Here's an article about who might fill Winnipeg's three open positions, president, general manager and head coach. Compared to Hamilton's record prior to 2009, the Bombers 7 and 11 record under Mike Kelly wasn't that bad, especially considering they tried using Stefan LeFors as their starting quarterback. Marshall seems to have the inside track on becoming the head coach, but stranger things have happened (i.e. Mike Kelly).
Speaking of Kelly, here's a transcript of his infamous, "handled internally," media scrum after a scout was caught spying on a Ticat practice. I will miss Kelly. Marc Trestman is an excellent coach, but he doesn't say much.
Finally, an article on Moncton's CFL game next year. At least they seem enthusiastic.
Wednesday, December 30, 2009
Monday, December 28, 2009
Floyd and Adams Resign
Drew Edwards had an article in the Spectator about the resigning of Otis Floyd and Darrell Adams. Obviously Floyd coming back is helpful (especially if Marshall moves on as defensive coordinator). Adams is probably more important, considering his age and how important it is to have a force in the middle. Statwise Floyd declined from the previous year (only two sacks), but that was mainly due to injury. If he can stay healthy next year, plus the ends we now have should lead to a solid defensive line.
I found this line the most interesting: "Hopefully that leaves room for the Cats to sign a difference maker free agent, although I am not sure who, or what position we are looking for. Some money might just go to Kevin Glenn to bump him up to a starter's salary.
Normally during the free agent period one would look at the offensive line, however after last year's signings, the fact that we could only lose Marcoux who was a backup this year anyways, plus the draft picks Rottier, Carlson and Morencie (who's playing in this year's East-West Shrine game) means that nothing is going to happen there. Maybe a receiver, although with acquiring Bruce mid-season and the emergence of Marquay McDaniel, we're good for imports.
If there were a good cornerback available that's something the Cats should consider. I wouldn't bother with Barrin Simpson.
I found this line the most interesting: "Hopefully that leaves room for the Cats to sign a difference maker free agent, although I am not sure who, or what position we are looking for. Some money might just go to Kevin Glenn to bump him up to a starter's salary.
Normally during the free agent period one would look at the offensive line, however after last year's signings, the fact that we could only lose Marcoux who was a backup this year anyways, plus the draft picks Rottier, Carlson and Morencie (who's playing in this year's East-West Shrine game) means that nothing is going to happen there. Maybe a receiver, although with acquiring Bruce mid-season and the emergence of Marquay McDaniel, we're good for imports.
If there were a good cornerback available that's something the Cats should consider. I wouldn't bother with Barrin Simpson.
Friday, December 18, 2009
Kelly Fired; Wife Beaten?
News that the Bombers won't have Mike Kelly to give bizarre quotes and generally make the team worse. Plus the alleged domestic disturbance, which I am sure Kelly would have preferred to handle internally.
For the Cats, with both the Argos and Bombers looking for a new head coach, that pretty much guarantees that defensive co-ordinator Greg Marshall will be gone next year. Bad news for the Cats defence, which was really the strongest part of the improved 9 and 9 team. Between the Argos and Bombers potentially having better coaching next year, the Cats will have a harder time in 2010. Of course the Argos could hire some fool and suck again.
For the Cats, with both the Argos and Bombers looking for a new head coach, that pretty much guarantees that defensive co-ordinator Greg Marshall will be gone next year. Bad news for the Cats defence, which was really the strongest part of the improved 9 and 9 team. Between the Argos and Bombers potentially having better coaching next year, the Cats will have a harder time in 2010. Of course the Argos could hire some fool and suck again.
Tuesday, December 15, 2009
Argos Doc Arrested
There is a New York Times article about the creepily young looking Toronto sports doctor Anthony Galea being arrested for some possible sports doping related charges. In the article, in addition to some US athletes, Galea is revealed as the team doctor, with some quotes from Argo owner David Cynamon. Considering the Argos past two seasons, Galea did not do much for the Boatmen.
Monday, December 14, 2009
Argos Fire Bart Andrus
It has been a while since my last post, but I was in Kenya and Tanzania for three weeks, plus the Cats lost to BC so that added up to no blogging.
Anyways, I was surprised to hear the Argos fired Andrus. I figured that they would keep him, mainly because they likely still have to pay his salary next year. Plus, while admittedly terrible this year as a CFL coach, I thought that he probably learned enough this year through 18 games to be much more effective next year. Sometimes I can be absurdly optimistic though, even about the Argos apparently. I suppose an argument for his firing was the fact he did not really figure out who should be the starter at quarterback next year.
So long Bart! Your Count Floyd hairstyle will be missed.
Who will be the Argos coach next year? Wally? Some co-ordinator from Montreal? Another retread from that European league Andrus came from?
Anyways, I was surprised to hear the Argos fired Andrus. I figured that they would keep him, mainly because they likely still have to pay his salary next year. Plus, while admittedly terrible this year as a CFL coach, I thought that he probably learned enough this year through 18 games to be much more effective next year. Sometimes I can be absurdly optimistic though, even about the Argos apparently. I suppose an argument for his firing was the fact he did not really figure out who should be the starter at quarterback next year.
So long Bart! Your Count Floyd hairstyle will be missed.
Who will be the Argos coach next year? Wally? Some co-ordinator from Montreal? Another retread from that European league Andrus came from?
Monday, November 16, 2009
Yesterday's Game
While the final result was certainly disappointing, at the very least the Cats did not get blown out and kept it interesting right until the end. Casey Printers played a better game than I thought he was capable of right now and pretty much won the game for BC with his scrambling ability.
There were several things I was disappointed with, in regards to the Cats play yesterday. First was not being able to take advantage of the seven (or somewhere around there) illegal procedure calls the Lion offense received. Missing their starting center, plus a loud crowd was likely the cause, however if you hear a team gets seven illegal procedure calls one would think in all probability they would lose. However the Lions were able to convert on second and long repeatedly, almost as if the procedure calls did not matter. Second was the special teams play. Hamilton seemed to get nothing on their run backs, while the Lions had a few decent run backs. Disappointing. Third was the little use of Cobb throughout the game. Admittedly Hamilton got behind, but still strange to go away from what had worked the previous three games.
Good to see a big crowd, although we were all hoping for a sellout. A better opponent (draw wise) like Toronto or Saskatchewan probably would have filled the joint. Hopefully the Cats sold a lot of merchandise and made some money off concessions and parking.
There were several things I was disappointed with, in regards to the Cats play yesterday. First was not being able to take advantage of the seven (or somewhere around there) illegal procedure calls the Lion offense received. Missing their starting center, plus a loud crowd was likely the cause, however if you hear a team gets seven illegal procedure calls one would think in all probability they would lose. However the Lions were able to convert on second and long repeatedly, almost as if the procedure calls did not matter. Second was the special teams play. Hamilton seemed to get nothing on their run backs, while the Lions had a few decent run backs. Disappointing. Third was the little use of Cobb throughout the game. Admittedly Hamilton got behind, but still strange to go away from what had worked the previous three games.
Good to see a big crowd, although we were all hoping for a sellout. A better opponent (draw wise) like Toronto or Saskatchewan probably would have filled the joint. Hopefully the Cats sold a lot of merchandise and made some money off concessions and parking.
Sunday, November 15, 2009
CFL Previews, Playoffs Week 1
BC at Toronto,
Hamilton is favoured by a mere three points at home, which seems a bit charitable to BC considering their rather tenuous quarterbacking situation. Former Cat Casey Printers starts with an apparently quickly healed thumb, injured in BC's loss to Edmonton last week.
The Ticats are on a three game win streak, while the Lions are on a three game losing streak. Hamilton is six and three at home, versus the Lions four and five record on the road.
Provided the Cats can keep Casey Printers somewhat contained and not hooking up with Geroy Simon for the big play, the Cats have to be favoured. Having a balanced attack to exploit BC's weak run defence should ensure the win.
Hamilton 29, BC 24
Edmonton at Calgary,
Edmonton is coming off a two game win streak, while Calgary is coming off a one game losing streak. The Eskimos are four and five away, while Calgary is considerably better at home at six wins, two losses and one tie. Ricky Ray is playing better football over the past couple of weeks, whereas Calgary has been reasonable down the stretch, but lost an important game last week to Saskatchewan. Calgary is favoured by a mere 3.5 points, but the lure of getting a Grey Cup berth at home should be enough to motivate the Stamps.
Calgary 35, Edmonton 32
Hamilton is favoured by a mere three points at home, which seems a bit charitable to BC considering their rather tenuous quarterbacking situation. Former Cat Casey Printers starts with an apparently quickly healed thumb, injured in BC's loss to Edmonton last week.
The Ticats are on a three game win streak, while the Lions are on a three game losing streak. Hamilton is six and three at home, versus the Lions four and five record on the road.
Provided the Cats can keep Casey Printers somewhat contained and not hooking up with Geroy Simon for the big play, the Cats have to be favoured. Having a balanced attack to exploit BC's weak run defence should ensure the win.
Hamilton 29, BC 24
Edmonton at Calgary,
Edmonton is coming off a two game win streak, while Calgary is coming off a one game losing streak. The Eskimos are four and five away, while Calgary is considerably better at home at six wins, two losses and one tie. Ricky Ray is playing better football over the past couple of weeks, whereas Calgary has been reasonable down the stretch, but lost an important game last week to Saskatchewan. Calgary is favoured by a mere 3.5 points, but the lure of getting a Grey Cup berth at home should be enough to motivate the Stamps.
Calgary 35, Edmonton 32
Saturday, November 14, 2009
Ticat Depth Chart, Playoff Edition v1
For the Cats on offense, the line stays the same. Gauthier at left tackle, import Dan Goodspeed at right tackle, Dyakowski and Hudson as the guards and Hage as the centre.
Import Drisan James is at one wide receiver spot, with Bauman at the other. Import McDaniel is one of the slots, with local boy Dave Stala the other. Bruce is listed in his usual weird position.
Glenn starts, Cobb at running back and John Williams at fullback for the rare times when the Cats go with a four receiver set.
On defence, Long and Hickman are the ends, with McIntyre and Adams as the tackles.
Knowlton, Floyd and Johnson are the linebackers.
Bradley and Smith are the starting corners. Thompson and Tisdale are the starting defensive backs and non-import Barker is in again at safety. Setta is back in this week. Ebell is in as a kick returner and maybe spotting Cobb at running back the odd time.
Some changes for BC since the last time Hamilton played them. On the offensive line, the lines go with two import tackles, Heerspink and Jimenez. The guards are Sorenson and Haji-Rasouli with Valli in as the starting center for the injured Angus Reid.
At receiver, there is the import Gric-Mullen and former mediocre Cat O'Neill Wilson. The import Geroy Simon is one of the slots. The import Arcenaux is the W slotback (whatever the hell that is) and Jackson is the Y slotback.
Printers starts at quarterback, with Lulay, Jackson, Pierce and Champion listed as the backups. The import Mallett is the running back, with Lumbala the fullback.
On defence, the Lions go unusually with two Canadian ends in Brent Johnson and Ricky Foley. Williams and Hunt are the tackles.
McKenzie is the WIL linebacker and former Cat Armour the MAC linebacker. Marsh and Glover are the corners. Toney and Phillips are the halfbacks. Miles is the safety with Banks the nickel back. McCallum is booting the ball.
Import Drisan James is at one wide receiver spot, with Bauman at the other. Import McDaniel is one of the slots, with local boy Dave Stala the other. Bruce is listed in his usual weird position.
Glenn starts, Cobb at running back and John Williams at fullback for the rare times when the Cats go with a four receiver set.
On defence, Long and Hickman are the ends, with McIntyre and Adams as the tackles.
Knowlton, Floyd and Johnson are the linebackers.
Bradley and Smith are the starting corners. Thompson and Tisdale are the starting defensive backs and non-import Barker is in again at safety. Setta is back in this week. Ebell is in as a kick returner and maybe spotting Cobb at running back the odd time.
Some changes for BC since the last time Hamilton played them. On the offensive line, the lines go with two import tackles, Heerspink and Jimenez. The guards are Sorenson and Haji-Rasouli with Valli in as the starting center for the injured Angus Reid.
At receiver, there is the import Gric-Mullen and former mediocre Cat O'Neill Wilson. The import Geroy Simon is one of the slots. The import Arcenaux is the W slotback (whatever the hell that is) and Jackson is the Y slotback.
Printers starts at quarterback, with Lulay, Jackson, Pierce and Champion listed as the backups. The import Mallett is the running back, with Lumbala the fullback.
On defence, the Lions go unusually with two Canadian ends in Brent Johnson and Ricky Foley. Williams and Hunt are the tackles.
McKenzie is the WIL linebacker and former Cat Armour the MAC linebacker. Marsh and Glover are the corners. Toney and Phillips are the halfbacks. Miles is the safety with Banks the nickel back. McCallum is booting the ball.
Hamilton Playoff Attendance
Seeing as the Cats are selling a goodly number of tickets for the playoff game tomorrow, I tried to find the attendance for the last home playoff game in 2001. Apparently my Google skills are not good enough, as I haven't found it yet. Looking on the wikipedia page for CFL attendance, I did find the highest playoff attendance in Hamilton, 33,392, on November 14th, 1971. Sadly Toronto won 23 to 8 that day, but fortunately went on to lose the Grey Cup.
New Stadium Location
For my first choice, I would rather Ivor Wynne be renovated, but that doesn't seem to be in the cards so I am going with the Rheem site down by the waterfront. Getting the Rheem site cleaned up as part of the stadium process is a double win for the city, as with the Pan Am stadium going there, the site would likely stay as is, a haven only for urban explorers for fifteen years or more. Transit and parking wise, I don't think it is any worse than Ivor Wynne is presently (although admittedly Ivor Wynne is better accessible from both the East and the West. There already is some parking down at the Harbour, plus walking down Bay from downtown passes some lots as well.
Why Bob Young mentioned an Aldershot location in the Spec (even if the naming rights are worth more there) is a bit of a mystery, considering the city is contributing a big chunk of funds to the stadium as part of the Pan Am bid.
Confederation Park is too far away from most of the city and virtually no spinoff effects would be gained from the stadium and too many teams already stay at Burlington hotels when they play the Ticats, a Confederation Park would mean none would ever stay at a Hamilton hotel or eat at a restaurant.
There does seem to be some NIMBYs down in the Northend that are putting pressure on Ward 2 Councillor Bob Bratina, who made some weird location suggestions in this article. Hopefully this can all be overcome.
Why Bob Young mentioned an Aldershot location in the Spec (even if the naming rights are worth more there) is a bit of a mystery, considering the city is contributing a big chunk of funds to the stadium as part of the Pan Am bid.
Confederation Park is too far away from most of the city and virtually no spinoff effects would be gained from the stadium and too many teams already stay at Burlington hotels when they play the Ticats, a Confederation Park would mean none would ever stay at a Hamilton hotel or eat at a restaurant.
There does seem to be some NIMBYs down in the Northend that are putting pressure on Ward 2 Councillor Bob Bratina, who made some weird location suggestions in this article. Hopefully this can all be overcome.
Tuesday, November 10, 2009
Ticats Fined for Boat Celebration
Sad. When did we become the NFL? And apparently Casey Printers is starting on Sunday. Makes for a good story, starting against his former team. A better story is the fact he uses a "Life Coach."
Something Else the Cats Haven't Done Since 2001
This week's game against BC is the first home playoff game for the Cats since 2001. What else have the Cats done this year since 2001? Score more points than they gave up during the regular season. The Cats scored 449 points while giving up 428 in 2009. Compared to last year, the Cats gave up 441 and allowed an ugly 593. In 2001, the Cats scored 440 and gave up 420.
Monday, November 9, 2009
CFL iPhone Apps
I downloaded the Rider iPhone app, presented by SaskTel to check it out. It has the standard sections, schedule, standings, scores, roster, stats plus articles that seem to come exclusively from riderville.com. The stats section is basic but well done. It also has the Riders' Twitter feed and wheat prices. OK, no wheat prices, but it would be useful for a Rider fan. Given Bob Young's computing background, I wonder why the Cats haven't gotten around to making an iPhone app. I could understand that doing it internally might not be worth it on a cost basis (the Rider app unsurprisingly is free), but the Cats could easily pay a Mac student a few dollars during the summer break to create one. Maybe Bob Young's love of open source precludes an app on a closed platform, but maybe an Android app would be possible. Having a Blackberry one as well wouldn't be bad, as would some more functionality, such as facilitating posting on the ticats.ca forums, plus access to ticats.ca video content.
I also downloaded the Score's app. I actually really like their CFL section on it. The only criticism I have of it, is that for games it has the offensive stats, but no defensive stats like tackles or sacks, which doesn't make a lot of sense, but apart from that, it is great and free too.
I also downloaded the Score's app. I actually really like their CFL section on it. The only criticism I have of it, is that for games it has the offensive stats, but no defensive stats like tackles or sacks, which doesn't make a lot of sense, but apart from that, it is great and free too.
CFL Power Rankings, End of Regular Season
1. Montreal
2. Saskatchewan
3. Calgary
4. Hamilton
5. Edmonton
6. Winnipeg
7. BC
8. Toronto
Montreal wiped the floor with Toronto, doing the job with a lot of backups and finished the season perfect at home. Saskatchewan prevailed over Calgary at home in a game that decided home field advantage for the Western final. Burris isn't quite the same quarterback he has been in previous years.
Hamilton wins easily over a terrible Winnipeg team, extending a win streak and arguably the hottest team in the league. Edmonton slaughtered BC in a potential win or out game (which it turns out wasn't but the teams didn't know it at the time), but haven't beat a decent team in a while.
Winnipeg gets an edge over BC, because as bad as Michael Bishop is, he's better than BC's fifth string quarterback or whatever quarterback they are on now.
Toronto hasn't won since the week after Labour Day. Not good.
That's the end of the power rankings this year. I think I did one for every week during the season, plus a few random ones during the off-season that were pretty much based off of nothing but free agent signings and making fun of Jesse Lumsden's bobsleigh career. For laughs, here's my first set of power rankings for 2009, done in April: Calgary, BC, Montreal, Edmonton, Saskatchewan, Toronto, Hamilton and then Winnipeg. Could have been worse I suppose. BC was probably the team that seemed least likely to have quarterback troubles, but then did. Saskatchewan was better than I thought, mainly due to Darian Durant, who I honestly thought would be exposed as a fraud this year, but ultimately showed me up. Winnipeg did end up sucking in my defence.
2. Saskatchewan
3. Calgary
4. Hamilton
5. Edmonton
6. Winnipeg
7. BC
8. Toronto
Montreal wiped the floor with Toronto, doing the job with a lot of backups and finished the season perfect at home. Saskatchewan prevailed over Calgary at home in a game that decided home field advantage for the Western final. Burris isn't quite the same quarterback he has been in previous years.
Hamilton wins easily over a terrible Winnipeg team, extending a win streak and arguably the hottest team in the league. Edmonton slaughtered BC in a potential win or out game (which it turns out wasn't but the teams didn't know it at the time), but haven't beat a decent team in a while.
Winnipeg gets an edge over BC, because as bad as Michael Bishop is, he's better than BC's fifth string quarterback or whatever quarterback they are on now.
Toronto hasn't won since the week after Labour Day. Not good.
That's the end of the power rankings this year. I think I did one for every week during the season, plus a few random ones during the off-season that were pretty much based off of nothing but free agent signings and making fun of Jesse Lumsden's bobsleigh career. For laughs, here's my first set of power rankings for 2009, done in April: Calgary, BC, Montreal, Edmonton, Saskatchewan, Toronto, Hamilton and then Winnipeg. Could have been worse I suppose. BC was probably the team that seemed least likely to have quarterback troubles, but then did. Saskatchewan was better than I thought, mainly due to Darian Durant, who I honestly thought would be exposed as a fraud this year, but ultimately showed me up. Winnipeg did end up sucking in my defence.
Victory
That was satisfying, especially the two trips by the secondary to the Lund powerboat. Hamilton's 39 to 17 win puts the Cats at 0.500 for the regular season, secures a home playoff spot for the first time since 2001 and gives the Cats a three game winning streak going in to next week's game at Ivor Wynne against BC where they are 6 and 3 this season.
The defence was especially good, with the Bombers only scoring three points in the last three quarters. Admittedly it was Michael Bishop, but the Cats did a decent job of bottling up running back Fred Reid. Why the Bombers didn't have Bishop try to run more and move the chains is beyond me. Bizarrely it seems that Bomber coach Mike Kelly will be back next year, which can only be good for the Ticats 2010 playoff chances.
Cobb frankly had a subpar day, rushing 21 times for 77 yards for a 3.7 yard average, however the Bomber run defence is probably the best in the league (apart from Montreal). Good to see the Cats kept running though, as it kept the Bomber defence honest.
Glenn was good, with 28 for 42 passing for 316 yards with a TD, but two picks. McDaniel was the hero of the receiving corps, with seven grabs for 91 yards, but also Stala, Bruce and James had good games, with even John Williams having one reception for 14 yards. Eight different receivers had at last one catch in the game, which shows good diversity on offense. By contrast, Winnipeg only had four different receivers catching a pass, but Bishop only completed eight passes.
Ito did decently with a 40 yard average on ten punts, plus three for three on field goals, even if one is of the phantom variety.
BC looks pretty beat up in the quarterback department and lost in rather lacklustre fashion to Edmonton on Friday so the Cats are looking good. The Cats have beaten BC twice this year and I'm guessing if they win this will be the first time the Cats have ever beat the Lions three times in one season. Should be a good game and hopefully a good crowd at Ivor Wynne
The defence was especially good, with the Bombers only scoring three points in the last three quarters. Admittedly it was Michael Bishop, but the Cats did a decent job of bottling up running back Fred Reid. Why the Bombers didn't have Bishop try to run more and move the chains is beyond me. Bizarrely it seems that Bomber coach Mike Kelly will be back next year, which can only be good for the Ticats 2010 playoff chances.
Cobb frankly had a subpar day, rushing 21 times for 77 yards for a 3.7 yard average, however the Bomber run defence is probably the best in the league (apart from Montreal). Good to see the Cats kept running though, as it kept the Bomber defence honest.
Glenn was good, with 28 for 42 passing for 316 yards with a TD, but two picks. McDaniel was the hero of the receiving corps, with seven grabs for 91 yards, but also Stala, Bruce and James had good games, with even John Williams having one reception for 14 yards. Eight different receivers had at last one catch in the game, which shows good diversity on offense. By contrast, Winnipeg only had four different receivers catching a pass, but Bishop only completed eight passes.
Ito did decently with a 40 yard average on ten punts, plus three for three on field goals, even if one is of the phantom variety.
BC looks pretty beat up in the quarterback department and lost in rather lacklustre fashion to Edmonton on Friday so the Cats are looking good. The Cats have beaten BC twice this year and I'm guessing if they win this will be the first time the Cats have ever beat the Lions three times in one season. Should be a good game and hopefully a good crowd at Ivor Wynne
Sunday, November 8, 2009
Ticat Depth Chart, Regular Season Finale
The offensive line is the usual. Gauthier at left tackle, import Goodspeed at right tackle, Dyakowski and Hudson the guards and Hage the centre. Import James is one wide receiver and Bauman is back at the other. Import McDaniel is one of the slotbacks and local boy Dave Stala is the other. Bruce is listed as is customary, backing up Bauman. Rodriguez is listed as backing up James.
Glenn starts, Cobb starts, with non-import Williams listed as the fullback.
On defence, Long and Hickman are the ends, McIntyre and Adams are the tackles.
Knowlton, Floyd and Johnson are the linebackers.
Bradley and Smith are the cornerbacks, with Thompson and Tisdale the defensive backs. Barker starts again as the lone Canadian on defence at safety. Sasha Glavic is listed as his backup, who I thought the Cats had released.
Jeremy Ito is in as the punter and kicker because Setta is injured. Good that we had Ito on the practice roster for a while, although I wonder how he will do.
For Winnipeg on the offensive line, Morley is the left tackle, with import January the right tackle, LaBatte and Mac product Donnelly are the guards and Khan is the centre.
Imports Ryan and Bowman are the wide receivers, Ralph and Hargreaves are the slotbacks. Bishop is the starting quarterback, with Bramlet (who?) the backup. Fred Reid is the starting running back, with Oosterhuis the fullback.
On defence, Hunt and Willis are the ends, with non-imports Brown and Oramasionwu as the tackles. Imports Charlton, Simpson and Shabazz are the linebackers.
Imports Craver and Johnson are the cornerbacks. Imports Walls and Hefney are the defensive backs, with non-import Logan as the safety.
Serna is the placekicker and Troy Westwood is the punter.
Glenn starts, Cobb starts, with non-import Williams listed as the fullback.
On defence, Long and Hickman are the ends, McIntyre and Adams are the tackles.
Knowlton, Floyd and Johnson are the linebackers.
Bradley and Smith are the cornerbacks, with Thompson and Tisdale the defensive backs. Barker starts again as the lone Canadian on defence at safety. Sasha Glavic is listed as his backup, who I thought the Cats had released.
Jeremy Ito is in as the punter and kicker because Setta is injured. Good that we had Ito on the practice roster for a while, although I wonder how he will do.
For Winnipeg on the offensive line, Morley is the left tackle, with import January the right tackle, LaBatte and Mac product Donnelly are the guards and Khan is the centre.
Imports Ryan and Bowman are the wide receivers, Ralph and Hargreaves are the slotbacks. Bishop is the starting quarterback, with Bramlet (who?) the backup. Fred Reid is the starting running back, with Oosterhuis the fullback.
On defence, Hunt and Willis are the ends, with non-imports Brown and Oramasionwu as the tackles. Imports Charlton, Simpson and Shabazz are the linebackers.
Imports Craver and Johnson are the cornerbacks. Imports Walls and Hefney are the defensive backs, with non-import Logan as the safety.
Serna is the placekicker and Troy Westwood is the punter.
Friday, November 6, 2009
Terry Caulley Cut
Sad to see that Terry Caulley has been cut. Drew Edwards reported it in his blog. Caulley was injured for a lot of the year, and the emergence of Deandra' Cobb kept him on the bench. Caulley was a decent player, however his time corresponded with some low points for the Tiger-Cats. Seems with the signing of running back Tyler Ebell, Caulley became expendable. Still wondering what is going to happen to Kenton Keith in the off-season. Outright release?
Thursday, November 5, 2009
Morencie Signing
There's an article in the Province about the Cats signing Windsor Lancer fifth year player Matt Morencie. BC had drafted him in the third round before the start of this season, but Morencie went back for his fifth year after I assume the Lions released him. That meant with Windsor out of the playoffs and their season done, he was free to sign with any team and ended up with the Cats.
This is an interesting issue as players routinely go back for a fifth year of CIS ball if they can't make the club. BC could have done what the Cats (Zack Carlson) and Riders seem to be doing and kept Morencie on the roster this season, but then put him on the nine game injury list, where he and his salary doesn't count against the cap or the roster limit. This nine game injury list is now a way of getting around the salary cap. Teams with more resources like the Riders can stockpile players, compared to the Argos who tend to be underfunded (probably from paying too much to coaches past and present) and keep the bare number of Canadians and end up screwed when injuries occur.
The Cats are looking good for next year in terms of young Canadians on the offensive line. They have number one pick Rottier, supplementary pick Carlson and now Morencie getting some practice in before next year's camp. Morencie was highly rated going into the draft but somewhat inexplicably dropped down to third. With guard Dyakowski also being quite young, the Cats are probably OK next year even if backup guard Gagne-Marcoux goes to Montreal to replace Bryan Chiu at centre (his natural position). Hudson is getting quite old, although his play has been reasonable and better than Gagne-Marcoux's. Goodspeed and Gauthier will no doubt be back, with probably this year's crop of offensive linemen making their presence felt in 2011.
This is an interesting issue as players routinely go back for a fifth year of CIS ball if they can't make the club. BC could have done what the Cats (Zack Carlson) and Riders seem to be doing and kept Morencie on the roster this season, but then put him on the nine game injury list, where he and his salary doesn't count against the cap or the roster limit. This nine game injury list is now a way of getting around the salary cap. Teams with more resources like the Riders can stockpile players, compared to the Argos who tend to be underfunded (probably from paying too much to coaches past and present) and keep the bare number of Canadians and end up screwed when injuries occur.
The Cats are looking good for next year in terms of young Canadians on the offensive line. They have number one pick Rottier, supplementary pick Carlson and now Morencie getting some practice in before next year's camp. Morencie was highly rated going into the draft but somewhat inexplicably dropped down to third. With guard Dyakowski also being quite young, the Cats are probably OK next year even if backup guard Gagne-Marcoux goes to Montreal to replace Bryan Chiu at centre (his natural position). Hudson is getting quite old, although his play has been reasonable and better than Gagne-Marcoux's. Goodspeed and Gauthier will no doubt be back, with probably this year's crop of offensive linemen making their presence felt in 2011.
CFL Previews, Week 19, Part 1
Edmonton at BC,
So BC is favoured by four at home last I checked, despite BC having had lost two games in a row. Edmonton is on a one game winning streak after spanking the hapless Argos last week. Still not sure who starts for BC this week in a win or go home game (or tie and both stick around) Printers or Buck "the Glassman" Pierce. Printers has played well the past few weeks, but hasn't won. Not sure if BC running back Mallett will play either. BC's defence looks like it has finally adjusted to not having Cameron Wake make everyone else look better. Edmonton's defence has looked porous the entire year. I'm going with BC mainly due to Buono, but really these two teams are not that good.
Montreal at Toronto,
Uh, Montreal is only favoured by 9.5 points? Toronto has lost seven straight, is one and seven at home, whereas Montreal is five and three on the road and has a mighty one game winning streak going. Easy romp for Montreal, especially if Toronto starts Reaves
So BC is favoured by four at home last I checked, despite BC having had lost two games in a row. Edmonton is on a one game winning streak after spanking the hapless Argos last week. Still not sure who starts for BC this week in a win or go home game (or tie and both stick around) Printers or Buck "the Glassman" Pierce. Printers has played well the past few weeks, but hasn't won. Not sure if BC running back Mallett will play either. BC's defence looks like it has finally adjusted to not having Cameron Wake make everyone else look better. Edmonton's defence has looked porous the entire year. I'm going with BC mainly due to Buono, but really these two teams are not that good.
Montreal at Toronto,
Uh, Montreal is only favoured by 9.5 points? Toronto has lost seven straight, is one and seven at home, whereas Montreal is five and three on the road and has a mighty one game winning streak going. Easy romp for Montreal, especially if Toronto starts Reaves
Wednesday, November 4, 2009
Odds
So the last odds I have seen have Winnipeg 1.5 point favourites at home against the Tiger-Cats on Sunday. Winnipeg didn't look great against a Montreal with Calvillo at the controls, but this week they are at home and if they don't win, they are out. Hamilton is in unless BC and Edmonton tie and the Cats lose. I think Hamilton has looked quite good the past two games, especially the defence, so barring Bishop heaving bombs randomly down field that happen to land near Winnipeg receivers, I think we have really should be favoured.
BC is favoured by three at home versus Edmonton in their do or die game. Hamilton and BC winning we mean Printers starting in Hamilton the following week. Somehow I think Ray comes out of this one.
The Riders are favoured by one at home against Calgary in their battle to host the Western final. Saskatchewan hasn't won the division since 1976 which is remarkable in a four and five team division. The Riders looked crap against Hamilton and if they bring that against Calgary, they'll get blown out.
Montreal is favoured by 9.5 against Toronto in David Millerville. Toronto is starting that Reaves kid, however if I was betting, I would be tempted to take Montreal against the spread.
BC is favoured by three at home versus Edmonton in their do or die game. Hamilton and BC winning we mean Printers starting in Hamilton the following week. Somehow I think Ray comes out of this one.
The Riders are favoured by one at home against Calgary in their battle to host the Western final. Saskatchewan hasn't won the division since 1976 which is remarkable in a four and five team division. The Riders looked crap against Hamilton and if they bring that against Calgary, they'll get blown out.
Montreal is favoured by 9.5 against Toronto in David Millerville. Toronto is starting that Reaves kid, however if I was betting, I would be tempted to take Montreal against the spread.
Monday, November 2, 2009
CFL Power Rankings
1. Montreal
2. Calgary
3. Saskatchewan
4. Hamilton
5. BC
6. Edmonton
7. Winnipeg
8. Toronto
Montreal came back into form with Calvillo back. Calgary won a close one in BC, while Saskatchewan looked terrible in Hamilton, flu or not. Hamilton looked good both
offensively and defensively.
BC can play reasonably with Casey Printers at the controls, but doesn't look like they can make the next step.
Edmonton beats Toronto. Which means little. Winnipeg comes back to earth against a real quarterback. Toronto sucks as per usual. One last game to tie last year's four and fourteen record.
2. Calgary
3. Saskatchewan
4. Hamilton
5. BC
6. Edmonton
7. Winnipeg
8. Toronto
Montreal came back into form with Calvillo back. Calgary won a close one in BC, while Saskatchewan looked terrible in Hamilton, flu or not. Hamilton looked good both
offensively and defensively.
BC can play reasonably with Casey Printers at the controls, but doesn't look like they can make the next step.
Edmonton beats Toronto. Which means little. Winnipeg comes back to earth against a real quarterback. Toronto sucks as per usual. One last game to tie last year's four and fourteen record.
Saturday, October 31, 2009
Cats Win!
Wow. That was awesome and most enjoyable. Especially compared to last year, where sitting as I do in section 5, I was surrounded by annoying Rider fans (or even worse Andy Fantuz fans). This year, there weren't a lot of yappy Rider fans, as pretty much every play except for the phantom interception went our way.
Congratulations to Cobb on going over 1000 yards rushing and picking up 159 yards on 25 rushes. Also, awesome play by local boy Dave Stala with nine catches for 126 yards, including a TD. That represented more than half of Kevin Glenn's 233 yards on 21 for 35 passing. Apparently Bruce was one for one passing for four yards, but I missed that.
Also awesome was the Cat defence with six sacks, which hopefully gets up from last place in the CFL sack race. Durant was a sucky 8 for 20 for 66 measly yards. Andy Fantuz had a mediocre game with three catches for 27 yards, which I enjoyed considering the idot "Tuz" fans in my vicinity.
Good to see over 24,500 fans, although probably close to 5,000 were Rider fans. Thanks for your money!
Congratulations to Cobb on going over 1000 yards rushing and picking up 159 yards on 25 rushes. Also, awesome play by local boy Dave Stala with nine catches for 126 yards, including a TD. That represented more than half of Kevin Glenn's 233 yards on 21 for 35 passing. Apparently Bruce was one for one passing for four yards, but I missed that.
Also awesome was the Cat defence with six sacks, which hopefully gets up from last place in the CFL sack race. Durant was a sucky 8 for 20 for 66 measly yards. Andy Fantuz had a mediocre game with three catches for 27 yards, which I enjoyed considering the idot "Tuz" fans in my vicinity.
Good to see over 24,500 fans, although probably close to 5,000 were Rider fans. Thanks for your money!
CFL Previews, Week 18, Part 2
Calgary at BC,
Calgary is favoured by 1.5 points. BC is only 4 and 3 at home, whereas the Stamps are 3 and 4 on the road, so that's pretty much a wash. Calgary is on a one game winning streak, while BC conversely is on a one game losing streak. Printers looks like he will start again this week, after having decent chemistry again with Geroy Simon. BC running back Mallett is questionable, which shouldn't help the Lions. For the Stamps winning next week guarantees the top spot in the West. BC needs help to come second and also wants to stay ahead of Edmonton who slapped the Argos last night, so one could argue this game means more to them. I still like Calgary.
Calgary 30, BC 28
Winnipeg at Montreal,
So this game means nothing to the Alouettes, although they are trying to maintain their perfect home record. Which is something I suppose, although the ultimate goal is obviously the Grey Cup and Montreal, despite their great teams over the years has been kinda sucky in terms of number of Cups. The Alouettes are favoured by a fairly colossal 9.5 points so I assume Calvillo will play at least part of the game. With Edmonton winning last night, next week's game is more important for the Bombers. On that basis and the fact that Michael Bishop has to regress back to his mean occasionally (Interception City!) I will go with Alouettes to stay perfect at home.
Montreal 25, Winnipeg 19
Calgary is favoured by 1.5 points. BC is only 4 and 3 at home, whereas the Stamps are 3 and 4 on the road, so that's pretty much a wash. Calgary is on a one game winning streak, while BC conversely is on a one game losing streak. Printers looks like he will start again this week, after having decent chemistry again with Geroy Simon. BC running back Mallett is questionable, which shouldn't help the Lions. For the Stamps winning next week guarantees the top spot in the West. BC needs help to come second and also wants to stay ahead of Edmonton who slapped the Argos last night, so one could argue this game means more to them. I still like Calgary.
Calgary 30, BC 28
Winnipeg at Montreal,
So this game means nothing to the Alouettes, although they are trying to maintain their perfect home record. Which is something I suppose, although the ultimate goal is obviously the Grey Cup and Montreal, despite their great teams over the years has been kinda sucky in terms of number of Cups. The Alouettes are favoured by a fairly colossal 9.5 points so I assume Calvillo will play at least part of the game. With Edmonton winning last night, next week's game is more important for the Bombers. On that basis and the fact that Michael Bishop has to regress back to his mean occasionally (Interception City!) I will go with Alouettes to stay perfect at home.
Montreal 25, Winnipeg 19
Depth Chart Analysis
On the offensive line, the usual this year, import Goodspeed at left tackle, Dyakowski and Hudson the guards, Gauthier the other tackle and the centre Hage. Glenn starts, with Cobb as the running back. Apparently no Terry Caulley this week either. Have we seen the last of him in a Ticat uniform? Williams is listed as the invisible fullback this week. James and non-import Corey Grant are listed as the receivers (Bauman is injured this week, but hopefully he will be back next week). McDaniel and local boy Dave Stala are the slots. Arland Bruce, the third iteration is listed in his weird backup receiver position they list him at every week. Kevin Robinson, who was signed a couple of weeks ago backs up James. Without an injury, I'm not sure if we will see him.
On defence, the Cats are going with the defensive line I assume that they are now happy with, Long and Hickman on the ends, McIntyre (a former end) and Adams in the interior.
Linebackers, surprise, Knowlton, Floyd and Johnson.
Bradley and Smith are the corners once again. Thompson and Tisdale are the defensive backs. Barker is in again for Beveridge, as the lone Canuck starter on the D at safety.
For the Riders on the offensive line, it is non-import Makowsky at left tackle, with import rookie Joel Bell at right tackle. Non-imports Best (who has a colossally nerdy picture on Rider website) and Parenteau at the guard spots and non-import O'Day as the centre.
Durant starts, import Wes Cats at running back, with newly elected Regina councillor Chris Szarka, non-import, as his fullback.
Queen's product Rob Bagg is at one of the wideout spots, with import Johnny Quinn at the other. Non-imports Fantuz and Clermont are at the slots. Former Cat draft pick Chris Getzlaf is listed as a backup slot, but I'm sure we will see him in five and six receiver sets. That's eight Canuck starters on offense.
Baggs and Chick are the ends. Adams and non-import Shologan are the defensive tackles.
Lucas, Williams and former Cat Tad Kornegay are the linebackers.
Non-import Alexander and Moran are the corners. McKenzie and Frazier are the defensive backs. Patrick is the saftey.
So that's two non-import starters on defence, for nine total, two over the nine required. Obviously the Riders have Canadian talent to burn. The Cats, not so much. Sometimes I wonder if O'Billovich's main skill is getting US talent (for example, Cameron Wake). Consider that the Cats have ten players now on the expanded practice roster, but only one is a non-import.
It is freakily windy down here at Tigercataonia HQ right near St. Joe's, so I assume the several miles to the West is similar. Not sure who that will benefit, although Durant seems more apt to run than Glenn, so maybe that edge goes to the Riders. Eleven degrees with a high of thirteen, so quite comfortable temperature wise. Toronto did no favours to the Cats by sucking to Edmonton, but who really expected more.
Anyways, good luck to the Cats on beating the Riders today. Hopefully some Saskatchewan fans will go home sad and depressed for once from Ivor Wynne.
On defence, the Cats are going with the defensive line I assume that they are now happy with, Long and Hickman on the ends, McIntyre (a former end) and Adams in the interior.
Linebackers, surprise, Knowlton, Floyd and Johnson.
Bradley and Smith are the corners once again. Thompson and Tisdale are the defensive backs. Barker is in again for Beveridge, as the lone Canuck starter on the D at safety.
For the Riders on the offensive line, it is non-import Makowsky at left tackle, with import rookie Joel Bell at right tackle. Non-imports Best (who has a colossally nerdy picture on Rider website) and Parenteau at the guard spots and non-import O'Day as the centre.
Durant starts, import Wes Cats at running back, with newly elected Regina councillor Chris Szarka, non-import, as his fullback.
Queen's product Rob Bagg is at one of the wideout spots, with import Johnny Quinn at the other. Non-imports Fantuz and Clermont are at the slots. Former Cat draft pick Chris Getzlaf is listed as a backup slot, but I'm sure we will see him in five and six receiver sets. That's eight Canuck starters on offense.
Baggs and Chick are the ends. Adams and non-import Shologan are the defensive tackles.
Lucas, Williams and former Cat Tad Kornegay are the linebackers.
Non-import Alexander and Moran are the corners. McKenzie and Frazier are the defensive backs. Patrick is the saftey.
So that's two non-import starters on defence, for nine total, two over the nine required. Obviously the Riders have Canadian talent to burn. The Cats, not so much. Sometimes I wonder if O'Billovich's main skill is getting US talent (for example, Cameron Wake). Consider that the Cats have ten players now on the expanded practice roster, but only one is a non-import.
It is freakily windy down here at Tigercataonia HQ right near St. Joe's, so I assume the several miles to the West is similar. Not sure who that will benefit, although Durant seems more apt to run than Glenn, so maybe that edge goes to the Riders. Eleven degrees with a high of thirteen, so quite comfortable temperature wise. Toronto did no favours to the Cats by sucking to Edmonton, but who really expected more.
Anyways, good luck to the Cats on beating the Riders today. Hopefully some Saskatchewan fans will go home sad and depressed for once from Ivor Wynne.
Friday, October 30, 2009
CFL Previews, Week 18, Part 1
Toronto at Edmonton,
Edmonton is only favoured by four at home which seems a bit disturbing for Edmonton, considering the Argos have lost six in a row. The Argos are 2 and 6 on the road which is actually better than their home record. The Eskimos are even at home. Obviously for the Argos, they are out of it. For Edmonton, winning the next two games guarantees they get the East division crossover, so this game definitely means something. Kerry Joseph will start for the Argos who will likely play their third stringer at some point (I am too lazy to look up his name, you'll know him when you see him out there sucking). The Argos now have a 1000 yard rusher in Jamal Robertson, however their offensive line is still missing two starters and is bad even for the Argos' recent history. Edmonton is no great shakes either, but they have Ricky Ray who should be able to do enough to beat a feeble Argo team.
Smos 31, Argos 21
Saskatchewan at Hamilton,
Important game for Saskatchewan to try and win first in the West for the first time since the seventies. Wowza. Although the Riders are kind of similar to Hamilton, in that the Riders play Calgary next week, so exactly how this game matters, I'm not quite sure. For Hamilton, how important this game depends on how Edmonton does. If Edmonton wins both games, what the Cats do here doesn't matter, they have to win in the Peg next week to get a playoff spot. Hamilton is favoured by one at home which probably reflects the weird nature of the penultimate game of the regular season. The Cats come in on a one game winning streak, as does the Riders. The Cats are going with the more steady Kevin Glenn the rest of the season, however they are missing Rodriguez and maybe non-import receiver Bauman for this game. The Riders are still missing their best receiver Weston Dressler with a broken leg, but have shown their Canadian content at receiver is capable of shredding the Cat defence. The Cats are 5 and 3 at home, whereas the Riders are a reasonable 4-3-1 at home. The Cats will have to start strong to have a chance, however the fact that this game is not truly a must win worries me. That and the Cats history the past few years means that if I were actually betting I would have to pick the Riders.
Sasky 25, Hamilton 22
Edmonton is only favoured by four at home which seems a bit disturbing for Edmonton, considering the Argos have lost six in a row. The Argos are 2 and 6 on the road which is actually better than their home record. The Eskimos are even at home. Obviously for the Argos, they are out of it. For Edmonton, winning the next two games guarantees they get the East division crossover, so this game definitely means something. Kerry Joseph will start for the Argos who will likely play their third stringer at some point (I am too lazy to look up his name, you'll know him when you see him out there sucking). The Argos now have a 1000 yard rusher in Jamal Robertson, however their offensive line is still missing two starters and is bad even for the Argos' recent history. Edmonton is no great shakes either, but they have Ricky Ray who should be able to do enough to beat a feeble Argo team.
Smos 31, Argos 21
Saskatchewan at Hamilton,
Important game for Saskatchewan to try and win first in the West for the first time since the seventies. Wowza. Although the Riders are kind of similar to Hamilton, in that the Riders play Calgary next week, so exactly how this game matters, I'm not quite sure. For Hamilton, how important this game depends on how Edmonton does. If Edmonton wins both games, what the Cats do here doesn't matter, they have to win in the Peg next week to get a playoff spot. Hamilton is favoured by one at home which probably reflects the weird nature of the penultimate game of the regular season. The Cats come in on a one game winning streak, as does the Riders. The Cats are going with the more steady Kevin Glenn the rest of the season, however they are missing Rodriguez and maybe non-import receiver Bauman for this game. The Riders are still missing their best receiver Weston Dressler with a broken leg, but have shown their Canadian content at receiver is capable of shredding the Cat defence. The Cats are 5 and 3 at home, whereas the Riders are a reasonable 4-3-1 at home. The Cats will have to start strong to have a chance, however the fact that this game is not truly a must win worries me. That and the Cats history the past few years means that if I were actually betting I would have to pick the Riders.
Sasky 25, Hamilton 22
Thursday, October 29, 2009
Playoff Scenarios
I suppose I should say something about playoff scenarios for the Cats. Edmonton, Winnipeg and Hamilton are all tied with a mediocre record of 7 to 9. For the crossover, Edmonton must have more points than the third placed East team. If Edmonton wins their last two games against Toronto and BC, they get the crossover, because Hamilton and Winnipeg play each other in the last game of the year, thus only one of those two teams can win two games. If Edmonton loses both of their final games, both Hamilton and Winnipeg are in. If Edmonton wins one of their remaining two games, if either Hamilton or Winnipeg wins this week's game and then the other team wins the final game, Edmonton is out. Similarly if both Hamilton and Winnipeg win their games this week and Edmonton only wins one, Edmonton is out.
Interestingly, this week's games for Hamilton and Winnipeg do not decide who hosts the East semi-final. Whoever wins the final game hosts the semi-final. Edmonton winning their last two games would make the Winnipeg game huge; either you host the semi-final or you are out. In the event Hamilton and Winnipeg tie in the final game, assuming both teams either win or lose this week, I believe I read somewhere that Hamilton gets in. I'm too lazy to look it up, so don't count on it.
I will interested to see how many Rider fans show up this week in the Hammer. With Saskatchewan still tied with Calgary atop the West, this is a very important game for them. Winning makes it much easier to host the West final, which is generally an advantage to host the West final. As mentioned for Hamilton, this is a bit of a weird game. Win next week in Winnipeg and what happens this week doesn't matter. Hopefully a decent number of fans show up this week. The Cats don't seem to be whoring out discounted tickets like the last week, so there must be some healthy demand from crazed, watermelon wearing Saskatchewan fans.
Interestingly, this week's games for Hamilton and Winnipeg do not decide who hosts the East semi-final. Whoever wins the final game hosts the semi-final. Edmonton winning their last two games would make the Winnipeg game huge; either you host the semi-final or you are out. In the event Hamilton and Winnipeg tie in the final game, assuming both teams either win or lose this week, I believe I read somewhere that Hamilton gets in. I'm too lazy to look it up, so don't count on it.
I will interested to see how many Rider fans show up this week in the Hammer. With Saskatchewan still tied with Calgary atop the West, this is a very important game for them. Winning makes it much easier to host the West final, which is generally an advantage to host the West final. As mentioned for Hamilton, this is a bit of a weird game. Win next week in Winnipeg and what happens this week doesn't matter. Hopefully a decent number of fans show up this week. The Cats don't seem to be whoring out discounted tickets like the last week, so there must be some healthy demand from crazed, watermelon wearing Saskatchewan fans.
Tuesday, October 27, 2009
CFL Power Rankings
1. Montreal
2. Saskatchewan
3. Calgary
4. Winnipeg
5. Hamilton
6. BC
7. Edmonton
8. Toronto
Montreal is still number one, despite a rather half-assed effort last week without Calvillo. I liked Saskatchewan's win against a good BC team, albeit one led by Casey "I sucked for Hamilton" Printers. Calgary blew out a rapidly declining Edmonton team, which is not particularly impressive. Winnipeg is looking surprisingly good even with Bishop at the controls. Hamilton looked decent against Toronto, although the lack of second half production was somewhat disturbing. BC with Casey Printers I am not a particular fan of, however he didn't look too bad out there. Edmonton, suck city. Toronto, positively honktastic.
I ended up catching a little of the Argo Access show, hosted by Pinball and some woman who was able to fake some enthusiasm about the Argos, despite them being eliminated from the playoffs. The show is on the Sun network, which is primarily really old sitcoms, plus weird programs that are pretty much just informercials for Casino Rama. Likely the Argos pay for the time (which considering it is Sun TV wouldn't be much) and provide the content. Which got me to thinking about the Cats and CHCH. The Cats pretty much have a lot of video content on their site already, so putting together a half hour show probably wouldn't cost them much extra. Considering that CHCH broadcasts somewhat old movies to incredibly old movies, which I can't imagine get many viewers, there's probably a half hour available for a Ticats show, likely on the weekend. If the Cats made the content available for free, CHCH would probably get more viewers than whatever terrible old movie they would show (which would cost something for the rights, although in reality almost nothing). Hopefully the Cats will get on that.
2. Saskatchewan
3. Calgary
4. Winnipeg
5. Hamilton
6. BC
7. Edmonton
8. Toronto
Montreal is still number one, despite a rather half-assed effort last week without Calvillo. I liked Saskatchewan's win against a good BC team, albeit one led by Casey "I sucked for Hamilton" Printers. Calgary blew out a rapidly declining Edmonton team, which is not particularly impressive. Winnipeg is looking surprisingly good even with Bishop at the controls. Hamilton looked decent against Toronto, although the lack of second half production was somewhat disturbing. BC with Casey Printers I am not a particular fan of, however he didn't look too bad out there. Edmonton, suck city. Toronto, positively honktastic.
I ended up catching a little of the Argo Access show, hosted by Pinball and some woman who was able to fake some enthusiasm about the Argos, despite them being eliminated from the playoffs. The show is on the Sun network, which is primarily really old sitcoms, plus weird programs that are pretty much just informercials for Casino Rama. Likely the Argos pay for the time (which considering it is Sun TV wouldn't be much) and provide the content. Which got me to thinking about the Cats and CHCH. The Cats pretty much have a lot of video content on their site already, so putting together a half hour show probably wouldn't cost them much extra. Considering that CHCH broadcasts somewhat old movies to incredibly old movies, which I can't imagine get many viewers, there's probably a half hour available for a Ticats show, likely on the weekend. If the Cats made the content available for free, CHCH would probably get more viewers than whatever terrible old movie they would show (which would cost something for the rights, although in reality almost nothing). Hopefully the Cats will get on that.
Sunday, October 25, 2009
Argo Game
It was excellent that the Cats were able to prevail fairly easily over the double blue 26 to 17 on Friday. Retaining the Ballard Cup was also a good thing, although with the Argos seemingly headed for a 3 and 15 season it isn't as satisfying as if the they were a 500 team. It was a little disappointing that the Cats were outscored in the second half 17 to 6, but they were well ahead and teams in that position tend to do that in the CFL.
Glenn pretty much cemented his starter status (although it was against a reeling Argo team) with an efficient 28 for 38 performance for 332 yards and a TD pass. Driving over to watch the game at a friend's house I heard the first play on the radio and almost snapped when I heard Moreno intercepted it for a TD, only to be called back on an Argo offside.
Bruce with five catches for 96 yards was again effective at burning his former team. McDaniel with five catches for 61 yards had a good game, as did James with five for 52. Arguably Bauman had the best game for the non-import receivers with just two catches for 46 yards. Cobb was decent with 17 rushes for 80 yards, albeit a mediocre 4.7 yards per rush. Cobb also had 7 catches for 32 yards, albeit an even more mediocre 4.6 yards average. Cobb is a decent back, but is probably one of those fungible import backs that has a good year or two and then fades away.
The line gave up no sacks against Toronto's defence, which is impressive.
On defence, Markeith Knowlton had seven tackles to lead the Cats. Hickman had four tackles and three sacks, but sadly Hamilton is still last in the CFL for sacks. Some people think sacks are an overrated stat, but I am not one of them. The Argos offensive line was so patched up, that their offense really wasn't much of a test. The Riders definitely will be.
Watching the game, I can't help but think that the biggest mistake of the Argos was signing Kerry Joseph. If the Argos had just went with Bishop, they could have saved Joseph's salary and put it towards a better offensive line, and combined with their strength on defence, they would have been a reasonable team the past two seasons. Now the Argos may get better next year, but I would not expect much of an improvement.
Glenn pretty much cemented his starter status (although it was against a reeling Argo team) with an efficient 28 for 38 performance for 332 yards and a TD pass. Driving over to watch the game at a friend's house I heard the first play on the radio and almost snapped when I heard Moreno intercepted it for a TD, only to be called back on an Argo offside.
Bruce with five catches for 96 yards was again effective at burning his former team. McDaniel with five catches for 61 yards had a good game, as did James with five for 52. Arguably Bauman had the best game for the non-import receivers with just two catches for 46 yards. Cobb was decent with 17 rushes for 80 yards, albeit a mediocre 4.7 yards per rush. Cobb also had 7 catches for 32 yards, albeit an even more mediocre 4.6 yards average. Cobb is a decent back, but is probably one of those fungible import backs that has a good year or two and then fades away.
The line gave up no sacks against Toronto's defence, which is impressive.
On defence, Markeith Knowlton had seven tackles to lead the Cats. Hickman had four tackles and three sacks, but sadly Hamilton is still last in the CFL for sacks. Some people think sacks are an overrated stat, but I am not one of them. The Argos offensive line was so patched up, that their offense really wasn't much of a test. The Riders definitely will be.
Watching the game, I can't help but think that the biggest mistake of the Argos was signing Kerry Joseph. If the Argos had just went with Bishop, they could have saved Joseph's salary and put it towards a better offensive line, and combined with their strength on defence, they would have been a reasonable team the past two seasons. Now the Argos may get better next year, but I would not expect much of an improvement.
Saturday, October 24, 2009
CFL Preview, Week 17, Part 2
Montreal at Winnipeg
Montreal is favoured by 3.5 points in Winnipeg. Montreal has won six straight, while Winnipeg has lost one as Michael Bishop came back to earth. The big question is whether Anthony Calvillo will play, and if he doesn't, how will the backup McPherson play. Montreal is 5 and 2 at home, while Winnipeg is at 3 and 4. Will Montreal let up on the accelator with no need to win? They didn't do it against Calgary or Hamilton the past couple of weeks. With Hamilton winning last night, the pressure is on the Bombers to keep even. For some reason, I think this may be the week that the Alouettes trip up.
Winnipeg 23, Montreal 19
BC at Saskatchewan,
BC has definitely been a hot team of late, coming off three wins, while the Riders tied last week. The Riders are only 4 and 3 at home, with the Lions even at 4 and 4 on the road, so there's probably not a huge amount of home field advantage effect. The Riders are still missing star receiver Weston Dressler, out with a broken leg, however last week in Calgary the Riders Canadian receivers had a great game. The story of the game though is that former Cat quarterback Casey Printers could start, with Pierce, Jackson and Lulay all injured. The Riders are favoured by four, which probably has a lot to do with Casey Printers starting. Having watched a lot of mediocre Printers play with the Cats, I'm going with the Riders.
Riders 35, Lions 25
Montreal is favoured by 3.5 points in Winnipeg. Montreal has won six straight, while Winnipeg has lost one as Michael Bishop came back to earth. The big question is whether Anthony Calvillo will play, and if he doesn't, how will the backup McPherson play. Montreal is 5 and 2 at home, while Winnipeg is at 3 and 4. Will Montreal let up on the accelator with no need to win? They didn't do it against Calgary or Hamilton the past couple of weeks. With Hamilton winning last night, the pressure is on the Bombers to keep even. For some reason, I think this may be the week that the Alouettes trip up.
Winnipeg 23, Montreal 19
BC at Saskatchewan,
BC has definitely been a hot team of late, coming off three wins, while the Riders tied last week. The Riders are only 4 and 3 at home, with the Lions even at 4 and 4 on the road, so there's probably not a huge amount of home field advantage effect. The Riders are still missing star receiver Weston Dressler, out with a broken leg, however last week in Calgary the Riders Canadian receivers had a great game. The story of the game though is that former Cat quarterback Casey Printers could start, with Pierce, Jackson and Lulay all injured. The Riders are favoured by four, which probably has a lot to do with Casey Printers starting. Having watched a lot of mediocre Printers play with the Cats, I'm going with the Riders.
Riders 35, Lions 25
Friday, October 23, 2009
CFL Previews, Week 17, Part 1
Hamilton at Toronto,
The last line I have seen is Hamilton favoured by 3.5 points. Which sort of makes sense, although when you look at losing streaks, Toronto has lost five in a row, with Hamilton not much better at four. Hamilton has also only won one game on the road against BC early in the season. Fortunately Toronto's home record is about as good as Dalton McGuinty governs, which after yesterday's $24.7 billion deficit is obviously not very good. But I digress. Kevin Glenn obviously starts this week after his monster passing effort last week that he ended up losing to Montreal's little used backup quarterback. As I have mentioned in a previous post, Glenn also was the quarterback in Toronto in September, which he also managed to lose. Fortunately for the Cats, the already mediocre Toronto offensive line has Keeping and Ramsay out so it will probably suck as much as any line has this season in the CFL. If Bart "Count Floyd" Andrus was smart, he would have starter Kerry Joseph roll out on every single play or hand off to Jamal Robertson. Andrus hasn't seem to adjust very well this year, so I'm sure we will see the pocket collapsing and Jospeh dragging himself off the turf, which should be enough for the Cats to win. The Cats are missing Rodriguez again, but that's hardly news at this point. Safety Sandy Beveridge is also out with a thigh ailment, but backup Dylan Barker isn't much of a dropoff and is faster. If the Cats find a way to lose this one, this season has been a failure. Plus we would lose out on the Ballard Trophy, which would be embarassing.
Edmonton at Calgary,
An important game for both teams, as Calgary is still going for first place in the West and Edmonton is trying to win a crossover. The line currently is six points in favour of Calgary. Calgary is missing non-import Labinjo this week, whereas Edmonton might be missing non-import running back McCarty. Edmonton is 3 and 4 away while Calgary is 5 and 2 at home plus a tie. Burris looked like he had returned to form last week after a few mediocre weeks, whereas Ricky Ray managed to beat the Argos. This game looks like it could be one of those weird surprise games, but you can't not pick Calgary, which is good for both Hamilton and Winnipeg in terms of the crossover.
The last line I have seen is Hamilton favoured by 3.5 points. Which sort of makes sense, although when you look at losing streaks, Toronto has lost five in a row, with Hamilton not much better at four. Hamilton has also only won one game on the road against BC early in the season. Fortunately Toronto's home record is about as good as Dalton McGuinty governs, which after yesterday's $24.7 billion deficit is obviously not very good. But I digress. Kevin Glenn obviously starts this week after his monster passing effort last week that he ended up losing to Montreal's little used backup quarterback. As I have mentioned in a previous post, Glenn also was the quarterback in Toronto in September, which he also managed to lose. Fortunately for the Cats, the already mediocre Toronto offensive line has Keeping and Ramsay out so it will probably suck as much as any line has this season in the CFL. If Bart "Count Floyd" Andrus was smart, he would have starter Kerry Joseph roll out on every single play or hand off to Jamal Robertson. Andrus hasn't seem to adjust very well this year, so I'm sure we will see the pocket collapsing and Jospeh dragging himself off the turf, which should be enough for the Cats to win. The Cats are missing Rodriguez again, but that's hardly news at this point. Safety Sandy Beveridge is also out with a thigh ailment, but backup Dylan Barker isn't much of a dropoff and is faster. If the Cats find a way to lose this one, this season has been a failure. Plus we would lose out on the Ballard Trophy, which would be embarassing.
Edmonton at Calgary,
An important game for both teams, as Calgary is still going for first place in the West and Edmonton is trying to win a crossover. The line currently is six points in favour of Calgary. Calgary is missing non-import Labinjo this week, whereas Edmonton might be missing non-import running back McCarty. Edmonton is 3 and 4 away while Calgary is 5 and 2 at home plus a tie. Burris looked like he had returned to form last week after a few mediocre weeks, whereas Ricky Ray managed to beat the Argos. This game looks like it could be one of those weird surprise games, but you can't not pick Calgary, which is good for both Hamilton and Winnipeg in terms of the crossover.
Thursday, October 22, 2009
CFL Power Rankings
1. Montreal
2. Saskatchewan
3. Calgary
4. BC
5. Edmonton
6. Hamilton
7. Winnipeg
8. Toronto
Montreal wins, even without Calvillo. Have to go with Saskatchewan tying Calgary in Calgary over Calgary. Burris looked better this week though. BC beats Winnipeg, even without Pierce or Jackson. Edmonton manages to beat Toronto which isn't saying much. Hamilton puts on a valiant, albeit ultimately futile effort in Montreal against the league's best team. Michael Bishop woke up and realized he was Michael Bishop, complete with ridiculously low completion rate. Toronto just sucks. With three games left, can Toronto win a game and tie last year's 4 and 14 record. I bet no.
2. Saskatchewan
3. Calgary
4. BC
5. Edmonton
6. Hamilton
7. Winnipeg
8. Toronto
Montreal wins, even without Calvillo. Have to go with Saskatchewan tying Calgary in Calgary over Calgary. Burris looked better this week though. BC beats Winnipeg, even without Pierce or Jackson. Edmonton manages to beat Toronto which isn't saying much. Hamilton puts on a valiant, albeit ultimately futile effort in Montreal against the league's best team. Michael Bishop woke up and realized he was Michael Bishop, complete with ridiculously low completion rate. Toronto just sucks. With three games left, can Toronto win a game and tie last year's 4 and 14 record. I bet no.
Wednesday, October 21, 2009
Last Game
A lot of people are raving about Kevin Glenn's performance, especially the fact he passed for over 500 yards. Somewhat lost in the raving is the fact that we lost, despite knocking Anthony Calvillo out of the game, which is what we pretty much had to do. Certainly Glenn warrants the start in Toronto this week, but a lot of people are forgetting the results of the last game in Toronto. Just in case you forgot, we lost. You might have also forgotten the quarterback for that game was, yes that's right, Kevin Glenn who lost to Cody Pickett. So for those that think that Glenn is the savior, give your head a shake.
One point I will make about passing for big yardage, is that you don't always end up winning. I would bet that the quarterback running for over 100 yards has a higher correlation of winning than passing for over 400 yards. Something to think about.
One last thing, currently Hamilton is favoured by 3.5 points against Toronto.
One point I will make about passing for big yardage, is that you don't always end up winning. I would bet that the quarterback running for over 100 yards has a higher correlation of winning than passing for over 400 yards. Something to think about.
One last thing, currently Hamilton is favoured by 3.5 points against Toronto.
Sunday, October 18, 2009
CFL Previews, Week Whatever 2, Part 2
Hamilton at Montreal,
With Calvillo starting at home, the Cats are in tough. Somewhat unsurprisingly the Alouettes are 12.5 point favourites. Glenn is starting so hopefully the Cats will not get off to a horrid start, which would doom them against Montreal. With Calvillo in, the Cats should make sure to get after him early to make him wish he sat this one out. Cobourne starts again at running back for Montreal after sitting out last week, so the Cats will have to find out some way to neutralize him on first down. The Cats are capable of winning if the breaks go their way, but statistically this seems unlikely. Cats don't let it get totally away.
Montreal 40, Cats 29
BC at Winnipeg,
Winnipeg is 3 and 3 at home and BC is 3 and 4 away, so there's not a lot difference there. Winnipeg is favoured by 1.5. Winnipeg is hot, winning their last three games, while BC has won their last two games. Winnipeg running back Fred Reid is apparently questionable, which is not good news for the Bombers. This is a critical game for both teams, especially with Edmonton beating Toronto on Friday. Michael Bishop paired with a good defence surprisingly works, but I'll take the coaching of Wally Buono over Mike Kelly.
BC 27, Winnipeg 24
With Calvillo starting at home, the Cats are in tough. Somewhat unsurprisingly the Alouettes are 12.5 point favourites. Glenn is starting so hopefully the Cats will not get off to a horrid start, which would doom them against Montreal. With Calvillo in, the Cats should make sure to get after him early to make him wish he sat this one out. Cobourne starts again at running back for Montreal after sitting out last week, so the Cats will have to find out some way to neutralize him on first down. The Cats are capable of winning if the breaks go their way, but statistically this seems unlikely. Cats don't let it get totally away.
Montreal 40, Cats 29
BC at Winnipeg,
Winnipeg is 3 and 3 at home and BC is 3 and 4 away, so there's not a lot difference there. Winnipeg is favoured by 1.5. Winnipeg is hot, winning their last three games, while BC has won their last two games. Winnipeg running back Fred Reid is apparently questionable, which is not good news for the Bombers. This is a critical game for both teams, especially with Edmonton beating Toronto on Friday. Michael Bishop paired with a good defence surprisingly works, but I'll take the coaching of Wally Buono over Mike Kelly.
BC 27, Winnipeg 24
Ticat Depth Chart
Some changes this week.
Standard offensive line this week, import Goodspeed at left tackle, Gauthier at right tackle, Hage at centre, Dyakowski and Hudson as the guards.
Glenn starts at QB, Cobb yet again at running back (no Terry Caulley anywhere it seems) and the starting fullback (which is pretty much a non-existent position on the Cats) Mac product Sadeghian. Import James and Bauman are the wide receivers, with import McDaniel at slot along with Stala. Bruce is listed as usual as a backup to Bauman, which obviously means nothing.
On the defensive line, Hickman and Long are the ends. McIntyre and Adams are new this week as the tackles. Unusual to see McIntyre as the tackle, so the Cats must be happy with Hickman and Long.
Linebackers the usual Knowlton, Floyd and Johnson lineup.
Bradley and Bo "Burnt repeatedly by Michael Bishop" Smith are the corners. Thompson and Tisdale are the defensive backs with Beveridge the lone Canadian starter on defence.
For Montreal on the offensive line, Bourke and Perrett are the tackles, with Lambert and Flory as the guards and Chiu as the centre. Unusually for the CFL, all are non-imports.
Calvillo starts, with Cobourne back as the starting running back, with non-import Kerry Carter as the fullback.
Bratton and Watkins, both imports are the wide receivers. Import Richardson is one of the slots together with non-import Cahoon.
On the defensive line, Bowman and Stewart are the ends, Wilson and Williams are the tackles. All are imports.
Ferri, Guzman and Cox, all imports are the linebackers.
Estelle and Dix (who seems to have hardly played this year) are the import corners. Parker and Brown are the import defensive backs and Boulay is the non-import starting safety.
Standard offensive line this week, import Goodspeed at left tackle, Gauthier at right tackle, Hage at centre, Dyakowski and Hudson as the guards.
Glenn starts at QB, Cobb yet again at running back (no Terry Caulley anywhere it seems) and the starting fullback (which is pretty much a non-existent position on the Cats) Mac product Sadeghian. Import James and Bauman are the wide receivers, with import McDaniel at slot along with Stala. Bruce is listed as usual as a backup to Bauman, which obviously means nothing.
On the defensive line, Hickman and Long are the ends. McIntyre and Adams are new this week as the tackles. Unusual to see McIntyre as the tackle, so the Cats must be happy with Hickman and Long.
Linebackers the usual Knowlton, Floyd and Johnson lineup.
Bradley and Bo "Burnt repeatedly by Michael Bishop" Smith are the corners. Thompson and Tisdale are the defensive backs with Beveridge the lone Canadian starter on defence.
For Montreal on the offensive line, Bourke and Perrett are the tackles, with Lambert and Flory as the guards and Chiu as the centre. Unusually for the CFL, all are non-imports.
Calvillo starts, with Cobourne back as the starting running back, with non-import Kerry Carter as the fullback.
Bratton and Watkins, both imports are the wide receivers. Import Richardson is one of the slots together with non-import Cahoon.
On the defensive line, Bowman and Stewart are the ends, Wilson and Williams are the tackles. All are imports.
Ferri, Guzman and Cox, all imports are the linebackers.
Estelle and Dix (who seems to have hardly played this year) are the import corners. Parker and Brown are the import defensive backs and Boulay is the non-import starting safety.
Saturday, October 17, 2009
Calgary Saskatchewan Game
That was an exciting end to the Riders Stamps game. That game had everything, including a rare pyramiding call on a single point at the end of regulation. Without injured import receiver Weston Dressler, the Canuck receivers for Saskatchewan really stepped up. Considering what we have now for Canadian receivers (Dave Stala excepted) it is sad that we traded away Chris Getzlaf for a pack of Smarties. I liked the fan sign they showed near the end that said, "Kick them in the Regina."
Thursday, October 15, 2009
CFL Previews, Week Whatever 2, Part 1
Edmonton at Toronto,
Even with Edmonton sucking lately, I can't pick Toronto.
Edmonton 24, Toronto 21
Saskatchewan at Calgary,
Calgary is favoured by two at home, however their offense has been relatively horrid of late, sucking against both Hamilton and Montreal. Saskatchewan has not been fantastic, but I will go out on a limb and pick the Riders.
Saskatchewan 35, Calgary 29
Even with Edmonton sucking lately, I can't pick Toronto.
Edmonton 24, Toronto 21
Saskatchewan at Calgary,
Calgary is favoured by two at home, however their offense has been relatively horrid of late, sucking against both Hamilton and Montreal. Saskatchewan has not been fantastic, but I will go out on a limb and pick the Riders.
Saskatchewan 35, Calgary 29
CFL Power Rankings
1. Montreal
2. Saskatchewan
3. Calgary
4. BC
5. Winnipeg
6. Edmonton
7. Hamilton
8. Toronto
Big upheaval in the rankings this week. Montreal stays on top after heartily handling Calgary in a game that didn't mean much for them. Saskatchewan beats Toronto fairly easily. Calgary looked sad and really, has Henry Burris switched bodies with Michael Bishop? BC beats an Edmonton team that has been finding ways to lose for a while and may not even end up with a cross over spot. Winnipeg is surging, with Bishop looking like the second coming of Dieter Brock and somewhat embarrassingly for all of us, Mike Kelly is not as dumb as he looks and sounds. Hamilton should feel lucky I put them above the Argos. As for Toronto, they should really dress a third quarterback.
2. Saskatchewan
3. Calgary
4. BC
5. Winnipeg
6. Edmonton
7. Hamilton
8. Toronto
Big upheaval in the rankings this week. Montreal stays on top after heartily handling Calgary in a game that didn't mean much for them. Saskatchewan beats Toronto fairly easily. Calgary looked sad and really, has Henry Burris switched bodies with Michael Bishop? BC beats an Edmonton team that has been finding ways to lose for a while and may not even end up with a cross over spot. Winnipeg is surging, with Bishop looking like the second coming of Dieter Brock and somewhat embarrassingly for all of us, Mike Kelly is not as dumb as he looks and sounds. Hamilton should feel lucky I put them above the Argos. As for Toronto, they should really dress a third quarterback.
Disturbing Stat of the Day
Michael Bishop has more yards passing (2132) than either Quinton Porter (1762) or Kevin Glenn (1698).
Tuesday, October 13, 2009
Yesterday's Game
Wow that really sucked. Making Michael Bishop look all world really takes some doing. Also the manner in which the team sucked, right from the get go, really ruined the experience at the game. If they at least kept it close into the second quarter, one wouldn't be depressed for the entire game.
The team definitely needs to start Glenn next game. I'm under no illusion that Glenn is that much better than Porter at this point (although he is better in terms of number of fumbles per game), but you can't keep rewarding suckage over and over. Frankly I am starting to wonder about Tafralis.
I was totally off on the attendance, however where I was sitting in section 5, the whole surrounding area was packed. Annoyingly, I tried getting some seats near my season tickets, however the only ones available were ridiculously far away. Then come game time there were a bunch of empty seats right around me. With the current way the Cats are trying to force more people into certain sections for the television cameras, I would almost recommend getting tickets in the south side stands.
Ugh, now Montreal next week. One can only hope the Alouettes use their backups as much as possible.
The team definitely needs to start Glenn next game. I'm under no illusion that Glenn is that much better than Porter at this point (although he is better in terms of number of fumbles per game), but you can't keep rewarding suckage over and over. Frankly I am starting to wonder about Tafralis.
I was totally off on the attendance, however where I was sitting in section 5, the whole surrounding area was packed. Annoyingly, I tried getting some seats near my season tickets, however the only ones available were ridiculously far away. Then come game time there were a bunch of empty seats right around me. With the current way the Cats are trying to force more people into certain sections for the television cameras, I would almost recommend getting tickets in the south side stands.
Ugh, now Montreal next week. One can only hope the Alouettes use their backups as much as possible.
Monday, October 12, 2009
Attendance Guess
Seeing as the Cats have sold a lot of tickets for sections 5, 6, 8 and 9 I can't see the Cats only getting 20,000. I am going to go out on a limb and predict 23,000. Of course the Cats may have just moved people who would have bought a ticket for another section.
One thing the Cats seem to be doing this year is trying to sell more tickets on the North side. I wonder if that is because the television cameras are on the South side and thus generally the North side fans.
One thing the Cats seem to be doing this year is trying to sell more tickets on the North side. I wonder if that is because the television cameras are on the South side and thus generally the North side fans.
Depth Chart Analysis
On the offensive line, Goodspeed is the import left tackle, with Gauthier the non-import right tackle. Hage, as always is the centre. Dyakowski is back at left guard, which should improve the running game. Hudson is in at right guard, as he has been since almost the beginning of the season.
Porter starts, with both Cobb as the starting running back, but #30 Terry Caulley is listed as his backup. For the fullbacks (which the Cats rarely use), Mac's Sadeghian is listed ahead of Williams.
Import Prechae Rodgriguez is back at one of the wide receiver spots, with non-import Chris "the Invisible Man" Bauman at the other. Import McDaniel is listed at one of the slotback slots, with hometown boy Dave Stala at the other. For some reason, Arland Bruce is listed as third behind Bauman and Corey Grant, but obviously I am sure he will be in there. I am not sure why the Cats always do this. Matt Carter, the fifth pick overall in the draft taken by BC that we somehow got for free is listed as Stala's backup. Not sure if he will get an offensive series.
On defence, still no McIntyre or Adams. Long and Hickman are the ends, with Montez Murphy and Bolden the tackles. The whole line is imports, with non-import tackles Kirk and Reid subbing in.
Knowlton, Floyd and Johnston are the import linebackers, surprise, surprise.
Bradley and Smith are the corners. Thompson and Tisdale the defensive backs and as always, the lone starting Canadian is Sandy Beveridge, the safety.
For Winnipeg on offence, Morley starts as the non-import left tackle, with January the import right tackle. Khan, is the center, LaBatte and Mac grad and former Ticat Donnelly the guards, all non-imports.
Bishop obviously starts, with Reid the starting running back. The starting fullback is Oosterhuis, a non-import. Amey and Bowman are the starting import wideouts. The slots are one of the Ralph brothers and Hargreaves, both non-imports.
On defence, no Gavin Walls this week. Hunt and Willis are the import ends. Big Doug Brown, a non-import starts at tackle, with import Smith as the other tackle. Charlton, Simpson and Shabazz are the import linebackers.
Craver and Johnson are the import corners, with Walls and Hefney the import defensive backs. Logan is the starting non-import safety.
So Simpson is back, which is somewhat problematic for Hamilton, but the loss of stalwart starter Gavin Walls should hopefully give Porter some time to throw.
Check out this forum post that listed the teams' winning percentages for this decade. Obviously it has been hard to be a Cat fan this decade, although I was surprised to see Calgary below 500.
Porter starts, with both Cobb as the starting running back, but #30 Terry Caulley is listed as his backup. For the fullbacks (which the Cats rarely use), Mac's Sadeghian is listed ahead of Williams.
Import Prechae Rodgriguez is back at one of the wide receiver spots, with non-import Chris "the Invisible Man" Bauman at the other. Import McDaniel is listed at one of the slotback slots, with hometown boy Dave Stala at the other. For some reason, Arland Bruce is listed as third behind Bauman and Corey Grant, but obviously I am sure he will be in there. I am not sure why the Cats always do this. Matt Carter, the fifth pick overall in the draft taken by BC that we somehow got for free is listed as Stala's backup. Not sure if he will get an offensive series.
On defence, still no McIntyre or Adams. Long and Hickman are the ends, with Montez Murphy and Bolden the tackles. The whole line is imports, with non-import tackles Kirk and Reid subbing in.
Knowlton, Floyd and Johnston are the import linebackers, surprise, surprise.
Bradley and Smith are the corners. Thompson and Tisdale the defensive backs and as always, the lone starting Canadian is Sandy Beveridge, the safety.
For Winnipeg on offence, Morley starts as the non-import left tackle, with January the import right tackle. Khan, is the center, LaBatte and Mac grad and former Ticat Donnelly the guards, all non-imports.
Bishop obviously starts, with Reid the starting running back. The starting fullback is Oosterhuis, a non-import. Amey and Bowman are the starting import wideouts. The slots are one of the Ralph brothers and Hargreaves, both non-imports.
On defence, no Gavin Walls this week. Hunt and Willis are the import ends. Big Doug Brown, a non-import starts at tackle, with import Smith as the other tackle. Charlton, Simpson and Shabazz are the import linebackers.
Craver and Johnson are the import corners, with Walls and Hefney the import defensive backs. Logan is the starting non-import safety.
So Simpson is back, which is somewhat problematic for Hamilton, but the loss of stalwart starter Gavin Walls should hopefully give Porter some time to throw.
Check out this forum post that listed the teams' winning percentages for this decade. Obviously it has been hard to be a Cat fan this decade, although I was surprised to see Calgary below 500.
Sunday, October 11, 2009
CFL Previews, Week Whatever, Part 2
Calgary at Montreal,
Calgary somehow managed to win at home last week against the Cats, despite going two and out on their last five offensive series. I'm thinking that won't work against the Alouettes. Somewhat curiously, the Larks are only favoured by three, which seems a little to little considering Montreal is perfect at home and Calgary is only a 500 road team. The one thing working in Calgary's favour is that Montreal has locked up the top spot in the East and doesn't really have to do much for the final five games. Burris looked terrible last week at home and he may bounce back somewhat, but Montreal has a better defence than the Cats. I'll call it close for Montreal, but only because they don't need to win.
Montreal 23, Calgary 22
Winnipeg at Hamilton,
Looks like Porter is starting again, with Michael Bishop of course starting for Bombers. The Bombers are coming off of victories against Toronto and Edmonton. Hamilton lost by a single point in Calgary last week. The Bombers have a good running game with Fred Reid and unlike a lot of CFL teams, stick with it from the start of the game. That running game becomes more valuable as the season goes on and the weather becomes colder. Hamilton's running game isn't bad, although they do get some yards from Porter.
Winnipeg's defence has been reasonably all season, even when the offense has been sucking mightily. Hamilton has a more middle of the pack offense but certainly looked excellent last week against Henry Burris (and Michael Bishop is kind of like the poor man's Henry Burris, with even more interceptions). Winnipeg's defence will be missing defensive end Gavin Walls, as he is gone for the season. Simpson is supposedly back with the team, although I'm not sure how much he will play tomorrow.
Hamilton is currently only favoured by 3 at home, despite having a relatively good home record at 5 and 2. Temperatures don't appear super cold tomorrow, which is better for Hamilton. If Porter can manage to at least move the ball somewhat tomorrow, the Cats should be able to beat a Michael Bishop led team.
Hamilton 29, Winnipeg 24
Here's an article in a Winnipeg paper saying the Cats only expect a crowd of 20,000 tomorrow. I think that is probably a little low, because as I reported yesterday, the Cats seemed to have moved some tickets in sections 5, 6, 8 and 9 with their various $10 ticket deals. Hard to have those sections completely filled and only get 20,000 but I guess we will see tomorrow. Decent weather could help with the walkup crowd, although apart from the endzone, there's not a lot of the cheaper seats available. Hopefully the Cats get a decent crowd for such an important game.
Calgary somehow managed to win at home last week against the Cats, despite going two and out on their last five offensive series. I'm thinking that won't work against the Alouettes. Somewhat curiously, the Larks are only favoured by three, which seems a little to little considering Montreal is perfect at home and Calgary is only a 500 road team. The one thing working in Calgary's favour is that Montreal has locked up the top spot in the East and doesn't really have to do much for the final five games. Burris looked terrible last week at home and he may bounce back somewhat, but Montreal has a better defence than the Cats. I'll call it close for Montreal, but only because they don't need to win.
Montreal 23, Calgary 22
Winnipeg at Hamilton,
Looks like Porter is starting again, with Michael Bishop of course starting for Bombers. The Bombers are coming off of victories against Toronto and Edmonton. Hamilton lost by a single point in Calgary last week. The Bombers have a good running game with Fred Reid and unlike a lot of CFL teams, stick with it from the start of the game. That running game becomes more valuable as the season goes on and the weather becomes colder. Hamilton's running game isn't bad, although they do get some yards from Porter.
Winnipeg's defence has been reasonably all season, even when the offense has been sucking mightily. Hamilton has a more middle of the pack offense but certainly looked excellent last week against Henry Burris (and Michael Bishop is kind of like the poor man's Henry Burris, with even more interceptions). Winnipeg's defence will be missing defensive end Gavin Walls, as he is gone for the season. Simpson is supposedly back with the team, although I'm not sure how much he will play tomorrow.
Hamilton is currently only favoured by 3 at home, despite having a relatively good home record at 5 and 2. Temperatures don't appear super cold tomorrow, which is better for Hamilton. If Porter can manage to at least move the ball somewhat tomorrow, the Cats should be able to beat a Michael Bishop led team.
Hamilton 29, Winnipeg 24
Here's an article in a Winnipeg paper saying the Cats only expect a crowd of 20,000 tomorrow. I think that is probably a little low, because as I reported yesterday, the Cats seemed to have moved some tickets in sections 5, 6, 8 and 9 with their various $10 ticket deals. Hard to have those sections completely filled and only get 20,000 but I guess we will see tomorrow. Decent weather could help with the walkup crowd, although apart from the endzone, there's not a lot of the cheaper seats available. Hopefully the Cats get a decent crowd for such an important game.
Saturday, October 10, 2009
Too Cheap Tickets
I was Ticat HQ on Jarvis today picking up some tickets. The Cats offered season ticket holders the opportunity to buy seats in sections 6 and 8 (silver, North side, upper deck) for $10. Talking to the staff there today around 4 pm, apparently there was only singles left in section 6 (how about that, actual reporting by Tigercatatonia). Considering the game is on Monday at 4:30, it makes me wonder if the Cats could not have sold those tickets for $15 or even $17.50 rather than $10. I predict a massive move over to section 7.
There's also some Scotiabank promotion on for bronze seating in section 5, also for $10. When I asked about section 5, it seemed to be mostly filled, apart from nosebleeds and at the far west end. So it looks like the Cats have effectively papered the joint to get a good crowd on Monday. Hopefully the Cats know what they are doing in terms of devaluing their product. Admittedly, people probably spend around $10 on average on concessions and merchandise, but $10 tickets seems like to little to get that additional $10.
There's also some Scotiabank promotion on for bronze seating in section 5, also for $10. When I asked about section 5, it seemed to be mostly filled, apart from nosebleeds and at the far west end. So it looks like the Cats have effectively papered the joint to get a good crowd on Monday. Hopefully the Cats know what they are doing in terms of devaluing their product. Admittedly, people probably spend around $10 on average on concessions and merchandise, but $10 tickets seems like to little to get that additional $10.
Thursday, October 8, 2009
Crossover Craziness Analysis
Four teams. Three playoff spots. Winnipeg, Hamilton, Edmonton and BC are all battling over third in the West, second in the East and third in the East, which could be potentially a crossover spot. BC, Edmonton and Hamilton are all tied with identical 6 and 7 records, with Winnipeg a game back at 5 and 8. Interestingly for this analysis, Edmonton plays BC and Hamilton plays Winnipeg. In the West, one team ends up even at 7 and 7 while the other team ends up 6 and 8 and battling for the crossover. If Hamilton wins, they are safely ensconced in second at 7 and 7, while Winnipeg at 5 and 8 is one game back of the crossover. Conversely if Winnipeg wins, both Hamilton and Winnipeg are tied at 6 and 8 along with one team in the West, however with the crossover, the team in the West must have more points than the East team to get the crossover. In this scenario, things are obviously quite tight going down the stretch. Meaningful games after Labour Day are a rarity for Ticat fans in this decade and it could end up that the Cats final game in Winnipeg could be critical. Hopefully the Cats wipe out Mike Kelly, Michael Bishop and Doug Brown this week down at the Wynne and let the Bombers sort out the crossover.
Drew Edwards is reporting on the Scratching Post that Quinton Porter will start and that Obie is bringing in another kicker. Tabernac! Glad I didn't get Setta's name on my jersey.
Drew Edwards is reporting on the Scratching Post that Quinton Porter will start and that Obie is bringing in another kicker. Tabernac! Glad I didn't get Setta's name on my jersey.
CFL Previews, Week Whatever, Part 1
BC at Edmonton,
This is an important game for both teams, make no mistake. Both are mired at 6 and 7, with BC on a one game winning streak and Edmonton on a two game losing streak. Edmonton is favoured by four at home. Ricky Ray wasn't doing much early in the season, started doing OK and is now back to Suckville (which is actually in New Brunswick, ha!). This does not bode well. On the other hand the Lions have Buck Pierce and third stringer Casey "Hey I'm not hurt now so I shouldn't suck" Printers. Buck Pierce's melon kind of reminds me of a Bernoulli trial in probability theory, whereas the question is not whether the coin is heads or tails, but whether Pierce sustains a concussion in the game. Since that probabilty seems to increasing with time, I am always a bit leery of taking the Lions, as without Pierce and with Jarious Jackson on the shelf the Lions will play as poorly as Dalton McGuinty creates private sector jobs in Ontario (yes that's almost Bart Andrus bad). When Edmonton this year has looked their worst, they always seem to bounce back with a win, so somewhat capriciously, I take the Smos.
Edmonton 40, BC 31
Toronto at Saskatchewan,
So the Riders are favoured by 10.5 at home. Seems apt as the Argos do have a tenacious defence, however inevitably the Argo offense will make some egregious turnover and cough up some points. That's what you get for having an aging rodeo clown as your primary quarterback and a surly backup who fires the ball to random locations on the field, apropos of nothing. Also having a coach that looks like Count Floyd isn't going to help your cause either. Riders easily
Saskatchewan 36, Toronto 7
This is an important game for both teams, make no mistake. Both are mired at 6 and 7, with BC on a one game winning streak and Edmonton on a two game losing streak. Edmonton is favoured by four at home. Ricky Ray wasn't doing much early in the season, started doing OK and is now back to Suckville (which is actually in New Brunswick, ha!). This does not bode well. On the other hand the Lions have Buck Pierce and third stringer Casey "Hey I'm not hurt now so I shouldn't suck" Printers. Buck Pierce's melon kind of reminds me of a Bernoulli trial in probability theory, whereas the question is not whether the coin is heads or tails, but whether Pierce sustains a concussion in the game. Since that probabilty seems to increasing with time, I am always a bit leery of taking the Lions, as without Pierce and with Jarious Jackson on the shelf the Lions will play as poorly as Dalton McGuinty creates private sector jobs in Ontario (yes that's almost Bart Andrus bad). When Edmonton this year has looked their worst, they always seem to bounce back with a win, so somewhat capriciously, I take the Smos.
Edmonton 40, BC 31
Toronto at Saskatchewan,
So the Riders are favoured by 10.5 at home. Seems apt as the Argos do have a tenacious defence, however inevitably the Argo offense will make some egregious turnover and cough up some points. That's what you get for having an aging rodeo clown as your primary quarterback and a surly backup who fires the ball to random locations on the field, apropos of nothing. Also having a coach that looks like Count Floyd isn't going to help your cause either. Riders easily
Saskatchewan 36, Toronto 7
Wednesday, October 7, 2009
Ticat Season Ticket Renewal 2010
So I saw the scuttlebutt on the ticat.ca forums about the season ticket renewals for 2010 coming out already. Obviously I thought it was a little strange that it came out with still one third of the season to go. For this season I think I had to pay some time in February and for paying in full early I got 10% off a pair of section 5's. I suppose last year if they tried to get people to renew during the season people would have laughed. Consecutive seasons of suck will do that to you and a fan needs a few months before optimism starts creeping back.
So this is quite curious and it has me wondering why they want the money so ridiculously early. Part of it seems to be get season ticket holders to pay for the theorized home playoff game (which not so amusingly is suddenly looking a little tenuous, even with Mike Kelly coaching the Bombers). Selling playoff tickets in November in Hamilton has never been easy, so I can sort of understand the thought process. Hopefully there is no other reason why they want money in October for a season that starts in late June.
I've helpfully posted the renewal form in case anyone is interested.
So this is quite curious and it has me wondering why they want the money so ridiculously early. Part of it seems to be get season ticket holders to pay for the theorized home playoff game (which not so amusingly is suddenly looking a little tenuous, even with Mike Kelly coaching the Bombers). Selling playoff tickets in November in Hamilton has never been easy, so I can sort of understand the thought process. Hopefully there is no other reason why they want money in October for a season that starts in late June.
I've helpfully posted the renewal form in case anyone is interested.
Tuesday, October 6, 2009
CFL Power Rankings
1. Montreal
2. Calgary
3. Saskatchewan
4. Hamilton
5. Edmonton
6. BC
7. Winnipeg
8. Toronto
Montreal is obviously head and shoulders above the rest of the league, although Toronto surprisingly was able to at least somewhat keep up with them. Calgary did not look impressive winning by a single point at home against Hamilton. Their offense in the fourth quarter was anemic, however they got the win and have the second best record. Saskatchewan lost to BC on the road, but with the third best record I will stick with BC. Hamilton did not look too terrible on the road in Calgary, with a surprisingly dominant defence. Edmonton losing to Winnipeg hurts, however I still like their quarterback situation better than BC's. Winnipeg wins and has managed to get back into the race for the playoffs, even with Michael Bishop quarterbacking. Toronto looked better than Hamilton against Montreal at home, but as per usual could not get it done. The boatmen likely have the worst one two quarterbacks in the league and that's saying something this year.
2. Calgary
3. Saskatchewan
4. Hamilton
5. Edmonton
6. BC
7. Winnipeg
8. Toronto
Montreal is obviously head and shoulders above the rest of the league, although Toronto surprisingly was able to at least somewhat keep up with them. Calgary did not look impressive winning by a single point at home against Hamilton. Their offense in the fourth quarter was anemic, however they got the win and have the second best record. Saskatchewan lost to BC on the road, but with the third best record I will stick with BC. Hamilton did not look too terrible on the road in Calgary, with a surprisingly dominant defence. Edmonton losing to Winnipeg hurts, however I still like their quarterback situation better than BC's. Winnipeg wins and has managed to get back into the race for the playoffs, even with Michael Bishop quarterbacking. Toronto looked better than Hamilton against Montreal at home, but as per usual could not get it done. The boatmen likely have the worst one two quarterbacks in the league and that's saying something this year.
Monday, October 5, 2009
Cats in Niagara Article
Interesting article about the Cats trying to build support in the Niagara region. Currently fans from Niagara represent the equivalent of 500 season tickets and the Cats would like to get that up to 1200. Pretty good strategy, although more than doubling will probably be difficult.
This line was interesting "In 2009, the team’s casual walk-up sales are up 40 per cent, corporate support is up 20 per cent and merchandise sales have risen 80 per cent." The corporate I can see. The walkup was probably helped significantly by the success of the Labour Day game compared to last year. Merchandise is interesting, although I am sure winning at home more often this year gives a big bump. No one wants to be wearing the colours of a 3 and 15 team.
I also found this stat interesting, "that strategy no longer works, considering the business of the CFL has grown exponentially and the cost of running a team has doubled in the last eight years, Mitchell said." Kind of strange, although 8 years of inflation is probably close to 50% anyways. Probably a case of spending money to make money, because the salary cap certainly hasn't doubled in eight years.
Cohon had a quote about television ratings, "Some of the highest-rated games are Ti-Cat games and the resurgence of the Ti-Cats has really helped us in Southern Ontario." This is good, although you would prefer people coming to the stadium, but people watching drives merchandise sales.
This line was interesting "In 2009, the team’s casual walk-up sales are up 40 per cent, corporate support is up 20 per cent and merchandise sales have risen 80 per cent." The corporate I can see. The walkup was probably helped significantly by the success of the Labour Day game compared to last year. Merchandise is interesting, although I am sure winning at home more often this year gives a big bump. No one wants to be wearing the colours of a 3 and 15 team.
I also found this stat interesting, "that strategy no longer works, considering the business of the CFL has grown exponentially and the cost of running a team has doubled in the last eight years, Mitchell said." Kind of strange, although 8 years of inflation is probably close to 50% anyways. Probably a case of spending money to make money, because the salary cap certainly hasn't doubled in eight years.
Cohon had a quote about television ratings, "Some of the highest-rated games are Ti-Cat games and the resurgence of the Ti-Cats has really helped us in Southern Ontario." This is good, although you would prefer people coming to the stadium, but people watching drives merchandise sales.
Thursday, October 1, 2009
Calgary Game
The Calgary game was disappointing considering how the game ended, with Calgary having a festival of two and outs and Hamilton failing to get the tying point. Calgary was kept scoreless in the fourth quarter and did not get a single touchdown.
Porter was 22 for 33 for 262 yards with a single pick, compared to Burris' 14 for 30 for 132 yards with two picks. Hamilton's defence really seems to have Calgary figured out this year. There's an argument to be made for starting Glenn next game. We could, although I'm not totally convinced that Glenn would have fared that much better so at this point count me agnostic on this point. From the stats however, the one QB who should not be starting next week would appear to be Henry Burris. At least Porter seems to have clued into Stala's existence with six passes for 53 yards.
Winnipeg is looking better, but hopefully we can turn things around. Michael Bishop reminds me of a worse Henry Burris, so hopefully the Ticats defence can do enough to help the offense win the game.
Porter was 22 for 33 for 262 yards with a single pick, compared to Burris' 14 for 30 for 132 yards with two picks. Hamilton's defence really seems to have Calgary figured out this year. There's an argument to be made for starting Glenn next game. We could, although I'm not totally convinced that Glenn would have fared that much better so at this point count me agnostic on this point. From the stats however, the one QB who should not be starting next week would appear to be Henry Burris. At least Porter seems to have clued into Stala's existence with six passes for 53 yards.
Winnipeg is looking better, but hopefully we can turn things around. Michael Bishop reminds me of a worse Henry Burris, so hopefully the Ticats defence can do enough to help the offense win the game.
Moncton!
It was already pretty much known that Moncton was going to get a series of CFL regular season games, but New Brunswick premier Shawn Graham let the cat out of the bag. Drew Edwards is reporting that the Cats will not be the team losing the home game next year. Likely the Argos will be the team giving up a home game in return for guaranteed revenue from the league for the event. The Argos will probably choose an opponent that doesn't historically draw well, which probably means the Riders and Cats are out. Winnipeg is a possibility, as is BC, which would be humorous from a time zone perspective. The Argos giving up a game likely makes things more flexible for them with regards to sharing the dome with the sad sack Jays and one would expect that the home game chosen would be one where two home games in a row are scheduled. Plus the other benefit for the Argos is that they are likely to still be a mediocre team next year, with a better possibility of improvement the following year.
For the Cats, it would not shock me for them to the team to have their home game in Moncton in 2011. Considering the attendance from the past two home games against the Stamps and Alouettes which were on consecutive weeks, losing one of these games would reduce Bob Young's losses by increasing attendance for the other eight games, especially removing a back to back game. Burlington Minor Football had a huge turnout to the Calgary game, moving these tickets to the Montreal game would have made for a relatively big number. For opponents, the Cats shouldn't have the Argos (obviously), the Alouettes, or the Riders. Winnipeg, BC or Calgary would seem to be the logical choices. I have relatives near Moncton, so I would even consider getting on a WestJet flight from Hamilton airport to spend a few days out there and catch the game.
Incidentally, the 60,000 plus crowd last week for the Smos at home against the Riders is a remarkable accomplishment. I looked at which team was the best road draw in 2008 in a blog post, with Saskatchewan the clear winner. With this crowd, the Riders will be even farther above the next best team for 2009.
For the Cats, it would not shock me for them to the team to have their home game in Moncton in 2011. Considering the attendance from the past two home games against the Stamps and Alouettes which were on consecutive weeks, losing one of these games would reduce Bob Young's losses by increasing attendance for the other eight games, especially removing a back to back game. Burlington Minor Football had a huge turnout to the Calgary game, moving these tickets to the Montreal game would have made for a relatively big number. For opponents, the Cats shouldn't have the Argos (obviously), the Alouettes, or the Riders. Winnipeg, BC or Calgary would seem to be the logical choices. I have relatives near Moncton, so I would even consider getting on a WestJet flight from Hamilton airport to spend a few days out there and catch the game.
Incidentally, the 60,000 plus crowd last week for the Smos at home against the Riders is a remarkable accomplishment. I looked at which team was the best road draw in 2008 in a blog post, with Saskatchewan the clear winner. With this crowd, the Riders will be even farther above the next best team for 2009.
CFL Power Rankings
1. Montreal
2. Calgary
3. Saskatchewan
4. Edmonton
5. Hamilton
6. BC
7. Winnipeg
8. Toronto
Montreal proved this week why they were the class of the league with their utter dismantling of the Ticats. Calgary beat BC and is looking more solid as the second best team in the league. Saskatchewan proves they can win on the road, while Edmonton wasn't blown out, unlike Hamilton. BC, still mediocre, but better than the last two teams. Winnipeg ends up beating Toronto to win the battle of the wanker teams.
2. Calgary
3. Saskatchewan
4. Edmonton
5. Hamilton
6. BC
7. Winnipeg
8. Toronto
Montreal proved this week why they were the class of the league with their utter dismantling of the Ticats. Calgary beat BC and is looking more solid as the second best team in the league. Saskatchewan proves they can win on the road, while Edmonton wasn't blown out, unlike Hamilton. BC, still mediocre, but better than the last two teams. Winnipeg ends up beating Toronto to win the battle of the wanker teams.
Thursday, September 24, 2009
Stat Analysis, Stamps at Cats
Just a quick look at the stats for last game. Porter was 19 for 32 for 246 yards with a TD and a pick. Fairly pedestrian, however he also ran seven times for 63 yards which is pretty sweet. Cobb had a decent game, rushing for 85 yards on 17 carries as well as gaining 51 yards on five receptions for well over 100 yards of total offense. Bruce of course had 105 yards on six catches including 2 TDs. McDaniel also had 61 yards on four catches (who needs Chris Davis?). Curiously Corey Grant had two receptions for 18 yards, but fellow non-imports Stala and Bauman had none. Glenn passes to Stala, Porter, not so much. Maybe against Montreal, Stala's old team, it will be different.
Bolden and surprise, Sandy Beveridge led the Cats with four tackles each. Otis Floyd had three tackles and two sacks.
For Calgary, Burris was 10 for 25 for a truly anemic 114 yards. No picks at least. Copeland had four catches for 70 yards and Reynolds had 127 yards on 13 rushes and that was pretty much it for the Calgary offense. Hughes had seven tackles and two sacks to lead the Calgary defence.
Cats lost the turnover battle, but still won. All in all, the Cats are a far better team than in previous years and are especially powerful at home.
Bolden and surprise, Sandy Beveridge led the Cats with four tackles each. Otis Floyd had three tackles and two sacks.
For Calgary, Burris was 10 for 25 for a truly anemic 114 yards. No picks at least. Copeland had four catches for 70 yards and Reynolds had 127 yards on 13 rushes and that was pretty much it for the Calgary offense. Hughes had seven tackles and two sacks to lead the Calgary defence.
Cats lost the turnover battle, but still won. All in all, the Cats are a far better team than in previous years and are especially powerful at home.
Tuesday, September 22, 2009
Retro Argo Cheerleaders
I attended the Ticat game in Argoville a week and a half ago. The Rogers Centre (or Dead Ted's Dome as I prefer) is a pretty mediocre place to watch a football game, especially when you compare the sightlines to Ivor Wynne. We were on the second level and while the view wasn't terrible, it wasn't great either. Hard to see the Jumbotron as well. Of course the Cats pretty much stank up the joint until tying the game in exciting fashion in the last minute and then proceeded to suck in overtime and lose to, uh, Cody Pickett.
A number of games ago, the Ticats cheerleaders had their retro uniforms and for this game the Argohos had theirs. If I go back to Toronto for the next Ticat game in October, I need to get a better camera.
A number of games ago, the Ticats cheerleaders had their retro uniforms and for this game the Argohos had theirs. If I go back to Toronto for the next Ticat game in October, I need to get a better camera.
More CFL Ratings
Trying to get caught up on the latest CFL rankings. Chris Zelkovich's blog has the TV sports ratings for weekend after Labour Day. In third, the Riders at the Bombers had 872,000 viewers, in fourth the Ticats at Argos had 795,000 viewers, in fifth, the Stampeders at Eskimos had 755,000 viewers and in seventh, the Lions at Alouettes with 546,000 viewers (although that is just the TSN number and not the RDS number). Two unopposed NFL games had first and second, while surprisingly a Blue Jay game snuck into sixth. This is the first week where the CFL competes with the NFL head to head and the CFL ratings were quite respectable. Good to see the Ticats with a good number as well.
I will be curious to crunch the average number per team at the end of the season, although without the RDS numbers (unless I can find them somewhere) Montreal will be at a disadvantage. Saskatchewan looks to have a good shot at winning, based on the last two weeks of games against the Bombers.
I will be curious to crunch the average number per team at the end of the season, although without the RDS numbers (unless I can find them somewhere) Montreal will be at a disadvantage. Saskatchewan looks to have a good shot at winning, based on the last two weeks of games against the Bombers.
Monday, September 21, 2009
Labour Day TV Ratings
A bit late admittedly to be posting this, but Chris Zelkovich's blog has the TV ratings for the Labour Day weekend. Bombers at Roughriders, 982,000, Eskimos at Stampeders 979,000, Argos at Ticats 844,000 and the Alouettes and Lions with 750,000 although that is only for TSN and not RDS. In the blog post it describes the improvement in the ratings due to the use of people meters that pick up inaudible sounds from the broadcasts to capture people watching programs on TVs in bars or other peoples houses.
Impressive ratings, although the Ticat Argos game might have performed better with a non-sucky double blue team. Certainly I think there is more value to the CFL for their broadcasts than what they are currently getting from TSN. I still think that TSN should broadcast two preseason games per year, with the Riders being one of the teams playing.
Impressive ratings, although the Ticat Argos game might have performed better with a non-sucky double blue team. Certainly I think there is more value to the CFL for their broadcasts than what they are currently getting from TSN. I still think that TSN should broadcast two preseason games per year, with the Riders being one of the teams playing.
CFL Power Rankings
1. Montreal
2. Calgary
3. Hamilton
4. Edmonton
5. Saskatchewan
6. BC
7. Toronto
8. Winnipeg
This was a tough week considering that there are now four teams with 6 and 5 records. Montreal at the top is obvious, as usual. Calgary stays at number two, with the relatively close loss on the road (even if they didn't look particularly good). Hamilton generally looked to be the better team on Friday and could have moved up a spot if they hadn't given up 14 easy points at the start of the game and instead blew out Calgary. Edmonton and Saskatchewan are especially tough, with the Riders having a way better point differential, but the Eskimos won on the road so I have to give them the higher spot. BC at 5 and 6 is easy for sixth place. Toronto, still mediocre and losing, but better than the Peg.
The Globe had an article Saturday on the Cats, which included a photo of the fan walking across the goalpost. Here is a youtube video of said fan, which I must say really got the crowd going and which I found highly entertaining. Some fans on ticats.ca forum have argued that it was a dumb idea because the fan is now banned for life, but honestly how are they going to enforce that?
2. Calgary
3. Hamilton
4. Edmonton
5. Saskatchewan
6. BC
7. Toronto
8. Winnipeg
This was a tough week considering that there are now four teams with 6 and 5 records. Montreal at the top is obvious, as usual. Calgary stays at number two, with the relatively close loss on the road (even if they didn't look particularly good). Hamilton generally looked to be the better team on Friday and could have moved up a spot if they hadn't given up 14 easy points at the start of the game and instead blew out Calgary. Edmonton and Saskatchewan are especially tough, with the Riders having a way better point differential, but the Eskimos won on the road so I have to give them the higher spot. BC at 5 and 6 is easy for sixth place. Toronto, still mediocre and losing, but better than the Peg.
The Globe had an article Saturday on the Cats, which included a photo of the fan walking across the goalpost. Here is a youtube video of said fan, which I must say really got the crowd going and which I found highly entertaining. Some fans on ticats.ca forum have argued that it was a dumb idea because the fan is now banned for life, but honestly how are they going to enforce that?
Sunday, September 20, 2009
CFL Previews, Week 11, Part 2
Winnipeg at Montreal,
After getting walloped at home against Saskatchewan last week, there's no point beating around the bush. Montreal, easily.
Montreal 42, Winnipeg 13
Saskatchewan at Edmonton,
Edmonton lost a close one at home against Calgary last week, while the Riders won big in the Peg. The Riders are favoured by two. Edmonton has been in a little bit of a swoon lately, but I'll take the Eskimos at home in a close one.
Edmonton 31, Saskatchewan 27
After getting walloped at home against Saskatchewan last week, there's no point beating around the bush. Montreal, easily.
Montreal 42, Winnipeg 13
Saskatchewan at Edmonton,
Edmonton lost a close one at home against Calgary last week, while the Riders won big in the Peg. The Riders are favoured by two. Edmonton has been in a little bit of a swoon lately, but I'll take the Eskimos at home in a close one.
Edmonton 31, Saskatchewan 27
Friday, September 18, 2009
Ticat Depth Chart
Changes this week on the defensive line, with Dyakowski's injury. The tackles Goodspeed and Gauthier are still the same, as is Hage at centre and Hudson at guard. First overall pick Simeon Rottier (red animal in German) comes in at guard and starts for the first time this season. Porter starts at QB.
Changes at receiver, Currie and Bauman are the wideouts, with Stala and McDaniel as the inside guys. Bruce according to the depth chart only comes in for five receiver sets, but I'm sure he's in all the time. Cobb at running back and Williams at fullback for the once in a blue moon that the Cats use a fullback. Maybe the Cats should use a four receiver set just to mix things up once in a while.
Long and Hickman are listed as the defensive ends. Murphy and Bolden are the tackles.
Knowlton, Floyd and Johnson at linebacker, surprise.
Bradley and Smith are the cornerbacks, Thomson and Tisdale are the halfbacks and Beveridge is the sole Canadian on defence, in at safety.
For Calgary on offense, Henry Burris starts at QB with some anonymous person named Barrick Nealy as the backup. Reynolds starts at running back and non-import Teyo Johnson starts at fullback. Titus Ryan is the import wideout and Brett Ralph (brother of Brock) is the non-import starting wideout. Jeremaine Copeland and Nik Lewis, both imports, are the starting slotbacks.
Ben Archibald, an import is the starting left tackle. Canadian Jeff Pilon starts at the other tackle position. Non import Tim O'Neill starts at centre, while non-imports Newman and Tsoumpas start at guard.
Non-import Justin Phillips starts at one defensive end position, with non-import Odell Willis starts at the other. Non-import Miguel Robede starts at on defensive tackle spot, while Jim Davis, a non-import starts at the other tackle spot. That's two Canadian starters on the defensive line.
Tim Johnson is the starting middle linebacker, with Carpenter and James are the outside linebackers. All are imports.
Raymond and Anderson are the starting import cornerbacks. Amadi and Eubanks are the starting halfback, both imports. Milt Collins, a non-import is the starting safety.
Here's an article from the Calgary Herald describing how the Calgary defence has totally changed from the opening game.
Changes at receiver, Currie and Bauman are the wideouts, with Stala and McDaniel as the inside guys. Bruce according to the depth chart only comes in for five receiver sets, but I'm sure he's in all the time. Cobb at running back and Williams at fullback for the once in a blue moon that the Cats use a fullback. Maybe the Cats should use a four receiver set just to mix things up once in a while.
Long and Hickman are listed as the defensive ends. Murphy and Bolden are the tackles.
Knowlton, Floyd and Johnson at linebacker, surprise.
Bradley and Smith are the cornerbacks, Thomson and Tisdale are the halfbacks and Beveridge is the sole Canadian on defence, in at safety.
For Calgary on offense, Henry Burris starts at QB with some anonymous person named Barrick Nealy as the backup. Reynolds starts at running back and non-import Teyo Johnson starts at fullback. Titus Ryan is the import wideout and Brett Ralph (brother of Brock) is the non-import starting wideout. Jeremaine Copeland and Nik Lewis, both imports, are the starting slotbacks.
Ben Archibald, an import is the starting left tackle. Canadian Jeff Pilon starts at the other tackle position. Non import Tim O'Neill starts at centre, while non-imports Newman and Tsoumpas start at guard.
Non-import Justin Phillips starts at one defensive end position, with non-import Odell Willis starts at the other. Non-import Miguel Robede starts at on defensive tackle spot, while Jim Davis, a non-import starts at the other tackle spot. That's two Canadian starters on the defensive line.
Tim Johnson is the starting middle linebacker, with Carpenter and James are the outside linebackers. All are imports.
Raymond and Anderson are the starting import cornerbacks. Amadi and Eubanks are the starting halfback, both imports. Milt Collins, a non-import is the starting safety.
Here's an article from the Calgary Herald describing how the Calgary defence has totally changed from the opening game.
CFL Previews, Week 11, Part1
Calgary at Hamilton,
Calgary is currently favoured by 3.5 points on the road, which is not surprising considering the Cats have lost 3 of 4 and the Stampeders are coming off back to back victories over Edmonton. Calgary does have a 3 and 2 road record, however the Cats have a 4 and 1 home record, including the last five games. Last week sitting in Dead Ted's Dome, I did have the feeling the Cats would have won if it had been a home game. Incidently, the Cats at 1 and 4 are the worst road team in the entire CFL.
Quinton Porter is scheduled to be the starter, which isn't a huge surprise, although it is more surprising that coach Marcel announced who the starter would be. No Chris Davis at receiver, because the Cats gave him his release and apparently no Prechae Rodriguez who is hurting. That still leaves Porter with two prime targets in Bruce in Stala and Cobb is still in the backfield.
Calgary has running back Joffrey Reynolds and receiver Jermaine Copeland, plus Henry Burris' legs to keep drives going. Relatively medicore defence, but the Stamps are likely to win a shootout. Calgary in a close one.
Calgary 29, Hamilton 27
Toronto at BC,
BC is a ridiculously hard place for an Eastern Standard Timezone team to win in, although Hamilton managed to earlier in the year. Toronto this year has been a bad team, but seems to be on a slight upswing after beating the Cats at home in overtime last week. Cody Pickett has emerged as a not completely terrible quarterback and Toronto's traditionally strong defence has also started to reemerge. BC lost last week in Montreal and have now lost Jarious Jackson to a rotator cuff injury for the foreseeable future. Conveniently the oft concussed Buck Pierce is back to start at QB. One decent hit on Pierce could easily knock out the CFL's reigning man of glass and I have no idea who BC's backup quarterback is.
Surprisingly, this game has play off implications as BC at 4 and 6 is one game ahead of Toronto at 3 and 7 for the crossover spot in the East. If Toronto wins, by the tiebreaking rule for the crossover, the double blue would get the playoff spot. I'll go with Toronto, despite the three time zones and the fact that they're a terrible team because I have absolutely no confidence in the health of Buck Pierce.
Toronto 19, BC 15
Calgary is currently favoured by 3.5 points on the road, which is not surprising considering the Cats have lost 3 of 4 and the Stampeders are coming off back to back victories over Edmonton. Calgary does have a 3 and 2 road record, however the Cats have a 4 and 1 home record, including the last five games. Last week sitting in Dead Ted's Dome, I did have the feeling the Cats would have won if it had been a home game. Incidently, the Cats at 1 and 4 are the worst road team in the entire CFL.
Quinton Porter is scheduled to be the starter, which isn't a huge surprise, although it is more surprising that coach Marcel announced who the starter would be. No Chris Davis at receiver, because the Cats gave him his release and apparently no Prechae Rodriguez who is hurting. That still leaves Porter with two prime targets in Bruce in Stala and Cobb is still in the backfield.
Calgary has running back Joffrey Reynolds and receiver Jermaine Copeland, plus Henry Burris' legs to keep drives going. Relatively medicore defence, but the Stamps are likely to win a shootout. Calgary in a close one.
Calgary 29, Hamilton 27
Toronto at BC,
BC is a ridiculously hard place for an Eastern Standard Timezone team to win in, although Hamilton managed to earlier in the year. Toronto this year has been a bad team, but seems to be on a slight upswing after beating the Cats at home in overtime last week. Cody Pickett has emerged as a not completely terrible quarterback and Toronto's traditionally strong defence has also started to reemerge. BC lost last week in Montreal and have now lost Jarious Jackson to a rotator cuff injury for the foreseeable future. Conveniently the oft concussed Buck Pierce is back to start at QB. One decent hit on Pierce could easily knock out the CFL's reigning man of glass and I have no idea who BC's backup quarterback is.
Surprisingly, this game has play off implications as BC at 4 and 6 is one game ahead of Toronto at 3 and 7 for the crossover spot in the East. If Toronto wins, by the tiebreaking rule for the crossover, the double blue would get the playoff spot. I'll go with Toronto, despite the three time zones and the fact that they're a terrible team because I have absolutely no confidence in the health of Buck Pierce.
Toronto 19, BC 15
Wednesday, September 16, 2009
Power Rankings
1. Montreal
2. Calgary
3. Saskatchewan
4. Hamilton
5. Edmonton
6. Toronto
7. BC
8. Winnipeg
Montreal wins again this week at home and stays on top. Calgary wins both halves of their home and home against Edmonton, albeit closely this week so they stay at number two. The Riders wax an increasing joke of a Winnipeg team in the mosquito infested Peg. Hamilton loses to the Argos in overtime compared to the Eskimos losing two games in a row.
Toronto looks considerably better this week than the week before and proves that former rodeo clown Cody Pickett (who at 29 is a lot older than I thought he was) can actually win a game. BC loses a road game. Just a mediocre team this year.
Winnipeg is looking Hamiltonesque. Which is not a good thing.
2. Calgary
3. Saskatchewan
4. Hamilton
5. Edmonton
6. Toronto
7. BC
8. Winnipeg
Montreal wins again this week at home and stays on top. Calgary wins both halves of their home and home against Edmonton, albeit closely this week so they stay at number two. The Riders wax an increasing joke of a Winnipeg team in the mosquito infested Peg. Hamilton loses to the Argos in overtime compared to the Eskimos losing two games in a row.
Toronto looks considerably better this week than the week before and proves that former rodeo clown Cody Pickett (who at 29 is a lot older than I thought he was) can actually win a game. BC loses a road game. Just a mediocre team this year.
Winnipeg is looking Hamiltonesque. Which is not a good thing.
Sunday, September 13, 2009
CFL Previews, Week 10, Part 2
BC at Montreal,
Montreal lost on a controversial play last week in BC. Now BC has come from three time zones away to try and keep some momentum going at Molson Stadium. The home field advantage will be too much (with the CFL being the ultimate North American homer league). Montreal easily.
Montreal 35, BC 22
Saskatchewan at Winnipeg,
Saskatchewan won easily in the Labour Day game, however the Bombers are now at home for the so called Banjo Bowl. Likely Winnipeg will try and get Fred Reid more touches along the ground this game. Winnipeg in a close one.
Winnipeg 25, Saskatchewan 24
Montreal lost on a controversial play last week in BC. Now BC has come from three time zones away to try and keep some momentum going at Molson Stadium. The home field advantage will be too much (with the CFL being the ultimate North American homer league). Montreal easily.
Montreal 35, BC 22
Saskatchewan at Winnipeg,
Saskatchewan won easily in the Labour Day game, however the Bombers are now at home for the so called Banjo Bowl. Likely Winnipeg will try and get Fred Reid more touches along the ground this game. Winnipeg in a close one.
Winnipeg 25, Saskatchewan 24
Friday, September 11, 2009
CFL Previews, Week 11, Part 1
Hamilton at Toronto,
I will hopefully be in Dead Ted's Dome for the game and possibly I will remember my camera. Toronto was dreadful last week at Ivor Wynne and haven't won at home since some time in August of 2008. More than a calender year. That's some Argonaut suck right there. And surprisingly, Hamilton only is favoured by a single point. Frankly if I was a betting man, I think some money could be made off taking Hamilton. Just saying. Anyways, apparently the Argos have some more injuries since last week's tilt, whereas Hamilton's lineup stays pretty much the same. Not a lot to say here. The result will be closer than last week, but Hamilton still wins.
Hamilton 31, Toronto 20
Calgary at Edmonton,
I wasn't able to watch the game last week, but judging by the score, Edmonton sucked pretty heartily. Edmonton did seem pretty hot prior to this game, but ditching your offensive co-ordinator generally reeks of Blue Bomber like desperation. Apparently Calvin McCarty is out for another game, so that's enough for me to day Edmonton is done.
Calgary 36, Edmonton 25
Just as an aside, that Jays game last week, with 11K and change in terms of fans. Wow. That's Expos numbers. I know it was September and the team has been sucking, but really. Plus will the team be any better next year with Roger's managing the purse strings? Between the Bills games in Toronto and the Jays, how much money is the Rogers empire losing on sports this year. If Buffalo starts out sucking hard, those tickets for December's game will have to moved at a steep discount. Thankfully Ted's dead so he can't see what he has reaped from what he sowed.
I will hopefully be in Dead Ted's Dome for the game and possibly I will remember my camera. Toronto was dreadful last week at Ivor Wynne and haven't won at home since some time in August of 2008. More than a calender year. That's some Argonaut suck right there. And surprisingly, Hamilton only is favoured by a single point. Frankly if I was a betting man, I think some money could be made off taking Hamilton. Just saying. Anyways, apparently the Argos have some more injuries since last week's tilt, whereas Hamilton's lineup stays pretty much the same. Not a lot to say here. The result will be closer than last week, but Hamilton still wins.
Hamilton 31, Toronto 20
Calgary at Edmonton,
I wasn't able to watch the game last week, but judging by the score, Edmonton sucked pretty heartily. Edmonton did seem pretty hot prior to this game, but ditching your offensive co-ordinator generally reeks of Blue Bomber like desperation. Apparently Calvin McCarty is out for another game, so that's enough for me to day Edmonton is done.
Calgary 36, Edmonton 25
Just as an aside, that Jays game last week, with 11K and change in terms of fans. Wow. That's Expos numbers. I know it was September and the team has been sucking, but really. Plus will the team be any better next year with Roger's managing the purse strings? Between the Bills games in Toronto and the Jays, how much money is the Rogers empire losing on sports this year. If Buffalo starts out sucking hard, those tickets for December's game will have to moved at a steep discount. Thankfully Ted's dead so he can't see what he has reaped from what he sowed.
CFL Power Rankings
1. Montreal
2. Calgary
3. Hamilton
4. Saskatchewan
5. Edmonton
6. BC
7. Winnipeg
8. Toronto
Montreal easy, despite the disputed loss on the West Coast. Calgary gets number almost by default, but am certainly looking forward to them playing away in Hamilton to see what they really are. Hamilton pretty much dismantled the double blue last week and could have truly annihilated them, whereas TO has kept it close against other teams. Plus Hamilton has a positive points for and against. Saskatchewan always seems middling. Edmonton imploded last week and ended up firing their offensive co-ordinator as a result. Frankly I think Edmonton plays well when they have Canadian Calvin McCarty lugging the ball, when Whitlock does they suck. BC managed to get past Montreal which is something Winnipeg and Toronto won't say this year. Winnipeg looked mildly less incompetent than the Argos, but with star lineback Barrin Simpson wanting out of the Peg, Toronto could end up better over the second half.
2. Calgary
3. Hamilton
4. Saskatchewan
5. Edmonton
6. BC
7. Winnipeg
8. Toronto
Montreal easy, despite the disputed loss on the West Coast. Calgary gets number almost by default, but am certainly looking forward to them playing away in Hamilton to see what they really are. Hamilton pretty much dismantled the double blue last week and could have truly annihilated them, whereas TO has kept it close against other teams. Plus Hamilton has a positive points for and against. Saskatchewan always seems middling. Edmonton imploded last week and ended up firing their offensive co-ordinator as a result. Frankly I think Edmonton plays well when they have Canadian Calvin McCarty lugging the ball, when Whitlock does they suck. BC managed to get past Montreal which is something Winnipeg and Toronto won't say this year. Winnipeg looked mildly less incompetent than the Argos, but with star lineback Barrin Simpson wanting out of the Peg, Toronto could end up better over the second half.
Monday, September 7, 2009
Ticats Win 34-15
Well the Cats win against a rather incompetent, sucking Argo team. Too many turnovers for the Argos, but the Cats left some points on the table that would have allowed them to run away with it earlier. That evens the season series and gives us the opportunity to win the not so often mentioned Harold Ballard Cup next week in Toronto. I'll be at the game and will try and get some photos.
Probably better play by the defence overall than the offense.
Hopefully the overflow crowd led to a lot of revenue for the Cats for this game. One hopes too that the next home game against Calgary gets a good crowd. A sellout is probably too much to expect, but a crowd over 27,000 is certainly doable.
Probably better play by the defence overall than the offense.
Hopefully the overflow crowd led to a lot of revenue for the Cats for this game. One hopes too that the next home game against Calgary gets a good crowd. A sellout is probably too much to expect, but a crowd over 27,000 is certainly doable.
Ticats up 28-13 at End of the Third
Cats starting to pull away, even though they have left a lot of points on the table with all the Argo turnovers. Frankly, the Ticats are just a better team at this point of the season. Bruce and Stala
doing well.
Cats 276 yards versus the Double Blue's 229. Three Argo turnovers and two Ticat Sacks.
Attendance announced at 30,283, which is overflow and I assume answers my question of whether the people in the tents are included. Maybe some standing room tickets included in there. No idea where you stand with a standing room ticket.
doing well.
Cats 276 yards versus the Double Blue's 229. Three Argo turnovers and two Ticat Sacks.
Attendance announced at 30,283, which is overflow and I assume answers my question of whether the people in the tents are included. Maybe some standing room tickets included in there. No idea where you stand with a standing room ticket.
Cats 18-10 at the Half
Good half by the Cats on Labour Day. Started out weak, but finished strong. Well apart from the Setta miss from sixteen yards at the end of the half. Usually for Ticat games, as the end of the half approaches, it will develop the Cats will have opportunity to score some points and the opponent none. Then over the past few years, the Cats will promptly screw it up and get no points and the other team will get a field goal or TD. The missed field goal was disappointing, but the Argos got no points in the last few minutes and the Cats did.
Good receiver play by Stala and Bruce. Cobb hasn't done much on the ground, but does have a nice TD receiving. Lots of protection for Glenn. Linebackers looked better as the half went on.
Net yards 188 Toronto 182 Hamilton.
Toronto is pretty much all Jamal Robertson. Pickett isn't bad, but probably still needs some time to develop. At least for the Argos next year he should be in good shape. Probably advantageous for Pickett that Don Matthews gave him a couple of starts last year.
I wonder if the Cats being up 18-10 instead down 18-10 means a lot more merchandise and concession sales at half time. Probably at least means more beer sold before the fourth quarter cutoff point.
Good receiver play by Stala and Bruce. Cobb hasn't done much on the ground, but does have a nice TD receiving. Lots of protection for Glenn. Linebackers looked better as the half went on.
Net yards 188 Toronto 182 Hamilton.
Toronto is pretty much all Jamal Robertson. Pickett isn't bad, but probably still needs some time to develop. At least for the Argos next year he should be in good shape. Probably advantageous for Pickett that Don Matthews gave him a couple of starts last year.
I wonder if the Cats being up 18-10 instead down 18-10 means a lot more merchandise and concession sales at half time. Probably at least means more beer sold before the fourth quarter cutoff point.
Labour Day Game Commercials
With the big audience I guess they have managed to get some new commercials for the broadcast. Thank Christ. Some of the old ones were getting pretty stale, especially the Wendy's one. Hadn't seen the Alexander Keith one with the card for his birthday. Pretentious whistling ads for the Toyota Prius. Suzuki, GMC ads. What recession? Retarded Nike golf ads. All good for the CFL and TSN I assume.
Certainly long stretches of play without an ad. Felt like I was watching Fussball onGerman television.
Edit:
Note sure about the Drew Barrymore Covergirl ad in terms of demographics.
Certainly long stretches of play without an ad. Felt like I was watching Fussball onGerman television.
Edit:
Note sure about the Drew Barrymore Covergirl ad in terms of demographics.
After the First Quarter
Cats started off sucking, with almost no offense, but eventually put together a good drive, with hometown boy Dave Stala making three catches including a TD. Toronto running back Jamal Robertson has looked good.
Lumsden Still Hoping for the Olympics (Really?)
Jesse Lumsden still thinks there's a chance for the Olympics next year in Vancouver, according to this article, although in the photo he still has his arm in a sling. Don't really know what to say.
Depth Chart, Labour Day Edition
For the Cats, the offensive line stays the same as pretty much forever, Goodspeed, Dyakowski, Hage, Hudson, and Gauthier. Running back is Cobb and the fullback is John Williams. One change for the receivers is Chris Davis back at slotback after a game spent on the bench, in for Boise State alum (and I'm sure a fine university with many Nobel Prize winners) Drisan James. Local boy Dave Stala is the other slotback. Rodriguez and Bauman are the other starting wideouts, with I assume Bruce in whenever they play five receivers, which is often. No quarterback is listed, although I bet on Glenn.
On defence, with injuries on the line, it is Khari Long and Hickman as the ends, with Montez Murphy and Bolden, all imports, inside. Linebackers, Johnson, Floyd and Knowlton.
Bradley is in at the corner again, with Smith the other corner. Thompson and Tisdale are the defensive backs and the safety Sandy Beveridge, the lone starting Canadian on defence.
For the Argos, on the defensive line, Rob Murphy is the lone import. Ramsay is the other tackle, Picard the centre and Keeping and Robertson the guards. Robertson is the running back, with Crawford the fullback. McNeal and Lucas are the starting import wideouts, with Sam the import slot. Mac product and rookie Mike Bradwell is the other starting slotback.
On defence, Flemons and Harriot are the starting import ends. Huntley is the import inside, while non-import Adriano Belli is listed as the other tackle. Eiben is the starting outside linebacker, with Zeke "Not So Much Destroy Anymore" Moreno in the middle and Willie Pile on the other side.
Middlebrooks and Younger are the cornerbacks. Shell and Shivers the defensive backs and Poole the safety.
For the first time ever in the CFL, the Argos will start an import punter and an import kicker, which I suppose is somewhat noteworthy.
On defence, with injuries on the line, it is Khari Long and Hickman as the ends, with Montez Murphy and Bolden, all imports, inside. Linebackers, Johnson, Floyd and Knowlton.
Bradley is in at the corner again, with Smith the other corner. Thompson and Tisdale are the defensive backs and the safety Sandy Beveridge, the lone starting Canadian on defence.
For the Argos, on the defensive line, Rob Murphy is the lone import. Ramsay is the other tackle, Picard the centre and Keeping and Robertson the guards. Robertson is the running back, with Crawford the fullback. McNeal and Lucas are the starting import wideouts, with Sam the import slot. Mac product and rookie Mike Bradwell is the other starting slotback.
On defence, Flemons and Harriot are the starting import ends. Huntley is the import inside, while non-import Adriano Belli is listed as the other tackle. Eiben is the starting outside linebacker, with Zeke "Not So Much Destroy Anymore" Moreno in the middle and Willie Pile on the other side.
Middlebrooks and Younger are the cornerbacks. Shell and Shivers the defensive backs and Poole the safety.
For the first time ever in the CFL, the Argos will start an import punter and an import kicker, which I suppose is somewhat noteworthy.
CFL Previews, Week 10, Part 2
Toronto at Hamilton,
We're still not sure who is going to start, Glenn or Porter. Things are looking towards Glenn, although I'm not sure what the call would be if Porter's knee was 100% (of if Porter is even injured anymore, Porter's knee injury could serve as a face saving explanation for Bellefeuille). We do know that Cody Pickett will be starting as quarterback for Toronto. Hamilton still has some injuries on the defensive line, although last week they didn't look too bad without Adams and McIntyre. Apart from that we are not too bad, except for special teamer Barrenchea being out with blood clots. Not exactly sure about the Toronto injuries.
In their games last week, Toronto lost by three at home to Calgary, and Hamilton by one on the road to Edmonton, with Hamilton looking at least somewhat dominant until some incompetence at the end. Hamilton is favoured by 6.5 now and Ivor Wynne will be packed and should give Hamilton a bit of an edge. Pickett has passed for over 300 yards the past two games, but his completion percentage is not particularly hot, which generally means field goals over TDs (and consequently losses). Arland Bruce should be on fire for the Cats, looking for revenge against Count Floyd lookalike Bart Andrus. The Cats also have Chris Davis back in the lineup, which should be an upgrade over Drisan James (at least first namewise).Ticats by more than a TD and even in the Harold Ballard Cup.
Hamilton 29, Toronto 21
Edmonton at Calgary,
Calgary is favoured by 6.5, which I don't really understand. Sure they are at home, but Edmonton had proved to be the better team over the first part of the season, plus the Stampeders barely beat the somewhat improving Double Blue last week. Calgary just hasn't looked like the team that won the Grey Cup last year, with a weaker defence and a weaker offense to boot. Loosing top receiver Ken-Yon Rambo has hurt, although the Stamps are still decent in the receiver department. Not sure if non-import running back Calvin McCarty will play for the Smos this week. Calgary's at home, but I still like Edmonton in a shootout.
Edmonton 39, Calgary 35
We're still not sure who is going to start, Glenn or Porter. Things are looking towards Glenn, although I'm not sure what the call would be if Porter's knee was 100% (of if Porter is even injured anymore, Porter's knee injury could serve as a face saving explanation for Bellefeuille). We do know that Cody Pickett will be starting as quarterback for Toronto. Hamilton still has some injuries on the defensive line, although last week they didn't look too bad without Adams and McIntyre. Apart from that we are not too bad, except for special teamer Barrenchea being out with blood clots. Not exactly sure about the Toronto injuries.
In their games last week, Toronto lost by three at home to Calgary, and Hamilton by one on the road to Edmonton, with Hamilton looking at least somewhat dominant until some incompetence at the end. Hamilton is favoured by 6.5 now and Ivor Wynne will be packed and should give Hamilton a bit of an edge. Pickett has passed for over 300 yards the past two games, but his completion percentage is not particularly hot, which generally means field goals over TDs (and consequently losses). Arland Bruce should be on fire for the Cats, looking for revenge against Count Floyd lookalike Bart Andrus. The Cats also have Chris Davis back in the lineup, which should be an upgrade over Drisan James (at least first namewise).Ticats by more than a TD and even in the Harold Ballard Cup.
Hamilton 29, Toronto 21
Edmonton at Calgary,
Calgary is favoured by 6.5, which I don't really understand. Sure they are at home, but Edmonton had proved to be the better team over the first part of the season, plus the Stampeders barely beat the somewhat improving Double Blue last week. Calgary just hasn't looked like the team that won the Grey Cup last year, with a weaker defence and a weaker offense to boot. Loosing top receiver Ken-Yon Rambo has hurt, although the Stamps are still decent in the receiver department. Not sure if non-import running back Calvin McCarty will play for the Smos this week. Calgary's at home, but I still like Edmonton in a shootout.
Edmonton 39, Calgary 35
Saturday, September 5, 2009
Various Articles CFL
Some articles on the CFL I found interesting.
David Naylor has an article in the Globe about the resuscitation of the Saskatchewan Roughriders. According to the article, the Riders sell more merchandise than all the other CFL teams combined. Maybe the Cats can learn from the Riders. Interestingly the article says the team only makes a $1.8 million profit, but to me that seems artificially low, and kept low, by doing things like renovating an old grocery store into a player workout facility.
Stephen Brunt (who worked out at the Mac gym when I was attending) has an article in the Globe about the Labour Day game. Amusingly, he mentions the Harold Ballard Trophy, for the Ticat Argo season series. If the Cats can sweep the Argos over the next two weeks, the Trophy is ours! Brunt mentions that this game will be the highest revenue game for the Cats, something I talked about in a recent post, although I discussed how much the receipts would potentially be. Still wonder if I am underestimating the Cats take for concessions and merchandising. Those $8.75 beers have to be pretty profitable for the Cats and probably one is sold on average to each fan.
David Naylor has an article in the Globe about the resuscitation of the Saskatchewan Roughriders. According to the article, the Riders sell more merchandise than all the other CFL teams combined. Maybe the Cats can learn from the Riders. Interestingly the article says the team only makes a $1.8 million profit, but to me that seems artificially low, and kept low, by doing things like renovating an old grocery store into a player workout facility.
Stephen Brunt (who worked out at the Mac gym when I was attending) has an article in the Globe about the Labour Day game. Amusingly, he mentions the Harold Ballard Trophy, for the Ticat Argo season series. If the Cats can sweep the Argos over the next two weeks, the Trophy is ours! Brunt mentions that this game will be the highest revenue game for the Cats, something I talked about in a recent post, although I discussed how much the receipts would potentially be. Still wonder if I am underestimating the Cats take for concessions and merchandising. Those $8.75 beers have to be pretty profitable for the Cats and probably one is sold on average to each fan.
Friday, September 4, 2009
CFL Previews, Week 10, Part 1
Montreal at BC,
Until the Cats beat the Lions at home earlier this season, it had been a long time since an Eastern Standard time zone team had won in Vancouver. Montreal last won in BC in 2000, however this seems like an excellent chance for them to get a win. Montreal has looked good all year and been scarily consistent. BC on the other hand as suffered with a loss of a few key players (ie Cameron Wake) from last year and has morphed into very mediocre team. BC looked bad against Winnipeg last week, again allowing a ridiculous number of yards on the ground. I'm too lazy to see if Buck Pierce is healthy and able to start, but I'm betting the most injured player in the CFL besides Jesse Lumsden isn't. And that means Jarious Jackson starts. Jackson is OK coming in off the bench, but historically has been pathetically when handed a start. Montreal easy, even with the time zone difference.
Montreal 35, BC 21
Winnipeg at Saskatchewan
Winnipeg is at least coming off their manhandling of BC last week and travels West for their traditional Prairie Labour Day matchup. The Riders lost in Montreal in their last game. Both are coming off bye weeks. Winnipeg has had a good defence all year, combined with a woeful offense. Normally adding Michael Bishop to your team won't help you offensively, but in the Bombers case, with CFL leading rusher Fred Reid, as long as the offense doesn't turn the ball over too much, things should stay close. I'll have some balls and take Winnipeg in a close one.
Bombers 29, Riders 28
Until the Cats beat the Lions at home earlier this season, it had been a long time since an Eastern Standard time zone team had won in Vancouver. Montreal last won in BC in 2000, however this seems like an excellent chance for them to get a win. Montreal has looked good all year and been scarily consistent. BC on the other hand as suffered with a loss of a few key players (ie Cameron Wake) from last year and has morphed into very mediocre team. BC looked bad against Winnipeg last week, again allowing a ridiculous number of yards on the ground. I'm too lazy to see if Buck Pierce is healthy and able to start, but I'm betting the most injured player in the CFL besides Jesse Lumsden isn't. And that means Jarious Jackson starts. Jackson is OK coming in off the bench, but historically has been pathetically when handed a start. Montreal easy, even with the time zone difference.
Montreal 35, BC 21
Winnipeg at Saskatchewan
Winnipeg is at least coming off their manhandling of BC last week and travels West for their traditional Prairie Labour Day matchup. The Riders lost in Montreal in their last game. Both are coming off bye weeks. Winnipeg has had a good defence all year, combined with a woeful offense. Normally adding Michael Bishop to your team won't help you offensively, but in the Bombers case, with CFL leading rusher Fred Reid, as long as the offense doesn't turn the ball over too much, things should stay close. I'll have some balls and take Winnipeg in a close one.
Bombers 29, Riders 28
Thursday, September 3, 2009
Ratings
The Cats didn't win this week in the TV ratings, from Zelkovich's blog. Stamps at Argos, 346,000, slightly more than the Cats at the Eskimos, 329,000 viewers. Maybe at the end of the year, I'll do averages in viewership for each team, from the stats available. Toronto FC in tenth with 85,000, below Golden League track and field.
David Naylor's blog looks at stubhub.com prices for CFL tickets. Riders tickets unsurprisingly are highly valued.
David Naylor's blog looks at stubhub.com prices for CFL tickets. Riders tickets unsurprisingly are highly valued.
Power Rankings
1. Montreal
2. Edmonton
3. Calgary
4. Hamilton
5. Saskatchewan
6. Winnipeg
7. BC
8. Toronto
Montreal and Edmonton are fairly easily explainable just based on their records. For Calgary, Hamilton and Saskatchewan, I based it on points for and points against. Calgary has scored way more points than they have allowed, Hamilton is pretty close to even and the Riders have allowed considerably more than have scored (in fact they have allowed the most points scored throughout the league). Winnipeg is looking better at three and five, although it looks like no Pacman for them. BC is still very mediocre and likely to miss the playoffs at this rate. Toronto I think will have a better record in the second half than in the third half, but coach Bart Andrus has to learn enough about the CFL to stop costing the Argos games.
Received a season ticket holder email, saying that over 27,500 tickets (out of a total available of 29,600 available) had been sold for the Labour Day game. I always wonder if the people in the tents beside the West endzone are included in this capacity or not? Anyways, looks likely that the game will end up sold out. Which brings up another question. How much are Labour Day game receipts worth it to the Cats? Single game tickets for Labour day are $175 for Hall of Fame, $95 for platinum, $75 for gold, $60 for silver, $50 for bronze, $30 for red, $27 for family and $25 for endzone. Obviously the season ticket contribution will be less per seat than the single and I doubt many have been sold at the group rate. Say the average ticket price per seat is $45, that's $1,332,000 for one game. Tack on another $150,000 for merchandise and concessions and that's a big chunk of the $4 million salary cap.
2. Edmonton
3. Calgary
4. Hamilton
5. Saskatchewan
6. Winnipeg
7. BC
8. Toronto
Montreal and Edmonton are fairly easily explainable just based on their records. For Calgary, Hamilton and Saskatchewan, I based it on points for and points against. Calgary has scored way more points than they have allowed, Hamilton is pretty close to even and the Riders have allowed considerably more than have scored (in fact they have allowed the most points scored throughout the league). Winnipeg is looking better at three and five, although it looks like no Pacman for them. BC is still very mediocre and likely to miss the playoffs at this rate. Toronto I think will have a better record in the second half than in the third half, but coach Bart Andrus has to learn enough about the CFL to stop costing the Argos games.
Received a season ticket holder email, saying that over 27,500 tickets (out of a total available of 29,600 available) had been sold for the Labour Day game. I always wonder if the people in the tents beside the West endzone are included in this capacity or not? Anyways, looks likely that the game will end up sold out. Which brings up another question. How much are Labour Day game receipts worth it to the Cats? Single game tickets for Labour day are $175 for Hall of Fame, $95 for platinum, $75 for gold, $60 for silver, $50 for bronze, $30 for red, $27 for family and $25 for endzone. Obviously the season ticket contribution will be less per seat than the single and I doubt many have been sold at the group rate. Say the average ticket price per seat is $45, that's $1,332,000 for one game. Tack on another $150,000 for merchandise and concessions and that's a big chunk of the $4 million salary cap.
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