CFL Week 19 Retrospective

The last weekend of regular season CFL action brought a number of big games but none of them really lived up to the hype as they all ended up being fairly one sided affairs. Here is how the week shook down:

Edmonton 45 at British Columbia 13

The rails come off early for the Lions as QB Casey Printers went down with a thumb injury early and was subsequently replaced by the always fragile Buck Pierce. Pierced lasted about a half before he was replaced by Zac Champion. As one would expect, the Lions fifth stringer could not get anything going as the Eskimos rolled to victory.


Montreal 42 at Toronto 17

Mercifully the plug has been pulled on the Argos for 2009. The Argos will probably be the League's most interesting off season story as the ownership situation needs to get sorted out followed by a probable "blowing up" of the whole operation.

Montreal just waits to see who they will play in the East Final.


Calgary 14 at Saskatchewan 30

This first place showdown was probably the most entertaining game of the weekend even though the score appears to be one sided. The outcome was no longer in doubt once the Stamps conceded a safety to put the Riders up by nine. Regina City Councilor Chris Szarka then scored a touchdown to seal the victory and a Rider first place finish for the first time in a generation.


Hamilton 39 at Winnipeg 17

This game was close through three quarters, as well, but ended up a microcosm of the career of Winnipeg QB Michael Bishop. Bishop was hot to start but all Hamilton had to do was wait for him to implode. By the fourth quarter rolled around the implosion began and Bishop gave up two interceptions for Hamilton touchdowns to close out the game as knock the Bombers out of the playoffs.

The View from Section 39:

Michael Bishop's biggest fans? Of course that would have to be the BC Lions. Last year, as a Rider, Bishop self destructed in the playoffs and handed victory to the Lions. This year Bishop's self destruction allowed BC to back their way into the playoffs with a crossover birth to the East Division and a date with the Hamilton Tiger Cats. I wonder if the Bombers will cut ties with Bishop as quickly as Saskatchewan did last year?

Hamilton sealed up second place in the East and knocked Winnipeg out of the playoffs. The bad news for the Tiger Cats might be that they have to play the Lions. Assuming, of course, that the Lions have SOMEONE to play the Quarterback position. Zac Champion became the 5th quarterback to dress for the Lions this year bringing the final 2009 BC-Winnipeg QB total to 11. PMB pegged the over under on combined QB's for these two teams at 11. At the time the line was set, I would have taken the over.

Will Mike Kelly or Bart Andrus be back as head coaches with the Bombers and Argos respectively? I have a feeling that Kelly stays through this off season but if the Bombers falter early in 2010 he will pay the price. Andrus, on the other hand, may be told to walk the plank but the Argos would then be stuck paying him a boatload (pun intended) of money for nothing next year and maybe the year after depending on the length of his contract. My bet is that Andrus stays in the Big Smoke for one more year but many others around him walk that plank.

It was a bad week for the home teams as only the Riders prevailed on home turf in Week 19. The Mosaic Stadium crowd was not to be held back on Saturday night and it was rockin' from beginning to end. Hopefully the folks down in Green Bay were watching and learning how to hold a grudge against a former QB.