Remember your please and thank you's on the field...

Something to keep our minds focused on those warm spring days ahead when the CFL kicks off the 2015 Training camp season.

The month of February features a Family Day holiday for a number of provinces in Canada and in a bit of a stretch, we highlight the event with a look at how Family Guy views a CFL training camp.

We suspect it isn't quite as polite as all this, but we imagine that the CFL doesn't mind the 23 second burst of recognition.

CFL releases 2015 Schedule

It may seem a fair bit away's just yet, but the CFL season isn't as far off as you might think, with the league releasing the 2015 schedule last week.

The first competitive hit between teams takes place on June 8th when Ottawa and Hamilton kick off the Pre-season, putting in motion three weeks of evaluation and position battles that will see coaches and GM's settle on their opening day rosters.

Ottawa will also get the honour of kicking off the Regular season, a June 25th trek to Montreal to take on the Alouettes. The first game of the 2015 season that will take us to the third Sunday of November and the Grey Cup, this year hosted by the Winnipeg Blue Bombers.

For the most  part the Schedule makers have tried to ensure that the usual rivalry games are kept in place and as even a distribution of home and away treks is balanced through the year.

The exception this year being the lot of the Toronto Argonauts, as Stadium issues and the Pan AM games combining to make the Boatmen more like Vikings travelling the oceans for weeks at a time.

Included in the Argo frustrations, a season opening home game to be hosted in Fort McMurray, Alberta, featuring the Edmonton Eskimos as the opposition, something that probably ends any dreams of a home field advantage on June 27th.

As well, with Canada hosting the 2015 Women's FIFA World Cup this year, a number of CFL stadiums will be in use, leaving Ottawa, Edmonton and BC looking to host a game away from their comfortable home environment.

Fort McMurray, almost gets that valued tenth CFL franchise status it seems,  as the Northern Alberta city will also be hosting a pre-season game between the Esks and Riders

The Argos won't have a "real" home game until near the middle of August,  the majority of their early season to be spent wandering the stadiums of Western Canada.

Perhaps in adversity they will find a common cause, though being the CFL's Bedouin's of the year should provide no shortage of challenges for the Argos for the first half of the season.

The full schedule for 2015 can be found here, some background on the league's creation is reviewed here.

You can keep up to date on CFL developments through their website and twitter feed

Follow the Twelve men blog on twitter as well here.

A New Year, A new resolution for a little more longevity...

Still a few months away, but
CFL Training camps are on the way

OK, here's the plan, we're going to shake some of the cobwebs from the blog and see what kind of a playbook we can put together for the 2015 season.

Yes, we know, we've said this before, but with Spring on its way (trust us east of BC, this is the truth, it is on the way, one day) and CFL training camps in the planning stages, a new season is almost upon us.

With that, we'll issue our hopeful forecast of a more dedicated effort towards blogging on CFL issues this season, we're reviewing where things would get congested last year and with a bit of a refocus we think we'll be able to provide a more consistent effort through the year.

We have a few new ideas
for the 2015 season

Well, we hope, that's the case.

With a soft spot for the three down game in our heart, the thought of ending this overview of the CFL isn't something that we want to give serious thought to, so with that, onward, upward to the publish button we go.

Through the next few months leading up to the start of training camps, we'll keep an eye on the Free
Agent situation, as well as developments as the nine squads look to the June training period.

Posts may not be on a daily basis through these next few weeks, but we'll endeavour to at least keep the pilot light burning as we revamp our presentation.

For those that have continued to click on the site, it's that interest that has spurred on this review and from it we're hoping to be back on track shortly.

Stick around, we have some ideas that we think might just keep this ole blog tossing the ball around for another season.

CFL 2014: Week Eight

We will admit to being caught by surprise with a Tuesday game slipping by us almost un-noticed, leaving us with no preview to offer as week eight got off to an early start.

We're not particularly sold on the idea of Tuesday night football as something that the Toronto market was clamouring for (and by their attendance it didn't seem to make much of a difference) but there they were the Argos and the Bombers out on the field.

Making for a pretty short turn around period for the Double Blue who will double dip week eight with a Sunday night wrap to week against the Lions.

So, with one game already entered into the books, we'll rattle off the remainder of the week in a more timely fashion.

Things ramp up again on Friday night, when the Eskimos travel to Ottawa, looking for the opportunity to continue on with the Western domination of the East that has marked the early stages of the 2014 season.

Saturday brings us a pair of games, Calgary heads into Hamilton, hoping to find the Cats still a snake bit kind of squad. In recent weeks, the Cats have shown a lot of promise, but little finish. While the Stamps on the other hand are all finish, setting the benchmark for success in the West so far this year.

The nightcap to Saturday finds the struggling Alouettes in Regina to take on the defensively tough Roughriders. The Also are having no shortage of woes on offence this year, making Saturday possibly another long night of tests as they face down a Riders squad that has made defensive play their calling card so far this year.

The weekend wraps up with the Argonauts home for the second time in less than five days, looking to side step the BC Lions.  The Argos appear to be the only Eastern team that to this point in the season looks to be able to provide a challenge to the western teams, with the David Braley western branch of the firm looking to take a win out away from their eastern partners  as the week comes to an end.

Results and other commentaries on week eight and nine to follow may be a little tardy, we'll be on the road for much of the next ten days, so our dispatches may not be the most timely of efforts, we hope to be on a more consistent basis by the Labour Day showdowns.

The previews and reviews for week eight can be found below:


Tuesday, August 12 -- Winnipeg 21 at Toronto 38   ( 18,106 ) 
CFL.ca Game Preview-- ( video ) Argos, Bombers kick off Week 8 with Tuesday tilt

Video Highlights-- Winnipeg/Toronto
Game Recap--
Stats Pack-- Winnipeg/Toronto

Game Reviews:

12 Men--  

Winnipeg Sun-- Many happy returns
Winnipeg Free Press-- Big Blue Beatdown in T. O.
Toronto Sun-- Ricky Ray's greatness not being viewed in-person
Toronto Star-- Ricky Ray, Argonauts down Blue Bombers

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

Friday, August 15-- Edmonton at Ottawa  ( 7:30 ET, 5:30 MT, 4:30 PT )  TSN  
CFL.ca Game Preview--

Video Highlights--
Game Recap--
Stats Pack--

Game Reviews:

12 Men-- 



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

Saturday, August 16-- Calgary at Hamilton ( 3:00 ET, 1 MT, Noon PT ) TSN 
CFL.ca Game Preview--  

Video Highlights--
Game Recap--
Stats Pack--

Game Reviews:

12 Men--  



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

Saturday, August 16-- Montreal at Saskatchewan ( 7 PM ET, 5 ST, 4 PT ) TSN
CFL.ca Game Preview--

Video Highlights--
Game Recap--
Stats Pack--

Game Reviews:

12 Men-- 


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

Sunday, August 17 -- British Columbia at Toronto ( 7:30 ET, 4:30 PT )  TSN
CFL.ca Game Preview--

Video Highlights--
Game Recap--
Stats Pack--

Game Reviews:

12 Men-- 

CFL Players of the Week: Week Seven

Kevin Glenn's domination of the week seven Statistical sheet, propelled the BC Lions QB onto the Players of the Week rankings as Glenn collected the Offensive Player honours for the week, a nod of acknowledgment towards his 407 passing yards and rushing efforts on the week.

The Defensive files found mostly reviews of the Saskatchewan Roughriders' John Chick for week seven, his five tackles on the night securing his second Player of the Week award for the year.

The Riders also collected another honour from week seven work, as Jerome Messam, coming on in relief for Saskatchewan rattled off an impressive offensive outing, claiming the Top Canadian Award for the week.

Special teams provided some spark for a frustrated Hamilton Tiger Cats team with the Cats Brandon Banks making the highlight reel on a number of plays, his most impressive a 97 yard punt return for a touchdown in a losing cause for the Black and Yellow.

The four top selections for the week can be found below:

Offensive Player of the Week
Kevin Glenn, QB, British Columbia Lions

Defensive Player of the Week
John Chick, DE, Saskatchewan Roughriders

Special Teams Player of the Week
Brandon Banks , KR,  Hamilton Tiger Cats

Canadian Player of the Week
Jerome Messam, RB, British Columbia Lions

CFL.ca review of the Players of the Week

Top Ten Plays of Week Number 7 

Ultimate Replay for Week Number 7 

Power Rankings For Week Number 7

Twelve Men on the Field Archive of the Players of the Week Listings for the 2014 season

CFL 2014: Week Seven

The week begins with a family feud of the prairies, as the Saskatchewan Roughriders make the trek across the Manitoba line to take on the Blue Bombers in Winnipeg.

A game which rarely needs much in the way of hype, but this year features a much improved Bombers squad, ready to renew acquaintances with the Riders.

Friday night brings us another double header of CFL action, with the struggling Alouettes looking to find some answers, though the task will be a tough one as the soaring Eskimos will be keen to keep on with their winning ways of the start of the season.

The night cap for Friday provides for another team looking for some positive news, as the Tiger Cats travel into Vancouver to take on the BC Lions. The Cats have been close to victory a few times in recent weeks, only to see the prospect of victory slip away, the Lions come off an impressive comeback last week in Calgary.

Week Seven wraps up on Saturday night as the Ottawa RedBlacks will be anxious to banish some of the bad habits and mental mistakes that have cost them in recent weeks, the bad news for the team from the nation's capital... they take on a Stamps squad that will quite unhappy at how they let victory slip away last week against the Lions.

Facing a team that knows it made mistakes that cost them their undefeated status on the year, probably won't make the RedBlacks work any easier.

The previews and reviews for week seven can be found below:


Thursday, August 7-- Saskatchewan 23 at Winnipeg 17   ( 33,324 ) 
CFL.ca Game Preview-- ( video ) Fierce rivals new hostilities in Winnipeg

Video Highlights-- Saskatchewan/Winnipeg
Game Recap-- Riders stage late-game heroics in win
Stats Pack-- Saskatchewan/Winnipeg

Game Reviews:

12 Men--  

Winnipeg Sun-- Bombers fatal flaw exposed
Winnipeg Free Press-- Blue second-best is slugfest
Regina Leader Post-- Dominating Green Defence was the difference
Canada.com-- Saskatchewan Roughriders scramble to 23-17 victory over Winnipeg Blue Bombers

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

Friday, August 8-- Edmonton 33 at Montreal 23 ( 20,054 )    
CFL.ca Game Preview-- ( video )  Als looking for spark at home vs. Esks

Video Highlights-- Edmonton/Montreal
Game Recap-- That Green and Golden touch: Esks bury Alouettes
Stats Pack-- Edmonton/Montreal

Game Reviews:

12 Men-- 

Edmonton Sun-- Edmonton Eskimos beat dysfunctioning Montreal Alouettes
Edmonton Journal-- Injuries mar Eskimos' victory over struggling Alouettes
Montreal Gazette-- If the Alouettes think this is progress, they're delusional
Canada.com-- Reilly throws for two touchdowns as Eskimos beat Alouettes

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

Friday, August 8-- Hamilton 29 at British Columbia 36 ( 24,236 ) 
CFL.ca Game Preview--  ( video ) Lions looking for consistency against Ticats

Video Highlights-- Hamilton / British Columbia
Game Recap-- Top Cat: Glenn, Lions outlast Ticats in shootout thriller
Stats Pack-- Hamilton/British Columbia

Game Reviews:

12 Men--  

Vancouver Province-- Baffling Lions grit out hard-fought victory over Ticats
Vancouver Sun-- Kevin Glenn becomes rare pass-run threat in Lions' 36-29 win
Hamilton Spectator-- Lions QB Glenn throws for 407 yards as Ticats lose another close one
Canada.com-- Glenn throws, runs Lions to victory over Tiger-Cats

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

Saturday, August 2-- Ottawa 17 at Calgary 38 ( 28,391 )  
CFL.ca Game Preview-- ( video ) Ottawa looking to Calgary as a measuring stick

Video Highlights-- Ottawa/Calgary
Game Recap-- Instant Recovery: Mitchell leads Stamps by Ottawa
Stats Pack-- Ottawa/Calgary

Game Reviews:

12 Men-- 


Calgary Sun-- Calgary Stampeders beat Ottawa RedBlacks 38-17
Calgary Herald-- Smilin' Hank left grimacing in 38-17 Stampeders win over the Ottawa RedBlacks
Ottawa Sun-- RedBlacks drop a stinker to Calgary Stampeders
Ottawa Citizen-- RedBlacks lose to Stampeders, fall to 1-5

CFL Players of the Week: Week Six

Drew Willy week continued this week, as the Bombers QB was celebrated for his work during week six of the CFL season, Willy's leadership and offensive punch provided him with his second Player of the Week honours for the 2014 season.

The BC Lions collected two more Player of the Week acknowledgments for the year thus far, with Andrew Harris once again showcasing a strong running game for the Lions securing yet another Top Canadian award in 2014.  On the defensive side of the Lions room, Ronnie Yell was receiving the congratulations, a solid defensive performance in week six setting him apart from the league's defensive work on the week.

The Ti-Cats find a silver lining in their latest disappointment on the field, as Quincy McDuffie showcased his skills in a losing cause for the Cats, McDuffie securing the Special Teams Player of the week award for his efforts in punt and kick returns in week six.

The four top selections for the week can be found below:

Offensive Player of the Week
Drew Willy, QB, Winnipeg Blue Bombers

Defensive Player of the Week
Ronnie Yell, DB, British Columbia Lions

Special Teams Player of the Week
Quincy McDuffie, KR,  Hamilton Tiger Cats

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

CFL.ca review of the Players of the Week

Top Ten Plays of Week Number 6 

Ultimate Replay for Week Number 6

Power Rankings For Week Number 6

Twelve Men on the Field Archive of the Players of the Week Listings for the 2014 season

CFL Players of the month for 2014

Our Archive of the Selections for the CFL Players of the Month for the 2014 season.


Players of the Month for July

Selections by Player

July-- Mike Reilly, QB, Edmonton Eskimos, Offensive Player of the Month
July-- John Chick, DE, Saskatchewan Roughriders, Defensive Player of the Month
July-- Swayze Waters, K, Toronto Argonauts, Special Player of the Month
July-- Andrew Harris, RB, British Columbia Lions, Canadian Player of the Month


Selections by Team

Montreal (0)
Ottawa (0)
Toronto (1)
Hamilton (0)
Winnipeg (0)
Saskatchewan (1)
Edmonton (1)
Calgary (0)
British Columbia (1)



Repeat Winners This Year

--

CFL 2014: Week Six

The week begins with another contest in the comfy confines of McMaster University, where the Hamilton Tiger Cats try to make the best of their forced re-location owing to construction delays at their new football palace of Tim Horton's Field.

In to ruin the vibe of up close and personal will be the Winnipeg Blue Bombers, off to an impressive start in the 2014 campaign and looking to keep their thoughts of a First place finish in the ultra competitive West a going concern.

The Argos make the trip to Montreal, hoping to get back on track at the expense of a Montreal Alouettes team that continues to struggle in the early stages of the CFL season.

A long running western feud will rise up again, as the Lions come across the Rockies to take on the Stampeders, match ups that never fail to provide for some hard hitting football and close scoring football.

The week wraps up with the Ottawa RedBlacks hosting the team that has the name that is fondly remembered by many in the nations capital. The Saskatchewan Roughriders, sole owners of the rider brand now, will play the role of villain as they face not only the RedBlacks, but a lively and noisy crowd that has been welcoming the CFL back (maybe not so much the prairie brand owners however)

The undefeated squads have been dropping off the listings as we head into week six, will a perfect season still be on the horizon by weekends end?  Four nights of football will provide the answer.

Thursday, July 31-- Winnipeg 27 at Hamilton 26   (6,500 )   (at McMaster)
CFL.ca Game Preview-- ( video ) Willy, Lefevour ready to duel in Hamilton

Video Highlights-- Winnipeg/Hamilton
Game Recap--  Comeback Kid: Willy's late-game heroics stun Ticats
Stats Pack-- Winnipeg/Hamilton

Game Reviews:

12 Men--  


Winnipeg Sun-- Comeback kid: Willy lives for the clutch
Winnipeg Free Press-- Welcome to Willypeg
Hamilton Spectator-- No moral victories in narrowing losses, Cats must start winning
National Post-- Drew Willy seals comeback win over Hamilton Tiger-Cats will final-play heroics


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

Friday, August 1 -- Toronto 31 at Montreal 5 ( 20,692 )  
CFL.ca Game Preview-- ( video ) East rivals try to turn things around in Montreal

Video Highlights-- Toronto / Montreal
Game Recap-- Boatmen Grind out important win over Alouettes
Stats Pack-- Toronto / Montreal 

Game Reviews:

12 Men-- 

Toronto Sun-- Argos jump to first in East with win in Montreal
Toronto Star-- Argos march past Alouettes
Montreal Gazette-- Alouettes lose ugly as offence falls flat
National Post-- Toronto Argonauts end three-game losing streak with dominant win over struggling Montreal Alouettes


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

Friday, August 1-- British Columbia 25 at Calgary 24 ( 27,266 ) 
CFL.ca Game Preview--  ( video ) Stampeders look to stay perfect against BC

Video Highlights-- British Columbia / Calgary
Game Recap-- Roaring Rally: Lions battle back, top Stampeders
Stats Pack-- British Columbia / Calgary

Game Reviews:

12 Men--  

Calgary Sun-- BC Lions down Calgary Stampeders
Calgary Herald-- Turnovers cost Stampeders in first loss of the season
Vancouver Province-- Relief abounds as Lions survive late penalty for 25-24 win over Stamps
Vancouver Sun-- Glenn gets breakthrough win at McMahon as Lions stun Stamps
National Post--  Lions offence comes to life in win over Calgary Stampeders

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

Saturday, August 2-- Saskatchewan 38 at Ottawa 14 ( 24,303 )  
CFL.ca Game Preview-- ( video )  Riders roll into Ottawa looking to stay hot

Video Highlights-- Saskatchewan / Ottawa
Game Recap-- Getting hot: Riders roll to another big win in Ottawa
Stats Pack-- Saskatchewan / Ottawa

Game Reviews:

12 Men-- 

Ottawa Sun-- Ottawa RedBlacks have a lot of work to do after humbling loss to Roughriders
Ottawa Citizen-- Redblacks thumped by Roughriders in second home game
Regina Leader Post-- Riders feed off first-half momentum to defeat RedBlacks
National Post-- Saskatchewan Roughriders deepen Ottawa RedBlacks' woes with 38-14 trouncing

CFL Players of the Week: Week Five

Dan LeFevour had a break out week for the Tiger Cats, providing an offensive display in week five that secured him some space on the Players of the Week listings, a sign perhaps that the Cats are beginning to turn around the rough start to the 2014 season.

Saskatchewan also has hopes of making a reversal in some of their struggles of the year so far and in week five, they placed two players on the weekly honour roll, with John Chick and Samuel Hurl both claiming some notice for their work.

The kicking game provide the Bombers with the final placement on the list for week five, as Lirim Hajrullahu made kick after kick after kick in a winning cause for the Big Blue, his five for five performance on three pointers providing the spurt of offence in the Bombers win in BC.

For good measure, Hajrullahu placed a number of punts in strategic positions to pen the Lions up, an overall night of kicking that was made note of and rewarded by the selection panel.

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

Offensive Player of the Week
Dan Lefevour, QB, Hamilton Tiger Cats

Defensive Player of the Week
John Chick, DE, Saskatchewan Roughriders

Special Teams Player of the Week
Lirim Hajrullahu, PK-P, Winnipeg Blue Bombers

Canadian Player of the Week
Samuel Hurl, LB, Saskatchewan Roughriders

CFL.ca review of the Players of the Week

Top Ten Plays of Week Number 5

Ultimate Replay for Week Number 5

Power Rankings For Week Number 5

Twelve Men on the Field Archive of the Players of the Week Listings for the 2014 season

CFL 2014: Week Five

A much anticipated showdown between provincial rivals will go on Thursday night without one of the marquee attractions. As the Calgary Stampeders announced that Running Back Jon Cornish is on the shelf for at least six more weeks.  Not good news for the Stamps who struggled to score points last weekend without their dominating back to carry the load.

The absence of Cornish in the Stamps backfield might make things a little easier for the still undefeated Eskimos, who will be looking to push their record to 5 and 0 by the time Monday rolls around. To achieve that, the Esks will most likely need to put a few more points on the scoreboard, a place that they have held back on in the late twenties over the first four weeks.

Break 29 and someone is probably going to be taking two points home at the end of the night.

The BC Lions hold the Friday Night Football spotlight this week, looking to keep on with their winning ways as they play host to the Winnipeg Blue Bombers.  The Blue landed hard after their impressive start to the season, handled with ease by the Eskimos last week and struggling to score as they lost  26 to 3 decision to the Esks.

The task won't get any easier against a Lions team that seemed to shake off its early season lethargy last week in a convincing victory over the Als, a game which provided for two stars of the week on offensive play.  Defensively the Leos shut down the Als, leaving little opportunity for Montreal to make any kind of charge, the Bombers will most likely have seen that review and made their notes as to where they need to make the key plays should they hope to get back on the winning track.

Saturday was supposed to be the Grand Opening of the new stadium in Hamilton, however construction delays leave the place still looking like a collection of Tim Bits scattered in a box, sending the Ti-Cats to McMaster for a match up with the RedBlacks.

The original plan most likely included a large contingent of Ottawa fans planning to make the trip to the Steel City, but one imagines that there is no kind of math that will deliver the projected crow of some 25,000 to a stadium that might hold 6,000 at best. Making Saturday on fairly long day of explanations we imagine for the TiCat front office.

As for the work on the field, the Cats have suffered any number of miscues on the field in the opening weeks leaving them to still be seeking out their first win of the year, the task won't be an easy one against a very competitive RedBlacks, who haven't quite looked like an expansion team in most of their outings thus far.

Ottawa comes into Hamilton with a win behind their backs after their home opening victory and all the drama associated with last minute drives and field goals.  The RedBlacks will be looking to build on that momentum.

Week Five wraps up with the Toronto Argonauts making the trek to Regina to take on the Saskatchewan Roughriders, two teams that have been playing rather inconsistent football to launch the 2014 season.

Saskatchewan comes off the bye week with more than few lessons having been reviewed about their mental mistakes and costly discipline issues late into the games.

The Argos on the other hand have lost two in a row and will be in a snarling kind of mood after having let Ottawa off the hook last week to sneak past the Double Blue for some last minute heroics.

For both Ricky Ray and Darian Durant, week five provides the opportunity to get back into an offensive rhythm, something that both have struggled with in recent weeks.

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


Thursday, July 24-- Calgary 26 at Edmonton 22   ( 40,066 )  
CFL.ca Game Preview-- ( video )


Video Highlights-- Calgary / Edmonton
Game Recap-- Advantage Calgary: Stamps remain perfect in win over Esks
Stats Pack-- Calgary / Edmonton

Game Reviews:

12 Men--  

Calgary Sun-- Calgary Stampeders just get by Edmonton Eskimos in CFL win
Calgary Herald-- Stamps win battle of undefeated teams, claiming ninth straight over Eskimos
Edmonton Sun-- Edmonton Eskimos edged by Calgary Stampeders for first loss of CFL Season
Edmonton Journal-- Eskimos haunted by poor gambles in loss to Stampeders
National Post-- Calgary Stampeders edge Edmonton Eskimos to keep perfect season alive


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

Friday, July 25-- Winnipeg 23 at British Columbia 6 ( 25,316 )   
CFL.ca Game Preview-- ( video )


Video Highlights-- Winnipeg / British Columbia
Game Recap-- Hajrullahu, Bombers leg out a win over Lions
Stats Pack-- Winnipeg / British Columbia

Game Reviews:

12 Men-- 


Winnipeg Sun-- Blue Bounce back with big win over B. C.
Winnipeg Free Press-- Blue puts the boots to Lions
Vancouver Province-- Blue Bombers 23, B. C. Lions 6: Multiple turnovers blight Leo's inept performance
Vancouver Sun-- Arceneaux' bold talk less convincing after 23-6 loss to Blue Bombers
CBC Sports-- Lirim Hajrullahu boots Bombers past Lions


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

Saturday, July 26-- Ottawa 23 at Hamilton 33  (At McMaster) ( 6,500 )  
CFL.ca Game Preview--  ( video )


Video Highlights-- Ottawa / Hamilton
Game Recap-- LeFevour lifts Tiger-Cats to home win over RedBlacks
Stats Pack-- Ottawa / Hamilton

Game Reviews:

12 Men--  

Ottawa Sun-- 'This one is going to hurt'
Ottawa Citizen-- Injuries, loss sting RedBlacks
Hamilton Spectator-- Lefevour outstanding in much-needed Ticat victory
Toronto Sun-- Ticats beat RedBlacks for first win of season
Globe and Mail-- Lefevour impresses in debut as CFL starter, leading Ticats to win


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

Saturday, July 26-- Toronto 9 at Saskatchewan 37 ( 32,621 )   
CFL.ca Game Preview-- ( video )

Video Highlights-- Toronto / Saskatchewan
Game Recap-- Ford and a stellar defence help Riders take care of Argos
Stats Pack-- Toronto / Saskatchewan

Game Reviews:

12 Men-- 


Regina Leader Post-- Ford shines as Riders swarm Argonauts 37-9
Toronto Star-- Argonauts mystified by QB Ray's current funk
Toronto Sun-- Argonauts fall into last after blowout loss against Roughriders
Canada.com-- Ford rushes for three touchdowns, Riders beat Argos 37-9
Globe and Mail-- Will Ford leads Roughriders to rout of Argonauts

CFL Players of the Week: Week Four

Three touchdowns were more than enough to catch the attention of the selection panel for the CFL's players of the week, making Emmanuel Arceneaux's production the highlight reel kind of thing that scored him the Offensive Player of the week honours for week four.

Fellow BC Lion Andrew Harris joins Arceneaux in the line up of Award winners on the week, his stellar work in the Lions victory over the Als snared him the Canadian Player of the Week, hi selection marks the second week in a row that Harris claimed the Top Canadian Award.

Defensively it was the Odell Willis show, as the Eskimos Defensive End had two tackles, and an interception for a touchdown to aid the Eskimos in shutting down the Winnipeg Blue Bombers.

Specials Teams proved to be the key to the Ottawa RedBlacks first ever victory in the city's return to the CFL, with Brett Maher accounting for all 18 RedBlack points through six field goals, securing him the honours for week four.

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

Offensive Player of the Week
Emmanuel Arceneaux, WR, British Columbia Lions

Defensive Player of the Week
Odell Willis, DE, Edmonton Eskimos

Special Teams Player of the Week
Brett Maher, PK-P, Ottawa RedBlacks

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

CFL.ca review of the Players of the Week

Top Ten Plays of Week Number 4

Ultimate Replay for Week Number 4

Power Rankings For Week Number 4

Twelve Men on the Field Archive of the Players of the Week Listings for the 2014 season

CFL 2014: Week Four

The Montreal Alouettes will be looking to keep up their momentum from last week, as they kick off week number three with a home date with the undefeated Winnipeg Blue Bombers. Yes that's correct, Winnipeg which struggled through 2013 has found a winning vibe under head coach Mike  O'Shea and with a taste of winning over two weeks, the desire to keep the roll moving forward on Friday should be all the motivation that O'Shea needs pre game.


Week Three also offers up an opportunity for the Eskimos to continue on with their undefeated season so far, as they host the Ottawa RedBlacks at Commonwealth Stadium on Friday night.  The Esks have sped off from the starting line through two weeks of play with entertaining victories, an impressive comeback from last week adding to the excitement of an unexpected start for many of the Eskimo faithful.

With Ricky Ray having found much success against the Saskatchewan Roughriders last week, he will look to keep his Argos in winning ways as they play host to the Calgary Stampeders. Either, the Argos clearly addressed their week one struggles, or the Riders of week one were just an illusion for their fans.  We imagine the correct answer is somewhere in the middle.

And BC perhaps faces the largest hurdle of the weekend ahead. Not only have they struggled to find wins in their opening weeks of play, with two losses to show for their efforts but now they have to go into Regina and take on those same Saskatchewan Roughriders, a squad that will be very angry over last weeks loss to the Argos and looking to send a strong message of calm to RiderNation.

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


Thursday, July 17-- Edmonton 26 at Winnipeg 3   ( 30,976  )   
CFL.ca Game Preview-- ( video )


Video Highlights-- Edmonton / Winnipeg
Game Recap-- Un-D-feated: Esks 'D' stifles Willy, Bombers
Stats Pack-- Edmonton / Winnipeg

Game Reviews:

12 Men--  Away for the weekend, thus no review

Edmonton Sun-- Defence prevails as the Eskimos dominate the Bombers in decisive victory
Edmonton Journal-- Eskimos find a way on offence, defence to win fourth straight game
Winnipeg Sun-- Bombers haunted by turnovers in loss to Eskimos
Winnipeg Free Press-- Blue feeling like bongo drums
National Post-- Edmonton Eskimos down Winnipeg Blue Bombers, claim top spot in CFL West


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

Friday, July 18-- Toronto 17 at Ottawa 18 ( 24,326 )  
CFL.ca Game Preview-- ( video )


Video Highlights-- Toronto / Ottawa
Game Recap-- Welcome Back: REDBLACKS cap off historic homecoming
Stats Pack-- Toronto / Ottawa

Game Reviews:

12 Men-- Away for the weekend, thus no review

Ottawa Sun-- Ottawa RedBlacks get first win on historic night
Ottawa Citizen-- RedBlacks beat Argos in home opener
Toronto Sun-- Argonauts fall to RedBlacks as football returns to Ottawa
Toronto Star-- Argonauts first victims for RedBlacks
National Post-- Ottawa RedBlacks beat Toronto Argonauts in historic home opener behind Brett Maher's six field goals


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

Friday, July 18-- Hamilton 7 at Calgary 10 ( 27,546 ) 
CFL.ca Game Preview--  ( video )


Video Highlights-- Hamilton / Calgary
Game Recap-- Stampeders outlast Ticats in defensive battle
Stats Pack-- Hamilton / Calgary

Game Reviews:

12 Men--  Away for the weekend, thus no review

Calgary Sun-- Calgary Stampeders beat Hamilton Tiger-Cats by a whisker
Calgary Herald-- Stamps survive late scare to beat Tabbies
Hamilton Spectator-- Ticats lose another tough one, fall 10-7 to Stampeders
National Post--  Stampeders win sloppy affair over Hamilton Tiger-Cats on late field goal

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

Saturday, July 19-- Montreal 5 at British Columbia 41 ( 25,063 )  
CFL.ca Game Preview-- ( video )

Video Highlights-- Montreal / British Columbia
Game Recap-- Arceneaux's touchdown trio helps Leos topple Als
Stats Pack-- Montreal / British Columbia

Game Reviews:

12 Men-- Away for the weekend, thus no review

Vancouver Province-- Lions 41, Alouettes 5: B. C. keeps 14 year home dome win streak over Montreal alive
Vancouver Sun-- Arceneaux's three TDs help Lions clobber Alouettes
Montreal Gazette-- Alouettes humiliated again in Vancouver
Globe and Mail-- B. C. Lions embarrass Montreal Alouettes 41-5

Gibson's Players of the Week: Week Three

It was a double dip weekend for Andrew Harris, his outstanding week three efforts on the field at Mosaic Stadium earned the Winnipeg native a pair of honours, as he led the BC Lions with the running game to gain their first win of the 2014 season.

Harris collected both the Player of the Week award for week three, as well as the nod as the Canadian Player of the Week.

For those players not named Harris, the salutations were divided among the Alberta rivals.

With Edmonton's Almondo Sewell picking up the defensive honours for his four tackle performance in Friday's Eskimos victory over the Ottawa RedBlacks.

The Special Teams player of the week nod went to the Calgary Stampeders Jock Sanders who returned a missed Argonaut field goal for 121 yards with a pull yourself out of chair kind of run.

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

Offensive Player of the Week
Andrew Harris, RB, British Columbia Lions

Defensive Player of the Week
Almondo Sewell, DT, Edmonton Eskimos

Special Teams Player of the Week
Jock Sanders, KR, Calgary Stampeders

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

CFL.ca review of the Players of the Week

Video review of the Players of the Week

Top Ten Plays of Week Number 3

Ultimate Replay for Week Number 3

Power Rankings For Week Number 3

Twelve Men on the Field Archive of the Players of the Week Listings for the 2014 season

Lions reveal weaknesses for defending Grey Cup champs

The BC Lions collected their first win of the CFL season on Saturday evening in Regina, delivering a solid pounding of the Grey Cup champion Riders, making quick work to quiet down the usually boisterous faithful at Mosaic Stadium

With a pair of losses to kick off the 2014 season, the rumblings in Vancouver had already started to echo across the province as fans of the Lions started to fret that perhaps Wally Buono had gotten it all wrong in the off season, signs of a year of struggle already starting to offer up more clouds than a November morning on the West Coast.

Just in the Nick of time arrived a breakout performance for 2014 from Andrew Harris, as the Lions running back took to full gallop early in the game, breaking tackles along the way to a 58 yard touchdown. The first highlight reel run of the evening that delivered 222 total yards for a nights work.

With Harris providing the pace, the Lions took the game to the Riders, winning battles on the line and at times finding gaps in coverage and open field to ramble down,  all of which helped to propel them on to number one with a 26-13 victory.

For Kevin Glenn, week number three was clearly a much more rewarding experience than the start of the season, Glenn completed 16 of his 27 passing attempts for a total of 170 yards, with one TD toss to add to his collection.

One of the main contributing factors for the Leos was a turn around in the turn over game, with BC playing a near flawless game of ball control, a much different scenario than that which played out in the first two games.

For Saskatchewan, some of the same problems that popped up in week two arrived once again, an inability to make the key adjustments required in a timely manner provided the Lions with the momentum on the day.

The Riders offence let opportunities slip by at pivotal points of the game, statistically Darian Durant had  one of those nights that best be filed away, making just 15 completions of 34 pass attempts for 191 yards.

Time an time again Saskatchewan would lose any momentum that they found through turnovers,  while discipline issues would haunt them as the final moments ticked off the clock, with a roughing penalty in the course of a Paul McCallum field goal attempt providing a new set of downs for the Lions.

Kevin Glenn made good opportunity of the Riders temper issues, connecting with Courtney Taylor on a 20 yard passing play to push the Lions lead to 13 points.

The Riders continued to self-destruct in the final moments as a Durant pass destined for Rob Bagg was picked off by Josh Johnson, turning the game over one more time to the Lions who made sure that was the final bit of drama for the night.

A glimpse of some of the background to the Saturday night Lions victory can be found below:


Regina Leader Post-- Darian Durant's thoughts on the loss to B. C.
Vancouver Province-- Harris carries Lions over the hump
Vancouver Sun-- Harris a dynamo in B. C.'s 26-13 win over Roughriders
TSN.com-- Lions top Riders for first win of season 

Stamps take charge over Argonauts

Bo Levi Mitchell has provided his head coach with a pretty helpful bit of evidence that the right starting quarterback was handed the ball at the end of training camp.

Mitchell won the QB showdown with the Argos Ricky Ray on Saturday, with an impressive performance that propelled the Stamps to a convincing 34 to 15 victory over the Double Blue.

Among the highlights for the Stamps starter a gadget play (see video here)  that saw the Stamps use a direct snap to Jock Sanders, he in turn tossed the ball to Mitchell who hurled it down the field to Anthony Parker, a play that caught everyone but the Stamps by surprise, setting in motion the rest of a successful night for Calgary.

For those that may want to try the flea-flicker during their rec league football game, here's the nuts and bolts of the play.

Even more impressive for the Stamps, they dominated the Argonauts without the services of a string of first line players, the absence of John Cornish, Maurice Price and Nik Lewis but the thing of a line up sheet change more than anything else.

And while the Stamps offence moved the ball with authority, equally impressive was the shut down nature of the defensive squad which made Saturday night a most miserable experience for Ricky Ray.

The Argo offence could find no rhythm and no forward motion all night,  despite some solid numbers from Ray, who on the night completed 28 of 36 passes for 292 yards, though the majority of those yards were outside of the redzone.  It proved to be a night of frustration for the Argos as drives would stall leaving the Toronto output to the foot of Swayze Waters on the night, he accounted for all fifteen of the Argo points on the evening.

Defensively, the Argos struggled to hold the Stamps in check, Mitchell finding open receivers to the tune of 16 completions on 24 attempts for 4 touchdowns, the rushing game was distributed to four ball handles collectively taking the Stamps over the century mark with the run.

Calgary's play on both sides of the ball and on special teams highlighted the ability of coach Hufnagel to put the proper focus on the early season miscues that dogged some of the Stamps play, though in their first two games, the Stamps hold a 2-0 record, the key to their success a stingy defensive squad that has only surrendered 23 points on the year thus far.

With their second win of the year, the Stamps continue to nip at the heels of the front runners out of the gate with the Bombers and Esks holding 3-0 records, with their early season showdown set for Thursday night in Winnipeg.

The Stamps return to McMahon Stadium, playing host to the Tiger Cats, while the Argos will be in Ottawa Friday night for the debut of the RedBlacks new home in the nations capital.

Reviews of the Stamps victory can be found below:

Calgary Sun-- Calgary Stampeders get it done with big win over Toronto Argonauts
Calgary Herald-- Stamps sail to victory over Argos without Cornish, other stars
Toronto Sun-- Argos no match for Stampeders in CFL action
Toronto Star-- Argos routed by Stampeders 34-15
Canada.com-- Mitchell leads Calgary Stampeders past Toronto Argonauts

Bowman makes quick work of RedBlacks defensive unit

Friday night in Edmonton was the Adarius Bowman show, the Edmonton Eskimos receiver put on a pass catching clinic for the 31 thousand plus at Commonwealth Stadium, grabbing three touchdowns on his own to spur the Eskimos to a 27 to 11 victory over the Ottawa RedBlacks.

For the first time this year, the RedBlacks looked very much like an expansion team, as defensive breakdowns and a sputtering offensive unit provided the worst combination for head coach Rick Campbell, making his return to the house that his father built.

The RedBlacks held tough for three quarters, but the final frame of the game was all Eskimos who lit up the scoreboard after taking an 11-8 lead into the quarter.

Bowman was the main cause of the RedBlacks frustrations on the night, as the Eskimo slotback ripped apart the RedBlacks defensive backfield, offering up a sample of the kind of impact he can bring to the Eskimo lineup when the ball is tossed his way.

The first half of the game wasn't much to speak of, both teams struggled to make much headway in yardage, with frequent two and outs the rule for much of the first thirty minutes.  The third quarter started out much the same as the previous two, before the Mike Reilly and the Eskimo offensive unit finally found their range, once they started putting the points  on the board however they were in control of the game and on their way to the eventual 27-11 victory.

Ottawa showed more of the promise of the previous week as Chevon Walker galloped for a 65 Touchdown run, the only major on the night for the RedBlacks.

Unfortunately much of the Ottawa game on the night featured frustration as passes went off target, were dropped or resulted in little in the way of gain.

Another issue on the night was that of pass protection, which at times was almost non-existent, leaving Henry Burris either laying on the ground or scrambling for survival, two aspects of the game that don't work well if you're trying to claw your way back into the picture.

Keeping drives alive proved to be another stress point for Ottawa, a situation that led to their defensive unit returning to the field time and time again, a situation that the Eskimos finally began to exploit in the fourth quarter.

Campbell most likely understands that these things will happen through the season, the key for the Ottawa coaching staff will be to recognize the problem areas early on and make their adjustments in a timely manner.

With a couple of road games under their belts now, the RedBlacks make their home debut this week on Friday Night football when the Toronto Argonauts help the home side open up TD Field.

The Eskimos have their own bit of destiny ahead this week as well, as they take their undefeated record into Winnipeg for a Thursday night showdown with the Bombers who also sport a 3-0 record.

By the time the gun sounds to close out Thursday night, one team will no longer be among the undefeated, the Esks will need to make sure that theirs is a four quarter game on Thursday should they wish to be considered for that title.

Reviews of Friday's Ottawa/Edmonton game can be found below:


Edmonton Journal-- Bowman's  trio of touchdowns sparks Eskimos' win over RedBlacks
Edmonton Sun-- Hold off on the parade ... for now?
Ottawa Citizen-- RedBlacks come up short again against Eskimos
Ottawa Sun-- RedBlacks drop second game
Canada.com-- Strong fourth quarter over RedBlacks boosts Edmonton's record to 3-0

A new attitude in Blue

Three games does not a season make, but there's something different about the 2014 edition of the Winnipeg Blue Bombers. Banished it appears are the troubles of the last few seasons, where wins were few and comeback performances but the thing of rumour.

The 2014 Bombers led by head coach Mike O'Shea have one important intangible in them, there doesn't appear to be any quit in this years edition of the Blue.

Friday night the Bombers took for the first road trip of the season, heading off into Molson Stadium and a rendez-vous with the Montreal Alouettes, a good measuring stick for O'Shea to see how his squad was going to shape up outside the friendly confines of Investors Group field.

And while he no doubt has a bit of material to work with in the video review of the week to come, O'Shea must have been impressed with the nature of his teams will to win, or is that Willy to win?

Drew Willy once again provided Bomber fans with a glimpse that perhaps their long desired quest for a starting quarterback has finally come to an end, as the Bomber QB orchestrated a last minute drive down the field, offering once again the theme that No lead is ever really safe in the CFL.

For the Alouettes the game was another reminder of the work in progress that their team has become in this post Calvillo year, as Montreal let opportunities slip by to put some distance between themselves and the Bombers, settling for field goals when touchdowns were in reach.

A situation that allowed the Bombers to hang on through the fourth quarter to eventually launch their late game heroics to steal the two points out of McGill, with a thrilling 34-33 last minute shocker.

Not quite the parting gift that the Alouettes perhaps wanted to provide for their former coach Marc Trestman, who had been feted and saluted during much of the game.

There were some positive steps for Montreal, defensively the Alouettes put pressure on Willy, taking him to ground four times on the night, while Troy Smith offered up a glimpse of what coach Tom Higgins hopes to see as the season moves forward.

Some of his passes were crisp and effective, some not so much, two key turnovers on the night by Smith told the story of the evening, one a fumble, the other an interception both set the Bombers up with fourteen points, costly miscues that provided Winnipeg with its momentum towards their fourth quarter comeback.

For the CFL historians, Friday night was the night that Chad Johnson recorded his first CFL touchdown, a statistic that Montreal fans are no doubt hopeful of having repeated through until November.

However, the story of the night was the undefeated status of the Winnipeg Blue Bombers, who at 3-0 find themselves the talk of the league and for a change it has more to do with their winning ways, than the spiral of frustration that the last few years provided for.

For Bomber fans, who perhaps entered 2014 with a bit of trepidation, the season is off to a smashing start, winning can at times become infectious, in Winnipeg they're hoping that the virus takes hold.

Some items of review on Friday's game can be found below:


Montreal Gazette-- Als couldn't put the Bombers away when it counted
Winnipeg Free Press-- Amazing 3-0 start for Blue
Winnipeg Sun-- Three cheers for Blue Bombers
Canada.com-- Last-minute Feoli-Gudina TD catch lifts unbeaten Bombers over Alouettes