Canadian Crossing

2023 CFL Week 17 preview

Troy Aikman on Monday Night Football mentioning the CFL and a CFL style offence when watching the Miami Dolphins creative style of play. pic.twitter.com/pfWiIh35fk

— Dennis Baluyot (@dennisbaluyot) September 25, 2023

Some good games in store this weekend if, like Troy Aikman, you want to watch some CFL style offence.

Toronto at Winnipeg will be a strong matchup. Outside of BC, these are the best teams and a 2023 Grey Cup rematch. Unfortunately, this is the only meeting between the clubs, unless they are back in the Grey Cup.

The Argos are not taking chances, starting Cameron Dukes and resting Chad Kelly at quarterback. That won't be as much fun. Sure the Lions aren't happy about that move.

Saskatchewan and BC play for the tiebreaker late on Friday in Vancouver. The 10:30 pm Eastern time may not be too loose. Put on an extra pot of coffee for a Midnight kickoff in Newfoundland.

The Alouettes and RedBlacks gather in Ottawa to start the Saturday doubleheader. This is the third meeting between the clubs with the final game on Thanksgiving.

Calgary travels to Hamilton to finish the schedule. The Stampeders will say hi to Bo Levi Mitchell, even as he won't play in the game. Both teams desperately need a win.

CFL+ is the only option on the U.S. side this week, even for Troy Aikman.

Edmonton gets to enjoy early autumn up north.

TSN

Friday
Toronto @ Winnipeg, 8p
Saskatchewan @ BC, 10:30p
Saturday
Montréal @ Ottawa, 4p
Calgary @ Hamilton, 7p

Bye week: Edmonton

The Hamilton Tiger-Cats will unveil an Indigenous logo for Canada's National Day for Truth and Reconciliation on Saturday.

Indigenous artist Kyle Joedicke designed the logo (above). Joedicke is Cayuga from Six Nations of the Grand River, Turtle Clan.

Calgary, Hamilton's opponent on Saturday, also has a new Indigenous logo. Jacob Alexis, Richard Running Rabbit and Siksika Health Services CEO Dr. Tyler White conceived the logo. The logo is designed to emulate Contemporary Plains Style Traditional Art.

Calgary, Hamilton, and Ottawa join the BC Lions, Winnipeg Blue Bombers, and Edmonton Elks in CFL teams with an Indigenous logo.

Indigenous artist Mike Ivall of the Chippewas of Georgina Island designed the Ottawa Redblacks new Indigenous logo. Ivall is known as @ArgoFluffy on social media.

“It represents direction, unity, elements of the culture, and all of the races,” Ivall told the team's Web site. “It’s everything that we hold value for.”

Playoff update: The BC Lions (10-4) clinched a playoff spot by beating the Elks on Friday. Winnipeg (10-4) clinched a home playoff date since the Lions won and the Roughriders lost.

Saskatchewan (6-8) has a 2-game lead on Calgary (4-10) with 4 games to play. The teams meet on October 13 to determine the tiebreaker, which might not be relevant by that time. If the Stampeders make it to 8-10, Hamilton only needs to go 2-2 to prevent a crossover. A Hamilton win over Calgary prevents a crossover from the West Division.

Montréal (7-7) has a 1-game lead over Hamilton (6-8) for the right to host a home playoff game. The Alouettes have the tiebreaker over the Tiger-Cats. The teams do meet on the final Saturday at Molson Stadium.

Ottawa can finish 8-10 with a sweep of the final 4 games. Hamilton has the tiebreaker with Ottawa so a 2-2 finish would take care of the RedBlacks.

Montréal can clinch a playoff spot with a win over Ottawa on Saturday. The Alouettes broke a 4-game losing streak in the win in Calgary on Saturday.

Alford's not done 😳#CFLGameday on TSN, RDS, & CBS SN
📲 Stream on CFL+ pic.twitter.com/j88Ts9SXzB

— CFL (@CFL) September 23, 2023

The Ottawa RedBlacks finally snapped a 7-game losing streak. The oddity to the 2023 squad is that the RedBlacks have 4 wins, all against West teams. Factor that could have been 5 had Ottawa not blown a 19-point lead against BC.

The RedBlacks are winless in their own division. They finish up with home-and-home with Montréal and the same with Toronto.

For a team that struggled to win at TD Place, Ottawa has 3 home wins so far in 2023.

Saskatchewan left their offence for most of the second half in Ottawa. The Calgary loss meant the Roughriders didn't lose ground in the West playoff battle.

2023 CFL Week 16 preview

The Elks finally scored on BC in 2023. First on defence and later on offence. The Elks are playing well but the Lions were on a mission Friday night in Edmonton.

2023 CFL Week 15 preview

Of the CFL's 3 big rivalries, the battle of the QEW (Queen Elizabeth Way) is ridiculously one-sided. Toronto has won 10 of the last 11 games against Hamilton. The Tiger-Cats are 6-4 when the opponent is not Toronto.

The Argos were not at full strength and still handled Hamilton rather easily. The team rested running back A.J. Ouellette as a healthy scratch and placed Andrew Harris on the 6-game injured list with a knee issue.

HERSTORY!

Maya Turner of the @umbisons is the first woman to ever play and score points in a @USPORTSca regular season football game, including the eventual game-winning field goal! 👏

🎥 @USPORTSca / @umbisons pic.twitter.com/YUw6ItxNKJ

— CFL (@CFL) September 24, 2023

University of Manitoba kicker Maya Turner made a lot of history in her team's 27-24 victory over the Regina Rams. Turner was the first woman to dress in a U Sports regular season game. She hit a 21-yard field goal early in the second quarter, becoming the first female player to score in a regular-season U Sports football game. Then Turner hit a game-winning field goal from 21 yards out in overtime

Turner scored 9 points in her debut, going 5-for 5 on kicks with 2 field goals and 3 extra points.

2023 CFL Week 14 preview: Banjo Bowl and Battle of Alberta, part II

2023 CFL Week 13 preview: Labour Day rivalries

Toronto, Winnipeg, and the BC Lions are the cream of the 2023 CFL crop. Toronto is in Winnipeg this weekend for the team's only matchup all year. A wonderful matchup would be the Argos in Vancouver.

Unfortunately, the CFL schedule isn't balanced in that respect. There is no Toronto game in Vancouver in 2023. The teams met in Toronto earlier this year. That was the worst Lions game of the season. A rematch would have been fun but apparently Toronto and Hamilton have to play 4 times in a season.

For all we poked at the length of the Elks losing home streak, the streak was much longer since Saskatchewan played in Ottawa, dating back to June 20, 2019. Ottawa won that game 44-41. The reasonably balanced schedule makes for better football.

2023 CFL preview

The CFL is stuck with overlapping start times on Friday night doubleheaders. As we saw Friday night, TSN1 started the late game in Edmonton while the Roughriders were coming back late in Ottawa.

That works for most Canadians since they can tape the late game and start in after the first game. This doesn't work too well for CFL+ viewers where you can't watch the game tape delayed. Asking your American fans to watch 2 games live at the same time is a bit much, even for football. Try being a BC Lions fan in London, England.

CFL+ fans often miss segments such as the halftime promo coming out of the 3-minute warning, such as Hamilton-Toronto on Saturday.

CanadianCrossing.com CFL coverage

Rod Smith and Duane Forde pulled double duty with Claire Hanna in Ottawa and Brit Dort in Toronto.

Dustin Nielson didn't have to step on a plane or rent a hotel room, working in Edmonton Friday night with Glen Suitor with Ryan Rishaug in Edmonton. Marshall Ferguson went as far west as he has ever been on TSN with Suitor with Farhan Lalji on Saturday afternoon in Calgary.

Matthew Scianitti filled in for Kate Beirness on Saturday on the CFL on TSN panel. Paul LaPolice was in for Milt Stegall on Friday and Jim Barker and Dave Naylor in for Stegall and Davis Sanchez on Saturday. This was a weekend where Matt Dunigan didn't go game analysis and was the one who stayed on the panel both days.

Twitter capture: @dennisbaluyot via ESPN; @CFL; @CFL
logo credit: CFL
photo credits: Hamilton Tiger-Cats; Calgary Stampeders; CFL 

2023 CFL Week 16 preview

Saskatchewan is coming off a tough loss to Edmonton and can use a road win, even if that means a trip to Ottawa. Crossover is the unofficial theme of this contest to start out Friday night.

CBS Sports Network comes off the bench to show this game.

BC travels to Edmonton for the final time this season. The teams have played in Edmonton and Vancouver, a Lions shutout both times. A point for the Elks would be an improvement in the latter half of the Friday doubleheader.

Calgary has done poorly at home. Montréal may see an opening to start out the Saturday doubleheader in the afternoon in Calgary.

Hamilton finally gets its revenge game in Toronto following the Labour Day contest. A good chance for the Argos to draw a good crowd in prime time on Saturday night.

CFL+ has the final 3 games of the week for our American readers.

Winnipeg needs a rest after a trip to Hamilton and has reasonably good weather to enjoy a week off from football.

CBS Sports Network

Friday
Saskatchewan @ Ottawa, 7p

TSN

Friday
Saskatchewan @ Ottawa, 7p
BC @ Edmonton, 9:30p
Saturday
Montréal @ Calgary, 4p
Hamilton @ Toronto, 7p

Bye week: Winnipeg

THIS GAME’S NOT OVER YET#Redblacks #BCLions #CFLpic.twitter.com/NRENgfpAjK

— 3DownNation (@3DownNation) September 17, 2023

Sure Ottawa had lost 6 straight games but all 3 of the RedBlacks wins have been against the West. Sure Ottawa hadn't won in Vancouver since 2017 but the team had a 19-point lead over the BC Lions.

Sure Ottawa wouldn't try a long field goal attempt where BC's Terry Williams wouldn't return the missed field goal attempt 120 yards for a touchdown.

Vernon Adams Jr. had 3 interceptions that didn't help the Lions cause through most of the game. Then Adams became the Adams he has shown through most of the season. The comeback was worth staying up to watch.

The Lions have proven tough at home with the loss to Hamilton being the only blemish in Vancouver.

The Lions don't always win when Adams throws for 300+ yards but his consistency will help BC go far.

Ottawa's woes got worse after kicker Lewis Ward suffered a torn pectoral muscle and is out for the season.

The Toronto Argonauts clinched the East Division title and will host the Eastern Final at BMO Field on Saturday, November 11. The Argos didn't need to beat the Alouettes a third time but remain undefeated in their own division.

Toronto's 3rd-and-3 play from deep into their own end was a good gamble, thanks to a pass interference call. Montréal had the 7-point lead against a team not used to coming from behind in the game.

The Argos play through every week, using up all their byes. The team doesn't have to anything to play for, except pride and individual stats.

2023 CFL Week 15 preview

2023 CFL Week 14 preview: Banjo Bowl and Battle of Alberta, part II

2023 CFL Week 13 preview: Labour Day rivalries

The BC Lions were thrilled with the Winnipeg loss in Hamilton. Winnipeg hasn't won in Hamilton since 2017 when Collaros was the Tiger-Cats quarterback. This was only the Tiger-Cats second home win and the first against any team not being Ottawa.

Hamilton's Tyreik McAllister returned a missed extra point attempt 126 yards to give the Ticats 2 points. When your NFL loving buddies bash the CFL, tell them about Williams and McAllister.

The Alouettes collapse and Hamilton rise mean the teams are tied for second in the East. Montréal has the tiebreaker and is done with Toronto. The Tiger-Cats have now won 3 of its last 4 games, including BC on the road and Winnipeg at home.

Edmonton and Saskatchewan went back and forth with scores. The Elks scored the final 16 points of the game, including an ill-timed safety that forced the Roughriders to need 2 scores to win.

Tre Ford had 2 scrambles of note: one to free himself to throw a TD pass to Eugene Lewis and the other, a 20-yard run to score the clinching touchdown. Saskatchewan needed a win to keep in a playoff position but Edmonton outplayed them down the stretch.

The Elks have won 4 of their last 5 games.

CanadianCrossing.com CFL coverage

Marshall Ferguson and Matt Dunigan were with Kenzie Lalonde in Montréal on Friday night. Dustin Nielson and Glen Suitor hung out with Brit Dort in the battle of green in Regina in the Friday nightcap.

Rod Smith and Duane Forde with Matthew Scianitti handled the Hall of Fame game on Saturday afternoon in Hamilton. Farhan Lalji made his 2023 play-by-play debut in Vancouver with Suitor with Claire Hanna on Saturday.

The CFL on TSN panel were in Hamilton for the Hall of Fame festivities.

logo credit: CFL
Twitter capture: @3DownNation
photos credit: CFL/TSN (x2)

2023 CFL Week 15 preview

While not an official rivalry, Toronto and Montréal meet for the second week in a row. This time, the game is in La Belle Province and kicks off the CFL week Friday night.

Saskatchewan needs some momentum toward a playoff push. Edmonton isn't the pushover of old. One shade of green (Edmonton) travels to another shade of green (Saskatchewan) in the second half of the doubleheader. The 9:30 pm start time is like the NHL U.S. doubleheaders, not to be trusted.

Winnipeg wants to be in Hamilton for the Grey Cup and the Blue Bombers get their chance to check out Tim Hortons Field. This game kicks off the Saturday doubleheader.

Ottawa gets on a long plane ride to visit Vancouver in September. This is another late afternoon start on the West Coast, which hopefully is boosting Lions attendance.

CBS Sports Network has the weekend off so CFL+ or nothing for our American readers.

Calgary gets to enjoy a pleasant weekend along the Bow River, knowing the Battle of Alberta is over for 2023.

TSN

Friday
Toronto @ Montréal, 7p
Edmonton @ Saskatchewan, 9:30p
Saturday
Winnipeg @ Hamilton, 4p
Ottawa @ BC, 7p

Bye week: Calgary

not a revenge game.#ForTheW pic.twitter.com/6ru2e9kE9j

— Winnipeg Blue Bombers (@Wpg_BlueBombers) September 9, 2023

6 straight touchdowns on 6 first half possessions. The Banjo Bowl is when you expect a good team such as Winnipeg to be on their game. The Blue Bombers punted for the first time with about a minute left in the game.

Saskatchewan should realize that despite the point differential, the loss only counts as one loss in the standings. The Roughriders and Calgary will be in a fight as to which team stays in the West for the playoffs and which team might crossover.

2023 CFL Week 14 preview: Banjo Bowl and Battle of Alberta, part II

Not that Toronto needed the tiebreaker with Montréal, but the Argos decisive win gave Toronto that tiebreaker and a playoff spot. Both Toronto and Winnipeg grabbed playoff spots over the weekend.

Alouettes receiver Austin Mack got kicked out of the game for rough play. Somehow headbutting a quarterback (Zach Collaros) isn't worth an ejection.

2023 CFL Week 13 preview: Labour Day rivalries

Hamilton has won the last 10 games over Ottawa. The RedBlacks haven't won a game against a divisional opponent. Ottawa was 3-3 and is now 3-9 with a 6-game losing streak. The Tiger-Cats have 5 wins in 2023, 3 of them against Ottawa.

The Tiger-Cats defence stopped Ottawa in a goal-line stand in the first half. The teams traded field goals in the first half and touchdowns in the second half.

The Redblacks have lost 16 consecutive home games to East Division rivals. Their last home win against an East team came in November 2018 against Toronto.

REDEMPTION FOR THE ELKS!

The Elks come back to win it all at Commonwealth Stadium. pic.twitter.com/ak2y8ko0RG

— TSN (@TSN_Sports) September 10, 2023

11 yards passing. Tre Ford had 11 yards passing in the first half. Yet the Elks staged their own comeback and won a second home game in 2023.

Calgary had its own comeback on Labour Day and Edmonton returned the favour.

The teams only play twice this year, so Calgary has the tiebreaker. The Stampeders won by 4 points and the Elks won by 2 points, giving Calgary a +2 point differential.

2023 CFL Week 12 preview

Hamilton is 5-7 and right now would make the CFL playoffs. Calgary is 4-9, 2½ games behind Saskatchewan at 6-6. Too early to think crossover but the Stampeders would need a better record than the Tiger-Cats to crossover. Ottawa is 3-9 and Edmonton is 3-10, in case there are upsets on the way.

2023 CFL Week 11 preview

We talk about the excitement of the quarterbacks in the CFL. So many receivers have missed so much time this season. Veteran receiver Greg Ellingson is someone we enjoy seeing on the football field.

Ellingson finally got onto the field for Montréal. He caught a pass for 10 yards. Now Ellingson is back on the 6-game injured list with a knee injury, the same ailment that caused him to miss the start of the 2023 season.

CanadianCrossing.com CFL coverage

Rod Smith and Duane Forde got the Friday game with Claire Hanna in Ottawa on Friday night.

Dustin Nielson and Glen Suitor with John Lu were at the Banjo Bowl in Winnipeg.

Smith and Matt Dunigan had the second half of the Battle of Alberta with Ryan Rishaug in Edmonton on Saturday.

Marshall Ferguson and Paul LaPolice started the tripleheader with Kenzie Lalonde on Saturday afternoon in Toronto.

Jim Barker and Dave Naylor filled in on the CFL on TSN panel.

The panel will be on site in Hamilton on Saturday in honour of the 2023 Canadian Football Hall of Fame inductees.

Your humble narrator realized that CBS Sports Network had the listing starting at 7 pm when clearly the game was at 7:30 pm. That was a new one for us on the U.S. side. No harm since the recording got the whole game.

logo credit: CFL
Twitter captures: @Wpg_BlueBombers; @TSN_Sports

2023 CFL Week 14 preview: Banjo Bowl and Battle of Alberta, part II

The CFL promised CBS Sports Network would carry the key Labour Day weekend games. The U.S. network is missing for the revenge games.

Hamilton at Ottawa starts out the week, division rivals on some level just not a revenge game. This is the only CBS Sports Network telecast of the week.

Revenge Saturday has Montréal in Toronto. Formerly significant rivals, again not revenge rivals. This game starts out the Saturday tripleheader.

The prairie teams play in the Banjo Bowl in Winnipeg with the tiebreaker on the line.

The Battle of Alberta ends the tripleheader with the Elks looking for revenge and a home win against Calgary.

BC gets to recover from its longest road trip of the season to bask in the sun on the West Coast.

CBS Sports Network

Friday
Hamilton @ Ottawa, 7:30p

TSN

Friday
Hamilton @ Ottawa, 7:30p
Saturday
Montréal @ Toronto, 1p
Saskatchewan @ Winnipeg, 4p
Calgary @ Edmonton, 7p

Bye week: BC

The CFL says quarterbacks need to be protected. Zach Collaros is a quarterback of high prominence in the CFL. Collaros would disagree with the first sentence.

Collaros suffered a late hit to the neck that went unpunished against Edmonton. Defensive lineman Pete Robertson headbutted Collaros on Sunday in Regina. There was a penalty called eventually, thanks to the command centre. Robertson did get a 1-game suspension, though he could have been removed for the rest of the game.

Usually in sports, we complain that the most talented get breaks other don't. Not the CFL. All quarterbacks should be protected, even the good ones.

2023 CFL Week 13 preview: Labour Day rivalries

Zach Collaros normally enjoys Labour Day weekend, headbutts aside. Before Monday, Collaros had been 6-0 on Labour Day weekend: 3-0 with the Hamilton Tiger-Cats, 1-0 for Saskatchewan, and 2-0 with the Blue Bombers. Collaros struggled in the pocket to start the game on Sunday.

Saskatchewan snapped a 2-game losing streak on Labour Day weekend. The Roughriders had taken 14 of the last 17 games before Sunday.

Adam Korsak scored 2 punt singles for Saskatchewan in the 4th quarter, helping the Roughriders to tie the score and force overtime. Talk about Collaros and Jake Dolegala all day but don't forget the kickers.

Edmonton Elks end long home CFL losing streak at 22

Down 28-13 in the fourth…

12 and co. pulled off a Labour Day Maier-acle 😤 pic.twitter.com/GIFIhBKgG2

— Calgary Stampeders (@calstampeders) September 5, 2023

Tre Ford was a balanced attack on his own, setting a Canadian quarterback record by rushing for 135 yards. Ford went 14-for-23 for 136 passing yards. Yet Jake Maier and the Calgary Stampeders, trailing by 15 points going into the 4th quarter, came alive at the end to pull off the comeback in front of the home crowd.

Though Calgary won a last minute victory over Saskatchewan in Regina, the Stampeders have lost 6 games this season in the final 3 minutes.

Elks wide receiver Kyran Moore threw a touchdown pass to Steven Dunbar Jr. for a nice trick play.

The 4-point win for Calgary is significant to note since the teams only play twice. If the Elks win on Saturday at home, the margin of victory would be the tiebreaker. That could be the difference for which team might crossover into the East for the playoffs.

Tre Ford. Escape artist.#Elks #ElksCharge #Stamps #CFL #LDCpic.twitter.com/5rGrINT4cY

— 3DownNation (@3DownNation) September 5, 2023

The Labour Day game almost didn't happen on Labour Day. The CFLPA was greatly concerned about the air quality in Calgary. The air quality read between 8 and 10, registering a 9 at 4 hours after kickoff. Games are supposed to be halted if the air quality registers a 7.

The CFL and CFLPA say an independent third-party organization will test air quality and provide measurements for future games.

2023 CFL Week 12 preview

Toronto has now won 2 straight Labour Day games in Hamilton, the first 2 such wins at Tim Hortons Field since the stadium was introduced on Labour Day 2014. The rivalry has been one-sided of late with the Argos being the dominant team.

AJ Ouellette threw a TD pass to go with the regular quarterback Chad Kelly, who threw for 201 yards and 2 touchdowns. Hamilton's Taylor Powell threw for 296 yards and 3 touchdowns in a losing cause. The Argos are 3-0 against the Tiger-Cats in 2023.

2023 CFL Week 11 preview

Vernon Adams Jr. had a nice return back to Montréal, going 21-for-33 for 306 yards and 3 touchdowns. The Alouettes didn't get a touchdown until the 3rd quarter.

BC and Montréal are not rivals in any sense but do play often on Labour Day weekend.

2023 TIFF preview

Our TIFF 2023 preview featured a lot of Canadian films but not Running Back Relentless, a new documentary coming out in 2024 about CFL running back Andrew Harris. The documentary, which will air on Apple TV, showcases Harris' final year in the league and a look back at his story.

CBS Sports Network was clearly going to run over on Sunday with NWSL coverage. A few minutes wouldn't be terrible. 8 minutes of extended time, a commercial break, and a recap cost U.S. viewers the first 3 playing minutes of the Winnipeg @ Saskatchewan game.

What did the U.S. audience miss? A beautiful onside kick recovered by Roughriders kicker Brett Lauther. You can watch the CFL game recap.

Compared to ESPN, CBS Sports Network has been a breeze outside of what happened on Sunday.

This is the part of the year where the U.S. audience loses its TV package for the most part. There are only 3 games after this week left on the U.S. schedule, playoffs and everything.

Friday September 22 Saskatchewan @ Ottawa, 7p
Friday October 6 Edmonton @ Toronto, 7p
Monday October 9 Ottawa @ Montréal, 1p

That's it. CFL+ or watch the video recaps, even for the playoffs. Ugh.

CanadianCrossing.com CFL coverage

Rod Smith and Duane Forde started out the holiday weekend on Saturday in Montréal with Kenzie Lalonde and then went to Hamilton with Matthew Scianitti on Monday. Dustin Nielson and Glen Suitor were a matched set with Brit Dort in Regina on Sunday and Claire Hanna in Calgary on Monday.

We haven't seen Hanna on the CFL sidelines since she was in the Southern Hemisphere for the Women's World Cup for TSN. As we noted, TSN doesn't have a regular reporter in Calgary.

The CFL on TSN panel made their way to Hamilton on Labour Day, including Paul LaPolice. This week with the tripleheader will likely mean a return of Marshall Ferguson and Matt Dunigan, possibly in Toronto.

logo credit: CFL
Twitter capture: @calstampeders; @3DownNation
video credit: YouTube/Upper Canada Films

2023 CFL Week 13 preview: Labour Day rivalries

Labour Day weekend means the major CFL rivalries are on centre stage.

BC at Montréal is not part of the rivalry on Saturday night. The CFL hasn't figured out that the Alouettes and RedBlacks belong together on this weekend. The teams do play on Thanksgiving. Someday BC will play the Atlantic Schooners on Labour Day weekend.

Usually, the "other" game runs on Friday on the long weekend but the CFL has this game on Saturday night in 2023.

The prairie teams play in Regina Sunday night. Winnipeg already has a win over Saskatchewan this season. 

Labour Day means the battle of southern Ontario in Hamilton and the Battle of Alberta in Calgary. The games start in late afternoon in the east.

Toronto is 2-0 against Hamilton so far this season. Edmonton and Calgary have not played each other.

CBS Sports Network carries the Sunday game and the Monday doubleheader.

Ottawa gets to relax and enjoy this holiday weekend.

CBS Sports Network

Sunday
Winnipeg @ Saskatchewan, 7p
Monday
Toronto @ Hamilton, 3:30p
Edmonton @ Calgary, 7p

TSN

Saturday
BC @ Montréal, 7p
Sunday
Winnipeg @ Saskatchewan, 7p
Monday
Toronto @ Hamilton, 3:30p
Edmonton @ Calgary, 7p

Bye week: Ottawa

Edmonton Elks end long home CFL losing streak at 22

We wrote extensively on the Edmonton Elks winning a home game for the first time since 2019. The Ottawa RedBlacks suffered their 5th loss in a row in the 30-20 Elks win. Edmonton has a 2-game winning streak going into the Labour Day classic in Calgary. The Stampeders are a game ahead of the Elks.

2023 CFL Week 12 preview

The running joke at halftime was that Zach Collaros had thrown 4 touchdown passes. 2 of them went to Montréal. Collaros finished the night with 4 TD passes for the Blue Bombers and 2 for the Alouettes. Easy to laugh when your team scored the final 33 points of the game.

Montréal and Winnipeg came into the game with 4-game winning streaks and had veteran quarterbacks coming back from injury.

Brady Oliveria was fantastic on the ground for Winnipeg. William Stanback wasn't much of a running force for the Alouettes.

2023 CFL Week 11 preview

Toronto had its best CFL crowd (17, 906) of the season with the CNE in town. That crowd saw an exciting 39-31 Argos win over the Calgary Stampeders.

Toronto had struggled against Calgary, especially at home. The Argos had been 1-15 in the last decade against Calgary and the only win was on the road.

Javon Leake now has 4 punt return touchdowns, a new franchise record for Toronto. The latest was an 84-yard return. The league record is 5.

2023 CFL Week 10 preview

Hamilton running back James Butler got some revenge over his former club with 21 carries for 118 yards and 2 majors. The 30-13 win over the BC Lions was a bit of a shock. The Tiger-Cats snapped BC's 6-game home winning streak.

Taylor Powell finally won a start with the Tiger-Cats, going 18-23 for 222 yards and a touchdown. Vernon Adams Jr. threw for 311 yards, one touchdown, and one interception for the BC Lions.

This was the first Hamilton win over a .500 + team this season: the previous 3 wins had come against Ottawa (x2) and Edmonton.

Edmonton went 0-8 with Taylor Cornelius and Jarrett Doege at quarterback. Chris Jones was adamant about not giving Tre Ford a chance, even at the end of a game. The Elks switch offensive coordinators. Jarious Jackson goes with Tre Ford. The Elks are 2-1 since then, and the one loss featured an amazing Winnipeg comeback.

The bias against Canadian quarterbacks is very powerful, especially if that Canadian quarterback went to USports (Ford did, Nathan Rourke did not).

The Elks have been running the ball more. Ford has shown some immaturity with a limited number of starts. Jackson deserves a lot of credit. Edmonton looks a lot better with Ford in charge.

With all the quarterbacks who have gone down, Canadian QB Michael O'Connor is still a free agent.

We aren't saying Canadian quarterbacks are the answer, just part of the equation. If Ford starts both of the games against Calgary, he jumps up to third on this list.

We love that the CFL is colour blind to quarterbacks but wish Canadian QBs get more love from the league.

2023 CFL Week 9 preview

Toronto has used up its 3 byes. Montréal and Hamilton have had 2 byes already with the 3rd bye for both teams in Week 20. Ottawa had had a bye so far, a bye this week, with the final bye on Week 20.

Having 9 CFL teams means each team gets 3 byes. They should be spread out more, especially for the East teams.

CFL in Halifax: 2023 Touchdown Atlantic observations

2023 CFL Week 8 preview: Touchdown Atlantic finally comes to Halifax

Touchdown Atlantic 2023 preview: CFL finally comes to Halifax

Defensive guru Rich Stubler passed away this week at 74. Stubler coached with 6 different CFL teams, starting in 1983 as the Hamilton Tiger-Cats defensive coordinator.

He also spent time with Toronto, Edmonton, BC, Calgary, and Montréal. Stubler finished his CFL career in 2021 in Toronto as a defensive assistant.

CanadianCrossing.com CFL coverage

Rod Smith and Glen Suitor stayed out west for the Thursday game in Winnipeg with John Lu and the Saturday game in Vancouver with Farhan Lalji. We thought by now that Lalji would do play by play on a BC Lions game. Maybe when the tripleheaders start later in the season.

Marshall Ferguson made a return along with Duane Forde outside the CNE in Toronto with Matthew Scianitti on Friday night.

Dustin Nielson and Matt Dunigan formed a nice combo with Brit Dort to watch history with the first Elks home win in the 2020s on Sunday night.

Dave Naylor and Jim Barker filled in on the CFL on TSN panel. Scianitti filled in on another Sunday night for Kate Beirness.

logo credit: CFL
photos credit: TSN/CFL

Edmonton Elks end long home CFL losing streak at 22

Extreme mood in Edmonton pic.twitter.com/j7o6L30fEm

— CFL (@CFL) August 28, 2023

1,415 days. Almost 4 years, though there was no 2020 season. The Edmonton Elks won a CFL home game for the first time since there was a COVID-19 pandemic. Jason Kenney had been premier in Alberta fewer than 6 months.

The Elks defeated the Ottawa RedBlacks 30-20 at Commonwealth Stadium last night to break the streak. The Elks now have a 2-game winning streak after winning in Hamilton the previous week.

Canadian quarterback Tre Ford went 15-18 for 317 passing yards and a touchdown. Ford also ran 10 times for 74 yards and a major.

The game got off to a slow start as Ottawa had a 1-0 lead after the first quarter. Eugene Lewis brought an emotional spark as he caught a 66-yard touchdown pass with 41 seconds remaining in the first half.

Eugene Lewis takes it to the house!

The Elks extend their lead. pic.twitter.com/J3XrJ63kBD

— TSN (@TSN_Sports) August 28, 2023

Head coach Chris Jones had ignored Ford as a quarterback possibility. He has started the last 3 games; only a Blue Bombers comeback prevented a 3-game winning streak.

A few thousand in the Edmonton crowd where evacuees from the Northwest Territories due to the wildfires. They brought good luck, perhaps.

The 22-game losing streak surpassed the North American mark of 20 games set by the MLB St. Louis Browns in 1953.

The streak went through 4 head coaches: Jason Maas, Scott Milanovich (who never coached a game), Jaime Elizondo, and Chris Jones.

The Edmonton CFL franchise defeated the BC Lions 19-6 on October 12, 2019 at Commonwealth Stadium. That was the 5th and final home win in 2019.

No more nonsense around here#OurTeamOurCity #GoElks #CFL pic.twitter.com/opPeOkJTc3

— Edmonton Elks (@GoElks) August 28, 2023

2023 CFL Week 12 preview

2023 CFL Week 11 preview

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The Elks (2-9) are only a game behind their provincial rivals — the Calgary Stampeders (3-8) — with back-to-back games coming up: Labour Day Classic in Calgary next Monday and the revenge game in Edmonton on September 9.

We will have our Labour Day CFL preview on Thursday this week, even though the weekend's games don't start until Saturday.

Twitter captures: @CFL; @TSN_Sports; @goelks
photos credit: TSN/CFL

2023 CFL Week 12 preview

The week before rivalry week in the CFL is East meets West in all 4 games.

Montréal and Winnipeg finish up the home and home that started on Canada Day in Montréal and ends Thursday night in Winnipeg.

The Calgary Stampeders get to spend time in Canada's largest city to take on the Argonauts on Friday night. The Argos want revenge for suffering its only loss in Calgary.

This is the only Toronto home game during CNE 2023. An Argos ticket gets you into the fair for free.

Hamilton travels a long way to Vancouver for a late afternoon local time start at BC Place on Saturday. The "revenge" game is on October 13.

Ottawa has a good shot to win on the road because Edmonton is playing at home. Then again, the Elks are on a 1-game winning streak. This game is set for Sunday night. The RedBlacks won 26-7 earlier in the year in Ottawa.

CBS Sports Network carries the bookends with the Thursday and Sunday games.

Saskatchewan Roughriders fans get to relax and eat some Saskatoon berry pie. Good stuff. Run the Burbs had a joke about Saskatoon berry powder. Yum!!

CBS Sports Network

Thursday
Montréal @ Winnipeg, 8:30p
Sunday
Ottawa @ Edmonton, 7p

TSN

Thursday
Montréal @ Winnipeg, 8:30p
Friday
Calgary @ Toronto, 7:30p
Saturday
Hamilton @ BC, 7p
Sunday
Ottawa @ Edmonton, 7p

Bye week: Saskatchewan

The Edmonton Elks snapped the 13-game overall CFL drought, scoring more points on offence, scoring 2nd half points, and playing better defence than the previous week against Winnipeg. The Hamilton Tiger-Cats struggled on offence, especially in the kicking department.

Tre Ford, a Canadian quarterback who played for a Canadian university, won a CFL game.

The Elks still have a 22 game home losing streak, dating back to 2019.

The previous Edmonton win was September 16, 2022 with a 26-24 win over the Saskatchewan Roughriders in Regina.

In southern Alberta, Calgary wants a touchdown like Polly wants a cracker. Polly has a better chance of getting a cracker. Winnipeg's only touchdown came from a Pick 6 from defensive back Demerio Houston. Rene Parades is an incredible kicker but making him the Stampeders offence will come up short in most weeks.

The Shreveport Pirates saga is notable in that the 14-game losing streak was the franchise's first 14 games. The team finished the 1994 season winning 3 of the last 4 games. This was part of the U.S. experiment for the CFL during the mid-1990s.

2023 CFL Week 11 preview

We see a young quarterback struggle with his original franchise. Is he good or can he be better with a different team? Caleb Evans was kind of lost in Ottawa. Signing as the backup in Montréal was barely worth mentioning. The Alouettes didn't deserve to win the comeback victory in Ottawa Saturday night, though Evans worked very hard for that win.

The RedBlacks looked a lot better with their offence and deserved that win. This is why they play the games.

2023 CFL Week 10 preview

2023 CFL Week 9 preview

Vernon Adams Jr. has had success in part due to having plenty of time to throw the ball. The Saskatchewan defence threw the BC Lions off track. While the Lions heroically made things close in the second half, the Roughriders got a much needed win.

Adams played better with a limp in the second half than without that limp in the first half.

The return of Kian Schaffer-Baker to the Saskatchewan receiver corps was physical and psychological. Even though Jake Dolegala struggled in Montréal, we've seen this version before Sunday night in Regina.

NEWS | Elks providing tickets to August 27 game for NWT fire evacuees

With more than 3,000 evacuees in Edmonton, we want to show our support for our friends from the North

DETAILS | https://t.co/y5rvbNa3Zu#OurTeamOurCity #GoElks #YEG pic.twitter.com/xwTx5QTB1Z

— Edmonton Elks (@GoElks) August 21, 2023

Football can be a distraction. The Edmonton Elks have a nice gesture going for evacuees from the Northwest Territories, offering free tickets to those who left as a result of ongoing wildfires. There will be several thousand on hand at Commonwealth Stadium Sunday night against Ottawa.

“We understand that every evacuee's primary focus is on when they can return home, but we wanted to extend the opportunity to attend Sunday's game as our way of showing that Edmontonians are here to support our friends from the North,” said Allan Watt, the Elks vice president of stakeholder relations and gameday, in a press release.

Edmonton is 902 miles or 1,452 km from Yellowknife, the Northwest Territories capital. There are about 20,000 residents of Yellowknife. Some NWT residents flew to Edmonton as part of the evacuation. The NWT evacuees might see something rare in Edmonton if the Elks pull off a home win.

The Northwest Territories wildfires as well as the wildfires in British Columbia (Kelowna, among other places) have been part of a catastrophic summer of wildfires in Canada.

2023 CFL preview

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Rod Smith and Matt Dunigan with Matthew Scianitti had fun with the rain and lightning in Hamilton on Thursday night. Dustin Nielson and Duane Forde were in Calgary Friday night; Forde was there since he was on the 1998 Grey Cup winning squad being celebrated at McMahon Stadium. Farhan Lalji was warm and toasty on the sidelines on a colder than expected summer night.

Smith and Dunigan with Scianitti found their way to Ottawa Saturday evening.

Nielson and Glen Suitor with Brit Dort were in Regina for the Sunday evening contest with the BC Lions.

The American viewers may have noticed that CBS Sports Network dumped out of the rain delay coverage in Hamilton. Our educated guess is that the network can run any studio coverage but not SportsCentre, which filled part of the delay coverage on TSN. Always a reminder to set that DVR or PVR with added time just in case a summer storm rolls through a CFL game.

logo credit: CFL
photo credit: TSN/CFL
Twitter capture: @GoElks

2023 CFL Week 11 preview

The 2022 Edmonton Elks won 4 road games. The 2023 Elks haven't found success away from Commonwealth Stadium. Edmonton hopes for greener pastures in a long road trip to Hamilton to start out the CFL week on Thursday Night Football. As long as Taylor Cornelius doesn't throw a Pick 6 with his left hand, the Elks might have a chance.

Calgary hopes for better success with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers by playing them at McMahon Stadium on Friday night. Winnipeg defeated Calgary earlier this season.

The Highway 417 rivalry gets a boost as the Alouettes and RedBlacks play in Ottawa on Saturday night.

The BC Lions get ready for a loud crowd at Regina as the Saskatchewan Roughriders are at home on Sunday. Saskatchewan is quite vulnerable at quarterback.

CBS Sports Network has the Thursday, Saturday, and Sunday games for those in the States.

Toronto gets its third and final bye of the season and we haven't hit Labour Day.

CBS Sports Network

Thursday
Edmonton @ Hamilton, 7:30p
Saturday
Montréal @ Ottawa, 7p
Sunday
BC @ Saskatchewan, 7p

TSN

Thursday
Edmonton @ Hamilton, 7:30p
Friday
Winnipeg @ Calgary, 9p
Saturday
Montréal @ Ottawa, 7p
Sunday
BC @ Saskatchewan, 7p

Bye week: Toronto

Tre Ford didn't have to do much but did jumpstart the Elks offence with his feet and arm. Kevin Brown helped with a 65-yard touchdown run to start the game.

Matt Dunigan and Milt Stegall both agreed the hit on Zach Collaros was worth a penalty. Both agreed there wasn't intent. That said, the hit landed on Collaros' head and neck.

The focus was whether the hit was late (it was) but not on where the hit was. I would have felt better with a side hit or a gentle tap.

The Collaros play was ill-thought on so many levels. The oddity of the play is that may be the reason why the Elks losing streaks are still going. Dru Brown was able to move the Blue Bombers more efficiently than Collaros had been able to do.

Edmonton had a 22-0 lead and watched that disappear. The Elks could only score a single second-half touchdown. 29 points is a strong improvement, even if the Elks streaks are now have lost 13 straight overall and 22 at home since 2019.

2023 CFL Week 10 preview

Vernon Adams Jr. didn't miss a beat in his return as quarterback for the BC Lions. Adams went 23-32 for 322 yards and 4 touchdowns to 4 different receivers. Getting Lucky Whitehead going should make the BC offence even stronger.

The BC defence didn't allow a touchdown, just 3 field goals from Rene Parades for the Stampeders.

2023 CFL Week 9 preview

Mason Fine was playing better as the temporary Saskatchewan starter at quarterback. A hamstring pull means Fine may be out 2-3 weeks. Jake Dolegala was not that effective as a replacement in Montréal. Shea Patterson is the backup and the Riders went out and acquired quarterback Antonio Pipkin from Hamilton for punter Kaare Vedvik.

Trevor Harris is still out for an undetermined period of time. Saskatchewan is in 3rd place, good enough for a playoff spot unless an East team crosses over, something that has never happened in the history of CFL crossovers.

The Alouettes didn't have quarterback Cody Fajardo and running back William Stanback. Walter Fletcher rushed for 73 yards on 15 carries and added 68 receiving yards on a screen pass. Caleb Evans played a solid game at quarterback for Montréal.

CFL in Halifax: 2023 Touchdown Atlantic observations

2023 CFL Week 8 preview: Touchdown Atlantic finally comes to Halifax

Touchdown Atlantic 2023 preview: CFL finally comes to Halifax

Chad Kelly’s injured ankle was a lot better. Kelly went 21-28 passes for 417 passing yards, 4 touchdowns, and an interception. The Argos had a 28-24 lead at halftime. This was better news for the Ottawa offence but could only score a touchdown in the second half.

Some love in the booth for the @GoElks' Indigenous logo, designed by Conrad Plews 💚#CFLGameday pic.twitter.com/3FjxRVQRil

— CFL (@CFL) August 11, 2023

The Elks frustrations reminded us of the Cleveland Browns, a NFL team that went winless in 2017. Bud Light developed an idea of refrigerators full of Bud Light that would open once the Browns won in 2018.

Cleveland started the 2018 season with a tie at home against Pittsburgh. After a loss in New Orleans, the Browns finally won 21-17 at home over the New York Jets, snapping a 19-game winless streak.

The Cleveland Browns had lost the last 3 games in 2015, 1-15 in 2016 with a home win in December, and 0-16 in 2017.

Edmonton football fans deserve a way better beer than Bud Light for their losing streaks. The idea is brilliant: Let's hope a good Canadian beer steps up to help the frustrated Elks fans.

The one individual who seemed to be doing a lot was Elks president Victor Cui. The Edmonton Elks and Victor Cui mutually agreed to part ways. Cui is definitely not the problem with the football team.

2023 CFL preview

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Dustin Nielson and Glen Suitor called the wild game in Edmonton with Ryan Rishaug on Thursday. Nice interview with Rishaug and Conrad Plews, the artist who designed the Elks Indigenous logo. Looked really sharp.

Nielson and Suitor also were in Vancouver for a summer afternoon game on Saturday with Farhan Lalji.

Rod Smith and Duane Forde stayed out east in Montréal on Friday and Toronto on Sunday. Kenzie Lalonde handled the sidelines for both games.

Jim Barker filled in for Davis Sanchez on the CFL on TSN panel.

logo credit and Twitter capture: @CFL

2023 CFL Week 10 preview

Edmonton's desire for a home win won't get any easier as the Winnipeg Blue Bombers travel to the Alberta capital to start out the CFL week.

The Elks have lost 12 straight overall and 21 at home since 2019.

The green and white travel well and Montréal is beautiful in August. The Roughriders will be at Molson Stadium on Friday night. This would have been the return of Trevor Harris to Montréal except for his injury. Cody Fajardo will take on his old team for the first time.

Calgary looks to revenge its Week 1 loss to the BC Lions. This time the game will be in Vancouver on Saturday.

The Argonauts get to play a home game in Toronto taking on their Eastern Ontario rivals from Ottawa on Sunday night.

CBS Sports Network has the Thursday and Saturday games for those in the States.

The Hamilton Tiger-Cats get a well-deserved break to enjoy the summer.

CBS Sports Network

Thursday
Winnipeg @ Edmonton, 9p
Saturday
Calgary @ BC, 7p

TSN

Thursday
Winnipeg @ Edmonton, 9p
Friday
Saskatchewan @ Montréal, 7:30p
Saturday
Calgary @ BC, 7p
Sunday
Ottawa @ Toronto, 7p

Bye week: Hamilton

Winnipeg at home after a bye is a tough battle for any team, even the BC Lions. A 50-14 thrashing sets up a third game on October 6 in Vancouver to decide bragging rights and the tiebreaker. Dominque Davis got some playing time for BC at quarterback, filling in for the injured Dane Evans. Vernon Adams Jr. should be back for the Lions as they welcome Calgary to BC Place.

Kenny Lawler hasn't been back for long but hasn't missed a step. Lawler had 200 receiving yards for the Blue Bombers. Imagine his contrast to 2022 when he played for the Edmonton Elks.

2023 CFL Week 9 preview

Hamilton was the dominant team Saturday night against the Alouettes. The problem is the Tiger-Cats got to 14 points in the 3rd quarter and didn't score again. Montréal had 18 points in the 4th quarter and made a close game look like more of a blowout.

Given how close the 3 East teams are that are not Toronto, Montréal has the tiebreaker over Hamilton. Hamilton has the tiebreaker over Ottawa. We already know these tiebreakers and we haven't hit Labour Day.

Not sure how you hold the offensive coordinator with a 3rd-strong quarterback, yet the Hamilton Tiger-Cats and offensive coordinator Tommy Condell reached a "mutual decision" on his dismissal. Scott Milanovich, who joined the team during the offseason as a senior assistant coach, will take over the play-calling duties.

Milanovich's hire might have been the beginning of this transition. Edmonton needed to jumpstart its offence way more than Hamilton did. The Tiger-Cats could use a stronger quarterback.

CFL in Halifax: 2023 Touchdown Atlantic observations

Toronto Argos fans can be disappointed that the team suffered its first loss and that Chad Kelly got hurt. In hindsight, this might be the best thing for the Argonauts. We noted the ridiculous nature of going from Halifax to Calgary.

The loss in Calgary takes off the pressure of being an undefeated team. They lost on the road to a West Division opponent. The Argos got to see what Cameron Dukes has at quarterback.

The offence was a little sluggish in Halifax but won on defence and special teams. Playing in the Eastern time zone will help out Toronto get back to its proper form. Chad Kelly will likely be fine.

As for Calgary, Week 9 was the first time an Alberta team won at home this season. The Stampeders got some much needed momentum and confidence.

3-5 is slightly better for a team with some odd luck. The Calgary schedule is rather tough being in Vancouver this weekend, hosting Winnipeg, and then traveling to Toronto on August 25. The Stampeders have a 17-season playoff streak the team would like to keep intact.

2023 CFL Week 8 preview: Touchdown Atlantic finally comes to Halifax

Touchdown Atlantic 2023 preview: CFL finally comes to Halifax

Mason Fine was better because he had time to throw deep for the Saskatchewan Roughriders. Ottawa finally got a touchdown, though on defence.

Getting the first win as a starter has to be huge for Fine. Helped when Ottawa kicked an 8-yard field goal late instead of going for the touchdown.

TSN showed footage of kids riding on sheep, either ewes or rams. All the more reason to go to see a game at Mosaic Stadium. There also was coverage of the Queen City Exhibition, which is next door to the stadium in Regina.

We're proud to unveil our new Indigenous logo, which was created by Conrad Plews – a local Metis artist of Cree background.

Our new logo debuts August 10th for our Indigenous Celebration game vs. Winnipeg.

DETAILS | https://t.co/lmvCdpY5H9#OurTeamOurCity #GoElks #CFL pic.twitter.com/SKwc9qUzjn

— Edmonton Elks (@GoElks) August 2, 2023

CFL loves the whole diversity is strength approach. Love how the league celebrates diversity. This will look cool in Edmonton. Maybe if the Elks win, fans will want to keep this design until they lose.

You get the impression that Jarious Jackson truly picked Canadian quarterback Tre Ford to start at home against Winnipeg. Chris Jones went out of his way to not play Ford in 2023, even for a down. Jarret Doege will be the backup QB with former starter Taylor Cornelius in on short-yardage duties.

Ford is the first Canadian quarterback to start or even see action in the CFL in 2023. Ford started in Week 4 in 2022 in a win over Hamilton, the first by a USports quarterback since 1985. Ford started again the next week against Calgary but suffered a shoulder injury. He had another late season start against BC in mid-October.

Jackson replaced Stephen McAdoo as the Elks offensive coordinator after Edmonton started 0-8.

On the Indigenous level, we missed that Mason Fine and Dane Evans were the first 2 North American quarterbacks with Indigenous blood to go head-to-head in a CFL game when BC was in Edmonton on July 22. A significant accomplishment worth noting.

Rule of thumb for #CFL+. When @CFLonTSN is on the air, @CFL should show us all of that.

— Chad Rubel (@canadian_xing) August 4, 2023

CFL+ should be stronger in coming back from breaks than ESPN+ ever did. Yet the opposite is true. CFL+ went into the 3 minute warning in Calgary on Friday night. We saw about 2 seconds of the panel halftime preview before the feed was lost. We missed about 102 seconds of game time, including a key interception. Clue to CFL+: when TSN is back, you can show us what is happening.

ESPN+ certainly had its issues but CFL+ has been surprisingly bad in what the audience can't see. Pay those people more and give them more energy drinks so they can stay awake.

CanadianCrossing.com CFL coverage

Dustin Nielson and Duane Forde with John Lu called what was supposed to be the best game of the week in Winnipeg on Thursday night. Nielson reunited with Glen Suitor in Calgary with Farhan Lalji on Friday.

Marshall Ferguson and Forde were with Matthew Scianitti in Hamilton on Saturday evening. Ferguson went from Hamilton to Regina on Sunday along with Suitor and Brit Dort.

Jim Barker and Paul LaPolice filled in on the CFL on TSN panel. Henoc Muamba, currently injured for the Argos, made his CFL on TSN panel debut Saturday night. Smart move to get current players some practice on the air. Muamba did pretty well in his debut. Milt Stegall, in his what to watch preview, joked that his right eye would be on Muamba in the studio.

I do agree with Joel Gasson of 3 Down Nation in that there is a difference between an active player providing playoff analysis after his season is over versus a literal active player on the injured list during the season.

Rod Smith, Davis Sanchez, and Matt Dunigan got the weekend off.

logo credit: CFL
Twitter captures: @GoElks; @canadian_xing 

2023 CFL Week 9 preview

The CFL's best matchup kicks off on Thursday as the BC Lions travel to Winnipeg. The Lions have already won in Winnipeg by 24 points. Another win gives BC the tiebreaker.

CBS Sports Network has the Thursday game for those in the States.

Toronto had a home game in Halifax in Nova Scotia and then gets to play in Calgary on Friday night. Reminds us sadly of the ridiculous Montréal Expos road trips when they were forced to play in San Juan and then travel to Seattle.

Speaking of Montréal, the Alouettes travel to the "donut bowl" in Hamilton to play the Tiger-Cats on Saturday night.

The RedBlacks play in the late afternoon in Regina on Sunday against the Saskatchewan Roughriders. Would love to see Ottawa fans in the stands with clothing from the old Rough Riders team.

CBS Sports Network also has the Saturday and Sunday games.

Edmonton gets to enjoy a week off to take in very late sunsets and know they won't lose a CFL game.

CBS Sports Network

Thursday
BC @ Winnipeg, 8:30p
Saturday
Montréal @ Hamilton, 7p
Sunday
Ottawa @ Saskatchewan, 7p

TSN

Thursday
BC @ Winnipeg, 8:30p
Friday
Toronto @ Calgary, 9p
Saturday
Montréal @ Hamilton, 7p
Sunday
Ottawa @ Saskatchewan, 7p

Bye week: Edmonton

21 is good in Las Vegas, bad in Edmonton. The 21st home loss, a North American professional sports record, felt particularly bad. The first home shutout ever at Commonwealth Stadium (2 long ago shutouts at Clark Stadium). This is the first time a CFL team has been shut out twice in a season since Edmonton had 2 shutouts against Saskatchewan in 1959.

Chris Jones sending in Jarrett Doege with 12 seconds left after Taylor Cornelius made some odd decisions. How much worse could Tre Ford be? The Elks had 13 penalties for 177 yards, 139 of those yards in the first half. Baffling penalties.

BC Lions scored 22 points in Vancouver and 27 in Edmonton. The Elks? 0 and 0.

Edmonton gets a bye, which is also good for the CFL viewing audience in person and on TV. That was sad to watch even if you are a Lions fan.

CFL in Halifax: 2023 Touchdown Atlantic observations

2023 CFL Week 8 preview: Touchdown Atlantic finally comes to Halifax

Touchdown Atlantic 2023 preview: CFL finally comes to Halifax

Saskatchewan struggled significantly, a frustrating offence performance surpassed later that day by the Elks. Toronto is 6-0 for a reason. The Argos defence is better than we might have considered.

Mason Fine needs to get out of the pocket more and run when he needs to do so.

Canadian running back Andrew Harris surpassed his childhood hero Charles Roberts to be 5th all-time in CFL rushing yards. Harris has the most rushing yards of any Canadian in the CFL.

We covered the non-football part of Touchdown Atlantic earlier this week. Halifax looked good, even if the Roughriders did not.

Montréal scored the only touchdown on a Pick 6 with Calgary in town. A sea of field goals otherwise for both teams. The Alouettes have won 6 of the last 7 meetings with Calgary in La Belle Province.

As rough as things have been for Calgary, the Stampeders haven't played Edmonton. That can only be 2 wins in 2023.

2023 CFL Week 7 preview

2023 CFL Week 6 preview

Bo Levi Mitchell gets back from injury to start for Hamilton in the rain in Ottawa. Throws 5 interceptions. Somehow the Tiger-Cats only give up 6 points off those turnovers. Then Mitchell fractures his leg in the penultimate play in the game.

Dustin Crum fell into the syndrome of previous Ottawa games where field goals were abundant yet not touchdowns.

Hamilton now has the tiebreaker with the RedBlacks.

CanadianCrossing.com CFL coverage

The CFL has 3 stellar teams: BC, Toronto, and Winnipeg. Montréal is 3-3. 3 teams are 3-4: Saskatchewan, Hamilton, and Ottawa. The Alberta teams combined are 2-13 (Calgary 2-5, Edmonton 0-8). 

The Elks are limited in moves to make in the coaching realm: Jarious Jackson replaces Stephen McAdoo as offensive coordinator. Jackson had been the Elks' pass game coordinator and quarterbacks coach. He takes over offensive game planning and play calling duties as well as his duties as quarterbacks coach.

Jackson has held these dual roles with Toronto (2021) and BC (2018-19).

Watching Jordan Maksymic in that role for the BC Lions versus what McAdoo was doing on Saturday: night and day. This might help a little bit.

Taylor Cornelius has been bumped down to third on the quarterback depth chart. Cornelius threw another terrible interception that was called back for a penalty. Jarrett Doege or Tre Ford (Canadian) will start at quarterback for Edmonton next week.

Swag delivers the first pitch at the @BlueJays game 🔥 pic.twitter.com/Knp2dEwB2X

— Toronto Argonauts (@TorontoArgos) August 2, 2023

Glad to see the Toronto Argonauts get some cross sports promotion in Toronto. Chad Kelly is the star quarterback with a famous relative for the undefeated Argos. The Toronto Blue Jays looked good in the process.

This reminds us of another cross promotion Toronto sports event when 5 Toronto Argos players attended a Toronto Raptors game before the 2021 East Final. The Argonauts asked quarterback McLeod Bethel-Thompson as well as teammates Dexter McCoil, Charleston Hughes, Llevi Noel, and Jeff Richards to go to the Raptors game. This was in violation of CFL COVID-19 rules at the time.

The CFL compromise was bizarre but all the players passed the updated protocol.

The only drawback to the 2023 promotion is that the 6-0 Argonauts won't be home until August 13 against Ottawa.

CFL attracting attention to the East final for very wrong reasons

🎶 It's me, hi, I'm the problem, it's me 🎶 #CFL | @CFLonTSN | @cdnsuperbike pic.twitter.com/8F9SmaGBwd

— 🇨🇦 Marshall Ferguson 🏈 (@TSN_Marsh) July 28, 2023

Marshall Ferguson and Glen Suitor haven't worked too often but got a chance to call games with Kenzie Lalonde in Ottawa on Friday. Rod Smith and Duane Forde with Matthew Scianitti got the honour of calling Touchdown Atlantic 2023 in Halifax on Saturday.

Dustin Nielson didn't even pack a bag last weekend, staying at home with Suitor along with Ryan Rishaug in Edmonton for the second half of the Saturday doubleheader. Suitor had a busy time with traveling from Ottawa to Edmonton without a travel day.

Ferguson teamed up with Paul LaPolice and Lalonde in Montréal on Sunday. Football nerds had a field day with that combo.

LaPolice had a good debut. A bit inside football at times but a strong introduction to being a game analyst.

You could hear the tone that Nielson and Suitor had about the Elks' woes. Nielson, being an Edmonton resident, summed up the frustration well of the Elks struggles. When Edmonton seemingly scored, there was that reluctance to say the pass was incomplete, even though deep down, they knew the touchdown would get wiped off the board.

Scianitti filled in for Kate Beirness, who stayed in Halifax a bit longer, on Sunday. The panel was in Halifax on Friday and Saturday.

logo and photo credit: CFL
Twitter captures: @TorontoArgos; @TSN_Marsh