, most times when things got wrong its easier to get rid of the coach as opposed to the no performing players, just ask Marcel Bellefeuille.

Hamilton Spectator-- Bellefeuille saw it coming
Hamilton Spectator-- It all came down to a question of confidence
Toronto Sun-- Obie, Mitchell must share blame
Toronto Sun-- Ticats fire Marcel Bellefeuille
Toronto Star-- Ticats fire head coach Marcell Bellefeuille
Globe and Mail-- Tiger-Cats fire Marcell Bellefeuille
Globe and Mail-- Ticats' Corey Chambliss could be the big winner in coaching shuffle
Canada.com-- Marcell Bellefruille out as Ticats coach
National Post-- Hamilton Tiger-Cats fire head coach Marcell Bellefeuille
TSN-- Tiger-Cats fire head coach Bellefeuille

Winnipeg also made a change, terminating the employment of their offensive coordinator, with Jamie Barresi seemingly getting the can tied to his butt for the Bombers offensive woes in the last half of the season and in Sunday's Grey Cup loss to the Lions.

The Bombers offense never quite reached Swaggerville proportions, that term seemed to be based mainly on the exploits of the defensive unit. The Bombers offensive output through 2011 for the most part followed the blue print of the first half of the Grey Cup game, not much yardage, not many points.

Whether that was solely the fault of Barresi or perhaps included a larger group of thinkers would seem irrelevant at this point, somebody was to pay for the anemic offerings of the Blues O unit, to that end Barresi joins the ranks of coaches seeking employment (how many CFL coaches are wishing that Ottawa was joining the league this year?)

The move to remove Baresi has made for much commentary int he Winnipeg media, still feeling the pain of a season that came up one game too short.

Winnipeg Sun-- Barresi fires back
Winnipeg Sun-- LaPolice's swift justice
Winnipeg Free Press-- Barresi's no scapegoat, Bombers head coach insists
Winnipeg Free Press-- Legitimate co-ordinators have control of situation
Winnipeg Free Press-- Bombers looking for a new direction: LaPolice
Canada.com-- Bombers axe offensive co-ordiantor Jamie Barresi
TSN-- Blue Bombers fire Barresi as Offensive coordinator

Still to be determined, who will take the reins over in Saskatchewan after the dismissal earlier this season of Greg Marshall and the retirement for the second time of his replacement Ken Miller, any number of dream candidates are on the minds of the Rider Nation, anxious to see their team return to dominance in the CFL West.

Regina Leader Post-- Tiger-Cats join Riders in search for a head coach
Regina Leader Post-- Roughriders continue search for a head coach
Regina Leader Post-- Busy off season for Riders GM Brendan Taman
Globe and Mail-- Austin not likely to return to Regina

There's no feud, like the old feuds...

2011-11-29T01:36:00.000-08:00

You have to have a bit of sympathy to both the Lions and the Bombers this weekend, if it wasn't the kids trying to steal away the spotlight, it was the septuagenarians grabbing some of the buzz from Grey Cup Weekend.
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The now much documented punch up between Angelo Mosca and Joe Kapp has gone beyond the realm of You Tube, gaining wide exposure in the US, with two high profile appearances one on Monday Night Football featured on Chris Berman's Cmon' Man segment of the weekly Monday Night show.
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Berman did pay tribute to some actual Canadian Football later on in the Monday Night show, rolling the highlights of the Bombers/Lions game during the half time three minute reel, but for entertainment value it would seem that the slug fest of the seventy somethings was the main attraction.

One of the other notable mentions was on the on Fox News prime time program with Shepard Smith, who featured the dust up as his closing item on his 7 pm news program.

Beyond that, we're pretty sure it made a wide range of "local" sports casts across America over the last few days.

While the actual nastiness does in reflection seem kind of foolish, at the moment we have no doubt of the earnest nature of both men, who clearly still carry the burden of animosities some forty years old now.

You have to wonder what Willie Fleming would think of it all.

There indeed is no feud like an old feud.

Makes you kind of wonder just what it takes to make someone snap and who might next make it to the YouTube roll of fame...

The 99th Grey Cup

2011-11-29T01:35:00.000-08:00

He was the Most Outstanding Player of the year in the CFL and by the time the Grey Cup would come to an end, Travis Lulay would be named the Most Outstanding Player of the game, but in the first half there were moments when Lions fans must have been wondering what was going on with their rising star.

The Lions quarterback missed on a few chances to put the Bombers away for good in the first half, a string of throws that went high and away brought the Lions march towards their championship to a halt a few times, resulting in two and outs and stalled drives.

As things turn out, Lulay wasn't playing at 100 percent, banged up in last week's Western Final he came into the championship game with a fair share of his own bumps and bruises, not enough however to keep him out of the lineup, finally getting untracked in the second half, more confident and more accurate.

The 99th Grey Cup was the defensive game anticipated, the Bombers D holding the tide of the Lions attack off, keeping their squad at least close for a possible comeback, one which in the end came up about four yards too short on a last minute onside kick for field position.

Before those dramatics however it seemed as though the Lions were on the cusp of blowing the roof off of the newly refurbished BC Place, the 14-6 lead at half time not telling the full story of the Lions control, but as documented a lack of finish in the red zone left points on the board heading into the half time Nickelback break.

While the Canadian rockers rattled off a few selections of their library, the Bombers were making adjustments to their game plan, one which had seen an anemic offence incapable of taking advantage of their teams defensive work.

Up until the fourth quarter all of the Bomber points came off the foot of kicker Justin Palardy, who went 3 for 3 on the day in field goals.

The Lions came out of the half time break much more focused on their offensive output, Lulay suddenly finding his range and accuracy hooking up with Kierire Johnson and Arland Bruce for touchdowns.

The Bombers could have seen the entire game turn around if not for a bobbled interception off the fingers of Odell Willis, who had his hands on a Travis Lulay pass and had nothing but empty field in front of him to the Lions end zone, but as fate would dictate it was not his time to make the game changing play.

Instead, the Lions kept possession and sent the ball down filed, leaving the Bombers to formulate another attempt at a long field drive.

As time was winding down in the fourth the Bombers did make things closer, a pair of quick TD passes with less than four minutes to play from Buck Pierce brought the Bombers to within eight points.

The failed onside kick attempt, spelled the end of the Bombers comeback bid, Paul McCallum sealed the Lions win with a final Field Goal marking the final score BC 34 , Winnipeg 23 and with that the Lions would claim their sixth Grey Cup, their first in front of a home crowd since 1994.

A remarkable end to a season that started off with many questions, as the Lions staggered out of the first quarter of the schedule, falling to 0 and 5 from the Canada Day weekend season kick off and then turning around 180 degrees to lay claim to the CFL West title and now the Grey Cup.

The Bombers who took the early charge in the first half of the season struggled towards the end, grasping first place in the East more to the lack of focus of the Alouettes than of their own domination, still with their berth in the Grey Cup came acknowledgment of their success this year, one which offers up hope of better years to come perhaps.

99 Grey Cups are now in the books, Number 100 destined for Toronto in 2012. An event we imagine that will come with all trappings of a centennial celebration and with a little luck a championship game to mark such an occasion.

Vancouver Province-- BC Lions are 2011 Grey Cup champions

Vancouver Province-- Lions defence set the table for Grey Cup feast

Vancouver Province-- BC Lions' Buono savouring leading the pack

Vancouver Province-- Workmanlike win for BC Lions, nothing special

Vancouver Province-- Cup champs - Who knows where Lions go now?

Vancouver Province-- On Buono, Lulay and the future for B. C. Lions

The Kids put on quite the show

2011-11-29T01:34:00.002-08:00

Canada's weekend festival of football got off to a rollicking start at BC Place on Friday night as the McMaster Marauders and the Laval Rouge et Or put on a fascinating battle for Canadian college football supremacy.

The Marauders totally dominated the Laval squad in the first half, a most convincing bit of football that Laval probably hadn't seen in its previous five CIS championship games, Hamilton's university team racked up the points and shut down Laval's much vaunted offence, sending shock waves back into the dark of night in Quebec, where the Rouge Et Or have become the Gold Standard of the Quebec conference.

Head coach Glen Constantine, seemed a bit lost for words as he headed off to the dressing room to talk to his troops, but whatever he cooked up between the first half ending interview and the return of the Rouge et Or to the field must have been one heck of a speech.

In the second half, Laval came out on fire, chipping away at the McMaster lead, gaining back yardage, collecting points and setting the Marauders back on their heels in the final thirty minutes, the shock of a huge lead disappearing etched on the faces of the McMaster players in the final minutes of the fourth quarter.

Still, McMaster didn't surrender, even when near disaster reared up its head with a potentially game winning last minute field goal attempt by Tyler Crapigna going wide and taken out of the Laval end zone, setting the scene for one of the wildest of playoff finishes that any league has ever seen.

The teams traded off scoring plays in a double overtime session, the hopes of Laval finally dashed with an interception by McMaster's Steven Ventresca and a follow up field goal of redemption for the McMaster kicker, who found his range and put the Marauders into the CIS history books with a 41-38 Vanier Cup victory.

It very much was two games played in sixty minutes plus, one half belonging totally to McMaster, the defending CIS champs from Laval owning the final frame, the rubber match of the championship was the Overtime, which McMaster seemed to will itself to win after their second half collapse.

It was a testament to Laval's championship status that they battled back and a celebration of the McMaster program which has been building in Ontario. The Marauders head coach, clearly understands what his team needed to do to wrestle the championship away from Laval, though he probably had hopes that it wouldn't result in a nail biter of a final as Friday provided.

The game made for a wonderful showcase of the Canadian game, offering up to football fans a reminder that there is some great football for the viewing in their hometowns, as close as the nearest university campus.

The path to Vancouver's Vanier Cup showcase provided for some great playoff action over the last few weeks, from all corners of the country, Canadian football was showcased at a very high level, the eventual participants in Friday's finale, having taken a pretty tough road to get there.

Prior to the Vanier Cup there was some talk of a super conference of the top teams of the CIS, a pretty tempting option considering what Friday night brought for us.

Still, the success of the CIS is the spirit of competition and community that all of the CIS teams bring forward each season, hopefully if the Super Conference idea ever takes flight, there will also be a way to keep the game resonant on campuses across the nation.

Friday offered up some snapshots of what should be some key players of the future for the CFL, in particular the ever evolving nature of the Canadian Quarterback question seems to need some push at the professional level.

Watching the performances of McMaster's Kyle Quinlan, and Laval's Bruno Prud'homme, in addition to the success of Hec Crighton winner Billy Greene from UBC, the pivot position in Canadian college football is in good hands, one hopes that there's an opportunity to come in the CFL for Canadian QB's to have their shot at CFL success, as we saw on Friday, there's some entertaining football to be had, if only a chance is provided.

TSN-- Vanier Cup thriller attracts large audience on TSN and RDS
TSN-- McMaster wins first Vanier Cup
TSN-- Grey Cup Diary: CIS, Vanier Cup steals the show on Friday
Hamilton Scores-- Vanier Cup efforts bring Marauders more honours
Hamilton Spectator-- Mac Marauders their way to the Vanier Cup
Hamilton Spectator-- 'One of the greatest games' ever seen
Hamilton Spectator-- Marauders make history
Hamilton Spectator-- McMaster Marauders make triumphant return
CTV-- A Vanier Cup for the ages
Vancouver Province-- Marauders' double trouble for Laval
Toronto Sun-- McMaster wins Vanier Cup in double overtime
Toronto Sun-- Winning matters, owners don't
Globe and Mail-- McMaster stops Laval in Vanier Cup thriller

Standing out on the wide field (CFL edition)

2011-11-29T01:34:00.001-08:00

In the lead up to the 99th Grey Cup, the CFL and its fans gathered at the Vancouver Convention Centre on Thursday night to recognize achievement and excellence in this 2011 season.

The Gibson's Finest Awards were distributed at the CFL's gala event Thursday night, an evening which brought both college and professional played together in celebration of the three down game.

The Gibson's award nominees and winners were:

Outstanding Player

Anthony Calvillo, Quarterback, Montreal Alouettes
Travis Lulay, Quarterback, British Columbia Lions

Winner-- Travis Lulay, Quarterback, British Columbia Lions

Defensive Player

Jovon Johnson, Defensive Back, Winnipeg Blue Bombers
Jerrell Freeman, Linebacker, Saskatchewan Roughriders

Winner-- Jovon Johnson, Defensive Back, Winnipeg Blue Bombers

Top Canadian

Jerome Messame, Running Back, Edmonton Eskimos
Sean Whyte, Kicker, Montreal Alouettes

Winner-- Jerome Messam, Running Back, Edmonton Eskimos

Outstanding Special Teams Player

Paul McCallum, Kicker, British Columbia Lions
Chad Owens, Kick Returner, Toronto Argonauts

Winner-- Paul McCallum, Kicker, British Columbia Lions

Most Outstanding Rookie

JC Sherritt, Linebacker, Edmonton Eskimos
Chris Williams, Wide Receiver, Hamilton Tiger Cats

Winner-- Chris Williams, Wide Receiver, Hamilton Tiger Cats

Most Outstanding Offensive Lineman

Jovan Olafioye, Offenseive Lineman, British Columbia Lions
Josh Bourke, Offensive Lineman, Montreal Alouettes

Winner-- Josh Bourke, Offensive Lineman, Montreal Alouettes.

Tom Pate Memorial Award
Kevin Glenn, Quarterback, Hamilton Tiger Cats

Commissioner's Award
Larry Reda

Full reviews of the nominees can be found here, details on the award winners can be found here.

The CFL's 2011 All Stars were announced last week, the list of those players can be found here.

Vancouver Sun-- B.C. Lions QB Lulay named CFL's most outstanding player
The Province-- Lion King: Lulay named CFL's most outstanding player
TSN-- Gibson's Finest Player Awards
Toronto Star-- Lions quarterback Lulay captures CFL's outstanding player award
The Score-- Lions QB Travis Lulay wins CFL's outstanding player award
Globe and Mail-- Lions' Travis Lulay wins CFL MVP
Sportsnet-- Lulay's efforts rewarded
CTVBC-- Lions' Lulay captures CFL's outstanding player award
CBC-- Lions QB Lulay named CFL's outstanding player
Canada.com-- Rising Star Lulay named CFL's Most Outstanding player
Canada.com-- Emotional venting over award nominations
Winnipeg Sun-- Bombers' Johnson named top defensive player

Standing out on the wide field (college edition)

2011-11-29T01:34:00.000-08:00

Prior to the weekend's festivities on the football field, the CFL and the CIS honoured those athletes that excelled in their respective leagues this season.

Both the pro game and the college game had many stand out moments this past season, featuring a collection of players that rose to the top of the lists from coast to coast.

The celebration of football excellence took place on Thursday night with a combined Awards show, recognizing the best in Professional and college football in Canada.

Looking at the potential stars of tomorrow for the CFL, the CIS award nominees and winners were:

Hec Crighton Trophy
Player of the Year

Atlantic- Kyle Graves, QB, Acadia
RSEQ- Simon Charbonneau-Campeau, WR, Sherbrooke
OUA- Michael DiCroce, WR, McMaster
CWUAA-- Billy Greene, QB, UBC

Winner- Billy Greene, QB, (UBC)

Presidents' Trophy
Defensive Player of the Year

AUS- Tom Labenski, LB, Acadia
RSEQ- Max Caron, LB, Concordia
OUA- Ryan Chmielewski, LB, McMaster
CWUAA-- Sam Hurl, LB, Calgary

Max Caron, LB (Concordia)

J. P. Metras Trophy
Outstanding down lineman

AUS- Jake Thomas, Defensive Tackle, Acadia
RSEQ- Arnaud Gascon-Nadon, Defensive End, Laval
OUA- Osie Ukwuoma, Defensive End, Queen's
CWUAA- Akiem Hicks, Defensive End, Regina

Winner-- Arnaud Gascon-Nadon (Laval)

Peter Gorman Trophy
Rookie of the Year

AUS- Jacob Leblanc, Defensive Tackle, Mount Alison
RSEQ- Jeremi Doyon-Roch, QB, Sherbrooke
OUA- Tyler Varga, Running Back, Western Ontario
CWUAA- Jordan Arkko, offensive lineman, Saskatchewan

Winner-- Tyler Varga, Running Back, Western Ontario

A full review of the College side of the Awards, including interviews with the nominees and winners can be found here.

The CIS also announced it's 2011 edition of the All Canadian Teams, that list can be found here.

The Province-- Hec Crighton Award winner: UBC's Billy Greene honoured with ...
Vancouver Sun-- UBC pivot Billy Greene claims Hec Crighton as CIS top player
Globe and Mail-- UBC's Billy Greene collects Hec Grighton Trophy
Ubyssey-- UBC pivot Billy Greene named CIS MVP wins Hec Crighton trophy
Toronto Sun-- Best in the CFL, CIS
TSN-- UBC Quarterback Greene wins Hec Crighton Trophy
Canada.com-- UBC's Greene named Hec Crighton winner
Toronto Star-- UBC pivot Greene wins Hec Crighton Trophy
The Score-- UBC's Greene wins Hec Crighton Trophy
24H Vancouver-- UBC's Greene wins Hec Crighton

The 2011 Grey Cup

2011-11-27T09:05:00.000-08:00

From the training camps of May we arrive at the final game of the 2011 season, a showdown between East and West, featuring the two teams that through the test of the 2011 season came out on top of their respective divisions.

The Bombers and Lions join in the battle Sunday afternoon, the 99th contest for Lord Earl Grey's Cup, a much anticipated showcase of two of the leagues top defensive squads, two teams that at times looked unbeatable, the Bombers at the start of the season, the Lions at the end of it.

Both have had slumps, the Lions in particular suffering a skid that by the end of July had many wondering if Wally Buono may finally have come to the end of his reign as one of the CFL's longest serving head coaches.

Buono's team turned around a horrible season starting in August and never looked back, rattling of win after win, introducing CFL fans to a fellow named Travis Lulay, who simply went on to shine brightly in this 2011 season.

The Bombers, led by Buck Pierce, made their stand for first in the East a number of times, all be it backing in to first on the final week of the season, but then claiming the Eastern title in a most convincing fashion against the Tiger Cats last week.

That victory brings them into the Lions Den, where Vancouver stands ready to celebrate a national championship should their Lions prove victorious by games' end. The culmination of a pretty good little party over the last few days, with more than a few surprising events along the way to keep things interesting to say the least! (to name a few, a wild Vanier Cup and what seems like a WWE exhibition between Joe Kapp and Angela Mosca )

But today the focus is on the end of the CFL season, an entertaining five months that brought saw a bit of a change of the guard from perennial champions and offers a few concerns for the league's largest market, though for today all is put on the back burner to watch the Lions and the Bombers settle the question of who will be champion for 2011.

The CFL has always been thought of as a scoring game, highlight reel tosses, lengthy rambles, lots of points, for this Grey Cup, there may indeed be a bit of scoring, but in the end, as it has all season, it will depend on how the Lions and Bombers' defences stack up that will tell us the tale of this 99th Grey Cup.

Game Time 3:30 PT, 5:30 CT, 6:30 ET BC Place Stadium, TSN

PRE GAME

Vancouver Province-- Preparation time is over, time to play the game
Vancouver Sun-- Battle of the big boys will likely decide Sunday champion
Winnipeg Free Press-- The deck may be stacked but history says...
Winnipeg Sun-- Bombers ready to make it happen
Globe and Mail-- Grey Cup quarterbacks have on shot at glory
National Post-- Lions, Blue Bombers comes down to defence

Quick Snaps BC Lions
Quick Snaps Winnipeg Blue Bombers

Twelve Men Prognostication

British Columbia 30
Winnipeg 24

Playoff record 4 - 4
Overall Regular Season Record 40 -72

POST GAME

Winnipeg 23 at British Columbia 34
Attendance-- 54,313

Vancouver Province-- Lions defence set the table for Grey Cup feast
Vancouver Sun-- BC Lions post rare Grey Cup triumph in front of hometown fans
Winnipeg Free Press-- Worst to first, but still cursed
Winnipeg Sun-- Bombers close but so far away
Globe and Mail-- Bombers can't penetrate Lions Orange wall
National Post-- Less than perfect, but B. C. Lions good enough to win Grey Cup
Toronto Star-- Lulay, Lions roar to victory inn 99th Grey Cup
Canada.com-- Lions defeat Bombers to win Grey Cup at home

CFL Divisional Finals

2011-11-22T10:55:00.000-08:00

The road to the Grey Cup is almost complete and for one team, the drive to work won't be a very tough one.

The British Columbia Lions, hosts of this years Grey Cup punched their ticket into the national championship, with a convincing victory over the Edmonton Eskimos on Sunday, the back end of the two game eliminations to determine our Grey Cup participants.

In the east, the Winnipeg Blue Bombers overwhelmed the Hamilton Tiger Cats, showing some of that early season form that many CFL fans watched week after week.

The divisional finals, perhaps weren't as entertaining as the previous week's semi-finals, but in the end the two teams that most deserved their berth in the Grey Cup came through with the wins, the path to those victories can be reviewed below.

Hamilton at Winnipeg

Prior to the Bombers/Cats divisional final, much was made about the departure of Terence Jeffers-Harris, the square peg that just wouldn't fit into round hole of team chemistry that Paul LaPolice was trying to build in Winnipeg.

Jeffers-Harris was dismissed from further duties with the Bombers in the days leading up to the Western Final and in a move that did raise eyebrows but seemingly was cleared by the league, the Hamilton Tiger Cats picked him up. And while he would not be allowed to play in the Eastern final, his arrival in the camp of the Tiger Cats was hailed by the Cats as a great move, bringing with him what was thought to be much knowledge of the Bombers game plan.

If so, it seemed pretty clear by the first quarter that whatever plans Jeffers-Harris might have relayed to his newfound friends in Hamilton, weren't current ones, or perhaps TJ didn't pay as much attention as he might have thought.

At any rate, the Bombers with Buck Pierce back in the line up had little trouble dispatching the Tiger Cats, the highly touted Bomber defence wreaking havoc with the Cats offensive play. Ultimately sending Kevin Glenn to the sidelines incapable of playing any further due to injury, the curse of Canad Inn stadium rising up to ruin Glenn's dreams of a Grey Cup trip once again (the last time he was a member of the Blue Bombers).

The Bombers offence provided a return to form for Pierce, who without fear took to his feet to claim key first downs, showing leadership to an offence that has struggled at times, but not when it counted the most so far this season.

But the real story for the Bombers in their 19-3 victory was their defence, one of the tops in the CFL (the other being British Columbia) the Blue defenders for the most part shut down any thoughts the Cats might have had of playing football further into November.

With the exception of a field goal, the Cats were shut out, swarmed, pummelled and hit time after time, the Cats could gain no momentum, delivering another inconsistent performance, part of a trend all year long where one amazing game (in this case last week's semi final) would be followed by a dog of an effort that leaves one to wonder as to the fate of a number of players and the coaching staff.

But that's talk for the off season, there's still one more game to go, the biggest one on the CFL calendar and this year the East will be represented by the Bombers, as it should.

They were one of the top teams in the CFL through the year, even during their slumps, they remained competitive, their defence for the most part carrying them through the dark patches, now it carries them on to Vancouver for Sunday's season finale.

Winnipeg Free Press-- Cup beckons Brown, Buck
Winnipeg Sun-- Bombers all out blitz: A fine stadium send off
Hamilton Spectator-- Bombers freeze out Ticats 19-3
Globe and Mail-- Blue Bombers bound for Grey Cup
National Post-- Defensive battle sends Blue Bombers to Grey Cup over Ticats

Edmonton Eskimos at British Columbia

Always a class act, Wally Buono, the sage of CFL coaches, began his post game interview by praising the work of his opponent on Sunday, outlining the many assets that Kavis Reed brought to his Eskimos this season, all of the comments heart felt and correct, but for all his hard work and achievement through the year, on this Sunday in November Reed's team came up second best and with their convincing 40-23 divisional victory, the Lions put the exclamation mark on their return to prominence this year.

The Lions who as has been noted through the year started out this season in horrendous fashion, continued their remarkable turn around with a crushing defeat of the rising Eskimos, leaving no doubt that they were the best the CFL West had to offer, once they got the early season malaise out of the way.

The comeback season which began in August, brought us the debut of Travis Lulay as one of the CFL's top quarterbacks, a title that he provided ample evidence towards with a definitive performance in the Western Final.

Lulay threw for touchdowns, among the most poignant a highlight reel toss to Geroy Simon providing an emotional moment with bereaved trainer Bill Reichelt, when he wasn't throwing the ball he was controlling the clock and running for yardage including, his own long distance trot for a TD. providing for as complete a game as the Lions have provided for all year.

On defence, as has been the case since August, the Lions were a force to be reckoned with, they shut down Ricky Ray for the most part, the absence of Jerome Messam and his running game clearly a minus in the Eskimo playbook in the Western final.

Timely interceptions snuffed any thoughts the Eskimos might have had of launching any kind of a comeback, but in reality, what points they did obtain really only helped make the game look respectable, for the most part they were outplayed in all aspects of the game.

The Lions win, sets up the opportunity for BC to win the Grey Cup in their own stadium in front of what should be a loud and boisterous sold out crowd, bringing life to BC Place and perhaps if the fates shall allow it, taking some of the bad vibes of the Canucks' loss in the NHL playoffs of the spring.

Of course, the Bombers will have designs on changing that narrative, it's a big task ahead of them, clearly the underdog as they make the journey from Manitoba to the heart of Lions country, but a resilient team they have been all year, so perhaps they have one more win left in their repertoire, Sunday will give us an idea on that, offering up the hope of a fairly entertaining cap to the CFL season.

Vancouver Province-- Lions D line crushes Esks
Vancouver Sun-- B. C. Lions roll to 40-23 win in CFL West Final
Edmonton Journal- Lulay leads charge as Lions tear apart Eskimos
Edmonton Sun-- Esks fell short of goal: Reed
Globe and Mail-- Lions crush Eskimos in West Final
National Post-- Lions stomp Eskimos, will host Winnipeg in Grey Cup

CFL Gameday: Edmonton at British Columbia (November 20)

2011-11-20T08:19:00.000-08:00

The latest of the cotillion balls for Travis Lulay continues on at BC Place today, the Lions starting quarterback who has seen his star rise through the season can take another step towards the upper reaches of the CFL's players lists today with a Lions victory and berth in next weeks Grey Cup.

Lulay who has had a meteoric rise in the last half of the CFL regular season has been receiving the praise and accolades as the Lions reversed a woeful start to enter the Finals as the CFL's hottest team, in from the cold reaches of Northern Alberta however is a cold front desiring to bring an end to the party on the west coast as the Edmonton Eskimos, themselves a pretty good story this CFL season seek to gain the Western berth for next week's grand national finale.

The Eskimos have made believers of many this year, Kavis Reed's stellar handling of a team that was supposed to be in a rebuilding phase, has been a thing to watch. He clearly has the respect and attention of his squad and with it has built a cohesive group that have Edmontonians once again reflecting back on the days when it was just natural that an Eskimo team would be deep into the playoffs.

He goes up against one of the legends of CFL football today in Wally Buono, who never lost faith in his team in the early going when the losses rolled along one after the other until August when the Lions finally clicked and began their remarkable march to the playoffs.

That success coincided with the arrival of Lualy as a CFL quarterback, a confident leader that just seems to make things happen, add on a string of all star calibre receivers, hard running backs and a strong defensive squad that doesn't seem to like to give up points and Buono's team today probably is the one he planned to put together in the spring.

Still, there is one spot where the Lions failed and the Esks excelled and that was coaxing out a season long performance from running back Jerome Messam, he left the Lions under a cloud deemed not one to be part of the team picture, under the guidance of Reed, Messam became one to the major stories of the past regular season. Gathering up yardage at a record clip, scoring highlight reel touchdowns and announcing his arrival as one of the league's most exciting players.

That was all Reed, who found the right combination to spur Messam on to more, normally that would set up a pretty good sub plot today's game, the spurned running back coming back to show his old team what a mistake they made, however, this year that's a storyline that won't develop, Messam, injured in last weeks semi final with Calgary won't be in the line up today, his season done with injury.

Still, he most likely will factor into the game somehow, the Eskimos in a final for the first time since 2005 will be feeding off his energy and adding in their own in the quest to become the representatives of the West next week, taking over the Lions locker room as home team at BC Place for the Grey Cup.

The Western Final will also provide us with a look at Ricky Ray's encore performance, lost in the Eskimo slide of the last few years, Ray, now surrounded with hard working and motivated team mates has once again been among one of the key leaders on a very confident Eskimo team.

The quiet, studious quarterback led his team through the early season to victory after victory, weathered the rough patches mid season and now with a championship shot but one win away seems more than focused on taking his team on to the final game of November.

Eskimo - Lions games of the past have provided for much in the way of entertainment, a study in coaching strategy and outstanding player performance, you have a feeling we won't be disappointed by the end of the game today.

Game Time 1 PM PT ( 2MT, 4 ET) TSN

Pre Game

Vancouver Province-- First win over Eskimos turned season around
Vancouver Sun-- CFL West final on Lions players' backs, not Buono's
Edmonton Journal-- Now it's down to Eskimos, Lions players
Edmonton Sun-- 'I hate Edmonton': Buono
Globe and Mail-- Kavis Reed: The Eskimos' gridiron doctor
National Post-- Lions veterans can leave legacy by turning success into ring

Quick Snaps BC Lions
Quick Snaps Edmonton Eskimos

Post Game

Edmotnon 23 at British Columbia 40
Attendance-- 41,313

Vancouver Province-- Lulay, Harris carry Lions to home Grey Cup
Vancouver Sun-- BC Lions roll to 40-23 win in CFL West Final
Edmonton Journal-- Reed proud of what his young team accomplished this season
Edmonton Sun-- Leos crush Eskimos 40-23
Globe and Mail-- Lions crush Eskimos in West final
National Post-- Lions Stomp Eskimos, will host Winnipeg in Grey Cup

CFL Gameday: Hamilton at Winnipeg (November 20)

2011-11-20T01:18:00.000-08:00

The opening act of our Divisional finals, provides more than a few bad feelings and a dash of intrigue as the Hamilton Tiger Cats take on the Eastern Division champs the Winnipeg Blue Bombers at the final game to be played at Canad Inn Stadium.

The Cats arrived in the Eastern Final after last weeks thriller in Montreal, where they eliminated the Grey Cup Champions and put out the final word on that long running CFL dynasty.

And while the game already had more than a few sub plots to make things interesting, the Cats added some more fuel for a CFL fire, when they added former Blue Bomber Terrence Jeffers-Harris their squad, even if he can't play in the Eastern Final.

Jeffers-Harris became available after a number of Blue Bomber code of conduct violations, a situation that seemingly left the Bombers with little recourse but to cut him adrift, only to watch him be picked up by their Sunday competition.

The Bombers see the Ticats behaviour as treacherous, the Cats just say they outsmarted their genial hosts for the weekend.

It's a strange little rule that perhaps the CFL should investigate a little further for future years, leaving the league open to a bit of embarrassment over the prospect of a player leaving one team for another just prior to the biggest game of the year for both, maybe bring a peek at the playbook or maybe not.

At any rate, it's made for an interesting distraction over the week and sets up a fascinating sub plot to Sunday's game.

As for the actual product on the field, the Cats with their explosion on offence of last week clearly remember how to score now, though their defence perhaps could use a bit of work on stopping the other team's efforts a little more diligently.

They bring their offensive display led by former Blue Bomber Quarterback Kevin Glenn into the home of one of the toughest of defences in the CFL.

The Bomber on the other hand will once again have Buck Pierce back in the lineup, looking for a chance to move on to the Grey Cup and the chance to return to Vancouver and show his former team his skill set is still strong as field leader of the Bombers.

Sub plots, duplicity and some good old fashion life and death football it all sets the stage for what could be a fairly entertaining Eastern Final

Game Time Noon MT ( 10 AM PT, 1 PM ET) TSN

Pre Game

Winnipeg Free Press-- Buck's heart Blue - Bomber Blue, that is
Winnipeg Sun-- Bombers aren't worried about T. J.
Hamilton Spectator-- Playoff savvy Thigpen a real danger for Blue Bombers
Globe and Mail-- Bombers' Pierce ready to step up in CFL East final
National Post-- Bombers' Brown has one more chance to get it right

Quick Snaps Winnipeg Blue Bombers
Quick Snaps Hamilton Tiger Cats

Post Game

Hamilton 3 at Winnipeg 19
Attendance-- 30,051

Winnipeg Sun-- Bombers all-out blitz: A fine stadium send off
Winnipeg Free Press-- Garrett lifts Blue Bombers to 19-3 win over Hamilton in East Division Final
Hamilton Spectator-- Bombers freeze out Ticats, 19-3
Globe and Mail-- Blue Bombers bound for Grey Cup
National Post-- Defensive battle sends Blue Bombers to Grey Cup over Ticats

The Divisional Finals (November 20)

2011-11-19T06:00:00.000-08:00

Four teams remain in the hunt for the Grey Cup, setting the stage for a Sunday of football that will determine who moves on and who packs up in this 2011 season.

In the east, the surprise of the playoffs thus far will be the arrival of the Hamilton Tiger Cats at Canad Inn Stadium, the farewell game at the old stadium will feature the battered and bruised Blue Bombers hosting the team the dethroned the Grey Cup champion Alouettes.

Hamilton which has been hot and cold all year, is hoping that they're on full boil as they try to knock those Grey Cup dreams from Swaggerville.

In Vancouver, the Lions will be home to what they hope will be a large and boisterous crowd, ready to celebrate the remarkable surge of the final half of the season, on the other side of the ball will be the Eskimos, a team that was supposed to be in a rebuilding year, but instead looked for a good portion of the regular season as a polished squad ready to reclaim Edmonton's traditional role as champions in the CFL.

The Eskimos always play the Lions tough, coming in after last weeks semi final victory over the Stamps the Eskies have the benefit of a full contact showcase last weekend to build on, the Lions on the other hand have had the opportunity to rest, sometimes a good thing, sometimes not.

We'll find out which of the four teams is best prepared and which two of the four will still have some football to play by the end of Sunday afternoon.

Sunday, Nov 20-- Hamilton 3 at Winnipeg 19 (A-30,051)
Sunday, Nov 20-- Edmonton 23 at British Columbia 40 (A-- 41,313)

Twelve men Prognostications: Predicted Winners

Winnipeg
British Columbia

Weekly Record 2 - 2
Playoff record 4 - 4
Overal Regular Season Record 40 -- 72

Winners advance to the Grey Cup in Vancouver November 27

Globe and Mail-- CFL Playoff picks
National Post-- Road to the Grey Cup: Breaking down the CFL Divisional finals
Vancouver Sun-- This Grey Cup final four highlights a unique CFL season

The Stars that were shining brightly in 2011

2011-11-18T15:16:00.000-08:00

As we head into the Divisional Finals this weekend, the CFL celebrated those players that impressed throughout the year, making it to the ultimate in recognition as CFL All Stars for 2011.

League balloting, head coach reviews and input from the Football Reporters of Canada were combined to tally up the list, a preamble for the league's Most Outstanding Player Awards which will be revealed during Grey Cup week in Vancouver.

Not surprising, considering their last season surge, the BC Lions led the All Star parade with 9 spots claimed on the 24 all star listings this year. With their outstanding work all season long, the Winnipeg Blue Bombers defensive corps were next on the list with 4 of the 5 Winnipeg all star spots.

The remaining six teams split up the rest of the all star spots on this years all star roster.

Of the 27 All Stars named to the CFL All Star listings this year, eight were Canadian, 19 were imports.

This years All Stars include:
( I - denotes import, C- Canadian)

OFFENCE

Quarterback-- Travis Lulay - BC Lions (I)
Running Back-- Jerome Messam -- Edmonton Eskimos (C)
Running Back-- Brandon Whitaker -- Montreal Alouettes (I)
Receiver-- Nik Lewis - Calgary Stampeders (I)
Receiver -- Jamel Richardson-- Montreal Alouettes (I)
Receiver-- Geroy Simon -- BC Lions (I)
Receiver-- Fred Stamps -- Edmonton Eskimos (I)
Tackle-- Josh Bourke -- Montreal Alouettes (C)
Tackle-- Jovan Olafloye -- BC Lions (I)
Guard-- Brendan LaBatte-- Winnipeg Blue Bombers (C)
Guard-- Dimitri Tsoumpas -- Calgary Stampeders (C)
Centre-- Angus Reid -- BC Lions (C)

DEFENCE

Defensive Tackle-- Aaron Hunt -- BC Lions (I)
Defensive Tackle-- Khalif Mitchell -- BC Lions (I)
Defensive End-- Justin Hickman -- Hamilton Tiger Cats (I)
Defensive End-- Odell Willis -- Winnipeg Blue Bombers (I)
Linebacker-- Chip Cox-- Montreal Alouettes (I)
Linebacker-- Solomoan Elimimian -- BC Lions (I)
Linebacker-- Jerrell Freeman -- Saskatchewan Roughriders (I)
Corner Back-- Jovon Johnson -- Winnipeg Blue Bombers (I)
Corner Back-- Byron Parker -- Toronto Argonauts (I)
Defensive Back-- Korey Banks -- BC Lions (I)
Defensive Back-- Jonathon Hefney-- Winnipeg Blue Bombers (I)
Safety-- Ian Logan -- Winnipeg Blue Bombers (C)

SPECIAL TEAMS

Kicker-- Paul McCallum -- BC Lions (C)
Punter-- Burke Dales -- Calgary Stampeders (C)
Special Teams -- Chad Owens -- Toronto Argonauts (I)

2011 Division All Star listings

Globe and Mail-- Lulay one of nine Lions named to all-star squad
Vancouver Sun-- CFL All Stars represent youth, longevity
Vancouver Sun-- Lions CFL all stars separated by 17 years
Toronto Star-- Two Argos named CFL all-stars
Edmonton Journal-- Stamps, Messam named stars
TSN-- Lions centre Reid's pain pays off with First All Star nod
Straight.com-- BC Lions lead CFL with nine all-star selections

CFL Semi-Finals

2011-11-14T15:52:00.000-08:00

The CFL's playoff rounds are underway and the first round offered up some high scoring action from the East and a family feud in the West that sees a familiar team back in the forefront of playoff football.

One game, one of those matches that CFL fans will talk about for more than a few years, the other perhaps a forgettable game for all those except for the hometown fans, who got the desired result against a rival, but with little in the way of a competitive battle along the way.

Hamilton at Montreal

The Alouettes, defending Grey Cup champions that they are, won't be heading to Vancouver to defend their title this year, coming out on the wrong end of the highest scoring playoff game in CFL history, as the Tiger Cats (despite their best efforts at times) persevered to claim a 52-44 Overtime victory and a berth in next week's Eastern Final in Winnipeg.

It's a rare occasion when your starting quarterback can amass more than 500 yards in offence and still end up losing the game, but such was the case on Sunday as Anthony Calvillo filled the Olympic Stadium's airspace with footballs all in a cause for naught as the Tiger Cats answered each and every drive with a successful one of their own.

Defense it was clear was not the strong point in Sunday's playoff opener, which saw both teams unleash their offences, a collection of players that hadn't particularly sparkled in the last few weeks of the regular season.

The sixty minutes of regular time and the overtime session featured incredible passes, remarkable catches and hard driving runs, lighting up the Olympic Stadium scoreboard to the point that perhaps the Fire Marshall may have been concerned about overloaded circuits.

While Montreal didn't go down without a fight, the end of the dynasty seemed to be nigh last week in Vancouver when the Alouettes looked terrible, they rebounded to a degree on Sunday but the problems that plagued them through the year seemed to be on display once again, mainly defensive this time around, though to be fair, the Als secondary in particular bore little resemblance to the one that hoisted the Grey Cup last year.

The Cats, who have been a team that seemed on the cusp of success for the last few years, finally found a way to close out the deal, though not without a few tense moments for head coach Marcel Bellefeuille, who watched as they stumbled through the final seconds of regulation and then mishandled the clock to deny them a game winning field goal, leaving it to Kevin Glenn to construct the game winning drive in overtime complete with the two point conversion.

Montreal now moves on to rebuilding, the dynasty officially at an end, the areas of concern clear for all to review. Hamilton, flush with victory now moves on to the Eastern Final and a showdown against the Bombers in Winnipeg on Sunday.

Winnipeg has had no shortage of injuries to deal with in the last few weeks, stumbling to the finish of the regular season, for Hamilton who are coming off such an exciting victory, the prospect of another upset would seem more than within reach.

Globe and Mail-- Tiger-Cats upset Alouettes
National Post-- Ticats reach East final with wild overtime win over Alouettes
Toronto Star-- Ticats stun Alouettes in OT
Toronto Sun-- Ticats defeat Als in 'game for the ages'
Hamilton Spectator-- Ticats win east semi 52 -33 over Als
Canada.com-- Death of Alouettes dynasty wasn't pretty

Calgary at Edmonton

The Calgary Stampeders may very well be Drew Tate's team now, but the Stamps quarterback will have to wait until the spring now to put more of a stamp on his squad.

The Stampeders couldn't match the intensity and production of the Edmonton Eskimos on Sunday afternoon, losing the Western semi-final at a cold, windswept Commonwealth Stadium by a score of 33-19.

The undoing of the Stampeders quest to make it a road trip roll to the Grey Cup came in the second quarter, when the Eskimos took advantage of Calgary miscues and turnovers to put their stamp on the CFL semi final.

Edmonton made good on those opportunities, including a key fumble by Drew Tate which turned into an Eskimo defensive touchdown, part of the second quarter flurry of scoring that set the Eskimos up for their victory by half time.

The Eskimos defence, which has been strong all season long, once again rose to the occasion, putting the finishing touches on the Stamps exit from their duties this CFL season.

Tate, who took a nasty tumble in the latter stages of the second quarter never came back into the game, replaced at the half by Henry Burris, who perhaps in his swan song as a Stampeder quarterback, could not deliver the victory that would have made for a rather interesting side story to the game.

Instead, he was sacked a number of times, chased around the field more often than not and skipped balls to receivers off the turf, not quite the Burris we remembered of sharp crisp passes and dangerous options for the running game.

Still, he didn't receive much help from his team mates, a theme on the year as a matter of fact and so, the Burris era most likely has come to an end in Calgary, while the Stamps will have to review where they go from here in a most disappointing season.

Disappointment isn't the word around Edmonton these days, in fact confidence and a renewed sense of place seems to be the way the winds are blowing from Northern Alberta. The Eskimos who were supposed to be in a rebuilding phase this year, instead looked very much like those dominating Green and Gold teams of the past, stumbling a bit at mid season, they regrouped and never seemed to fall too far off the pace in the CFL West, but one win from hosting the CFL Western Final.

Ricky Ray while not as spectacular as his counterparts of the east on this day, still had a fairly successful day of it, finding his receivers at key times, keeping the Stampeder defence guessing as to what was ahead and once again providing that steady hand on the tiller that Eskimo fans have seen all season long.

On another day of positives, the only negative for Kavis Reed may be the status of Jerome Messam, who having had a remarkable season with Edmonton was injured in the latter stages of the game, limping off the field in visible pain, perhaps not to be seen again until the CFL Awards at the Grey Cup.

If that indeed is his scenario, the Eskimos will have to dig in a little deeper next week against the Lions if they hope to make that trip with him to the Grey Cup in two weeks.

Edmonton Sun-- Esks dump Stamps 33-19
Edmonton Journal-- Eskimos defence shuts down Stamps
Calgary Sun-- Stamps' season over
Calgary Herald-- Stampeders find ways to beat themselves in CFL West ...
Globe and Mail-- Eskimos eliminate Stampeders
National Post-- Eskimos off to West final with win over Stampeders
Canada.com-- Second quarter stinker ends Stamps' season

CFL Gameday: Calgary at Edmonton (November 13)

2011-11-13T00:17:00.001-08:00

It's a familiar scene set to unfold on the field at Commonwealth Stadium on Sunday, two long time rivals battling it out for provincial bragging rights and as an added bonus a chance to move one step closer to a Grey Cup berth and a CFL championship

The Edmonton Eskimos play host to the southern cousins on Sunday as the Calgary Stampeders make the trek north to try and bring to an end the Eskimos pretty remarkable rebuilding year.

Calgary, as inconsistent as they have been this year were still in the hunt last week for hosting duties for the playoffs, holding up their end of the deal with a victory over Winnipeg and then settling in for some television viewing last Saturday only to watch the stars come out of alignment, sending them on what could be a three game road trip for a Grey Cup.

The Eskimos earned their semi final host status with a hard earned victory over the Saskatchewan Roughriders last week, as good a live time practice session as Kavis Reed could have hoped for, though injuries from that game could have a huge impact on the Eskimos plans to move on to the Western final next week.

While the injury list will most likely be a closely guarded secret up until game time, Reed is still pulling out all the stops to motivate his squad onwards, keeping the focus of a championship season in full view through a number of options including bringing in past Eskimos to talk about the rich history of the Green and Gold and those playoff games of the past against the Stamps.

It's of those past experiences that the Eskimos hope to draw from, the history of their past charting a new course for their present and future.

The Stamps come into what should be a very loud Commonwealth Stadium with but one thing on their minds, crashing the party and moving on towards a goal that many thought was theirs for the taking this year a Grey Cup berth.

The Stamps however are featuring a different look from that which started the season, having turned to Drew Tate to move them out of their season long funk, a task which he seems to have taken to with relish and with the full confidence of his coach John Hufnagel.

While we here at Twelve Men originally thought that Hufnagel was perhaps playing his final motivation card on former starter Henry Burris, it's pretty clear now that there has been a changing of the guard in Calgary, the future it seems belongs to Tate and the future has a good chance to move on this Sunday.

An old fashioned Calgary - Edmonton show down in front of what will no doubt be the Eskimos largest crowd of the year and perhaps the largest crowd in the last few years, it all makes for a pretty good weekend of football for the CFL.

Game Time 2 PM MT (1 PT, 4 ET) Commonwealth Stadium, TSN

Pre Game

Edmonton Sun-- Eskimos lean on rich history
Edmonton Journal-- Building successful team began in locker-room for Eskimos
Calgary Sun-- Stamps' Forzani growing into game
Calgary Herald-- Stamps have history on side
Globe and Mail-- Passing of the Stamps' torch to Tate?
National Post-- Reed, Tillman have Eskimos back on track

Quick Snaps Edmonton Eskimos
Quick Snaps Calgary Stampeders

Post Game

Calgary 19 at Edmonton 33
Attendance-- 30, 183

Edmonton advances to CFL West Final in Vancouver

Edmonton Sun-- Eskimos defence gets it done
Edmonton Journal-- Esks back where they belong in West final
Calgary Herald-- Stampeders lose CFLWest semifinal to Eskimos
Calgary Sun-- Stamps' season over
Globe and Mail-- Eskimos eliminate Stampeders
National Post-- Eskimos off to West final with win over Stampeders
Canada.com-- Eskimos can thank defence for West semifinal win

CFL Gameday: Hamilton at Montreal (November 13)

2011-11-13T00:17:00.000-08:00

The Eastern division's semi final destination is Olympic Stadium, the Als home filed advantage usually boosted by tens of thousands of extra Alouette fans in the stands, sometimes doubling the normal attendance at McGill.

Whether that happens this year will be one of the subplots of Sunday's game, Alouette fans perhaps in shock over the complete disaster of last week's season finale in Vancouver, where with the opportunity to host the Eastern Final, the Als instead went into the witness protection program, disappearing on the field and on the scoreboard.

With but a week to try and reverse all that went wrong, it will be interesting to see how much focus the Als can bring to the Big O on Sunday, a season in which Als fans probably had their usual serving of confidence suddenly offering up some serious things to consider.

Was that game in Vancouver a one off, a team that just didn't have the right focus when it counted most or was it indicative of a team that finally has run its course of CFL domination, an aging roster that will need a retooling without on last hurrah at a Grey Cup game, much to think about with a pivotal win or stay home game on the line.

The Alouettes came completely unglued last week, as poor a performance as we can remember ever seeing them deliver, whether that carries over into this semi final or is dismissed with a renewed deception by the Als remains to be seen and clearly will provide some clues as to where the Als are heading both for this season and into the next.

Hamilton no doubt made note of that game last week and surely must be heading into this semi final with some renewed confidence that this 2011 season could still provide for some positive moments for the inconsistent Cats.

Hamilton which has been in a neutral zone for about three weeks now, with nothing much to play out the season for other than practice reps, suddenly has to ramp it up to a whole new level, a chance to move on in this CFL season by taking down the Grey Cup champs and perhaps bringing a final punctuation mark to a dynasties run.

The momentum could very well be on the side of the Cats, who with this chance to claw their way back into the mix of Grey Cup possibilities, could salvage what has been a pretty disappointing season in steel town.

Sunday's eastern final is much more than just another football game, it could herald a change in the CFL's usual championship suspects for a few years to come.

Game Time 1 PM ET (10 AM PT) Olympic Stadium TSN

Pre Game

Hamilton Spectator-- Glenn focused on winning
Toronto Sun-- Cobourne aiming for big things
Globe and Mail-- Anthony Calvillo signals he's ready to do his part
National Post-- Tiger Cats put in overtime to perfect playoff plan
Canada.com-- Als still have confidence they can get the job done

Quick Snaps Montreal Alouettes
Quick Snaps Hamilton Tiger Cats

Post Game

Hamilton 52 at Montreal 44 (OT)
Attendance-- 33,051

Hamilton advances to CFL Eastern Final in Winnipeg

Globe and Mail-- Tiger Cats upset Alouettes
National Post-- Ticats reach East final with wild overtime win over Alouettes
Hamilton Spectator-- Ticats win East semi 52-44 over Als
Toronto Sun-- Bombers hosting Ti-Cats in East Final
Toronto Star-- Ticats stun Alouettes in OT
Canada.com-- Ticats oust Als in OT to advance to East final

Sem Final Sunday (November 13)

2011-11-12T08:42:00.000-08:00

The CFL's road to the Grey Cup begins its post season run through Montreal and Edmonton this weekend, as the Eskimos and Alouettes play host to the CFL Semi Finals.

Montreal hoping to regroup from what surely was their worst effort in the Trestman era last week in Vancouver, where the Als were thoroughly embarrassed with but one point to show on their day. The Tiger Cats who were no great shakes of their own in Toronto, at least come into Sunday's semi final with the knowledge that the Als can be taken down. Montreal of course, will be looking to reverse whatever bad karma travelled back east from their loss in Vancouver, setting the scene for what could be a very entertaining game.

In Edmonton, it's another Battle of Alberta to entertain is on Semi Final Sunday, both the Stamps and the Esks had designs on first in the West last weekend, the Stamps holding up their end of the quest by holding on against a late charging Bombers team. Likewise the Esks, withstood Saskatchewan's final charge of the season, securing the hosting rights for the Western semi final. Setting the scene for what should be an intense afternoon of football.

Sunday, Nov 13-- Hamilton 52 at Montreal 44 (OT) (A-- 33,051)
Sunday, Nov 13-- Calgary 19 at Edmonton 33 (A-- 30, 183)

Twelve Men Prognostications: Predicted Winners

Hamilton
Edmonton

Weekly Record 2- 2
Overall Regular Season Record 40 -- 72

Hamilton advances to the CFL Eastern Final in Winnipeg November 20
Edmonton advances to the CFL Western Final in Vancouver November 20

Gibson's Players of the Month for October 2011

2011-11-10T15:03:00.000-08:00

As the CFL's 2011 season was winding down, the Gibson's panel was going over their options for the final month of the season.

The final four selections for the regular season brought forward some familiar names from the CFL statistics book this year, Quarterback Travis Lulay who has had a remarkable run in the final half of the 2011 season claimed the Offensive Player of the Month accolades for October.

He was joined by fellow BC Lion Paul McCallum, who was recognized once again for his special teams work in October, marking his second consecutive Player of the Month award, matching his September efforts quite nicely.

The Argos who struggled quite a bit this season found some glimmers of good news for October, with Byron Parker's selection as the Defensive Player of the Month.

And it's another award winning month of Jerome Messam, the Edmonton Eskimo running back put the cap on a pretty impressive break out year with yet another nod as the Canadian of the Month, with his selection Messam bookends the CFL season, having first won the Player of the Month award in July.

Official website for the Players of the Month Awards

Video replay of the Players of the Month

Offensive Player of the Month
Travis Lulay
British Columbia Lions - Quarterback

Defensive Player of the Month
Byron Parker
Toronto Argonauts -- Defensive Back

Special Teams Player of the Month
Paul McCallum
British Columbia Lions - Punter/Kicker

Canadian Player of the Month
Jerome Messam
Edmonton Eskimos - Running back

Player of the Month Archives for 2011
Player of the Week Archives for 2011

CFL Players of the Week - Week 19

2011-11-10T14:40:00.000-08:00

The Eskimos remarkable drive into the playoffs was highlighted by the work of Adarius Bowman, this weeks Gibson's Offensive Player of the week. Bowman's tally on Friday included 10 catches for 226 yards and two touchdowns, a good portion of the Eskimos attack on their way to a close fought victory over Saskatchewan.

Other award winners for the week were Juwan Simpson, who made earned defensive honours after a career high 10 tackles in the Stampeders victory over Winnipeg on Saturday.

Mr. Automatic, Paul McCallum connected on all five of his field goal attempts on Saturday, an eye catching performance that earned him the Special Teams player of the week.

Andre Durie brought the Argos regular season to a close with some positive vibes, making eight receptions for a career best 144 yards and two touchdowns, a performance that earns him the Canadian player of the week award.

The full review of the awards for week Nineteen can be found below.

Official website for the Gibson's Player Awards

See video replay here

Offensive Player of the Week

Adarius Bowman

Edmonton Eskimos - Slotback

Defensive Player of the Week

Juwan Simpson

Calgary Stampeders - Linebacker

Special Teams Player of the Week

Paul McCallum

British Columbia Lions - Kicker

Canadian Player of the Week

Andre Durie

Toronto Argonauts - Slot Back

Items of Note

Adarius Bowman headlines Players of the Week

Top Ten Plays of the Week

End Zone Replay Week 19

Purolator Sack Attack Week 19

Gibsons Award Archives for 2011

CFL Regular Season Week 19

2011-11-10T08:48:00.000-08:00

The CFL's 2011 season wrap provided for no shortage of potential excitement, the final week offering up a variety of key games that would have the final say on where teams placed and where their playoff path would take them.

In the end, a few of those games lived up to billing, another, well it wasn't even close, the final week's review is as follows.

Montreal at British Columbia

A marquee match up that never, ever came close to the anticipation, that sums up Saturday night's showdown between the Als and the Lions.

With both teams in the hunt for a first place finish in their respective divisions, it should have been one of the epic battles of recent CFL history, instead it was a washout in favour of the Lions who completely dominated the Als in every single football category.

The Lions roared out of the opening kick off and never looked back, Travis Lulay leading his team to touchdown after touchdown in the first half, seemingly securing first place for the Leos by the time the first quarter had come to an end.

The end result on the night a 43-1 Lions victory, was one of the most impressive exclamation points to a performance we've seen in a number of years.

It was as complete a game that the Lions have put on the field all year, the early days of their horrible start long forgotten, the final months of the 2011 season a march of remarkable effort.

It must have been a most rewarding feeling for Wally Buono, who by the end of July was the subject of much speculation as to his football acumen, regaining his status as one of the legends of CFL football.

Not that he seems to keep much of an inventory on the archives of the pros and cons of his football smarts, for the most part he's been a pretty level barometer of football in BC, not letting the low pressure fronts affect him any more than he over celebrates the high pressure days.

With the victory, as convincing as it was, the Lions must surely be the favourite to hoist a Grey Cup at centre field at BC Place at the end of this month.

Over in Montreal, Marc Trestman most likely left the game film back in BC, there really is nothing of value from a review of that particular effort, each and every Alouette must know what part of the debacle they played.

The Als, with a chance to claim the Eastern title instead offered up as poor an effort as they have in the last few years, the once dominant team in the CFL looking very very ordinary, something that must be providing the Tiger Cats with more than a bit of hope heading into this weekends semi final with the Als in Montreal.

British Columbia, with the victory, capped a remarkable second half of the season, reversing a horrendous start with a finish for the ages, a well deserved one week break is ahead for them and then the chance to win the CFL West at home in one week's time.

One more win and they host the Grey Cup in their own house, somehow we don't think that Wally Buono is going to need a very stirring pre game speech, the Lions have worked hard in the last two months to get to where they are today, we have a feeling their focus remains strong with the prize now in sight.

Vancouver Province-- Decisive Lions win gives two weeks for rest, repair
Vancouver Sun-- Buono's stick-to-it-iveness just part of explanation
Globe and Mail-- Can the Lions roar all the way to the Grey Cup?
National Post-- Buono proves he's still got it
Canada.com-- Montreal Alouettes were 'out-coached,' Diamond Ferri says

Winnipeg at Calgary

For the first half of Saturday's opening act to the season finales, the Bombers appeared to be content to play the role of butt to a good old fashioned butt whuppin, the Stampeders seemingly still of the belief that the stars were set to align for a remarkable finish to their season, rolled over Winnipeg in the majority of the first thirty minutes.

Calgary played with purpose, something you would have thought Winnipeg would have brought to the game, what with the chance to claim first place in the East theirs for the taking.

But in those first thirty minutes, it looked very much like the Stampeders should be the Grey Cup favourites not the Bombers, Winnipeg surrendered a 24 point deficit before launching a comeback, the early points coming in the late stages of that first half, the majority of points reversal coming in the final 30.

In the end, the Stampeders held on, weathering the frantic Bomber charge in the second half, securing a 30-24 win over the Blue, keeping alive their hopes for a playoff home date until the nightcap match between Montreal and BC.

While Paul LaPolice was watching that game, he most likely was also reviewing the events of the afternoon in his head, a string of miscues by his team that left them in the role of BC Lions cheer leaders for a night.

Indicative of the string of losing efforts that made up the back end of the Bombers season, the opposite trend of that of the Bombers season start, a trend that LaPolice will seek to change leading up to the Bombers playoff match in two weeks.

For Calgary's fans who arrived at McMahon, what turned out to be the final game of the year at the Northeast stadium offered up some hope that the Stamps have regained a bit of their balance heading into the playoffs.

The rising star of Drew Tate was a key part of the Stampeder victory, though Henry Burris did see some playing time, mostly as seems the case these days with back ups, in the short yardage game.

The downside of course for John Hufnagel on the day (besides the final result out of Vancouver later in the day) was the way his defence allowed the Bombers back into the game.

The Stamps as has been the case a few times this year were unable it seems to finish off a team early and cruise to a victory.

The way the CFL standings would shake out by the midnight hour of Saturday would see the Stamps destined for a potential road trek to the Grey Cup, the first stage has them going north to Edmonton for the Western Semi Final on Sunday.

The Bombers in the end lost the game, but won their division regardless, thanks to Montreal's crash and burn in Vancouver, backing into a playoff spot is never a good thing, but in this case the Bombers will take it, with a one week break before the Eastern final, the Bombers can rest up and recuperate, with the injured Buck Pierce key to that concept.

Calgary Sun-- Stamps hang on to beat Bombers
Calgary Herald-- Stamps roll into playoffs with third straight win
Winnipeg Free Press-- Bombers crash in Cowtown, finish first
Winnipeg Sun-- Bombers lose, back into 1st
Globe and Mail-- Stampeders hang on to beat Bombers

Saskatchewan at Edmonton

It's always a big event when the Riders cross the border to play the Eskimos at Commonwealth, the convoy of melon head clad Rider fans a boost to gas stations, restaurants and bars that is for the most part welcome.

Normally the game is one of key importance to the CFL West, and while that was the case on Friday night, only one team really had much to win or lose from the end result of the game.

Friday night's game provided Edmonton with the chance to temporarily claim first place in the West and the prospect of a home date for the Western Final. Something that perhaps seemed a little improbable heading into the 2011 season.

Eighteen games later and on the strength of a hard earned 23-20 victory on their final game of the regular season, the Eskimos would lay claim to first (short lived as events would play out over the weekend) an impressive result for a team that was supposed to be in a rebuilding year.

The Riders (and their fans) who have had a miserable year, gave one of their better performances in a year of miscues, trying their best to send off Ken Miller with a win over their long time rivals, Miller who took over the team in August, had success is reversing the losing skid that the early season brought, but time was not on his side for a playoff berth and truth be told, this Riders team wouldn't have deserved a post season anyways.

After a plodding first quarter that suggested a long night for CFL fans, the Riders put a scare into the Eskimos post season dreams with three quarters of entertaining and hard hitting football.

Ryan Dinwiddie had the Rider start at QB, in what may have been his final audition for a spot with the 2012 version of the Riders, putting together some impressive drives to move the Riders down field, including a fourth quarter drive that resulted in a field goal that had the Riders pulling even with the Esks at 20-20 with minutes to go.

The Eskimos however kept focused on their goal of a first place finish and returned the favour, Ricky Ray showcasing his poise and skills to march Edmonton into field goal position for the winning kick with 47 seconds to go in the game.

With a victory secured the Esks would become television viewers for the remainder of the weekend, watching the results out of Calgary and more importantly British Columbia to learn of their playoff plans.

Edmonton Journal-- Esks eke out victory over Riders, secure home playoff game
Edmonton Sun-- Eskimos beat Roughriders
Regina Leader Post-- Riders ordeal is finally over
Globe and Mail-- Eskimos clinch home playoff game
National Post-- Getzlaf shines in Roughriders' tough year

Hamilton at Toronto

It was fan appreciation day in Toronto, the Argonauts saluting their fans (small volume as they may have been this year) for stopping by to see them run out the schedule.

As any good guest at a party, the Tiger Cats brought a present, they didn't show up their hosts with anything resembling an effort to win, rather, like a practice defence they played the role of shadow to the Argo attack, giving up enough points to guarantee an Argo victory, but not enough to totally embarrass themselves.

Now, one can't really blame the Cats, the game meant nothing to them, they knew they were going to be on the road for however long their playoff run will be starting on Sunday, so why risk injury to a key player that will be required for the semi finals.

As far as tune up games go though, the Cats didn't show much in the way of effort and probably left their coach with more things to worry about for the weekend to come.

So the weekend opener wasn't much of a contest, some of the Cats who might not normally find regular playing time got more playing time, valuable we guess should they be forced into service in the semi final.

Toronto collected another win to pad the stats, 33-16 for those that keep track of such things of no consequence in a disappointing year, not enough to claim a playoff spot obviously, but at least offering hope that next year might bring a more focused group for the CFL's 100th season and Toronto's Grey Cup year.

Hamilton, safely through the sixty minutes without major malady can now turn it's attention to next week and the CFL playoffs, ever hopeful that they can push their third place finish into a three game road trip ending in Vancouver and the Grey Cup.

Toronto? Well, the planning for next year begins now!

Toronto Sun-- Argos finish on a high
Toronto Star-- Stiff challenges ahead for Argos, says Bob Nicholson
Globe and Mail-- Argos sign off with a win
Hamilton Spectator-- Ticats put in lousy effort, lose finale to hapless Argos
National Post-- The Argos reflect on their disappointing season

CFL Gameday: Montreal at British Columbia (November 5)

2011-11-05T12:50:00.000-07:00

The curtain closes on the 2011 regular season at BC Place tonight and with the kind of drama that Commissioner Cohen perhaps could only dream of, the CFL Standings perhaps won't be finalized until the final snap of the final game.

Montreal will be watching with interest the developments in Calgary over the afternoon, should the Stamps prevail over their guests from Winnipeg then the CFL East will still be up for grabs as the kick off to the season finale approaches.

Whether the Als quest for first will still be a valid one could dictate the kind of game plan that head coach Marc Trestman throws at the Lions tonight, should the Bonbers defeat Calgary first would be theirs, probably sending Trestman into more of a prevent game plan, as in prevent any injuries that may detract from next weeks semi final.

For the Lions the task is pretty simple, win and they host the Western Final in two weeks, lose and depending on how the Stamps fare they could be on the road to Calgary next week for the Western semi final.

Clearly the best path for the Lions both on the field and at the box office is for them to gain victory tonight in front of what should be a pretty pumped up BC Place crowd.

Should the game still be of consequence for the Als, we imagine we'll see much of Anthony Calvillo, one of the most dangerous weapons in the CFL these days. BC once again will be relying on Travis Lulay, hot off his offensive player of the week award, the Lions QB has grown in confidence with just about every outing this year.

Considering the horrendous start that the Lions endured at the beginning of this season, the fact they are in the hunt for first place is a remarkable turn around, all that is left is to close the deal tonight.

Game Time 7 PM PT (10 ET) BC Place TSN

Pre Game

Vancouver Province-- Lions' Elimimian a hit among CFL players
Vancouver Sun-- What's new pussycats? Lions find their roar in 2011
Globe and Mail-- Beating Als is personal for Lions
National Post-- Whyte wants to spoil Lions' finale
Canada.com-- Buono never stopped believing in Lions

Quick Snaps British Columbia Lions
Quick Snaps Montreal Alouettes

Post Game

Montreal 1 at British Columbia 43
Attendance-- 35,454

Vancouver Province-- Decisive Lions win gives two weeks for rest, repair
Vancouver Sun-- Buono's stick-to-itiveness just part of explanation
Globe and Mail-- Can the Lions roar all the way to the Grey Cup?
National Post-- Buono proves he's still got it
Canada.com-- Alouettes were "out-coached" Diamond Ferri says

CFL Gameday: Winnipeg at Calgary (November 5)

2011-11-05T12:08:00.000-07:00

Saturday's McMahon Stadium showdown between the Bombers and Stamps will add one more piece to the final product of the CFL playoff picture, with the top spots in both the Eastern and Western Conference still unresolved, this afternoons contest provides the opportunity for one or the other team to keep the quest for First alive.

As the two teams take to the field, the names of the starting quarterbacks on the day are certainly different than what many would have imagined at the start of the season.

Winnipeg is taking to the field with Alex Brink at the helm, taking the place of the injured Buck Pierce for this pivotal final game of the regular season, across the field Drew Tate will be at the helm of the Stampders offence, Tate has supplanted long time Stampeder Henry Burris as the top signal caller now.

The game could highlight some of the key aspects of both teams over the last few weeks, a tough Winnipeg Defence seeking to shut down a Stampeder offence that has rediscovered a bit of spark under Tate.

For Brink, the learning curve continues, today's game perhaps a confidence builder heading into the playoffs, the Bombers have already adviser that they believe Pierce will return to the QB duties for those playoffs, but the experience gained this afternoon could be more than beneficial moving forward into the post season.

For the moment however both Brink and Tate will be hoping to secure a higher seeding for their team as the league schedule comes to a wrap later tonight, for Calgary the road only leads to second now and even that requires a bit of help. Calgary will finish second to the Eskimos if they beat the Bombers and the BC Lions lose to Montreal tonight, should the Lions win, the Stamps tumble to third and a semi final date with the Eskimos next weekend.

Winnipeg will claim first place with a victory over the Stamps, should they lose they could still gain top spot with an Alouette loss tonight.

Game Time 2 PM MT (4 ET, 1 PT) McMahon Stadium TSN

Pre Game

Calgary Sun-- Winter wonderland
Calgary Herald-- Stamps' focus is solely on Bombers
Winnipeg Free Press-- Things looking very bad for Blue
Winnipeg Sun-- Blue's big chance
Globe and Mail-- Bombers-Stamps clash key to CFL Playoff picture

Quick Snaps Winnipeg Blue Bombers
Quick Snaps Calgary Stampeders

Post Game

Winnipeg 24 at Calgary 30
Attendance-- 30,845

Calgary Sun-- Stamps hang on to beat Bombers
Calgary Herald-- Stamps roll into playoffs with third straight win
Winnipeg Sun-- Bombers lose, back into 1st
Winnipeg Free Press-- Bombers crash in Cowtown, finish first
Globe and Mail-- Stampeders hang on to beat Bombers
National Post-- Stampeders stay hot to end season with third straight win

The Good ship Argonaut goes into dry dock for the winter

2011-11-04T21:20:00.000-07:00

There will be no cruise into Grey Cup waters this year for the Toronto Argonauts, instead they'll be pulling out the paint chippers, filling in the cracks and overhauling the engines all towards a June 2012 sailing.

Playing with the urgency of a team hoping to catch the midnight redeye out of town the Argonauts brought an end to their 2011 season on Thursday night, gaining victory over the visiting Tiger Cats, a team that provided all the competition you would expect of a team that just wanted to finish the game without any injuries..

it was the wrap on a most frustrating season for the Double Blue, who clearly didn't have the right recipe for the CFL stew in 2011. With any number of ingredients missing as the pot was kept on simmer through the five months of the regular season.

The problems for the most part, seemed to stem from Jim Barker's dedication to stay with Cleo Lemon as quarterback, an experiment that offered up moments potential countered by games of futility and misery. All of the Argo woes surely don't rest on the shoulders of Lemon, but the slow pace of his learning curve did seem to put the Argos behind the pack early on, a situation that they never really gained any traction on.

The move to stick with Lemon as the Argos began to take on water, was a decision which set the Argos back at least three months, that at least judging by the moderate success of Stephen Jyles since taking over the reins from Lemon. Granted, it's a fine bit of season ending sideline coaching for Argo fans to wonder what the fate of their team may have been had Jyles been healthy from training camp on, but the late season successes do suggest that a very different outcome may have arrived had a change been made earlier.

Still, despite that ray of hope, you have to wonder if an upgrade of QB is not at the top of the list for Barker whether as coach, GM or again both, heading into the off season.

One of the first decisions of the off season will be the status of Barker, whether he continues to hold the dual posts of this season, or gets some help to spread out some of the burden of making the Argos competitive again.

After that it will be time for the player assessments and picking up available talent or making trades for key components.

With Henry Burris seemingly dropping on the Stampeders depth chart these days, the rumblings of a move East continue to grow, Burris at least offers some name brand recognition for CFL fans in the east and if he can recapture his skill set of the previous seasons he might be the right player at the right time for a rebuilding Argo team.

There is also some thought that the Argos may go after Andy Fantuz, who as a free agent could be lured back to his Ontario home, making for a key part of a new offensive push for the Double Blue.

There are other spots that need shoring up or out right renovation, but securing some quality players at the key offensive positions could turn around the Argos free fall in a much quicker timeline than seems in place at the moment.

Adding the likes of a Burris and a Fantuz to some of the current line up might make 2012 a very different year, the Argos may not get all the way to home team status at the 2012 Toronto Grey Cup, but in an Eastern Division that has shown the top runners do stumble from time to time, a revamped Argo lineup may yet prove to be a competitive force in the East.

Cold comfort for Argo fans, who once again find themselves on the outside looking in on any Grey Cup Party plans for this year.

For Toronto, the term, "wait til next year" is used for pretty well all of the city's pro sports teams, this time around it's the Argonauts who fit the billing.

National Post-- Toronto Argonauts end dismal year on high note
National Post-- Argos left to figure out how it all went wrong
National Post-- The Argos reflect on their disappointing season
National Post-- Argos' Boyd looking to build on strong season
Globe and Mail-- With change in the air, Argonauts enter off season
Globe and Mail-- Argos sign off with a win
Globe and Mail-- Argos need shakeup to rekindle passion
Toronto Star-- Argos contemplate changes from top to bottom
Toronto Star-- Stiff challenges ahead for Argos, says Bob Nicholson
Toronto Star-- In Argos, they still believe
Toronto Sun-- Johnson's an Argo survivor
Toronto Sun-- No Argo is safe
TSN-- Argonauts head into off-season with many questions

CFL Gameday: Saskatchewan at Edmonton (November 4)

2011-11-04T07:40:00.000-07:00

The long torturous road of the 2011 season comes to an end tonight for the Saskatchewan Roughriders, the Riders bidding farewell to football for the year and bidding farewell to their head coach Ken Miller for the second time in two years.

This farewell a little less impressive than the last one, (Miller went out with a Grey Cup berth last time) as the Riders put a wrap on a horrible season with tonight's finale with the Eskimos.

All that is left for the Riders is to try and pull even with the Argonauts for last place in the overall standings in the CFL, with a win the Riders will collect two points for a total of 12 on the year, a far cry from their more impressive seasons of the recent past.

Considering that the Argos and Riders split their season match ups with a win each, Rider fans will be left to do math to see who is the worst of the worst should the Riders pull out a victory.

Edmonton of course wishes not to add to the homework for the RiderNation and with a chance to claim first in the West as their own (all be it until Saturday's games) the Eskimos will be fully focused on making the end of the Riders' season as enjoyable as the majority of it was.

Edmonton however have had their problems with key games at home this year, inconsistent at the worst possible times, so it will be with interest that Eskimo fans watch tonight's game, hopeful that the Eskimos of the three and four game winning streaks arrive at Commonwealth at game time tonight.

Game Time 8 PM MT (9 ET, 6 PT) Commonwealth Stadium TSN

Pre Game

Edmonton Sun-- Concert Time for Esks?
Edmonton Journal-- Eskimos aim to 'take care of business'
Regina Leader Post-- Ken Miller bidding the Riders farewell, not goodbye
Globe and Mail-- Eskimos seek to get early jump on Roughriders
National Post-- Eskimos try to relax under pressure

Quick Snaps Edmonton Eskimos
Quick Snaps Saskatchewan Roughriders

Post Game

Saskatchewan 20 at Edmonton 23
Attendance-- 30,845

Edmonton Sun-- Eskimos beat Roughriders
Edmonton Journal-- Eskimos eke out victory over Riders, secure home playoff game
Regina Leader Post-- Riders' ordeal is finally over
Globe and Mail-- Eskimos clinch home playoff game
National Post-- Getzlaf shines in Roughriders' tough year
Canada.com-- Esks hosting a playoff game, but the need to work if they intend to win

CFL Gameday: Hamilton at Toronto (November 3)

2011-11-03T16:02:00.000-07:00

Game number one of the final week of the regular season offers up the chance for a head start for the Argos to head off on their winter vacations.

With the Argos long since eliminated from the post season, tonight marks the final game of the 2011 season for the Double Blue, fan appreciation night at Rogers Centre, where those Toronto sports fans that are still paying attention can bid farewell to Jim Barker's crew.

Normally a game between the Cats and Argos would have all the warmth of an old world blood feud, but with little to prove and the Cats with more to lose, one imagines that a classic this one won't be.

For Hamilton which has a playoff date pencilled in somewhere for next week in the semi final, tonight offers up but one challenge, stay sharp but don't get hurt.

Nothing games always offer up a tightrope for head coaches, they want to keep their players focused on the week ahead, while still playing in the game this week, other than extra reps, the Cats will try to work out some of their inconsistencies in anticipation of their semi final match next Sunday whether in Winnipeg or Montreal.

Toronto's squad will clean out the lockers over the weekend, some will be back next year to chase the Grey Cup dream, others will fade from memory part of a disappointing 2011 campaign that never seemed to catch fire until the end, when all that was left to the Argos was to play the role of spoiler.

Game Time 7:30 ET (4:30 PT) Rogers Centre, TSN

Pre Game

Toronto Sun-- Argos QB needs a lasting impression
Toronto Star-- Flyin' Hawaiin still beating the odds
Globe and Mail-- Dalton Bell eyes one last shot
National Post-- Argonauts' defence find stats misleading
Hamilton Spectator-- It's a pivotal time on the CFL's southern coast
Canada.com-- Coach insists Ticats have no quarterback controversy

Quick Snaps Toronto Argonauts
Quick Snaps Hamilton Tiger Cats

Post Game

Hamilton 16 at Toronto 33
Attendance-- 20,833

Toronto Sun-- Argos finish on a high
Toronto Star-- Stiff challenges ahead for Argos, says Bob Nicholson
Hamilton Spectator-- Ticats put in lousy effort, lose finale to hapless Argos
Globe and Mail-- With change in the air, Argonauts enter off-season
National Post-- The Argos reflect on their disappointing season

CFL Regular Season Week 19

2011-11-03T10:20:00.000-07:00

After 18 weeks of the regular season and another month or so previous of training camp, the CFL still has a number of things to settle as it heads into week 19, the final one of the regular season.

Of the weekend's four games, three of the four will have some kind of impact on the final standings and who will host semi final and final playoff games. Providing the travel plan for which teams are facing a potential three game road trip to the Grey Cup (BC Lions excepted who at worst could face a two game road trip before the Grand Finale of the season at BC Place).

The fact that the last week of the season has become such a pivotal point for playoff bound teams has been examined by a number of media sources in this week prior to the week 19 showdowns.

CFL set for barn-burner of a finish
Enjoy the Quarterback circus
Welcome to the Wild, Wild CFL
Wild CFL season goes down to the wire
Top Division spots undecided heading into final week
Missed opportunities set up wide open final week
Weekend wrap going into week 19

So with all that build up to the key games, it seems helpful that the Argos plan to get out of the way as soon as possible, Toronto which won't be making a playoff appearance this year, opens up week 19 with fan appreciation night at the Rogers Centre.

With little play for other than pride, the Argos will bring their season to an end following tonight's game agains the Tiger Cats, the nothing to see here match the preliminary to the key matches of week 19.

Friday brings us Saskatchewan at Edmonton, with the Riders cashing out on the season following the game, hopeful that they at least can play the spoiler to the Eskimos bid for first place in the West.

Saturday features two other games with first place potential.

Winnipeg travels to Calgary, a win by the Blue would pave their way to a first place finish in the Esat, a Stamps win makes the cluster atop the CFL West turn to wins for and against their competitive squads.

The nightcap to Saturday and the wrap on the season features Montreal at British Columbia, again a game that depending on how the Friday and Saturday's early game shake out could change the final standings one more time in 2011.

If things go down to the final gun, CFL fans in the East could very well have to stay up early into the morning on Sunday to learn the playoff match ups for next week and beyond.

Thursday, November 3-- Hamilton 16 at Toronto 33 (A-- 20,833)
Friday, November 4-- Saskatchewan 20 at Edmonton 23  ( A--30,845)
Saturday, November 5-- Winnipeg 24 at Calgary 30  (A-- 29,076)
Saturday, November 5-- Montreal 1 at British Columbia 43  (A-- 35,454)

Twelve Men Prognostications: Predicted Winners

Hamilton
Edmonton
Winnipeg
British Columbia

Weekly Record 2 - 4
Overall Record-- 40 - 72

Quick Snaps Proposed Ottawa franchise - November 2011

2011-11-02T15:22:00.000-07:00

Items of note that don't get the full blog treatment, but offer up news and background on the proposed Ottawa franchise.

November 4-- Demolition of south-side stands

Quick Snaps Montreal Alouettes - November 2011

2011-11-02T15:21:00.000-07:00

Items of note that don't get the full blog treatment, but offer up news and background on the Montreal Alouettes.

November 13-- Calvillo confident of more gas in the tank
November 12-- Mission improbable for Ticats
November 12-- Als' Calvillo insists he's still got tame
November 11-- Anthony Calvillo signals he's ready to do his playoff part
November 11-- Als' Maypray returns to familiar post
November 11-- Montreal Alouettes could be missing Ramon Guzman for East semifinal
November 11-- New left tackle Perrett will try to keep Ticats at bay
November 11-- Ticats will have to go through Calvillo
November 10-- Ticats have edge on special teams
November 10-- Shea Emry taking no chances in concussion recovery
November 10-- It's down to a one-bullet season for Alouettes
November 10-- Montreal Alouettes still have confidence they can get the job done
November 9-- CFL's Calvillo. Lulay set for outstanding battle
November 9-- Three Als move on to finals
November 8-- Observers notice a more timid Calvillo
November 8-- Don't bet against Hamilton Tiger Cats staging an upset
November 8-- Grey Cup contenders wipe slate clean
November 7-- Montreal Alouettes have never looked more vulnerable
November 7-- Calvillo or bust for Ticats
November 7-- Als simply aren't good enough
November 6-- Lions rout Alouettes to lock up first place
November 6-- Montreal Alouettes' loss to B. C. Lions was ugly
November 6-- Grey Cup a long way off for Alouettes
November 6-- B. C. Lions feats on Montreal Alouettes
November 6-- Montreal Alouettes were 'out coached", Diamond Ferri says
November 6-- Ticats, Als crawling into playoffs
November 5-- Criticism come with job, Calvillo says
November 5-- Whyte wants to spoil Lions' finale
November 5-- Receivers get no respect in CFL
November 4-- Anthony Calvillo happy with Alouette's season so far
November 4-- Practice-roster receiver will be pressed into duh as kick returner...
November 4-- Sean Whyte, Als grateful for Wally Buono's gift
November 4-- Calvillo won't back down against Lions
November 3-- "I never came close to quitting," says Bo Bowling
November 3-- Perrett not blind to new role with Alouettes
November 2-- Alouettes try to smooth over rough patch
November 2-- Anthony Calvillo nominated for CFL outstanding player award again
November 2-- Position change an eye-opener for Als' Perrett
November 1-- Bad timing for injuries to Kerry Watkins, Josh Bourke
November 1-- Montreal Alouettes' Dwight Anderson appears to have worn out his welcome

Quick Snaps Toronto Argonauts - November 2011

2011-11-02T15:20:00.001-07:00

Items of note that don't get the full blog treatment, but offer up news and background on the Toronto Argonauts.

November 3-- Argos need shakeup to rekindle passion
November 3-- Argonauts' defence find stats misleading

November 2-- Ticats downplay quarterback controversy
November 2-- Dalton Bell eyes one last shot
November 2-- Flyin' Hawaiian still beating the odds
November 2-- Argos QB needs a lasting impression
November 2-- Make or break years for Argos in 2012?
November 2-- Chad Owens leads Argo award nominees
November 2-- A week like no other in the CFL
November 1-- Argos, Mann prepare for Ticats
November 1-- Argo, Ticat roomies go to war

Quick Snaps Hamilton Tiger Cats - November 2011

2011-11-02T15:19:00.002-07:00

Items of note that don't get the full blog treatment, but offer up news and background on the Hamilton Tiger Cats.

November 12-- Tiger-Cats put in overtime to perfect playoff plan
November 12-- Glenn focused on winning
November 11-- Ticats stay positive ahead of playoff clash with Als
November 11-- Ticats wil have to go through Calvillo
November 11-- Ticats feeling confident
November 11-- Ticats cheer teen fan who's close to death
November 10-- Ticats need a leg up on Als
November 10-- Ticats Medlock taking playoffs in stride
November 10-- Pitch a Ticat question in our video chat
November 10-- Ticats have edge on special teams
November 10-- Playmaker Johnson itching to get back on the field
November 10-- 'Monster' rounding into outstanding form
November 10-- Like Rodney Dangerfield, the Ticats aren't getting any respect...
November 9-- Hamilton has 'spirited' practice
November 9-- To succeed, Ticats can't forget about Mr. Reliable, Dave Stala
November 9-- With speed to burn, Williams has had one impressive rookie campaign
November 9-- No road warriors, these Ticats
November 9-- Hamilton must stop Richardson
November 9-- Ticats amped up to snap nine-game slump in Montreal
November 8-- Ticats say it's a new season, baby!
November 8-- Fire burns brightly for the game in Rey Williams
November 7-- Ticats raise coach's ire
November 7-- Revenge is not on Cobourne's mind...
November 7-- Ticats need their stars to shine if they are to beat Als
November 7-- Calvillo or bust for Ticats
November 7-- Time for Ticats to take down the measuring stick
November 6-- Ticats, Als crawling into playoffs
November 4-- Ticats put in lousy effort lose finale to hapless Argos
November 3-- Ticats' Young still learning
November 3-- Ticats' offence failed to show up
November 3-- Uncle Milty and the rest of the preview package of Ticats vs Argos
November 3-- Who I voted for in the Ticats team awards and why
November 3-- Hickman's the man for Ticats
November 3-- Argos end season on high note with 33-16 win over Ticats
November 2-- It's a pivotal time on the CFL's southern coast
November 2-- Veteran receiver Copeland chasing career milestone against Ticats
November 2-- Hickman wins MOP, Glenn to start at QB, roster changes...
November 2-- Ticats' Hickman up against Calvillo for CFL outstanding player award again
November 2-- Twitter feed from Ticats and Argos media day
November 2-- Boltus added to Ticats quarterback equation against Argos
November 2-- With Ticats, you never know
November 2-- Bellefeuille walking on eggshells in QB experiment
November 1-- Ticats plan to play three quarterbacks against Argos
November 1-- Glenn is No. 1 in Hammer again
November 1-- The use of anonymous sources in Ticats coverage

The Hamilton Spectator has launched a pay per view format for content, Ticat fans inclined to pony up the cash after the free views can click here for content.

Quick Snaps Winnipeg Blue Bombers - November 2011

2011-11-02T15:19:00.000-07:00

Items of note that don't get the full blog treatment, but offer up news and background on the Winnipeg Blue Bombers.

November 21-- Bombers prep for 'business trip' to B. C.
November 21-- Why a Blue Bombers' joy is tinged with sadness
November 21-- Blue 'D' nearing glory
November 21-- That Johnson, he's a mad man
November 21-- Gotta be the shoes
November 21-- Nothing but Blue skies
November 21-- Cup beckons Brown, Buck
November 21-- Another crash landing for QB Glenn involving East final and Blue Bombers
November 21-- A fond farewell to old stadium
November 21-- Rival Grey Cup defences trade jabs
November 20-- Blue Bombers bound for Grey Cup
November 20-- Bombers heading to Grey Cup
November 20-- Defensive battle sends Blue Bombers to Grey Cup over Ticats
November 20-- Blue trio's moment to savour
November 20-- Booked flight spooks Blue's January
November 20-- It's Grey Cup or bust
November 20-- CFL East final notes: Blue Bombers dominate the ground
November 20-- Bombers to face Lions in Grey Cup
November 20-- Hamilton frustrated by Bomber defence...
November 20-- Hungry Bomber defence never stopped
November 20-- Bombers stopped the big play
November 20-- Bombers all-out blitz: A fine stadium send off
November 20-- Bombers coverage to remain on CJOB
November 20-- Ticats are bold, not scared of the cold
November 20-- Home calls Brown for Grey Cup shot
November 20-- Kicking game could be key
November 20-- Blue 'D' won't let Cats pile up points, they say
November 20-- Garrett critical to Bombers success
November 20-- Are Bombers amusing pretenders or true legends?
November 20-- Hail to sweet feet
November 20-- A warm Medlock did his part
November 20-- It was Bomber bedlam
November 20-- How will Buck cement legacy?
November 20-- Hello... rumour mill? Avon calling
November 19-- Tiger-Cats resort to treachery
November 19-- Buck's heart Blue - Bomber Blue, that is
November 19-- Ticats can't keep story straight on what TJ told them
November 19-- The ultimate Blue Bomber: Doug Brown not one to sell his soul
November 19-- Big events at Bombers stadium
November 19-- A stadium full of memories
November 19-- Two teams that started season in opposite directions clash in CFL West Final
November 19-- Fun facts about Bombers stadium
November 19-- Cobourne is enemy No. 1
November 19-- Weather could be a factor as Winnipeg and Hamilton prepare for CFL's East final
November 19-- 5 story lines
November 19-- From selling popcorn in the stands to running the show
November 19-- The view from the stands - and beyond
November 19-- Heart of old stadium will live on at U of M
November 19-- LaPolice on eve of East Final
November 19-- Bombers aren't worried about T. J.
November 19-- Ticats set for Bombers and weather
November 19-- Night watchman turns stadium lights out one last time
November 19-- Bomber's Brown has one more chance to get it right
November 19-- A diamond amid the rough-and-tumble
November 19-- "It was tiny": Ploen, Cameron remember stadium where they built careers
November 19-- Stadium past her prime in '83?
November 19-- Bombers will play with Harris in mind
November 19-- Brown downplays sentimental storylines
November 19-- Bombers beating the odds
November 19-- Teams wary of anyone, everyone
November 19-- Snow problem for Bombers kicker
November 19-- Bombers no strangers to suspicious signings
November 18-- Bombers' trash turns into Ticats' treasure
November 18-- All's fair in love and football
November 18-- LaPolice on Ticats signing TJ: 'Not something we would do'
November 18-- Bombers vs Ticats in East Final
November 18-- Former Bomber sleeping with the enemy
November 18-- Tiger-Cats planning ground and pound attack
November 18-- Bombers suspicious over Jeffers-Harris signing
November 18-- Blue Bombers not running scared from Ticats
November 18-- Veteran Pierce to start for Bombers in East Division final versus Hamilton
November 18-- Professional misconduct
November 18-- Blue are green in playoffs
November 18-- Katz, Bratina make friendly wagers over Bombers-Ticats game
November 18-- Establishing run against Bombers crucial for Ticats in East final
November 17-- Distraction departs Bombers
November 17-- Bombers bracing for brr-worthy temperatures
November 17-- Winnipeg Blue Bombers cut ties with receiver Harris ahead of Eastern final
November 17-- Bombers Buck gets go-ahead
November 17-- Live Blog: Bombers vs. Tiger-Cats
November 17-- Bombers release T. J. Harris, announce sellout
November 17-- Jeffers-Harris violated Bombers' team rules: LaPolice
November 17-- Last chance to relive a cherished memory
November 17-- 'It's not about the award anyway - it's about the ring
November 17-- 10 reasons to hate the Tiger-Cats
November 16-- Bombers take practice indoors
November 16-- Glenn still gets fired up about playing Bombers
November 16-- Bombers' Johnson throws down gauntlet
November 16-- Coin toss could decide East
November 16-- Bombers face Ticats' Steele curtain
November 16-- Logan one of 5 Bombers to make all-star team
November 16-- Bombers' primary weapon
November 15-- Bombers Poblah, Browne could dress for East final
November 15-- Bombers' Pierce ready to go
November 14-- Winning season series ancient history for Bombers
November 14-- Bombers, Ticats riding on a carousel
November 14-- Bombers don't know if Buck will start in East Final
November 14-- Khan wins "Heart of a Legend" Award
November 13-- Bombers, Ticats to face off for shot at Cup
November 13-- Bombers ready for Ticats
November 13-- Ticats hosting Ti-Cats in East Final
November 13-- Bombers' Khan has something to prove
November 13-- Blue Bombers' run defence will be key in showdown with Hamilton...
November 12-- Who do Bombers want to face?
November 12-- Bombers glued to boob tube
November 11-- Bombers' Morley pumped for East final
November 11-- Doug Brown's unlikely career coming to close
November 10-- Bombers' Khan could play in East final
November 10-- Eight Bombers named to East Division All-Star Team
November 10-- Penn St. scandal shocks Barresi
November 10-- Winnipeg Blue Bombers defensive tackle Doug Brown prepares ...
November 10-- Q and A with retiring Winnipeg Blue Bombers defensive tackle ...
November 10-- A standout in his field
November 9-- Bombers' Logan hopes to be ready for East final
November 9-- Johnson wants to be first defensive back to win top CFL ...
November 9-- Win would solidify LaPolice's reputation
November 8-- Bombers' Johnson gets defensive player nod for East
November 9-- Bombers' Johnson named best in the East
November 8-- Bye week not to be frittered away
November 8-- Bombers reap rewards in ledgers
November 8-- A little rest will do Blue good
November 8-- Expect Pierce to be back
November 8-- Buck says 'ready, set' but LaPo won't say 'go'
November 8-- GM Mack has Bombers' back
November 7-- Buck Pierce's status for East final unclear
November 7-- Bombers hope Logan can run
November 7-- Bombers' Pierce will be ready for final
November 7-- Buck says he's ready for East Final
November 7-- Blue have turned it around
November 7-- Back away, Blue detractors
November 6-- Blue go from reverse to first
November 6-- Bombers need strong start in East Final
November 6-- Brink starting to earn passing grades
November 5-- Bombers' Denmark plays with heavy heart
November 5-- Bombers lose, back into 1st
November 5-- Stampeders use big first quarter to hang on for 30-24 win over Blue Bombers
November 5-- Bombers crash in Cowtown, finish first
November 5-- Bombers hope to beat Stamps at home
November 5-- WHSFL finalists hope Bombers earn bye
November 5-- Things looking very bad for Blue
November 5-- Stamps plan is win, kick back and relax
November 5-- Benched receiver back into fray
November 4-- What's Blue and green?
November 4-- Bombers-Stamps clash key to CFL Playoff picture
November 4-- Blue's Big chance
November 4-- Blue Bombers Preview Show: Bombers vs Stampeders
November 4-- Breaking Buck
November 3-- Bombers' Johnson piles up nominations
November 3-- Bombers' Johnson up for three 'most outstanding' awards
November 2-- Johnson voted Bombers' most outstanding player
November 2-- CFL's Bombers can lock up their division final spot with one more win
November 2-- Johnson Outstanding for Bombers
November 2-- Bombers' Johnson no stranger to new Stamps QB
November 2-- Workshop for residents to have stadium event-day input
November 2-- Sears takes hit from CFL
November 2-- Bombers' Pierce expects to be back for playoffs

November 2-- Bombers' Sears suspended for hit on Jyles
November 2-- Brink's big break
November 2-- Like it or not, Willis part of defensive line rotation
November 2-- Brink, Garrett most important for Bombers
November 2-- Sears to miss Calgary game due to CFL suspension
November 2-- Bombers' Pierce expects to be back for playoffs
November 2-- No better Bomber than Johnson
November 2-- Bombers' Sears takes his punishment
November 1-- Peers see Sears' side
November 1-- Bombers thank Stamps, now they have to beat them
November 1-- Sears to talk with commish
November 1-- Blue have been in Twilight Zone all season
November 1-- Bombers on the brink in Calgary
November 1-- Bombers DB Sears suspended for one game
November 1-- Bombers push Brink into action against Stamps
November 1-- CFL suspends Bombers' Johnny Sears Jr for hear shot

Quick Snaps Saskatchewan Roughriders - November 2011

2011-11-02T15:18:00.000-07:00

Items of note that don't get the full blog treatment, but offer up news and background on the Saskatchewan Roughriders.

November 2-- Saskatchewan Roughriders stage final practice of 2011
November 2-- Saskatchewan Roughriders' awards nominees announced
November 2-- Graeme Bell did well
November 2-- Riders face tough off-field questions
November 2-- Weston Dressler leads Riders award nominees
November 2-- The Quiet Crusader
November 2-- Eskimos put focus on defence
November 2-- Uncertainty surrounds Riders coaches
November 2-- Roughriders' Clermont contemplating his future
November 2-- Riders get boost from lottery
November 1-- Riders for hire
November 1-- Miller's time has come
November 1-- More changes for Riders
November 1-- Riders must restore order
November 1-- Season finale has some meaning

Quick Snaps Edmonton Eskimos - November 2011

2011-11-02T15:17:00.001-07:00

Items of note that don't get the full blog treatment, but offer up news and background on the Edmonton Eskimos.

November 22-- Esks' Stamps' courageous season
November 22-- Longtime Eskimos defensive back Mendryk dies
November 22-- MacKinnon: Building blocks in place for successful future
November 22-- Eskimos' Fred Stamps lost testicle to injury
November 21-- Davis among Eskimos' nine pending free agents
November 21-- Eskimos turn the page
November 21-- Ray optimistic about Esks
November 21-- Watching painful for Esks' Messam
November 21-- Youthful misadventures doom Esks
November 21-- Esks fell short of goal: Reed
November 21-- Jones: Next year starts now
November 20-- Esks' Charles impressive
November 20-- Penalties costly for Esks
November 20-- Reed proud of what his young team accomplished this season
November 20-- Lulay leads charge as Lions tear apart Eskimos
November 20-- Turnover cost Esks, says Ray
November 20-- Lions crush Eskimos 40-23
November 20-- Live Chat: Eskimos at Lions
November 19-- Saucy slugfest or high-octane free-for-all?
November 19-- Esks are happy campers under Ray's quiet leadership
November 19-- Barnes proves his worth to Esks
November 19-- Eskimos have enjoyed big games at BC Place
November 19-- Sherritt, Williams will play
November 19-- Esks pump up the volume
November 19-- West final at BC Place has homecoming feel for McCarty
November 19-- Eskimos waste little time bouncing back
November 19-- Esks "ignorant:" says Reed
November 19-- Esks need to avoid slow start
November 19-- Duval sits 'on Cloud 9'
November 19-- "I Hate Edmonton": Buono
November 19-- Big shoes to fill for Esks McCarty
November 19-- Eskimos' Duval eyes third ring
November 18-- Big game for Esks' Sherritt
November 18-- Kavis Reed: The Eskimos' gridiron doctor
November 18-- Esks look to keep rolling
November 18-- Bowman's skills 'without the ball' impress coach
November 18-- Esks counting on stoic Ray
November 18-- Barnes puts surprise camp release behind him
November 18-- No host advantage for Grey Cup
November 18-- Eskimos' McCarty gets home advantage in CFL West Final
November 18-- Eskimos backup QB Kerry Joseph ready to play if Ricky Ray falters
November 18-- Lions-Eskimos: Tale of the tape
November 18-- Lions Eskimos head to head in 2011
November 17-- Eskimos' Ray credits parents for low-key, hard-working demeanour
November 17-- Esks counting on stoic Ray
November 17-- Esks make use of field house
November 17-- Bump on the head forces defensive end Williams to sit out practice
November 17-- Green and Gold fired up early
November 17-- Bowman playing key role for Eskimos
November 17-- Messam will still factor in Eskimos' attack
November 17-- Esks mismatched in the trenches?
November 17-- Three's a charm for Esks McCarty
November 17-- Esks' Stamps an all-star
November 17-- Esks' Ricky ray is the man!
November 17-- Esks gel over Stamps win
November 16-- Lunch box Esks ready to face Leos
November 16-- Controlling Ray key for Lions
November 16-- Esks' Messam gets All-Star nod
November 16-- Eskimos vow to cut down on penalties in CFL West Final
November 16-- Ray's Esks' go-to guy
November 16-- Eskimos believe they'll be OK without Messam
November 16-- Esks' Cup run no cakewalk
November 15-- No rest for Esks
November 15-- Lions preparing to face Eskimos (without Messam)
November 15-- Reed defends Morley's controversial tackle
November 15-- Eskimos lose Jerome Messam
November 15-- Lions looking past Messam injury
November 15-- Messam out for playoffs
November 14-- Eskimos optimistic that Messam will play in West final
November 14-- Eskimos back where they belong in West final
November 14-- Munoz's defensive TD a game-changer
November 14-- Hufnagel's risky move fails to reward
November 14-- Ray and Co. give Edmonton fans what they've been waiting for
November 14-- Bring on the Lions
November 14-- Submarine hit could bench Esks' Messam
November 14-- Esks toughing out the cold
November 14-- Fans ecstatic over Calgary win, now ready to kick B. C.'s butt
November 13-- CFL Playoffs: Eskimos eliminate Stampeders
November 13-- Weather woes damped CFL's West semi-final
November 13-- Esks dump Stamps 33-19
November 13-- Esks Bowman credits O-line
November 13-- Eskimos defence shuts down Stamps
November 13-- Esks fans celebrate their West Division semifinal playoff win
November 13-- Esks built momentum
November 13-- Eskimos defence gets it done
November 13-- Eskimos off to West final with win over Stampeders
November 13-- 'Eskimo Way' enjoys a revival
November 13-- Bring it on : Forzani
November 12-- Will QB Experience prove pivotal?
November 12-- Eskimos stuck guessing with Stampeders' quarterbacks
November 12-- Eskimos ready for numbers game
November 12-- Calm before Stamps, Esks storm
November 12-- Showtime! Stamps, Eskimos square off Sunday
November 12-- Forzani eager to play in biggest gem of his young CFL career
November 12-- Tate capitalizes on chance
November 12-- Esks Sherritt will sit
November 12-- Grande Prairie football team falls in post season, weeks after tragic car crash
November 12-- Esks face 'new look' Stamps
November 12-- Esks wary of Stamps
November 12-- Esks coach speaks from heart
November 12-- Eskimos get ready for Stampeders
November 12-- Eskimos help bring Warriors strength
November 11-- In Reed Esks trust
November 11-- Messam 'optimistic' about playing in semi
November 11-- Reed, Tilman have Eskimos back on track
November 11-- Esks welcome Warriors
November 11-- Esks pause to remember
November 11-- Esks Sharun hits record book
November 11-- Building successful team began in locker-room for Eskimos
November 11-- Esks looking for revenge
November 11-- Esks lean on rich history
November 10-- Eskimos tailback Jerome Messam questionable for West semi
November 10-- Stamps, Esks all-stars nurse nagging injuries
November 10-- Sherritt as tough as they come
November 10-- Esks' Wojt honoured, but injured
November 10-- Reed a triumph of substance over style
November 10-- Esks' Messam on the limp
November 10-- Esks well represented on all-star squad
November 10-- Esks defenders best of the best
November 9-- Esks' Messam top Canuck?
November 9-- Esks welcome back pair
November 9-- Eskimos invite Warriors to be their guests at Sunday's game
November 8-- Eskimos prepare for Stamps
November 8-- Esks come up short on punt returns
November 8-- Williams picks apart opposition
November 8-- Eskimos' Messam named top Canadian of month in CFL
November 8-- Sack-happy rookies make quarterbacks pay
November 8-- Bowman earns offensive player of week
November 7-- Eskimos survivors
November 7-- Ray's hairy deal
November 7-- Esks share the wealth
November 7-- Stamps confident heading into semi vs. Eskimos
November 7-- West looks best heading into playoffs
November 7-- Eskimo fans are ready for march to Grey Cup
November 7-- Loyalty to Esks pays off for Ray
November 6-- Ray to Esks rescue
November 6-- Underdog Esks?
November 6-- Taking the long way around
November 6-- Esks have work cut our for them
November 5-- Eskimos' win means at least second in West is secure
November 5-- Eskimos clinch home playoff game
November 5-- Two sides to Esks Messam
November 5-- Why was it so close?
November 5-- Esks' Bowman basks in 1,000 yards
November 5-- Esks Messam runs with opportunity
November 5-- Eskimos beat Roughriders
November 4-- Eskimos seek to get early jump on Roughriders
November 4-- Milestone markers for Esks
November 3-- Esks wait for Peach-y news
November 3-- Esks Charles the link with Riders
November 3-- Concert Time for Esks?
November 2-- Eskimos try to relax under pressure
November 2-- Recommending Reed
November 2-- Esks refocus after loss
November 1-- Deja vu, but different, for Eskimos
November 1-- Esks facing dogfight: Reed
November 1-- Messam foiled by game situation, Lions defence
November 1-- Slow start unusual for Eskimos defence

Quick Snaps Calgary Stampeders - November 2011

2011-11-02T15:16:00.002-07:00

Items of note that don't get the full blog treatment, but offer up news and background on the Calgary Stampeders.

November 13-- Tillman calls Tate "Matt Dunigan - lite"
November 13-- McCartney finally healthy and ready to rumble
November 13-- Messam prefers to let his play do the talking
November 12-- Stamps play down experience gap at QB
November 12-- Hufnagel's gutsy move gets hefty test against Eskies
November 12-- Eskimos key on Stamps Jon Cornish in West semi final
November 12-- Eskimos stuck guessing with Stampeders' quarterbacks
November 12-- Unknown Tate has Eskimos feeling edgy
November 12-- Calm before Stamps, Esks storm
November 12-- Eskimos ready for numbers game
November 12-- All eyes will be on Tate Sunday
November 12-- Showtime! Stamps, Eskimos square off Sunday
November 12-- Esks face 'new look' Stamps
November 12-- Esks wary of Stamps
November 12-- Tate's story is a lesson in positivity
November 11-- Tate wasn't always Stamps' first choice
November 11-- Forzani growing into game
November 11-- Question marks on Stamp, Esk offences
November 11-- Passing of the Stamps' torch to Tate?
November 11-- Stamps' Tate enjoys primo CFL Poll position
November 11-- Lewis appears to be a full-go for Sunday's game
November 11-- Ten years since Stamps' most unlikely Grey Cup win
November 11-- CFL's Bad Boys turn into angels in second half
November 11-- Stamps weigh in on Paterno firing
November 10-- Stamps coach says Penn State scandal 'unfortunate'
November 10-- Stamps, Esks all stars nurse nagging injuries
November 10-- Stamps' lineman hopes to see CFL action soon following season-long injury
November 10-- Calgary looks to put pounding on Messam
November 10-- Theo Fleury calls out Calgary's Henry Burris for Joe Paterno tweet
November 10-- Honours for Stamps secondary keep piling up
November 10-- Hufnagel: 'Sad and unfortunate situation'
November 10-- Turner brings passion to football and ... nursing
November 10-- Stamps have history on side
November 10-- Rookie makes serious impression in trenches
November 10-- Henry Burris scolded by Theo Fleury over Penn State tweets
November 10-- Cornish denied
November 10-- How to go from third to first
November 9-- Stamps have kept Messam in check this season
November 9-- Fleury feuds with Burris on Twitter
November 9-- Calixte return likely for divisional semifinal
November 9-- Harrison's recovery right on schedule
November 9-- Stampeders rookie kicker unfazed by playoff pressure
November 9-- Williams a ball hawk for Eskimos
November 8-- Huf looks for special improvement
November 8-- Stampeders prep for aerial attack
November 8-- Battle of the backfield
November 8-- Eskies' Williams anticipates tough test against Tate
November 8-- Stamps tackle leading by example
November 8-- Stamps don't mind avoiding B. C. for now
November 7-- Stamps' Tide Turner
November 7-- Not September's Stamps
November 6-- Teammates helping new QB succeed
November 6-- Stamps confident heading into semi vs. Eskimos
November 6-- Semifinal opponent of no concern to Stamps
November 6-- Bombers lose pole position in the race for No. 1
November 6-- 'Great intensity' expected as Esks earn right to host Stamps in playoffs
November 6-- Takin' care of business
November 5-- Stamps' Burris shows finish in win
November 5-- Stampeders stay hot to end regular season
November 5-- Stampeders hang on to beat Bombers
November 5-- Stamps roll into playoffs with third straight win
November 5-- Draft class passes with honours
November 4-- Bombers-Stamps clash key to CFL Playoff picture
November 3-- Tale of two Drews
November 2-- Cornish in running for top Canadian
November 2-- Taylor bows to league's top kickers
November 2-- Bombers thank Stamps, now they have to beat them
November 2-- Peers see Sears' side
November 1-- Burris still short-yardage go-to guy
November 1-- Forzani catches second honour
November 1-- Cote, Tate enjoy CFL connection
November 1-- Dixon doggedly determined against Als' star receivers
November 1-- Stamps must focus on beating Bombers
November 1-- Bombers push Brink into action against Stamps

Quick Snaps British Columbia Lions - November 2011

2011-11-02T15:16:00.000-07:00

Items of note that don't get the full blog treatment, but offer up news and background on the British Columbia Lions.

November 25-- Memo to the CFL: Give us more stars like Travis Lulay
November 25-- Travis Lulay named CFL's outstanding player
November 25-- There's never been a game like the 1994 Grey Cup
November 25-- Lion King: Lulay named CFL's most outstanding player
November 24-- How Arland Bruce helped elevate the Lions
November 24-- B. C. Lions' Olafioye proving his coach correct
November 24-- Should Lions' Lulay be writing his speech?
November 24-- Nickelback: The band people hate just for the fun of it
November 24-- Lions' Travis Lulay wins CFL MVP
November 24-- Lulay's breakout year earns him top CFL award
November 24-- Five Grey Cup players to watch this Sunday
November 24-- Ten stories to watch at the Grey Cup
November 24-- Gearing up for the Grey Cup
November 24-- Brown looking to add triumphant new chapter with Lions
November 24-- Lulay likely to win big at CFL awards
November 24-- Lions and Bombers salute to Harris is a tie that binds
November 24-- Brown looking to add triumphant new chapter with Lions
November 24-- Buono ponders post-Grey Cup future
November 24-- Grey Cup won't see repeat of downtown riots, police predict
November 24-- Thelwell to make son proud even from Grey Cup sideline
November 24-- Eatery's answer to soul food
November 24-- Five years after breaking the Grey Cup, Bates remembers to keep his hands ...
November 24-- 1994 Grey Cup something special
November 24-- Lions' Lulay manages to stay grounded
November 24-- B. C. Lions media lunch
November 24-- Disneyland for adults
November 24-- Food fit for a Grey Cup
November 24-- Jamal Robertson angry to be looking at the end of the road with the Lions
November 24-- Handicapping the CFL player awards
November 23-- Bombers coach wants this Grey Cup memory sweeter than '09 ...
November 23-- Former Miss BC Lions went on to be hailed as a hero
November 23-- Grey Cup talk with Lowell Ullrich
November 23-- Bombers targeting BC Lions' defensive line
November 23-- Hometown boy Paris Jackson 'cherishes' moments with Lions
November 23-- Grey Cup gulp! 'Coach!' How about sex before the game with your players?"
November 23-- Buono always keeps 'em guessing
November 23-- BC Place ready for national stage, GM says
November 23-- Korey banks on BC Lions defence
November 22-- CFL finds a place for little big men
November 21-- No place like dome for Lions
November 21-- Lions' '88 Grey Cup loss to Bombers still stings for some
November 21-- Grey Cup becomes Lion quarterback reunion
November 21-- Grieving trainer touched by Simon's TD toss
November 21-- Bloom still on LaRose: Lions safety toughs out injury, readies for Grey Cup
November 21-- Grey Cup time baby!
November 21-- B. C. Lions mourn loss of Dylan Reichelt
November 21-- Lions' Lulay continues to impress
November 20-- Lulay, Harris carry Lions to home Grey Cup
November 20-- B. C. Lions roll to 40-23 win in CFL West final
November 20-- Grey Cup fever hits elated Lions fans in Vancouver
November 20-- B. C. "Better team," says Reed
November 20-- Penalties costly for Esks
November 20-- One more game for outgoing Lions
November 20-- Lions defence performs a hit parade on Eskimos
November 20-- Lions crush Eskimos in West final
November 20-- Buono sketchy about future
November 20-- Lions' Geroy Simon pays tribute to late son of team trainer
November 20-- For Lulay, there's no place like Dome
November 20-- Turnovers cost Esks, says Ray
November 20-- Lions veterans can leave legacy by turning success into ring
November 20-- Lions D-line crushes Esks
November 20-- Live Chat with Lowell Ullrich
November 20-- BC Lions: Grey Cup time baby!
November 20-- The case for CFL coach of the year
November 19-- Lions coach Buono a familiar finals fixture
November 19-- Saucy slugfest or high-octane free-for-all?
November 19-- Coach of the year, or coach for another year?
November 19-- CFL West final on Lions players' backs, not Buono's
November 19-- Foolproof forumla elusive, even for Buono
November 19-- Not even Lions QB Lulay is safe from being pulled
November 19-- Eskimos have enjoyed big games at BC Place
November 19-- Lions-Eskimos Head to Head
November 19-- Marsh madness: Only one ring to show as pro
November 19-- Hosts win, even if they don't play in final
November 18-- No host advantage for Grey Cup
November 18-- Lions happy to be at home
November 18-- Wally Buono will never be new school, but he's adapted
November 18-- Buono haunted by curse of CFL Western final
November 18-- Marsh's Madness: Only one ring in eight seasons with Lions
November 18-- CFL West final on Lions players' backs, not Buonto's
November 18-- Wally Buono in the West Division final
November 17-- Lions' Archibald family showing support
November 17-- Lions' Lulay has inside track to most outstanding player award
November 17-- Lulay comparable to Garcia, Dickenson
November 16-- Lulay can expect awards to keep on coming
November 16-- Bruce apologizes to team for unwanted publicity
November 16-- Lunch box Esks ready to face Leos
November 16-- How Travis Lulay stole the show
November 16-- Ticket sales slow for West final
November 16-- Lulay one of nine Lions named to all-star squad
November 16-- From zeros to heroes for Leos
November 15-- "Healed" Lions prepare for final
November 15-- Lions preparing to face Eskimos (without Messam)
November 15-- Lions looking past Messam injury
November 15-- Wish them luck, but BC Lions aren't counting their chickens
November 15-- Final Warning: Playoff loss may cause pain
November 14-- No charges for B. C. Lions' Arland Bruce after parking infraction
November 14-- Lions coach Buono has learned lessons from past losses
November 14-- Eskimos might be known, but for Leos all bets are off Sunday
November 14-- Arland Bruce has brush with VPD over traffic infraction
November 14-- 'Healed' Lions prepare for final
November 14-- Lions' Bruce exchanges words with cops
November 14-- Eskimos won on smarts
November 14-- Lions' Arland Bruce will play in CFL West final despite incident with police
November 14-- Son of B. C. Lions therapist dies
November 13-- More than just sum of his parts
November 13-- Win, tragic loss gives Lions perspective
November 13-- Lions' Lulay in similar position as Stamps QB
November 13-- Lions' Khalif Mitchell's piano helps him forget football's violence
November 13-- Son of B. C. Lions trainer killed in Langley car crash
November 12-- Lions' health means roster wealth
November 12-- Lions' receiver Bruce a different breed of cat
November 12-- Survey says Angus Reid still commands respect
November 11-- B. C. would prefer to face Eskimos
November 10-- B. C. Lions dominate divisional all-star selections
November 10-- Lulay may extend Lions his stay
November 10-- B. C. Lions kicker McCallum gives time the boot
November 10-- 12 B. C. Lions tops on CFL divisional all-star teams
November 9-- Lions' lean injury list gives Buono plenty of options for next game
November 9-- McCallum has Lui's vote for top Canadian
November 9-- Depth gives Buono lots of options
November 9-- Travis Lulay battles Anthony Calvillo for CFL most outstanding player...
November 9-- CFL's Calvillo, Lulay set for outstanding battle
November 9-- Lulay leads Lions trio as CFL player awards finalists
November 8-- 22,000 tickets sold for CFL's western final
November 8-- Lulay's closing rush makes him MOP worthy
November 8-- Travis Lulay earns CFL offensive player of month honour
November 8-- B. C. Lions roar to CFL monthly awards for October
November 7-- BC Lions victory loosens up Lulay
November 7-- Wally Buono's stick-to-itiveness just part of explanation
November 7-- Travis Lulay's numbers raise a question
November 7-- TD catch gets B.C.'s Gore off hook for dubious distinction
November 7-- Another high point for Lui Passaglia
November 7-- Which BC Lions could the NFL be eyeing?
November 7-- Buono backs McCallum's candidacy for top Canadian
November 7-- Buono proves he's still got it
November 6-- 'Perfect' McCallum among CFL's all-time best
November 6-- Can the Lions roar all the way to the Grey Cup?
November 6-- Just like old times for Lions
November 6-- Lions rout Alouettes to lock up first place
November 6-- Buono never stopped believing
November 6-- B. C. Lions performance locks club at top of CFL West
November 6-- BC Lions victory loosens up Lulay
November 6-- Leos clinch West
November 6-- That was one lulu of a Lulay performance
November 6-- Leo Elimimian a big hit among fellow players
November 6-- Lions romp at Alouettes' expense
November 5-- Lions win gives two weeks for rest, repair
November 5-- Lions do knuckle-sandwich job on Alouettes to finish in first place
November 5-- Leos clinch West
November 5-- Whyte wants to spoil Lions' finale
November 4-- Travis Lulay gets Anthony Calvillo's attention
November 4-- Paris Jackson sense time nearly up in Lions den, but intends to relish shot at...
November 4-- Als legend might experience that feeling again: that's up to Lulay
November 4-- What's new pussycat? Lions find their roar in 2011
November 4-- Lions' Jackson isn't ready to call it quits
November 4-- Calvillo won't back down against Lions
November 4-- Wally Buono never stopped believing in Lions
November 4-- 'Poster boy' Mitchell can keep Leos grounded
November 4-- Lions' Banks and Marsh share strong connection
November 4-- Beating Als is personal for Lions
November 3-- It's Lulay versus The Master
November 3-- Lions' quarterback Lulay puts up strong argument for top honours
November 2-- No regrets for new dad Johnson
November 2-- QB Travis Lulay pride of Lions, named team's most outstanding player
November 2-- Travis Lulay named B. C. Lions most outstanding player
November 1-- Johnson knows all about special delivery
November 1-- Lions QB Travis Lulay headlines CFL weekly awards

CFL Players of the Week - Week 18

2011-11-02T15:09:00.000-07:00

Travis Lulay's offensive efforts on Saturday night which led to the BC Lions victory and share of first place in the CFL West, provided more than enough video for the Gibson's panel to name the Lions QB to the Offensive Player of the Week Award for week number 18.

Lulay's success marks the second time this season that he has been recognized by the Gibson's panel.

The Lions also claimed defensive honours as well for week eighteen, as Khalif Mitchell was recognized for his work on Saturday night, like Lulay, this marks Mitchell's second Gibsons' award of the 2011 season..

As the Riders woeful season comes to an end, there was something to celebrate in Regina this week as Chris Milo got the nod as Special Teams Player of the week and Johnny Forzani's pitch and catch session with Drew Tate earned Forzani the Top Canadian player of the week his second Gibson's honour of the year.

The full review of the awards for week Eighteen can be found below.

Official website for the Gibson's Player Awards

See video replay here

Offensive Player of the Week

Travis Lulay

B C Lions - Quarter Back

Defensive Player of the Week

Khalif Mitchell

B C Lions - Defensive Tackle

Special Teams Player of the Week

Chris Milo

Saskatchewan Roughriders - Kicker

Canadian Player of the Week

Johnny Forzani

Calgary Stampeders - Wide Receiver

Items of Note

Travis Lulay headlines Players of the Week

Top Ten Plays of the Week

End Zone Replay Week 18

Purolator Sack Attack Week 18

Gibsons Award Archives for 2011

CFL Regular Season Week 18

2011-11-02T10:17:00.000-07:00

At the end of weekend play, both the Bombers and the Als had chosen to punt the fight for first place in the East to one more week, that as both Montreal and Winnipeg found themselves on the wrong end of the score sheet after week 18.

British Columbia made its play for a first place finish and the Stampeders also served notice that the Western Division standings weren't quite finalized yet, setting the stage for a number of key matches in the final week of the regular season.

Only Hamilton and Saskatchewan offered nothing but practice reps to the week eighteen review, a mean nothing game for both, the TiCats resting it seems for their semi final date in two weeks, while the Riders go through the motions of a disappointing season.

The week in review is as follows:

Calgary at Montreal

The thank you notes have been delivered and for the Calgary Stampeders, the love will be short lived.

Calgary did the Winnipeg Blue Bombers a huge favour on Sunday, handing the Alouettes a defeat at Molson Stadium and setting the stage for their own personal showdown with the Bombers in the final week of the CFL season.

Calgary looked quite efficient on their way to a 32-27 victory, Drew Tate clearly becoming more and more comfortable as the Stampeder starter. Tate and receiver Johnny Forzani seem to be particularly in sync these days, Sunday the two combined for 108 passing yards and two touchdowns, as potent a tandem as there is these days in the CFL.

When he wasn't tossing the ball for distance and points, Tate was handing it off to the Stamps running threats, who galloped the yardage up against the Alouettes.

Montreal's inconsistencies reared up once again, a frequent visitor this season, with the Als finding that their momentum comes to a sudden halt, at the most inopportune times, in this case when the opportunity to drive a stake through the heart of the Blue Bombers at hand.

The loss to Calgary, denied Montreal the chance to claim first place as their own and to make plans for the eastern final, now the final week will be required to sort all of that out in the East, with playoff dates still to be set as to whether it's a semi-final or the Eastern final that will be pencilled in for Montreal.

The Stampeders also offered up their own bit of theatre for the final week, with the victory Calgary has managed to climb their way back into a three way tie for first place in the West with the Lions and Eskimos, making for a most interesting finish to the CFL season.

While they will need a little bit of help, they can control part of their destiny with a victory over Winnipeg, a most interesting twist, last week the Stamps kept the Bombers hopes for first in the east alive with their victory over the Als, this week they could very well quash those same hopes, all the while keeping their own chase alive.

Tis to make for some riveting football.

Calgary Sun-- Stamps' Forzani enjoys another great performance against Alouettes
Calgary Herald-- Stampeders show true grit in winning slugfest against Alouettes
Globe and Mail-- Stamps defeat Als as plot thickens in CFL West
Canada.com-- Trestman terribly disappointed after loss to Stampeders

Edmonton at British Columbia

It was the battle for first place that perhaps seem improbable four weeks into the season, at that point of the CFL Schedule the Edmonton Eskimos were on a major roll, confounding the critics who had suggested this would be a long, hard rebuilding year for the Green and Gold.

The Lions in the meantime were heading in the other direction, listless and almost winless, the Leos looked very much to be a spent force in the CFL West, destined to slide down the standings to give Saskatchewan a run for its money on who would miss the CFL playoffs.

Some fourteen weeks later and all that is out the window, the Lions and Eskimos met at a raucous BC Place Stadium, setting the table for a wild finish to the CFL season, with their 29 to 20 victory over the Eskimos, the Lions once again clawed their way to the top of the CFL West, making for a three way tie for the top spot heading into the final week of the 2011 campaign.

Saturday night's showdown once again highlighted the coming of his CFL age for Travis Lulay, the Leos signal caller, who passed for 322 yards and three touchdowns to secure the Lions victory, a showcase Saturday that proved to be the right stuff to send him to the Gibson's Player of the week awards podium.

The Lions appear to have complete confidence in their QB, who seems to be able to calm down the hectic moments of a CFL drive and for the most part makes the right decision at the right time.

The Eskimos can take some good from their play as well, Ricky Ray looked confident and the game always seemed to be within the realm of an Eskimo surge to victory, it was another moment on the learning curve for the Eskimos, who clearly have bought into the plan as outlined by head coach Kavis Reed.

The setback on Saturday for Edmonton, came uncharacteristically from its defence which surrendered two quick touchdowns to Lulay and the Lions, a pace that seemed to knock the Eskimos back on their heels a bit, only regaining their momentum in the second half.

The fact that the Eskimos didn't wilt under the fast paced Lions attack offers hope that the message will be understood that it takes a full sixty minutes of football to secure a victory.

The Lions victory sets the table for a fascinating finish to the CFL season, with each of the three games featuring BC, Calgary and Edmonton having an impact on the final standings an whether a team hosts a playoff game either semi-final or final, or whether they spend their playoff run on the road.

Vancouver Province-- Lulay best of class
Vancouver Sun-- Lions in first - but could finish third
Edmonton Journal-- Three's a crowd in CFL West Division
Edmonton Sun-- Esks refocus after loss
Canada.com-- Slow start unusual for Eskimos defence

Hamilton at Sasktachewan

The proof that this was a going through the motions affair could be seen in the stands at Mosaic Field, for the first time in the 2011 season, a few of the normally faithful Rider Nation found better things to do on a Saturday afternoon.

In a day of statistics that meant little other than personal padding, the Riders attracted less than 30,000 for the first time this season, granted 29,073 is still a pretty impressive turnout (ask the Argos what that would feel like), but for the most part even the fans in the football mad province realized that the season is over, time to think of next year on the prairies.

Hamilton of course still has some football left to play, though on Saturday that wasn't readily evident as the Riders pretty well ran the practice drill that the game seemed to be. A full contact exhibition of a number of the Ti Cats supporting cast, Hamilton just killing time until the CFL Eastern Semi Final in two weeks.

Still, the game a 19-3 Rider victory for those keeping score at home, at least provided both coaches with the chance to observe their players, looking for trends and looking for those willing to put in a full days work, on a day that essentially meant nothing.

Hamilton has one more session before they get back to "real football", though one has to wonder if the string of mean nothing games may not carry over into that upcoming semi final game, though one imagines that's a problem that those in Saskatchewan only wish they had.

Hamilton Spectator-- Ticats look anything but playoff-ready in 19-3 loss to Riders
Regina Leader Post-- Victory a rare tonic for Roughriders
Globe and Mail-- Roughriders shut down Tiger Cats
Toronto Sun-- Roughriders dominate Ticats
National Post-- Roughriders snap five game skid with win over Ticats

Toronto at Winnipeg

The Winnipeg Blue Bombers had the giant crowd and a giant opportunity to send them home happy with an Eastern Division title, with the Argonauts in town few would have been held to account if they suspected that the two points were already in the bank and a home final date assured.

But then they had to go and play the game and as it seems is always the case, the team with the least to lose rises to the occasion and knocks down the favourites, such was the case Friday night in River City.

Winnipeg just never seemed to get their offensive squad in motion, a least in the first half where the Blue surrendered 21 points to the Double Blue, before gathering their thoughts (and perhaps hearing a few from head coach Paul LaPolice) and launching a comeback that came up just a bit short, handing the Argos a 27-22 victory, continuing the Argos string of spoiler victories as they run out the clock on their season.

Turnovers and the Bombers ongoing inconsistency issues made for the blue print for Friday night's misfire by the Bombers, who have picked the wrong time to have a bad game a number of times this year.

The Bomber comeback was led by Alex Brink who took over for the injured Buck Pierce in the latter stages of the second quarter and brought the Bombers back into contention heading down the stretch of the fourth quarter.

If nothing else, it provided Brink with valuable reps heading into the playoffs, something that may come in handy should starter Buck Pierce fall over the course of the run to the Grey Cup.

Still, it was an opportunity missed for the Bombers, something that has popped up from time to time this year and no doubt will be addressed by the Bomber coaching staff, fortunately for the Bombers as things worked out the Alouettes also stumbled in week eighteen, making the final week of the season a most interesting set of games that will settle the seeding for the CFL playoffs this year.

Winnipeg Sun-- That was so Bombers
Winnipeg Free Press-- Argonauts put dent in Winnipeg's CFL East title hopes with win over Bombers
Toronto Sun-- Argos shell Bombers
Toronto Star-- Headfirst hit jolts Jyles, sparks Argos
Globe and Mail-- Argos dent Bombers' title hopes

CFL Gameday: Calgary at Montreal (October 30)

2011-10-30T09:18:00.000-07:00

The Winnipeg Blue Bombers opened the door on Friday night, Sunday will see if the Montreal Alouettes take advantage of the generosity.

The Alouettes host the Calgary Stampeders in a game that has first place possibilities for both teams on the line.

A win by Montreal and they once again are can take the lead from the Bombers for first place in the CFL East, an opportunity that the home town crowd might wish to see, providing for yet another CFL East final at Molson Stadium in a couple of weeks.

With a victory, the Stamps can join the logjam for first in the West, where both BC and Edmonton hold down the top spot, with the advantage going to BC on the strength of their win on Saturday night.

Calgary enters today's game still confident in Drew Tate's skills at QB, Tate who took over the top job from Henry Burris last week has had a fairly rewarding time at the pivotal position, though it remains to be seen if in the tension of a key life or death game his relative inexperience, compared to Burris' veteran poise will come back to haunt the Stamps.

Montreal of course will rely on the always poised Anthony Calvillo, who had a very unlike Anthony kind of game last week in Winnipeg, look for him to seek out a bit of revenge for that first half performance taking out his frustrations on the Stampeders secondary.

With but one more week to go in the 2011 season, we still have some key games to determine placements for five of six playoff bound teams (all but Hamilton (who have know for a couple of weeks that it's all road games, all the time in the playoffs) still control their fate in this last week dash to the playoff rounds.

Game Time 1 PM ET (10 AM PT, 11 MT) Molson Stadium TSN

Pre Game

Calgary Herald-- Richardson salivating at Stamps matchup
Calgary Sun-- Stamps road-testing best in Alouettes
Globe and Mail-- Stamps, Eskimos to honour high school players killed in crash
Montreal Alouettes must win against Calgary Stampeders ...

Quick Snaps Montreal Alouettes
Quick Snaps Calgary Stampeders

Post Game

Calgary 32 at Montreal 27
Attendance-- 24,051

Calgary Herald-- Stampeders hang on to narrow lead, edge Alouettes 32-27
Calgary Sun-- Stamps claim crucial CFL win over Alouettes
Globe and Mail-- Missing ingredient confounds Alouettes
National Post-- Stampeders tied for first in West with win over Alouettes
Canada.com-- Stamps hold off Als to stay in hunt for West title