Yesterday in Guelph was pretty satisfying. Things were looking grim and then Banks returns Whyte's missed field goal for a TD and suddenly the cold weather and rain didn't matter any more.
The Cats sucked pretty hard in the first half, only scoring three points and it looked like a repeat of last week. Fortunately the Cats got a couple of turnovers deep in their own territory to stop the Alouettes from totally running away from it in the first half.
In the second half, the Cats played way better than the Als, outscoring them 24 to 8 on the way to the victory.
One oddity in the game was the Cats use of all three quarterbacks throughout the game. Masoli got a lot of touches and had the only TD pass. All season the Cats have put in LeFevour for a few plays that are mostly runs and while he had a few touches, Masoli seems to have leapfrogged him. Burris didn't have a great day when he had the ball, just an OK one, going 16 for 23 for 163 yards with a pick. That's only 7.1 yards per attempt, which is bad, but in both games Cat receivers had very low YAC yards, whereas Montreal tended to have a ton of them.
The weird thing about the backup quarterback running plays was how effective they were versus how uneffective the regular running backs were rushing. The Cats seemed to have no problem with Masoli getting over five yards per rush, while Gable had 2 rushes for -1 yards. But it worked, so I'm not complaining. I'm not a television commentator who is tied into conventional wisdom. Try new things on offence, if they work great.
Troy Smith had a better game in some ways this week than last week and ended up losing. He did have two picks versus 2 TDs, but he had 340 yards passing. His passing percentage was better than last week's at 59%, but that's still pretty mediocre. Over two games, that's around 55% which is pretty much Michael Bishop territory. I saw on Sportscentre that Chris Schultz was complaining about how Smith's last five passes were all incompletes, so maybe the media love in is over.
Most importantly, the Cats got their home playoff game in Guelph (and the Guelph and Guelph University get the publicity for a home playoff game) and proved last week was somewhat of an aberration. I'll be most curious next week to see what the Cats do quarterback wise. I assume Burris will get some significant reps in the first half and then the backups will play a lot. Winnipeg played Toronto relatively tough for the last two weeks so who knows how that game will go. I would like a regular season winning record, but not at the cost of injuries.
Sunday, October 27, 2013
Thursday, October 24, 2013
2013 CFL Predictions Week 18
Winnipeg at Toronto
It is has been a while since we had a Thursday game. So no procrastinating until Friday with my picks. The Bombers didn't look to bad against the Argos at home, but as the Bombers have been wont to do in 2013, they lost. In the Argonauts favour, Ricky Ray is now firmly back and the rust should be off. The Argos are also at home, which doesn't mean a lot since the double blue may be better on the road. The Bombers have nothing to lose, but not a lot to win either. I assume that there will be some evaluation of who should come back next year for Winnipeg. Probably a closer game than would be expected, but the Bombers aren't winning.
Argonauts 27 Bombers 23
Edmonton at BC
This game is interesting because neither time has much to play for. The Esks are out and the Lions can't get a home playoff game. No Lulay for this game is probably the most important fact. The Lions have lost three in a row and the Eskimos four. BC is at home, however I'm going to go for once with the Eskimos. Reilly has had a fair number of starts and should have the advantage over his counterpart DeMarco who hasn't played as well as he did initially.
Montreal at Hamilton
After last week's dismantling of the Hamilton offense by the Montreal defence, some would think the Cats are totally doomed. However it is often true in the CFL that it is difficult to win two games in a row against an opponent and Kent Austin is a good enough coach to make some adjustments to the Ticat offense. Despite what the CFL commentators said last week, Alouette quarterback Troy Smith wasn't actually very good with a completion rate just under 50%. Don't expect that to change this week. Plus Hamilton is 5 and 3 at home versus Montreal being 3 and 4 and Hamilton needs this game to get a home playoff game.
Ticats 33 Alouettes 24
Saskatchewan at Calgary
Not much to play for for either team except to set an example for when they could meet in the playoffs. Both teams are hot, with the Stamps winning four straight and watermelon people winning three. Calgary has been basically unbeatable at home, at 7 and 1, while the Riders are a respectable 5 and 3 away from home. This could come down to a Jon Cornish versus Kory Sheets battle. However I think the true edge for Calgary is that Kevin Glenn is playing better than Darian Durant at the moment.
Stampeders 41 Riders 36
It is has been a while since we had a Thursday game. So no procrastinating until Friday with my picks. The Bombers didn't look to bad against the Argos at home, but as the Bombers have been wont to do in 2013, they lost. In the Argonauts favour, Ricky Ray is now firmly back and the rust should be off. The Argos are also at home, which doesn't mean a lot since the double blue may be better on the road. The Bombers have nothing to lose, but not a lot to win either. I assume that there will be some evaluation of who should come back next year for Winnipeg. Probably a closer game than would be expected, but the Bombers aren't winning.
Argonauts 27 Bombers 23
Edmonton at BC
This game is interesting because neither time has much to play for. The Esks are out and the Lions can't get a home playoff game. No Lulay for this game is probably the most important fact. The Lions have lost three in a row and the Eskimos four. BC is at home, however I'm going to go for once with the Eskimos. Reilly has had a fair number of starts and should have the advantage over his counterpart DeMarco who hasn't played as well as he did initially.
Montreal at Hamilton
After last week's dismantling of the Hamilton offense by the Montreal defence, some would think the Cats are totally doomed. However it is often true in the CFL that it is difficult to win two games in a row against an opponent and Kent Austin is a good enough coach to make some adjustments to the Ticat offense. Despite what the CFL commentators said last week, Alouette quarterback Troy Smith wasn't actually very good with a completion rate just under 50%. Don't expect that to change this week. Plus Hamilton is 5 and 3 at home versus Montreal being 3 and 4 and Hamilton needs this game to get a home playoff game.
Ticats 33 Alouettes 24
Saskatchewan at Calgary
Not much to play for for either team except to set an example for when they could meet in the playoffs. Both teams are hot, with the Stamps winning four straight and watermelon people winning three. Calgary has been basically unbeatable at home, at 7 and 1, while the Riders are a respectable 5 and 3 away from home. This could come down to a Jon Cornish versus Kory Sheets battle. However I think the true edge for Calgary is that Kevin Glenn is playing better than Darian Durant at the moment.
Stampeders 41 Riders 36
Wednesday, October 23, 2013
2013 CFL Power Rankings Week 17
1. Calgary Stampeders
Not a big surprise that the Stamps are yet again number one. Yet another victory, this time over the hapless Eskimos. Glenn has settled into being the starter, Cornish and Hughes are rolling. Blah, blah, blah first overall.
2. Saskatchewan Roughriders
The Riders bitchslapped the Lions last week. Sheets is back and playing well, Durant is playing better with Sheets back.
3. Toronto Argonauts
After two back to back losses, the Argos went back to winning last week. Admittedly it was against the Bombers and it was close, but with Ray back at the helm and an excellent defence, the Argos are capable of beating all the teams in the CFL.
4. Hamilton Tiger-Cats
The Ticats were demolished by the Alouettes in Montreal and didn't look particularly good. The offense was terrible (although how much that was the Alouette defence is hard to say) and were outplayed thoroughly on special teams. Games like this are going to happen on occasion, especially on the road and doesn't mean the team is doomed. Now if they lose next week, things are more problematic.
5. Montreal Alouettes
Impressive outing by the Alouette defence at home against the usually offensively powerful Tabbies. The Alouettes, led by Chip Cox are clearly the best defence in the CFL and their special teams aren't bad either. Their offense was OK last week as well for once. Despite what TSN commentators would have you think, new Montreal quarterback Troy Smith had a mediocre game (below 50% completion rate). Can the Alouettes do it twice in a row and away from home?
6. BC Lions
Is Travis Lulay coming back this season? Hopefully, because the Lions aren't going to do much this year with DeMarco as the quarterback. The Lions seem to be weakening down the stretch. The Lions didn't look that great with Lulay in this year, so maybe the problem is that excluding the quarterback position, the Lions just aren't very good this year. Harris has had a subpar year so far compared to last year. Maybe Stefan Logan will help.
7. Winnipeg Blue Bombers
Came close to beating Toronto. That's something at least and Hall is a plausible starting CFL quarterback. The Bombers announced they're raising ticket prices this year. Since they're so bad this year, they could be better next year, but don't bet on it.
8. Edmonton Eskimos
Weak offensive line, not very good defence and Fred Stamps. Stamps is good, but not good enough to help the worst team in the CFL out of the basement of the rankings. At least Stamps has his Humpty's commercials.
Not a big surprise that the Stamps are yet again number one. Yet another victory, this time over the hapless Eskimos. Glenn has settled into being the starter, Cornish and Hughes are rolling. Blah, blah, blah first overall.
2. Saskatchewan Roughriders
The Riders bitchslapped the Lions last week. Sheets is back and playing well, Durant is playing better with Sheets back.
3. Toronto Argonauts
After two back to back losses, the Argos went back to winning last week. Admittedly it was against the Bombers and it was close, but with Ray back at the helm and an excellent defence, the Argos are capable of beating all the teams in the CFL.
4. Hamilton Tiger-Cats
The Ticats were demolished by the Alouettes in Montreal and didn't look particularly good. The offense was terrible (although how much that was the Alouette defence is hard to say) and were outplayed thoroughly on special teams. Games like this are going to happen on occasion, especially on the road and doesn't mean the team is doomed. Now if they lose next week, things are more problematic.
5. Montreal Alouettes
Impressive outing by the Alouette defence at home against the usually offensively powerful Tabbies. The Alouettes, led by Chip Cox are clearly the best defence in the CFL and their special teams aren't bad either. Their offense was OK last week as well for once. Despite what TSN commentators would have you think, new Montreal quarterback Troy Smith had a mediocre game (below 50% completion rate). Can the Alouettes do it twice in a row and away from home?
6. BC Lions
Is Travis Lulay coming back this season? Hopefully, because the Lions aren't going to do much this year with DeMarco as the quarterback. The Lions seem to be weakening down the stretch. The Lions didn't look that great with Lulay in this year, so maybe the problem is that excluding the quarterback position, the Lions just aren't very good this year. Harris has had a subpar year so far compared to last year. Maybe Stefan Logan will help.
7. Winnipeg Blue Bombers
Came close to beating Toronto. That's something at least and Hall is a plausible starting CFL quarterback. The Bombers announced they're raising ticket prices this year. Since they're so bad this year, they could be better next year, but don't bet on it.
8. Edmonton Eskimos
Weak offensive line, not very good defence and Fred Stamps. Stamps is good, but not good enough to help the worst team in the CFL out of the basement of the rankings. At least Stamps has his Humpty's commercials.
Winnipeg Blue Bombers Raise Prices for 2014 Season
This Winnipeg Sun article reports that the Bombers are raising their ticket prices for 2014, despite a pretty lackluster campaign in 2013. Most aren't going up that much, but for those poor souls in section P7 (are there P7 Boys or their prairie equivalent?):
"The biggest jump in price is in the P7 category, which includes 4,400 seats at both ends of the upper deck. The price of those tickets is going up from $196.95 to $249, or an increase of more than 25%, but it remains the least expensive ticket available."
Actually $196.95 isn't bad for upper deck at the ends. My section 5 seats at Ivor Wynne which would seem to be equivalent were $300. Who knows what they'll be for the new stadium.
"The biggest jump in price is in the P7 category, which includes 4,400 seats at both ends of the upper deck. The price of those tickets is going up from $196.95 to $249, or an increase of more than 25%, but it remains the least expensive ticket available."
Actually $196.95 isn't bad for upper deck at the ends. My section 5 seats at Ivor Wynne which would seem to be equivalent were $300. Who knows what they'll be for the new stadium.
Monday, October 21, 2013
Ticats at Alouettes Blowout Aftermath
Well that was ugly. I certainly thought Montreal had a chance, being at home and having an excellent defence. I didn't expect that blowout.
Montreal got ahead early and continued rolling throughout the first quarter. They benefited from some penalty calls that kept drives alive or gave good field position. Mainly the Montreal defence was the reason. Constantly blitzing, the Cats didn't have an answer in the first half (nor much of one in the second half either, although when LeFevour was in they were more effective). The Cats were sacked five times total in the game even though it seemed like it was more.
One could blame the line, but the pressure came from Montreal sending extra defenders, so some of the issue was not getting the ball away quickly. Having both Ellingson and Tasker injured was unfortunate as both are good for getting open inside and catching balls in tight coverage. Hopefully one of them is back next week. Having Simmons back from injury at tackle would help as well.
Montreal also had excellent tackling. The Cats had virtually no yards after first contact, while the Alouettes had a decent amount. Similarly on special teams, the Cats had little in the way of return yards, while Montreal had some decent returns, including some instances where the returner really should have been tackled.
One bright spot is that the Alouettes quarterback Troy Smith wasn't actually very good. He had 247 yards on 17 passes versus 35 attempts. Generally teams don't win very many games when the quarterback had less than a 50% completion. That didn't stop TSN commentators Chris Cuthbert and Glenn Suitor from coverage of Smith bordering on fellatio. I expect that from Rod Black, but generally CFL fans aren't stupid, you tell us once he won a Heismann and we will remember it. Smith did have three TDs versus no picks, but he had numerous passes that while hard thrown were no where near catchable. So that's a positive for the Cats at least for next week.
I'm assuming that Kent Austin will have the team fired up for next week at least and also will have looked at the tape and found some ways to adjust. The Cats really need to win this.
Montreal got ahead early and continued rolling throughout the first quarter. They benefited from some penalty calls that kept drives alive or gave good field position. Mainly the Montreal defence was the reason. Constantly blitzing, the Cats didn't have an answer in the first half (nor much of one in the second half either, although when LeFevour was in they were more effective). The Cats were sacked five times total in the game even though it seemed like it was more.
One could blame the line, but the pressure came from Montreal sending extra defenders, so some of the issue was not getting the ball away quickly. Having both Ellingson and Tasker injured was unfortunate as both are good for getting open inside and catching balls in tight coverage. Hopefully one of them is back next week. Having Simmons back from injury at tackle would help as well.
Montreal also had excellent tackling. The Cats had virtually no yards after first contact, while the Alouettes had a decent amount. Similarly on special teams, the Cats had little in the way of return yards, while Montreal had some decent returns, including some instances where the returner really should have been tackled.
One bright spot is that the Alouettes quarterback Troy Smith wasn't actually very good. He had 247 yards on 17 passes versus 35 attempts. Generally teams don't win very many games when the quarterback had less than a 50% completion. That didn't stop TSN commentators Chris Cuthbert and Glenn Suitor from coverage of Smith bordering on fellatio. I expect that from Rod Black, but generally CFL fans aren't stupid, you tell us once he won a Heismann and we will remember it. Smith did have three TDs versus no picks, but he had numerous passes that while hard thrown were no where near catchable. So that's a positive for the Cats at least for next week.
I'm assuming that Kent Austin will have the team fired up for next week at least and also will have looked at the tape and found some ways to adjust. The Cats really need to win this.
Sunday, October 20, 2013
Ticats at Alouettes, Half-Time
Uh, well that sucked. Montreal benefited from some penalties early (Ticats can be called for facemasks, Montreal not so much), but the Cats have played poorly and the Montreal defence has been great.
The game is probably too far gone, so the Cats might as well put Lefevour in for the second half to get some experience. I don't really blame Burris much as he was under a ton of pressure. What he could have done to help was make some runs rather than always going for a pass.
The commentators are saying that Troy Smith has looked good, but he's made enough terrible passes that really he hasn't played well. The Montreal defence is why this game isn't close.
Not having Tasker or Ellingson hurts as both of them seemed to be able to get open early inside, which really could have helped Burris.
Sometimes games get away from you. Too bad the Cats will lose their chance (pretty much) to host the East final.
The game is probably too far gone, so the Cats might as well put Lefevour in for the second half to get some experience. I don't really blame Burris much as he was under a ton of pressure. What he could have done to help was make some runs rather than always going for a pass.
The commentators are saying that Troy Smith has looked good, but he's made enough terrible passes that really he hasn't played well. The Montreal defence is why this game isn't close.
Not having Tasker or Ellingson hurts as both of them seemed to be able to get open early inside, which really could have helped Burris.
Sometimes games get away from you. Too bad the Cats will lose their chance (pretty much) to host the East final.
Where's the CIS Football Coverage on TSN SportsCentre?
I saw the first part of the Guelph Queen's game yesterday, but didn't know how it ended. Still don't know. I watched a fair amount of SportsCentre yesterday, plus the full noon to 1 pm one today before the Ticats game. I saw no coverage at all of any CIS games. I did see some coverage of some Southern US college games, far from the Canadian border. Do I care about what Auburn did? Not particularly. Is there a lot of Auburn alumni watching TSN? I strongly doubt it.
Perhaps TSN's Chris Cuthbert and Jock Climie would like to know their alma mater's results?
I do realize that the game was on a Rogers Sportsnet channel and as far as I know, TSN shows no CIS regular season games. Do they still show the Vanier Cup? I'm not sure.
Certainly there's a case to be made for showing a few CIS highlights on a Saturday and on Sunday morning. At the least it builds the brand of players who will later play in the CFL, which TSN broadcasts all their games of.
Perhaps TSN's Chris Cuthbert and Jock Climie would like to know their alma mater's results?
I do realize that the game was on a Rogers Sportsnet channel and as far as I know, TSN shows no CIS regular season games. Do they still show the Vanier Cup? I'm not sure.
Certainly there's a case to be made for showing a few CIS highlights on a Saturday and on Sunday morning. At the least it builds the brand of players who will later play in the CFL, which TSN broadcasts all their games of.
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