FINAL DRAMAS FOR PLAYOFFS
Bombers versus Redblacks is game of the week
Four regular season games remain, and three teams are still in a playoff positioning battle.
We know which six teams are going to take part in the postseason, but only half of them know when and where they will be playing.
Second, third and fourth in the West Division have yet to be determined, which means as many as three of the four games this weekend could mean something.
The Lions have a leg up on second place in the West and need only to beat the Roughriders at home on Saturday. That shouldn’t be a problem. The Eskimos host the Argos, who are coming off the bye and will be done after Saturday’s game. The Esks should win.
That means Friday night’s clash in the nation’s capital between the Bombers and Redblacks should be dubbed the “game of the week.” As long as the Lions and Esks win, what the Bombers do will determine where they end up.
If they win, they’ll stay in the West. If they lose, they’ll go to Hamilton and play the TigerCats in the East semifinal. The Redblacks aren’t going to field their best lineup, so the Bombers might have a choice: win and face the tougher road, or lose and get the easier path? The Eskimos have that choice, too. They can lose and go East.
Hmmm.
NO BIG DEAL
The Stampeders fell short of posting the best record in an 18 game season, and it doesn’t matter one bit.
They made the right move in sitting quarterback Bo Levi Mitchell against the Alouettes on Sunday. As backup pivot Drew Tate showed in his rather rusty performance, the Stamps need Mitchell to be 100 per cent healthy when the West final rolls around. They did the right thing in parking him.
And as the Stampeders unfortunately came to realize, people can get hurt in meaningless games, too. They lost weak side linebacker Deron Mayo and backup running back Tory Harrison to season ending injuries over the last few weeks, while starting centre Pierre Lavertu has a high ankle sprain that could keep him out for the rest of the season.
Losing to an Alouettes team in a meaningless game like the Stamps did on Sunday will mean jack squat when they take to the field for the West final on Nov. 20.
The Stamps clearly still remember 2013, when their two starting defensive tackles, Micah Johnson and Demonte Bolden, got hurt in their meaningless regular season finale and the Roughriders ran all over them in the West final en route to a Grey Cup win.
This year’s version of the Stampeders, who went 15-2-1, is one of the best in CFL history, regardless of what happens from here on out.
RIGHTING A WRONG
It’s rather interesting that the CFL is making the Eskimos wear live microphones in their final regular season game, especially when commissioner Jeffrey Orridge said head coach Jason Maas would be suspended for one match if he declined again. Considering Edmonton’s next game is in the playoffs, that’s a bold move from the commish.
Of course, it worked out perfectly since the Argos were the odd team out when the league scheduled the original four live microphone games.
When the Eskimos declined against the Alouettes, the regular season finale between the Argos and Esks was when everyone figured it would be done anyway.
Wonder if the CFL will “accidentally” forget to turn off Edmonton’s microphones a couple of times?
STILL KICKIN’
A former member of the Ottawa Rough Riders is back in the league once again, as Paul McCallum has come out of retirement to kick for the Lions for the remainder of the season.
McCallum is 46 years old, but he’s a better option than what the Lions had before. Richie Leone is the CFL’s best punter and could very well end up in the NFL because of it. What he can’t do with consistency, however, is kick field goals. Leone missed his only two field goal attempts on Saturday against the Riders, whiffing from 45 and 30 yards.
Leone has made only 35 of 51 field goal tries this season, which works out to a 68.6% success rate. That begs the question: Why didn’t they make this move sooner?
McCallum made 29 of 36 attempts last season in B.C. and Saskatchewan, which isn’t great, but it’s better than Leone.
LATE HITS
There is something else significant on the line this weekend: The first pick in next year’s draft. If the Argos lose to the Eskimos, the Bombers will get No. 1 overall since they acquired Toronto’s first round selection in the Drew Willy trade. If the Argos and Roughriders both lose, Toronto still finishes last and Winnipeg gets the first pick ... If the Ticats didn’t have bad luck when it came to injuries this season, they’d have no luck at all.