2011 Canadian Football League

[Mowich]

43 to 1! Outstanding game by the Lions.

I watched every game in the CFL this weekend and I've got to say that not one other team came close to the excellence with which the Lions played against the Als last night. The Lions were solid on both offense and defence and they played with determination and skill. They made the Als look like has-beens.

Granted, the Als have had their troubles of late and are missing key players on their defense but they still had their main offensive players and yet were unable to move the ball. The Lions simply shut them down.

From the opening play of the game, Travis Lulay exhibited a professional calm belying the fact that this is the first full season he has played for the Lions. Play after play, Travis made it happen. Whether running for a 26 yard first down to set up Andrew Harris for the TD or completing passes under pressure, Travis was the man.

Geroy came within 66 yards of a tie with Milt for the all-time receiving champ - though I don't doubt he will take care of that during the first game of next year's regular season. Paris Jackson hit the 400 mark for receptions and Shawn Gore got his first TD. Paul McCallum finished the season with a CFL record of 94.3% completion record, hitting 50 of 53 FGs.

I stick by my prediction of a Lion's Grey Cup victory barring injuries in the Western final and the Cup itself.

I felt a bit anxious for a couple of minutes when lulay was hit, and appeared to be injured, but
after the interview with him, when he explained, it seems to be a temporary problem, and not serious.

this game was remarkable

You could almost hear the collective breath-holding by fans in the stands last night - they were that focused on Travis' injury. Thank heavens it was only a charley horse. Questions were raised about leaving him in the game, but how do you keep someone off the field when everything in their make-up is pushing them back out there?

I have not been a fan of Wally's, as well you know, talloola............but I give him and the coaching staff full marks for turning a dismal opening season into one of the most exciting finishes in the regular season. Well done Wally.

 

[Mowich]

The Eastern and Western Conference Semi-Finals will be played out today on TSN. The Montreal vs Hamilton game is about to begin.

With Montreal struggling late in the season and Hamilton barely maintaining a .500 record on the year, it is anyone's guess who will triumph in this meeting.

Following the Eastern game, the Calgary Stampeders and Edmonton Eskimos will go head to head for second place in the West and a chance to play the BC Lions in the Western final next weekend.

Half-time: 24 to 16 for the Ti-Cats

We've got ourselves a ball game, ladies and gents. Great defensive and offensive game by both teams but Hamilton at the half, leads Montreal by 8 points.

Montreal opened the scoring with a FG by Sean Whyte at 9:45 in the 1rst.
Hamilton answered at 6:18 with a 50 yard pass/run play from Glenn to Thigpen for the TD.

After a sack on Anthony causing a fumble, the Ti-Cats put another 3 on the board off a 20-yard boot by Medlock. The Ti-Cats led by 7 as the 1rst quarter closed.

Hamilton's defense held the Als to another 3 points by Sean Whyte to keep them in the lead by 4 pts at 11:42 in the 2nd.

With 7:09 showing on the clock, the Als finally managed to get Whittaker over the goal line - just barely as the replays showed - but enough to put them ahead by 3 points.

Then at 2:38, Bakari Grant nabbed a beaut from Glenn for another Ti-Cat TD and the Cats were up by 4 points again.

Jamal Johnson intercepted Anthony with :58 seconds remaining in the 2nd and ran 74 yards to put the Ti-Cats at the 3rd yard line. Porter came into the game and threw the TD pass to Stala. 24 to 13 for the Cats.

But Montreal was not about to go quietly into the dressing rooms and engineered a drive that saw them put 3 on the board with 1 second on the clock.

 

[Kreskin]

What a great game. 44-44. Totally insane.

 

[Mowich]

What a great game. 44-44. Totally insane.

We CFL fans wait all year for games like this, don't we, Kreskin. Simply outstanding football.

Hamilton on the board first in OT and got their mandatory 2-pt conversion.

Go Hamilton!

They won..................Hamilton Ti-Cats just won the Eastern Final! Yeah..............Ti-Cats.

This game will go down as a classic..........fabulous football. Both teams battled through-out the entire game.

It was the highest play-off scoring game in CFL history - 56 to 44.

Thank you Ti-Cats and Als for such an exceptional game. Thrilling from beginning to end. Every quarter had something to offer whether it was a fumble for a TD or an interception for a FG. There were so many great plays I don't know where to start.

Bakari Grant was phenomenal for the Ti-Cats as was Chris Williams - who struggled early but came back to be a game maker in the 4th.

Anthony Calvillo went for over 500 yards on the game giving him second place in the record books for yards on a play-off game.

Brandon Whittaker also played a fantastic game for the Als.

Both defenses though making a few glaring errors, played solid and came up big to stop important downs or nab interceptions/fumbles.

Once again the refs played their own part on two iffy calls in the 3rd that cost Hamilton at the time though some retribution came when the Als got hit for back-to-back face mask penalties giving 30 yards to the Ti-Cats in the process.

The game will be replayed on TSN2 later today - it is worth the view.

Rock on Hamilton

Off to watch the Eskimos beat the Stamps.

Whoa! Burris is going to start for the Stamps in the second half............a measure of how far down in points the team is right now.

At half-time the Eskimos lead by 25 to 9. Turning point in opening half came on a Munoz interception and 70 yard run to end zone for an Eskimo TD. The Esks never really looked back.

We're into the 3rd quarter now and the Eskimos are leading 26 to 12 after Calgary's Paredes kicked a 52 yard FG at 12:09. The Stamps had to concede a single to the Esks on a good boot by Duval into the end zone.

Burris hasn't seemed to fire up the offense much and just managed to get sacked.

The BC Lions now know who their opponent will be in the Western Final next weekend. The Edmonton Eskimos prevailed over the Calgary Stampeders at home in Commonwealth Stadium today to take the semi-final 33 - 19.

Very happy for Kavis Reed and the crew. They will have to work hard on their defense this week though or the Lions will tear it apart - think Solomon.

Hard for me to call the Winnipeg vs Hamilton Eastern Final. If Buck was completely healthy, I might go with the Bombers. That not being the case and with the great finish that Hamilton had this season, plus the determination they showed in their win over the vaunted Alouettes, momentum may be on their side.

The die is cast, game time is set and CFL fans will be tuning into the Conference Finals next weekend to see which team will make the final cut to the Cup.

Go Hamilton.
Go BC.

 

[talloola]

BC Lions now know who their opponent will be in the Western Final next weekend. The The die is cast, game time is set and CFL fans will be tuning into the Conference Finals next weekend to see which team will make the final cut to the Cup.

Go Hamilton.
Go BC.

hope the lions remember how to play after all that time off. lol

 

[Kreskin]

I hope Lulay has enough experience now that he doesn't have a Tate-like performance. It seems the vets know how to approach these kind of games and the young guys just learn more lessons from them.

 

[talloola]

I hope Lulay has enough experience now that he doesn't have a Tate-like performance. It seems the vets know how to approach these kind of games and the young guys just learn more lessons from them.

I think he will be fine, of all of them, I trust that he will be 'ready' to go and well prepared.

He played fine last year with only weeks of experience.

 

[Kreskin]

The BC vs Esks game will be won and lost in BC's front 4 versus Ricky Ray. If he has an effective plan to overcome the rush then he'll be dangerous. If not they'll run him out of town.

 

[talloola]

The BC vs Esks game will be won and lost in BC's front 4 versus Ricky Ray. If he has an effective plan to overcome the rush then he'll be dangerous. If not they'll run him out of town.

we must watch with good and positive energy, sit up straight in your chair and look strong, -just taking the advice of the dog whisperer, oh well
whatever, it might work. lol

 

[wulfie68]

Go Esks! Eat lion meat instead of caribou!

The key will be Edmonton's use of the Messam and BC's counter. If the Eskies can get 100 yards out of him, then we have a shot a bringing Lord Grey's mug to its rightful home in Edmonchuk!

 

[Mowich]

Go Esks! Eat lion meat instead of caribou!

The key will be Edmonton's use of the Messam and BC's counter. If the Eskies can get 100 yards out of him, then we have a shot a bringing Lord Grey's mug to its rightful home in Edmonchuk!

I agree that Messam will be key to the Edmonton offense, wulfie.....I hope that he will be healthy next weekend. That said, I was not really impressed with the offense of the Esks - with or without Jerome - they struggled to put up any offensive points and struggled to get the ball down the field. Were it not for the implosion of Tate and the inability of Burris to step up after coming into the game, the results could have been very different - just saying. They also need to heed Kavis when he tells them they have to play penalty free - it could cost them dearly against the Lions.

I hope Lulay has enough experience now that he doesn't have a Tate-like performance. It seems the vets know how to approach these kind of games and the young guys just learn more lessons from them.

Maybe if Drew had had the full season to get ready for the game, he would have had a better chance of getting the job done. Huffy stuck with Burris long past his due date and that crippled the ability of Tate to meld with the team, IMHO. Though I do agree that when it comes to crunch times like the semi-finals and finals - it is the vets that have the professionalism to help them through the pressure of such games. But even vets have their troubles as was seen in the Hamilton vs Montreal game when the Ti-Cat defense managed to discombobulate Calvillo time after time.

I don't doubt Travis will have his 'moments' during the game but I think he will fight through them. What the Lions have going for them is both a strong offense and defense. The Esks did not look stellar in either category yesterday in spite of their win over the Stamps. Either Montreal or Hamilton could have beaten them hands down without any due strain on either team.

The BC vs Esks game will be won and lost in BC's front 4 versus Ricky Ray. If he has an effective plan to overcome the rush then he'll be dangerous. If not they'll run him out of town.

Kavis better be drumming the point into the offense's heads that they MUST protect Rickie. They must give him the time to make the plays. BC is way quicker off the mark then then Esks - at least from what I saw yesterday and in previous Esk games.

we must watch with good and positive energy, sit up straight in your chair and look strong, -just taking the advice of the dog whisperer, oh well
whatever, it might work. lol

Calm and assertive all the way, talloola..................LOL! :smile:

 

[coldstream]

I watched the Hamilton/Montreal game, a classic CFL free for all, and then the New England/NY Jets game in the evening. The latter should have been a great contest, but fell into the kind of monotony that a lot of NFL games do.. predictable and routine. There's no contest between a great CFL game and its correspondent in the NFL. I'm not sure why, the U.S. game seems to have been designed from the top down with a rational and grid like approach.. but you can still see the Rugby in the Canadian game. No one could have designed it, it had to have evolved.

 

[talloola]

Calm and assertive all the way, talloola..................LOL! :smile:

i'll have to send wally a memo and tell him to give that little jab in the side when things don't
go well, works every time. lol

 

[Kreskin]

I watched the Hamilton/Montreal game, a classic CFL free for all, and then the New England/NY Jets game in the evening. The latter should have been a great contest, but fell into the kind of monotony that a lot of NFL games do.. predictable and routine. There's no contest between a great CFL game and its correspondent in the NFL. I'm not sure why, the U.S. game seems to have been designed from the top down with a rational and grid like approach.. but you can still see the Rugby in the Canadian game. No one could have designed it, it had to have evolved.

What I don't like about the NFL game is the clock wins every time. Too much time standing around watching the clock count down. No doubt the best talent but I'd love to see them do something about all the dead space. A ten-point lead with 10 minutes left is virtually insurmountable.

i'll have to send wally a memo and tell him to give that little jab in the side when things don't
go well, works every time. lol

Did you hear the stats on 1040 today? In the last 20 years the visiting team has won the West Final 12 times. Out of those 12 losses Wally coached 8 of them. 8O Feels ominous.

 

[Mowich]

What I don't like about the NFL game is the clock wins every time. Too much time standing around watching the clock count down. No doubt the best talent but I'd love to see them do something about all the dead space. A ten-point lead with 10 minutes left is virtually insurmountable.


Did you hear the stats on 1040 today? In the last 20 years the visiting team has won the West Final 12 times. Out of those 12 losses Wally coached 8 of them. 8O Feels ominous.

Only if you believe that stats can influence the outcome of a game, Kreskin. :smile:

GO, LIONS, GO!

 

[Mowich]

This time tomorrow night CFL fans will know which teams will be meeting in the Grey Cup. Kick-off for the Eastern final is 10 PST on TSN wherein the Bombers play host to the Hamilton Ti-Cats.

Go, Ti-Cats, Go!

The Western final will follow one half hour after the Eastern Final and that game will see home-field advantage for the Lions as they entertain the Edmonton Eskimos.

Go, Lions, Go!

 

[petros]

I concure on your choices of teams to win. I'll be at Grey Cup next week and have no issues cheering on the Lions. Eskimos or Bombers.... not so much.

 

[talloola]

What I don't like about the NFL game is the clock wins every time. Too much time standing around watching the clock count down. No doubt the best talent but I'd love to see them do something about all the dead space. A ten-point lead with 10 minutes left is virtually insurmountable.


Did you hear the stats on 1040 today? In the last 20 years the visiting team has won the West Final 12 times. Out of those 12 losses Wally coached 8 of them. 8O Feels ominous.

all that tells me is 'what' a great coach he is to have been in that many. once you get to that part
of the season, the coach doesn't have any impact on the outcome, its the players who tighten up, who get
too nervous, or who change their style, or try to do too much, and the coach can only remind them of
how they need to play to win, he can't go out on the field.
and just as mowich says, stats are for history, the present is now, no two teams are the same each year.

This time tomorrow night CFL fans will know which teams will be meeting in the Grey Cup. Kick-off for the Eastern final is 10 PST on TSN wherein the Bombers play host to the Hamilton Ti-Cats.

Go, Ti-Cats, Go!

The Western final will follow one half hour after the Eastern Final and that game will see home-field advantage for the Lions as they entertain the Edmonton Eskimos.

Go, Lions, Go!

game will be long over before the canucks start, i'll see them both.

 

[Mowich]

all that tells me is 'what' a great coach he is to have been in that many. once you get to that part
of the season, the coach doesn't have any impact on the outcome, its the players who tighten up, who get
too nervous, or who change their style, or try to do too much, and the coach can only remind them of
how they need to play to win, he can't go out on the field.
and just as mowich says, stats are for history, the present is now, no two teams are the same each year.



game will be long over before the canucks start, i'll see them both.

Even if they go into OT - and wouldn't that be exciting - you would still be able to catch the Canuck game. I love sports Sundays.

 

[talloola]

Even if they go into OT - and wouldn't that be exciting - you would still be able to catch the Canuck game. I love sports Sundays.

me too, what could be better. my daughter #2(riley's mom) was completely wrapped up in the presidents cup
the whole four days.

she knows the stats on every player by memory i'm sure, a pure sports woman, mentally and physically.

she said she sat at the computer with skype going with riley, and they would both watch the golf,
and discuss it all evening.