Editor's note: Toronto-Saskatchewan is on ESPNews.
The revenge games transition to regular play with 3 East-West contests this week. The Calgary Stampeders make their first trip to the east with a stop in Hamilton on Friday night.
The Argos, unlike the NHL Maple Leafs, play in a late game on national TV with a trip to play Saskatchewan.
BC Lions have the team's longest possible road trip with its annual trip to Montréal to start the Saturday night doubleheader.
Winnipeg goes back on the road to Edmonton in the Saturday nightcap.
Ottawa seems to have a cushy week to relax but the team hosts Hamilton next Wednesday.
This week has a deliberate scheduling nightmare where the late games start at 9:45 pm, short of the usual 3 hours allotted for the early game. This sadly reminds us on NBCSN's insistence on doing the same poor NHL scheduling.
This is particularly bad in the Friday night scenario. Does TSN4 finish the Hamilton game or start the Toronto game?
Somehow a 7:45 pm local start (Regina, Edmonton) looks better than 8 pm. This causes unnecessary anxiety. A good week for the CFL not to be on an ESPN channel. Much less anxiety when you watch on ESPN+.
ESPNews
Friday
Toronto @ Saskatchewan, 9:45p
TSN
Friday
Calgary @ Hamilton, 7p
Toronto @ Saskatchewan, 9:45p
Saturday
BC @ Montréal, 7p
Winnipeg @ Edmonton, 9:45p
Bye week: Ottawa
119 yards?
— CFL (@CFL) September 14, 2021
Only made possible with the three-down game: ⤵️#RiseWithUs pic.twitter.com/lFPJzveZnC
The CFL on TSN panel had some fun with the idea of talking about kickers. Michael Domagala missed an extra point that cost Hamilton a tie in Toronto. Marc Liegghio missed the first 2 extra point attempts for Winnipeg but did hit the final 3 attempts.
Lewis Ward had a rare field goal miss for Ottawa that Lucky Whitehead of the BC Lions ran back for a 119-yard touchdown run.
Winnipeg's regular kicker Tyler Crapigna is on the six-game injured list. BC fired its first kicker Takeru Yamasaki.
The extra ways to score in the CFL is usually connected to the kickers and punters. They matter. We don't know Justin Medlock's reasons for not playing in 2021. He would be really valuable.
2021 CFL Week 6 preview
Montréal coach Khari Jones tested positive for COVID-19. Jones had received both doses of the COVID-19 vaccine in the past months. André Bolduc, assistant head coach and running backs coach, will be in charge on Saturday. Montréal had the week off.
2021 CFL Week 5 preview
The CFL hasn't played an overtime game since Montréal beat Calgary 40-34 in 2OT in Calgary on August 17, 2019. We thought Toronto and Hamilton were headed to overtime on Friday. Then, Hamilton kicker Michael Domagala’s extra point attempt hit the right upright.
The Argonauts got their revenge win after losing badly in Hamilton on Labour Day.
In the western revenge games, Saskatchewan is still the second best CFL team despite Winnipeg sweeping them over the course of 7 days. The teams won't play each other for the rest of the season. The Blue Bombers will have the tiebreaker and home field advantage.
The rivalry has intensity from the field to the fans. The fight near the end of the first half was really bad. The consensus from the announcers and the panel was that Winnipeg got off lightly by not having players ejected. Saskatchewan's 2 ejected players deserved their fate.
Edmonton's first forced turnout was a Pick 6, accounting for the Elks only major. Calgary got its revenge and a bit of topping. Calgary might have been seen as piling on by scoring a late touchdown with the game out of reach. Trying to score late doesn't mean you will succeed. The late Calgary touchdown gave the Stampeders a 52-48 point total against the Elks.
The teams don't play each other for the rest of the regular season, so Calgary has the tiebreaker against Edmonton.
Winnipeg-Saskatchewan also don't play each other again. The Blue Bombers have the advantage at 2-0.
While the west rivalries are done, Hamilton and Toronto still have a home-and-home with the Tiger-Cats hosting on Canadian Thanksgiving and the Argos hosting on November 12. The teams split their rivalry games, each winning at home.
We do obsess a bit about tiebreakers. In a shortened 14-game season, this could be the difference between home field or maybe getting a playoff spot.
2021 CFL Week 4 preview
Dane Evans got hurt late for the Tiger-Cats so David Watford finished the game at quarterback. Original starting QB Jeremiah Masoli may be available against Calgary. Evans will be out for 4-6 weeks.
Trevor Harris will be out for awhile as the Edmonton Elks placed their quarterback on the 6-game injured list with a neck injury. Elks fans are hoping Taylor Cornelius will be like Jake Maier.
Ottawa has 2 presumably healthy quarterbacks in Dominique Davis and Matt Nichols. The RedBlacks have generated very little offence and get a week to figure out its game plan.
The team has a stretch of 3 weekday games coming up, the first 2 at home. The RedBlacks need to figure out ways to be more interesting: the defence back to its form in Week 1, the offence gets better, or both.
2021 CFL Week 3 preview
We noted the logjam last week of 2-2 teams where 56% of the CFL teams had that record. Toronto and BC went in a positive direction to 3-2; Hamilton and Edmonton went in a negative direction to 2-3. Montréal stayed at 2-2 with a bye week.
Saskatchewan joined the 3-2 gathering after losing 2 straight to Winnipeg.
2021 CFL Week 2 preview
The BC Lions did something in the first 3:05 that neither Calgary or Edmonton could do in the first half: score a touchdown. The Lions did something in the first 17 minutes that Calgary and Edmonton couldn't do on Saturdays: score 4 touchdowns.
2021 CFL Week 1 preview
CanadianCrossing.com CFL coverage
Chris Jones is returning to the CFL, this time as a defensive coach for the Toronto Argonauts. The irony of being in Regina for his first game back may not feel that ironic to Roughriders fans. They watched Jones resign from being the Roughriders head coach, general manager and vice-president of football operations in January 2019, only a week after he signed a contract extension.
Jones spent 2 seasons as a head coach in Edmonton where they won a Grey Cup in 2015. He coached Saskatchewan for 3 seasons before leaving to be a defensive assistant with the Cleveland Browns in the NFL in 2019.
Previously, Jones won Grey Cups served as a defensive line coach for Montréal (2002); defensive coordinator for Calgary (2008) and later assistant coach; and defensive coordinator in Toronto (2012).
Glen Young (defensive coordinator) and Joshua Bell (defensive backs coach) are on leave from the Toronto Argonauts until further notice.
Short-term solutions for TSN to replace Chris Cuthbert on CFL telecasts
Rod Smith and Duane Forde spent time in Toronto on Friday night. This gave Smith a CFL weekend where he didn't have to travel.
Dustin Nielson and Glen Suitor worked the Banjo Bowl in Winnipeg. This was a great reward for Nielson. Smith will call the big games out west in the playoffs as well as the Grey Cup. Nielson will get an opportunity to call big games out west in the regular season. This could mean Nielson will call a Thanksgiving game.
Rod Black and Forde, known for covering the east, called the Battle of Alberta, Part II.
When Farhan Lalji was listed on the CFL on TSN play-by-play roster, your humble narrator circled last Saturday's game for Lalji to call. Lalji worked with Matt Dunigan in 2019 and 2021. We don't know how much time Lalji had to prepare in 2019 but get the impression he knew this day was coming.
Lalji sounded a lot better Saturday night in Vancouver. He might only do games late in tripleheaders with Matt Dunigan in Vancouver but he could provide a good call in an emergency. The drawback is that since Lalji is normally the sideline reporter (SLR), TSN doesn't give them a reporter when Lalji is in the booth.
logo credit: CFL
Twitter capture: @CFL
Point of order.
Saskatchewan doesn't do Daylight Saving Time so the Riders game is a 7:45 local start for them.
Posted by: Kyle | September 17, 2021 at 07:05 AM
D'oh. I did know this but had a brain cramp. Thanks for the catch.
Posted by: Chad | September 17, 2021 at 09:01 AM