2011 CFL thread

Opening night tonight, B.C. travels to Montreal to take on the defending Grey Cup Champion Alouettes.

Who ya got?

I'll take Montreal to win in a walk.

For the season, I got it looking a little like this

West
1) Calgary -- biggest concern is their corners, they'll get it figured out
2) Saskatchewan -- new defensive system, huge holes in their receiving group but they are better than the other two teams in the West. Does JR's kid put them back into the Grey Cup?
3) B.C. -- Not a huge Lulay fan, has some growing to do yet. Also after Simon they have no one to catch the ball.
4) Edmonton -- No team had more turnover than the Eskimos during the off season, including their coaching staff, bringing in rookie HC Kavis Reed. Lot of growing together to do, but if they can keep Ray upright in the pocket they should be better than last year.

East
1) Montreal -- still the champs. Biggest question is who becomes Calvillo's new security blanket now that Cahoon is retired
2) Hamilton -- I like them a lot. The addition of Cobourne was huge. They close the gap this year with the aging Als
3) Toronto -- As long as Lemon is the QB they will be limited offensively and struggle to pull out games they trail.
4) Winnipeg -- lost a lot of close games last year, still have a lot to prove.

 

Ok, to get my picks in before kickoff, I'm taking Calgary and Hamilton to meet in the Grey Cup this season.

Hard to pick against Montreal as long as Calvillo is still around, but if he were to get hurt, they could be in big trouble. Steven Jyles is NOT the answer in Toronto (or anywhere as a starter) and Buck Pierce never stays healthy for a full season.

Calgary is getting older, but they're due. Or overdue, to win another one. BC could be a darkhorse in the West.

I REALLY wish the league would add two more teams and get to 10.

 

Not sure the Lions have the weapons but i am big on Lulay.

 

I hear Kerry Joseph is still a starting QB for somebody. Dude is old.

I saw him in college and he was an F'-in stud at the I-AA level.

 

He's a backup for the Eskimos, I believe

 

He is starting out as their back up. He would be No. 3 I think if Matt Nicholls of Eastern Washington was healthy.

 

I was looking at one of those deceiving university news releases. The headline was Joseph would start in a pre-season game for Edmonton. Then you read the release closely and you notice that he's only starting the pre-season game and he's vying for the No. 2 spot on the roster.

Dude was still a fricking stud.

 

Unless Ricky Ray is hurt, Joseph has about as much chance starting for the Esks as I do.

 

Damn, Anthony Calvillo looks like he hasn't missed a beat, sharp as ever in the first half against BC, with three long TD passes.

 

Dude has been in the league for 18 years. He played less than a quarter in pre-season

He is as sharp tonight as he was in last year's Grey Cup

 

Close score there with BC and Montreal but the decision to go for the FG didn't work out. Love the 3 downs, though, since it can make things that much more competitive and interesting.
Good to have football on the menu again, and not Arena style, which I don't care for.

 

The three downs can be bad and good: bad if you get a sloppy game or a game dominated by defences, two-and-outs can make for a game with no flow.
They're good because it helps add to the chance of a late comeback where in the CFL no lead is considered safe. This is also aided by the stopped clock in the last three minutes with only one time out a half.
As far as a game goes I prefer it to the NFL, but the NFL can pack in the atmosphere a little better with the 60-100,000 seat stadiums that are full every week, can also pay for the top end athlete -- although I would argue it takes a different kind of athlete to succeed in the CFL . . . debate for another time. Both great games.