Tonight's game is important for the Cats since they will get a look at BC, who are a bit hard to predict this year, as they could be anywhere from the best to the fifth best team in the CFL. Since next week's game is Friday, the Cats at least get two extra days to prepare. No definite word with regards to Caulley and Smith playing next week, but both seem unlikely, which isn't good for the Cats. They have Cobb on the practice roster so maybe we will see what he can do.
Winnipeg last night looked better than I thought they would, which is somewhat damning with faint praise as I thought they would be terrible. LeFors wasn't the excrement I thought, but struggled to move the offense. Somewhat surprisingly, the Bomber offensive line that was pretty much blown up over the offseason wasn't completely crappy either. The Bomber defence did look decent and if the team didn't get a boneheaded illegal procedure call to back up their tying field goal attempt five critical yards, the final score might have been different.
David Naylor has an interesting post analyzing which US and Canadian universities have the most players in the CFL. Mac leads with nine (for now depending on what happens with Lumsden). A lot of those players correlate with the Marshall era.
Friday, July 3, 2009
Thursday, July 2, 2009
Jesse Lumsden, Injured Again
I was watching the Edmonton Winnipeg game, which has been fairly boring so far. However it was sad to see Jesse Lumsden injury his shoulder in the first half. It looks quite serious and considering his history, one has to wonder if Lumsden is done for good. The injury justifies the Ticats decision not to resign Lumsden (although whether there was anything they could do to make him resign is another question), however it is sad to see a Canadian star at a glamour position not succeed.
Week 1 Predictions: Part 2
Winnipeg at Edmonton
Edmonton is not one of my favourites this year (or any year as I think that Rickey Ray is overrated), but I have to think they'll stomp Winnipeg at home. Maybe Stefan Lefors can do something as the Winnipeg QB, although I doubt it. If Winnipeg ends up winning, the Cats will have the basement of the league all to their lonesome (unless the Riders suck just as hard, which is possible). It will be interesting to see what Lumsden does tonight.
Edmonton 35, Winnipeg 19
BC at Saskatchewan
Sorry Saskatchewan, apart from injuring QBs Pierce and Jackson in the first quarter (which is possible) there's no chance. BC lost their best defensive end and their best running back, Stefan Logan, however Wally Buono always seems to find a way to reload.
BC 37, Saskatchewan 29
Edmonton is not one of my favourites this year (or any year as I think that Rickey Ray is overrated), but I have to think they'll stomp Winnipeg at home. Maybe Stefan Lefors can do something as the Winnipeg QB, although I doubt it. If Winnipeg ends up winning, the Cats will have the basement of the league all to their lonesome (unless the Riders suck just as hard, which is possible). It will be interesting to see what Lumsden does tonight.
Edmonton 35, Winnipeg 19
BC at Saskatchewan
Sorry Saskatchewan, apart from injuring QBs Pierce and Jackson in the first quarter (which is possible) there's no chance. BC lost their best defensive end and their best running back, Stefan Logan, however Wally Buono always seems to find a way to reload.
BC 37, Saskatchewan 29
More Thoughts on the Game
What's up with centre Marwan Hage's snaps? People always seem to be spreading the koolaid that other teams would love to have Hage, but I'm not drinking what those Jim Joneses are providing. Maybe time to consider who would be the next centre.
Toronto looks like they are capable of occasionally beating Western opponents. Montreal looked pretty good last night against Calgary, so maybe the East won't be as weak as previously predicted. If Winnipeg surprises, wow we're in trouble
Amazing the refs missed that blatant trip by the Toronto kicker on a Hamilton runback. It was plain as day all the way from section 5.
Regarding the Bruce celebration and fine, really I don't care. If the Cats stop him from scoring a TD, no celebration. If the Cats score, they can do a celebration of their own, like tipping over a garbage can as a homage to the Toronto garbage strike. Maybe they're disrespecting the Cats, but they should be disrespected, they suck.
Regarding the stats of Porter versus Joseph, Porter was 26 for 40 for 229 yards, with 2 TDs and 2 INTs (better than Jason Maas!). Joseph was 14 for 29 for 227 yards and three TDs. Interesting that Porter had a much higher completion percentage compared to Joseph, who seemed to be having a relative hot night. I haven't checked the breakdown, but Joseph probably had a higher completion percentage in the crucial first half. Porter also had a far shorter yards per completion, with almost the same yards on 26 passes versus Joseph's 14.
Surprisingly Joseph only ran once for a single yard. Porter by contrast ran nine times for 61 yards. I don't mind Porter running, especially if is for a guaranteed first down, or picking up big yards on first, but potentially greater opportunities are given up down field. Fortunately next week, BC no longer has Cameron Wake as a defensive end, so maybe Porter will get some time to throw.
Toronto looks like they are capable of occasionally beating Western opponents. Montreal looked pretty good last night against Calgary, so maybe the East won't be as weak as previously predicted. If Winnipeg surprises, wow we're in trouble
Amazing the refs missed that blatant trip by the Toronto kicker on a Hamilton runback. It was plain as day all the way from section 5.
Regarding the Bruce celebration and fine, really I don't care. If the Cats stop him from scoring a TD, no celebration. If the Cats score, they can do a celebration of their own, like tipping over a garbage can as a homage to the Toronto garbage strike. Maybe they're disrespecting the Cats, but they should be disrespected, they suck.
Regarding the stats of Porter versus Joseph, Porter was 26 for 40 for 229 yards, with 2 TDs and 2 INTs (better than Jason Maas!). Joseph was 14 for 29 for 227 yards and three TDs. Interesting that Porter had a much higher completion percentage compared to Joseph, who seemed to be having a relative hot night. I haven't checked the breakdown, but Joseph probably had a higher completion percentage in the crucial first half. Porter also had a far shorter yards per completion, with almost the same yards on 26 passes versus Joseph's 14.
Surprisingly Joseph only ran once for a single yard. Porter by contrast ran nine times for 61 yards. I don't mind Porter running, especially if is for a guaranteed first down, or picking up big yards on first, but potentially greater opportunities are given up down field. Fortunately next week, BC no longer has Cameron Wake as a defensive end, so maybe Porter will get some time to throw.
Wednesday, July 1, 2009
Wow
That was certainly disappointing. First thoughts, the Ticat defence was terrible in the first quarter and had no ability to stop the run. They stiffened later on, but certainly were not great.
The Cats started with a decent drive, but couldn't even get three points out of it. Then they flame out giving up the next twenty. The Cats certainly looked outcoached in the first half.
Porter wasn't terrible, but considering the protection he had, not good enough. I'm glad he was willing to go for the extra yard when running the ball, but in the CFL you can't win with your QB running all the time.
Kerry Joseph played an excellent game in the first half which contributed to the Argos victory. Usually he will sail a few balls for no reason out into the stands, but not tonight.
Also in regard to fullback John Williams, why would you have him cut before training camp, bring him back after it is over and then use him a ton? If he was only going to play special teams, OK, but really what was the coaching going on there.
Mike Bradwell did have a few grabs for the Argos. Jonta Woodard did get an illegal procedure call.
That's it for now.
The Cats started with a decent drive, but couldn't even get three points out of it. Then they flame out giving up the next twenty. The Cats certainly looked outcoached in the first half.
Porter wasn't terrible, but considering the protection he had, not good enough. I'm glad he was willing to go for the extra yard when running the ball, but in the CFL you can't win with your QB running all the time.
Kerry Joseph played an excellent game in the first half which contributed to the Argos victory. Usually he will sail a few balls for no reason out into the stands, but not tonight.
Also in regard to fullback John Williams, why would you have him cut before training camp, bring him back after it is over and then use him a ton? If he was only going to play special teams, OK, but really what was the coaching going on there.
Mike Bradwell did have a few grabs for the Argos. Jonta Woodard did get an illegal procedure call.
That's it for now.
Week 1 Predictions: Part 1
Toronto at Hamilton
I think the Cats are still a little behind the Argos, only in the sense that this team has no experience winning and over the past several years can only win if everything goes their way. Any speed bump and the Cats will find a way to lose. Opponents will find weird ways to score at the end of the half, the inability to stop a scoring drive in the waning minutes, the Cats have had it all covered. However the Argos had their own period of suck in the second half of last season. Since in the CFL, for evenly matched teams, the home team is usually favoured by three, I'm going to go with the Cats by one. That means right now with no other evidence, the Cats are probably two points behind the Argos on a neutral field. I'm a bit skeptical of new Argo coach Bart Andrus out of the shoot as well.
Cats 25, Argos 24
Montreal at Calgary
Calgary has to be favoured because they are at home and the Alouettes aren't getting any younger. Cavillo and Cahoon are pretty crotchety as are some members of the offensive line for Montreal. I like Mike Labinjo, the Stampeders Canadian defensive lineman. Montreal, right now I don't know much about honestly, although I'm sure they will have a better record than the Ticats this year.
Calgary 33, Montreal 23
I think the Cats are still a little behind the Argos, only in the sense that this team has no experience winning and over the past several years can only win if everything goes their way. Any speed bump and the Cats will find a way to lose. Opponents will find weird ways to score at the end of the half, the inability to stop a scoring drive in the waning minutes, the Cats have had it all covered. However the Argos had their own period of suck in the second half of last season. Since in the CFL, for evenly matched teams, the home team is usually favoured by three, I'm going to go with the Cats by one. That means right now with no other evidence, the Cats are probably two points behind the Argos on a neutral field. I'm a bit skeptical of new Argo coach Bart Andrus out of the shoot as well.
Cats 25, Argos 24
Montreal at Calgary
Calgary has to be favoured because they are at home and the Alouettes aren't getting any younger. Cavillo and Cahoon are pretty crotchety as are some members of the offensive line for Montreal. I like Mike Labinjo, the Stampeders Canadian defensive lineman. Montreal, right now I don't know much about honestly, although I'm sure they will have a better record than the Ticats this year.
Calgary 33, Montreal 23
Ticat Game Day: Argos Depth Chart
Looking over the Argos depth chart for today's game, there certainly are some changes from previous years. Here's a quick rundown to get familiar with the Argos for 2009.
The biggest change is the offensive line which has been extensively revamped. Import Rob Murphy, acquired as a free agent from BC plays left tackle and should help the line. Dominic Picard comes from Winnipeg to play centre. Former Cat reject and former resident of my apartment building (almost murder free for two years, yeah!) Jonta Woodard, is surprisingly still sticking around at right tackle. I predict several illegal procedure calls for him today. Ramsay and Robertson are the two young Canadian guards. The Argos really blew up their line from last year, although it probably needed to be done.
For the receivers, the noteworthy players are Arland Bruce the third iteration, and Reggie McNeal the former (?) third string QB, who looked good against the Cats last year. Not sure what happened to Talbot, but then again, I'm not an Argo fan, so I don't really care. Mac product Mike Bradwell is a backup slot. Last week I believe he had six receptions against the Cats, so hopefully he will get into the game at some point.
Jamal Robertson is the running back, with some Payton guy backing him up. Crawford is the fourth Canadian on the offense at fullback.
On defence, Flemons (who isn't bad, but not great), and Harriot are the ends. Belli is the non-import tackle, with second overall draft pick Legare his backup backup. Curry is the other tackle.
Things at linebacker in Argoland are a little weird from a Ticat perspective. Eiben, a Canadian at an outside spot is not surprising, nor is Willie Pile at the other outside spot. However Mac product Jason Pottinger starting at middle is unusual, with Moreno listed as the backup. I thought I heard something about Moreno being injured in camp, but forgot about it and haven't heard about anything since. I would say the Cats should try and exploit Pottinger by attacking the middle with a flurry of passes, however the Cats haven't been able to pass over the middle for five years so maybe some runs up the gut are in order.
Of note in the Argo secondary, at the corners Middlebrooks and Younger. The other guys, I wouldn't know them if I hit them with my car, as I believe Pat Burns once said about former mediocre Leaf Bill Berg (and I mean mediocre). Incidently, regarding Berg, during the NHL players strike, Berg's wife, who was a grad student at Mac wrote into the Silhouette with a sob story claiming they only drove some SUV (back in the days when SUVs were considerably rarer) as opposed to some expensive sports car and certainly weren't rich and shouldn't be treated with derision. Yes, she wrote into a student newspaper, whose readership consisted of a number of broke students scraping by and getting more in debt each year with student loans asking for sympathy during the players strike. Schlampe. Well she lost the puck bunny stakes by marrying Bill Berg, so she probably got what she deserved.
Anyways, I digress. It is interesting that the Argos play four Canadians on offense and three on defence compared to the Cats five and two although I wonder if this is more of a consequence of whatever is up with Moreno. The Argo defence looks OK, but not as good as the past few years, with the offense based pretty much off of how QB Kerry Joseph does. If he's throwing passes into the stands, the Argos are done.
The biggest change is the offensive line which has been extensively revamped. Import Rob Murphy, acquired as a free agent from BC plays left tackle and should help the line. Dominic Picard comes from Winnipeg to play centre. Former Cat reject and former resident of my apartment building (almost murder free for two years, yeah!) Jonta Woodard, is surprisingly still sticking around at right tackle. I predict several illegal procedure calls for him today. Ramsay and Robertson are the two young Canadian guards. The Argos really blew up their line from last year, although it probably needed to be done.
For the receivers, the noteworthy players are Arland Bruce the third iteration, and Reggie McNeal the former (?) third string QB, who looked good against the Cats last year. Not sure what happened to Talbot, but then again, I'm not an Argo fan, so I don't really care. Mac product Mike Bradwell is a backup slot. Last week I believe he had six receptions against the Cats, so hopefully he will get into the game at some point.
Jamal Robertson is the running back, with some Payton guy backing him up. Crawford is the fourth Canadian on the offense at fullback.
On defence, Flemons (who isn't bad, but not great), and Harriot are the ends. Belli is the non-import tackle, with second overall draft pick Legare his backup backup. Curry is the other tackle.
Things at linebacker in Argoland are a little weird from a Ticat perspective. Eiben, a Canadian at an outside spot is not surprising, nor is Willie Pile at the other outside spot. However Mac product Jason Pottinger starting at middle is unusual, with Moreno listed as the backup. I thought I heard something about Moreno being injured in camp, but forgot about it and haven't heard about anything since. I would say the Cats should try and exploit Pottinger by attacking the middle with a flurry of passes, however the Cats haven't been able to pass over the middle for five years so maybe some runs up the gut are in order.
Of note in the Argo secondary, at the corners Middlebrooks and Younger. The other guys, I wouldn't know them if I hit them with my car, as I believe Pat Burns once said about former mediocre Leaf Bill Berg (and I mean mediocre). Incidently, regarding Berg, during the NHL players strike, Berg's wife, who was a grad student at Mac wrote into the Silhouette with a sob story claiming they only drove some SUV (back in the days when SUVs were considerably rarer) as opposed to some expensive sports car and certainly weren't rich and shouldn't be treated with derision. Yes, she wrote into a student newspaper, whose readership consisted of a number of broke students scraping by and getting more in debt each year with student loans asking for sympathy during the players strike. Schlampe. Well she lost the puck bunny stakes by marrying Bill Berg, so she probably got what she deserved.
Anyways, I digress. It is interesting that the Argos play four Canadians on offense and three on defence compared to the Cats five and two although I wonder if this is more of a consequence of whatever is up with Moreno. The Argo defence looks OK, but not as good as the past few years, with the offense based pretty much off of how QB Kerry Joseph does. If he's throwing passes into the stands, the Argos are done.
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