2011 Canadian Football League

Mowich

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Dec 25, 2005
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Pre season game...... means nothing.... GO STAMPS GO!

No it doesn't but it gives the coaches a chance to pit their new guys against other team's new guys and we get to see what the new crop of candidates for team positions can do out there. Didn't get to see much of the Lions game against your Stamps, gerry as it was on the same night as the Canucks game 7. Just saw a few plays.

The subject football league is called CANADIAN You know: CFL.

As such, it should have players, coaches, managers and support staff nobody, but Canadians.

Or, at least admit the hypocrisy about the most blatantly racist anti-American bias.

I think by now that we all have gotten you point, YJ, why belabor it. What team are you cheering for?
 

YukonJack

Time Out
Dec 26, 2008
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No it doesn't but it gives the coaches a chance to pit their new guys against other team's new guys and we get to see what the new crop of candidates for team positions can do out there. Didn't get to see much of the Lions game against your Stamps, gerry as it was on the same night as the Canucks game 7. Just saw a few plays.



I think by now that we all have gotten you point, YJ, why belabor it. What team are you cheering for?

Winnipeg.
 

Mowich

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Dec 25, 2005
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Winnipeg.

Good for you. What do you think the teams chances are this year? Anyone you especially like on the team?

YJ, I am always glad to see more Canadians boys play in the league. Heck Sask had three of the best receivers in the CFL last year and they were all Canadian. We only have two of them this year as Andy Fantuz, leading receiver in the CFL last year has signed a contract with a U.S. team because he could make more money down there in a shorter period of time and if he succeeds with the team then his status in both leagues will rise. I don't like it, I will miss Andy but I would never deny him the opportunity. There are many new Canadians in the line-ups this year. I do believe we might even see a really good backup Canadian QB or two who could very well become starters - this would be absolutely wonderful in my books. One of them plays for the Esks and the other plays for the Argos.

I will be watching the Bombers to see how they do this year, good luck to them.


GO, RIDERS, GO!
 

petros

The Central Scrutinizer
Nov 21, 2008
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I am always glad to see more Canadians boys play in the league. Heck Sask had three of the best receivers in the CFL last year and they were all Canadian.

GO, RIDERS, GO!
Hilltops, Thunder, Huskies and Rams are all big talent pools for the Riders and the CFL. We likes football out here almost as much as hockey.
 

weaselwords

Electoral Member
Nov 10, 2009
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salisbury's tavern
Well the Argos started on the right foot this year, hopefully Lemon & Bell have picked up on the intricacies of the CFL and can lead Toronto to a Cup. Then again its only Hamilton they beat.
 

Kreskin

Doctor of Thinkology
Feb 23, 2006
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I get the feeling this year will be wide open for anyone to win.
 

Mowich

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Dec 25, 2005
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I get the feeling this year will be wide open for anyone to win.

You could very well be right, Kreskin. There is a lot of really good new talent on all the team's this year from what I have been reading and seeing. I really expect to see a much better team in TO this year - I like Jim Barker and feel he's been able to bring a renewed belief to the team in their ability to put points on the board. I have been a fan of Hamilton for a few years now too and hope that Marcel can find the formula to get their team more wins this season. Then there are the Bombers who have long been out in the cold and who knows what they might accomplish. I doubt the drubbing that the Stamps took on Wednesday night is an true reflection on the team and they could well be contenders again. The Eskimos are still a question in my mind as they kept Rickie as starter with Kerry Joseph as immediate back-up, don't know how either of those guys will do this year. Now that the Lions have Travis as their starter, I think they could be big trouble for all the other teams this year - you can't keep a guy like Buono off the scoreboard for long and the fact that BC is hosting the Grey Cup this year is great incentive for the team.

Though Anthony is back for the Als, he is missing a key part of his offense in the form of Ben Cahoon who retired in the off-season but I don't doubt that he will soon find a replacement and his arm and health are both in great shape.

Then we have my Riders who looked pretty good on Friday night with their second string players though I can hardly wait to see Darian take to the field again with Ryan, Weston and Jason to name but a few, set to catch his passes for fabulous catches and huge gains on the ground. Wes still looks solid and under Marshall I hope to see a much improved defense.

GO, RIDERS, GO!


Hilltops, Thunder, Huskies and Rams are all big talent pools for the Riders and the CFL. We likes football out here almost as much as hockey.

LOL! 'almost as much as hockey'............methinks more than a few Rider fans might take umbrage with that statement, petros.
;-)

You are dead on about the talent pool in Regina for football players. Marc was also QB for the Sherwin-Williams Spartans in his high-school days - just wish the Riders could have picked him up.
 

petros

The Central Scrutinizer
Nov 21, 2008
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LOL! 'almost as much as hockey'............methinks more than a few Rider fans might take umbrage with that statement, petros. ;-)

You are dead on about the talent pool in Regina for football players. Marc was also QB for the Sherwin-Williams Spartans in his high-school days - just wish the Riders could have picked him up.
Not just players but the coaching is excellent. Take Frank McCrystal for instance he's been a coach since his mid 20's and hs more championships in the Jr than any other coach. I hope someday he gets a crack at the CFL but that would mean leaving a teaching career that he' is damn good at too. He taught me in highschool for a couple of years. The type of teacher that made school fun and he went out of his way to help straighten a few students out and helped them graduate.
 

Mowich

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Dec 25, 2005
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Not just players but the coaching is excellent. Take Frank McCrystal for instance he's been a coach since his mid 20's and hs more championships in the Jr than any other coach. I hope someday he gets a crack at the CFL but that would mean leaving a teaching career that he' is damn good at too. He taught me in highschool for a couple of years. The type of teacher that made school fun and he went out of his way to help straighten a few students out and helped them graduate.

Sounds like Frank is the type of person who inspires others to better themselves, petros.

The final week of preseason games kick off on Wednesday night.

Montreal will be in Hamilton to take on the Cats and the Riders will journey to Vancouver to meet the Lions.

Thursday will see the Argos play the Bombers in Winnipeg and Friday night the Eskimos will be at home to the Stamps.

GO, RIDERS, GO!
 

Mowich

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Dec 25, 2005
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I'm loving that my Eskies beat up the Grasshopper crew in Regina 42-28. Maybe we're finally back...

Yes, wulfie, your Eskies proved that they are more than ready to take on the league this year. Was very impressed with Rickie Ray who had many problems last season but has come back this year and is showing that his arm and aim are just as good as they used to be. Also impressed with Jason Barnes - glad they were smart enough to bring him back to camp this year - bet they are happy to. Great to see Kavis Reed put this win in the book for Edmonton - always thought he had the talent to coach a team.

Not too happy with my team though, Darian threw 3 interceptions and had a fumble in the game - two of the turnovers led to points on the board for Edmonton. Our defense was slow to start and were unable to contain Rickie and crew for most of the game - not a great start to the season. Also, our special teams still need work especially on blocking punt/kick returns. Even with the loss of Andy and Rob, the latter out with injuries, we still have good receivers as we saw with the catches by Weston and Ryan but they need to get the ball to make the downs. Hope the Riders can fix these problems quickly or it could be a long season for the team.

Again, great win, wulfie and many congrats to the team for a super start to the season.
 

Kreskin

Doctor of Thinkology
Feb 23, 2006
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The hiring of Greg Marshall didn't excite me too much. A first year head coach with a team on top of the league? Not convinced he is the right person for the job.
 

Mowich

Hall of Fame Member
Dec 25, 2005
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The hiring of Greg Marshall didn't excite me too much. A first year head coach with a team on top of the league? Not convinced he is the right person for the job.

I liked the fact that he has so much experience on the defensive side of the ball, Kreskin - something that I felt the Rider's really needed to work on as we allowed way too many points against last year. I trusted that Ken Miller, who was a part of the team that brought Greg to Regina, knew what he was doing and that with time, Marshall should fit in well. The thing is that anyone trying to fill Ken's shoes will need to understand the special rapport he had with his guys and conversely, the team has to realize that every coach has their particular style and make every effort to work with him. I am willing to hold-off judgement for the time being especially when I see how poorly the Stamps have done under the guidance of their veteran coach so far this year. ;-)

After the 1 - 1 record in the preseason and last night's loss to Edmonton, I am concerned but not yet worried. I am disappointed in Darian - he told us last year he had worked on not throwing so many interceptions and yet really hasn't improved in that department. Granted some of the snaps were either high or low and that area definitely needs work, but he has to stop relying on his arm and start using his brain before throwing the ball. I just hope Greg is not telling him to stick to the pocket instead of giving Darian the freedom to take off when he has the chance - we all know he is very capable of running with the ball and getting those needed first downs.


There were way too many mixed signals in the game last night - two receivers in the same area, collisions in the backfield, missed tackles that led to huge gains by the Esks.


The big problem in the CFL is that the season is so short every game counts and if changes are needed they have to be done in the time between games so Greg and crew better be out on the field practicing their plays and getting solid in their positions and duties - and they need a win this weekend.

GO, RIDERS, GO!


The Bombers have been practising in canoes.

Well they must be practicing pretty hard, petros as they sure looked good in their win over Hamilton on July 1rst. I was really happy for Paul LaPolice and the team, though I am sure they all must have been close to apoplexy when Buck kept getting hit. Great season opener for the team and their fans.
 

Mowich

Hall of Fame Member
Dec 25, 2005
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Hey Bomber fans, your guys were leading the Stamps 4 - 0 late in the second quarter when Keyon Raymond? intercepted a pass from Buck Pierce and ran it back for a 65 yard TD.

Stamps 7 - Bombers 4 with 3:50 left in the second.

Wow! Buck and Terrence just connected on a beauty 50 yd pass and run to the end zone to put the BB's ahead 11 - 7 with just over a minute left in the first half.

The Bomber defense is impressive, they are making a lot of big plays. They are playing really good man to man so far. They've held Calgary to 7 points so far and the Stamps are not laying back, they are in this game. Milt Stegall agrees with me. :smile:

43 seconds left in the half and Bombers have the ball with good field position, and Buck throws another interception. 8O

Calgary takes the ball at the Bomber 45 - with the clock down to 19 seconds they get the ball to the 35 just short of a first down. Burris keeps on short yardage and gets the down. Calgary takes a time-out with 13 seconds left. Burris, under pressure has to throw the ball away and the Stamps get penalized for holding - taking the ball back to the 45. With one second on the clock, Huff sends in the field goal team. From 41 yards out the kicker misses and Devon Johnson runs the ball out to end the quarter and save the single point.

11 to 7 Bombers at end of first half. Way to go Blue and Gold.

Second half - third quarter

Whoa the Bomber defense has to settle down - they just took 53 yards of penalties in one Calgary drive alone.

About mid-way through the 3rd, Calgary kicker Paredes connected on the 31 FG to put three on the board for the Stamps.

7:45 13 - 10 for the Bombers.

Forgot to mention that Billy Eliot is in as QB for the Bombers, apparently Buck threw one too many interceptions.

Billy Eliot got himself a TD late in the third and the Bombers lead extends to 10 points with just over a minute left in the period. Bombers are really rocking on all cylinders but they are taking waaaaaaaaay too many penalties.

There is also some sort of helmet controversy as they keep popping off from shoulder hits - not face mask grabs. Hank has lost his lid at least twice now.

This game is fraught with penalties.

Kenyon Rambo just, just missed a pass from Hank that was not one of the his better throws. The period ends with the Bombers still in the lead by 10. Go, Bombers......... rock on guys.
 

Mowich

Hall of Fame Member
Dec 25, 2005
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stamps took that game away from them right at the end, amazing.

Yep, they managed to squeak by with a one point victory........ not a stirling effort by the much vaunted Stamps. Burris looked really shakey during the first half and threw a couple of hissy fits during the game which I am getting a wee bit tired of watching. And, they won with the Bombers number 1 QB on the bench and Billy Eliot hurt - not a great win but it is a win.

The Bomber defense - penalties ( and there were way too many of them) are showing that they will be a force to be reckoned with this year. Holding the Stamps to a one point victory is no small accomplishment for this team. Congrats to the Bombers on a good game and the Stamps for the win.

buck pierce injured again, it nevers stops with him.

I am sure I mentioned this in a previous post, talloola, so excuse me for repeating myself but, I do wish that Buck had retired after he was out for so long with the concussion he suffered while with BC. I know he has a great arm and all the intestinal fortitude he needs to play the position but he is a target for all defenses and one day he is going to be sidelined yet again. I cringe every time I see him take off with the ball.
 

talloola

Hall of Fame Member
Nov 14, 2006
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I am sure I mentioned this in a previous post, talloola, so excuse me for repeating myself but, I do wish that Buck had retired after he was out for so long with the concussion he suffered while with BC. I know he has a great arm and all the intestinal fortitude he needs to play the position but he is a target for all defenses and one day he is going to be sidelined yet again. I cringe every time I see him take off with the ball.

and he is a kamakazee when he runs, no thought about protecting himself, he would never slide after
running, when he played here, always ended up getting hit, and hit hard, he had all sorts of different
injuries while here.

he plays with reckless abandon, but does himself no favours, and seems to always be injured. I was
waiting for a long time for lulay to be given more of a chance, but after buck pierce, then came
casey printers back, but that didn't take long for him to show his true colors, and finally after
that came travis lulay, and boy is he ready, just needs those receivers to sew the velcro to their
hands. lol, seriously though, I don't think that is a serious problem, they are young, and will
correct that problem soon.
jarius jackson is good too, but seems to be a much better back up than starter, and has shown that
in earlier games.
Have the montreal/toronto game on now, anthony calvillo is so good.
Just turned it on, looks like he has broken the record now I guess.
 

gopher

Hall of Fame Member
Jun 26, 2005
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Oh sh!t - forgot the Argos vs Als was on.

It's in the 4th with 8:22 to go ...

Managed to watch the last few minutes of the game as Als won 40-17. Hope you saw Chip Cox's 108 yard fumble return for a TD. That's a new league record.

CFL games are generally more fun than NFL because the field is wider and there is more open field running.