A CFL season like no other is soon upon us

Another interesting question was the Rider back-up QB situation. With the retirement of James Franklin before camp opened, Isaac Harker was locked in a struggle with Paxton Lynch, Mason Fine and Tom Flacco.

The loser was Flacco, who was cut in Friday’s final roster movements, with Fine going to the practice roster and Lynch and Harker in the mix as a back up. Lynch, a former first round draft pick of the Denver Broncos at 6’7” 244 lbs has an impressive fastball throwing the football, but there are a few things that bear watching.

Lynch seems to be a pocket passer, but he can scramble somewhat. It is interesting watching someone that size attempt to be nimble but while Lynch may be challenged to scramble Flutie or Fajardo style, when needed he can hit the deep pass or throw into a very tight window.

Harker on the other hand may have the advantage of familiarity with the Riders and their personnel, but the question of his arm velocity is still there. That did not hurt Harker in his only start of the 2019 season in the last game where the Riders had to win to clinch first place.

Harker did not throw for a touchdown, but he did not give the game away either. If Matt Nicholls now of Ottawa is regarded as a game manager, then Harker can take the reins and the club can be reasonably sure Harker will not cost them a game.

Quarterbacking for the Riders in 2021 will have to take in account an offensive line which is more or less a question mark. The Riders will be without Brendon LaBatte who is sitting this season out because of Covid-19 restrictions, and so far Evan Johnson, the free agent signing from Ottawa who has been taking time off because of the birth of a child.

With Rider GM Jeremy O’Day holding out the possibility of four Canadians on the offensive line, it brought back reminds of 1979 when then Head Coach Ron Lancaster brought in the building blocks of an offensive line with Canadians Roger Aldag and Bob Poley, just to name a few.

The start of the ’79 season with the Canadian line was a brutal one, especially for then Rider QB Tom Clements who was mercifully traded after getting pounded on a regular basis. That was the price to be paid for developing on the one Rider offensive lines ever, painful game by game experience.

What came through the Rider Green and White scrimmage was the pressure the Rider quarterbacks were under and how this hurried the throw on a number of passes.

Whether or not that continues in the season opener against BC is something that help determine whether the Riders can launch a credible fight for first or whether it will be lucky to come into a cross over spot.

The Riders under offensive coordinator Jason Maas will be going with a vertical passing game, at least in theory, unless the offensive line is unable to successfully block anyone.

With a vertical passing game, the quarterback needs time to let patterns develop but if that time isn’t there, the quarterback either has to rely on scrambling, have a running game that can keep defensive lines from teeing off on quarterbacks, or go to a quick read passing game that does not have the payoff of long passing plays.

The Riders along with other CFL teams have an expanded practice roster that makes replacing players theoretically easier with out having them go through Covid-19 quarantines.

The spate of Achilles injuries would indicate some players are not physically ready and expect to see more injuries as teams put on pads and actually start hitting starting Thursday night in Winnipeg.

The extended time off may have helped some players like Zach Collaros heal up from assorted injuries, but for some players on the tail end of their 30’s, the extra time off may help extend their careers or may have served as the finishing nails in their careers.

So let’s take a quick trip through the league with what to expect, and understand at this point no one really knows how this season will unfold with so many unanswered questions.

In BC there is a new coach in Rick Campbell who comes in after a disappointing season in Ottawa last year. The Lions are hoping QB Michael Reilly will rebound after injury shortened his season in 2019 and the Lions will have Canadian QB Nathan Rourke backing him up.

The Lions brought in running backs Shaq Cooper and Chris Rainey (who also returns kicks) and receivers Dominique Rhymes who Campbell coached in Ottawa and Lucky Whitehead.

The Lions shortcomings in 2019 were primarily due to the offensive line and that only improved when Kelly Bates came in to coach the unit. If the Lions offensive line continues their improvement growth, Reilly should be able to hit his new targets.

Cooper should be the top rusher in BC which averaged just 98.2 yards per game in 2019 and will be a great release receiver coming out of the backfield for Reilly. WR Bryan Burnham will be the focus of the passing attack, but that means there is room for speedy receivers to benefit from the likely double teaming Burnham will be undergoing.

While the Lions on offense should be better than what they were in 2019, the defense is a question mark. The Lions lost Shawn Lemon and Odell Willis on the defensive line which only managed 28 sacks in 2019.

It could be argued that Lemon and Willis may be too old to justify paying them at what they were looking at, and maybe they are on the short end of their careers, but until their replacements see action and can prove themselves, defense would be the weak link and biggest question mark for the Lions this year.

The Edmonton Elks had a brilliant off season marketing their new team name and logo. I went on the Elks website just after the new name and logo was unveiled and the Elks managed to sell out their initial run of hats and some shirts.

That is good news for CFL teams trying to increase revenue streams and the Elks good news just kept coming on with the addition of receivers Derel Walker, Armanti Edwards, Mike Jones and running backs James Wilder Jr. and Terry Williams.

Combine this with the incumbent Greg Ellingson and Tevaun Smith and the Elks are thinking this is the best receiving corps outside of Hamilton. Ellingson ranked first and Walker was third in receiving yardage in 2019 and if the Elks keep everyone healthy and happy, quarterback Trevor Harris could be an outstanding player nominee.

While the Elks receiving corps is looking very good, their running game may be another story. The Elks brought in James Wilder Jr., formerly of the Argonauts who after a relatively successful rookie season kind of slide down the charts relying on press clippings and name recognition.

The Elks may get a boost from Williams, who suited up for Calgary. The Elks had to swallow the spectacle of former icon Calvin McCarty who retired, then unretired to join the rival Stampeders.

The Elks defense will be another strength with a d-line led by Kwaku Boateng and additions like Aaron Grymes, Jonathan Rose and Jermaine Gabriel. The Elks will definitely be in the hunt for a playoff spot this year.

In Calgary the Stampeders may be facing a transition year as they said goodbye to a number of long-time veterans, but the Stampeders have an ace up their sleeve with quarterback Bo Levi Mitchell.

Mitchell missed seven games in 2019 with his lowest passing numbers and touchdowns since 2014 and the Stamps are not looking to strain his shoulder which should have benefitted from the extra time off. The selection of O’Connor as a back-up is in keeping with Calgary looking to be innovative in their lineup, but also reflects the influence I suspect of quarterback coach Marc Mueller who is the grandson of Rider legend Ron Lancaster.

Calgary had problems last year with their running game which ranked last in the league. The Stamps are relying on Ka’Deem Carey who was looking to crack the 1,000 yard mark before going down with injury. If Carey goes down again to injury, the Stamps don’t have many proven reserves who can step in.

The Stampeders receiving corps sees Reggie Begelton and Eric Rogers leave for greener pastures elsewhere so Mitchell will be reloading with Markeith Ambles and Hergy Mayala. Kamar Jorden, who blew his knee out in the 2018 Labor Day game against Edmonton, could return to make an impact. Look for Richie Sindani to also chip in and become a reliable third receiver.

The Stampeder defense added Shawn Lemon after the final cuts on Friday and the plan is to have him mentor the young defensive linemen as the Stampeders find their identity on defense. What the Stamps have now is a linebacking corps with Jamar Wall and Corey Greenwood that is pretty solid.

In Winnipeg the last team to have won the Grey Cup, is looking to repeat and they will be interesting to watch. Offensive coordinator Paul LaPolice went to Ottawa to take over head coaching duties and Matt Nicholls, whose injury opened the door for the arrival of Zach Collaros and a Grey Cup win finds himself in Ottawa as well.

Collaros may be one of those players who benefits from extended time off. Collaros had a reputation as a player with a glass jaw, but Winnipeg has an offensive line capable of providing protection.

Winnipeg will likely use a lot of ball control, especially since under Nicholls they did not really succeed with deep balls. In order to pull that off, Winnipeg needs a stellar running game.

However, there are some questions marks starting at running back where Andrew Harris is apparently on the shelf, opening the door for Johnny Augustin and Brady Oliveria to step forward. Whether age has caught up to Harris it will be interesting to see how Winnipeg adjusts, especially in that first game against Hamilton to kick off the season.

Speaking of Hamilton, the Tiger-Cats seem to be in position to be in the Grey Cup they are hosting in December. Jeremiah Masoli was named the starter after recovering from injury and adds so much as a runner, but as a passer, Dane Evans is better at throwing the deep ball.

The Cats have Don Jackson and Sean Thomas Erlington at running back and while Jackson has the ability to be a workhorse, Erlington is more of a Swiss Army knife type of player who can line up in any position. However, durability for both players may be a problem.

Brandon Banks may be the defending most outstanding player, but I will not forget how he reacted when in the 2014 Grey Cup his punt return for a touchdown that was called back in the last minute due to a penalty. Banks stayed on the sidelines when he should have been in the middle helping his quarterback Zach Collaros.

Hamilton has Bralon Addison and Jaelon Acklin to provide depth but while one can admire Banks’ talent, his ability to produce in big games is still in question.

Hamilton’s defensive secondary took some hits to retirement and free agency, but have a solid linebacking corps and defensive line to create problems. But if you can get deep on Hamilton, you can make your own breaks.

Toronto is one of the big questions marks as the team brain trust opted for a full rebuild with big names under rookie head coach Ryan Dinwiddie.

At quarterback concerns about the health of Nick Arbuckle may thrust McLeod Bethel-Thompson into the role of starter. Bethel-Thompson has fought for respect through his NFL and CFL career and while I am not yet sold on Nick Arbuckle as a starting QB, Bethel-Thompson can get the job done.

At running back the Argos brought in John White, who had a 1,000 yard season in 2019, but AJ Ouellette has the inside track to step in if needed.

At receiver DaVaris Daniels, Eric Rogers, Martavis Bryant, Ricky Collins Jr. lead quite the receiving corps. The interesting thing is the Calgary connection which starts with Head Coach Dinwiddie, and extends to QB Arbuckle and receivers Daniels and Rogers. If Arbuckle comes back from whatever injury he has been cautious, that familiarity would come in handy when it comes to the Argo passing game.

The big rebuild for Toronto has come on the defensive side of the ball. The Riders provided Toronto with Charleston Hughes and Cameron Judge, while Cordarro Law, Odell Willis with former NFLer Chris Edwards and Henoc Muamba provide a solid presence along with Vontae Briggs.

In Ottawa the Redblacks have moved on past Rick Campbell after a disappointing 2019 season that saw the Redblacks wave goodbye to a number of veterans only to find their replacements were not good enough.

Nicholls takes over at quarterback, but here he may be asked to do more than just game manage – he will be asked to win games. Nicholls is probably the biggest name in the Redblacks arsenal but he will be limited by whatever assistance he can get from a depleted receiving and running corps.

Ottawa is cultivating their Winnipeg connections through LaPolice with Tim Flanders looking like the lead back. Flanders will be assisted or spelled off with the addition of Anthony Coombs who came over from the Argos and may be wondering why in a few weeks.

The receiving corps lost Brad Sinopoli and Dominique Rhymes and that leaves RJ Harris as the best lead in their receiving game. Daniel Petermann will see some action but Ottawa right now is hoping someone will emerge as a consistent contributor.

The Ottawa defense retooled and added Micah Awe, Don Unamba, Frank Beltre, Stefan Charles, Davon Coleman and Cleyon Lang. Ottawa also went heavy on defense in the 2021 draft but Ottawa will have to pin their hopes on being underestimated and players reaching their full potential.

Montreal is right now the best hope of dethroning Hamilton in the east. Vernon Adams Jr. led the team to a playoff spot and has both passing and running threats to make life difficult for opposing players.

Montreal’s running game picked up with the addition of William Stanback, who had left the team to pursue NFL opportunities. Behind Stanback is a cast of hopefuls looking to make their own mark.

So the Als receiving corps has Eugene Lewis leading the way and getting a boost from BJ Cunningham and Quan Bray and Jake Wieneke. The Als could get help from Kaion Julien-Grant and Chris Osei-Kusi, two 2019 draft picks.

Montreal’s defense got a boost with the signing or Almondo Sewell to the defensive line, but the Montreal secondary took some hits due to personnel losses so how that unit performs will determine where Montreal finishes.

So when it comes to finishes, how will the CFL look in 2021?

In the east Hamilton should finish first with an 11-3 record, while Montreal finishes second with a 9-5 record and Toronto is third as a 7-7 team. Ottawa will finish last in the east with a 4-10 record.

In the west you have to peg Winnipeg in first at a 10-4 record while Edmonton should finish at 9-5, Calgary at 8-6, Riders at 7-7 and BC at 5-9.

The season kicks off on Thursday with Hamilton at Winnipeg who are unveiling their Grey Cup banner. With Harris out for Winnipeg, how Winnipeg runs a ball control offense will be interesting. Hamilton gets revenge for their 2019 Grey Cup loss.

The Riders have sold out Mosaic Stadium for their home opener against BC which will be an interesting and overdue experience. The Riders worries about their offensive line may not matter much against BC who have no defensive line so far worth worrying about. Expect a sloppy game and a 26-22 Rider win.

Toronto goes to Calgary and it will be homecoming week for Dinwiddie, Arbuckle and a host of other former Stampeders. Whether the massive reconstruction of the Argos will pay off for a team looking to play entertaining ball to attract fans or the Stamps manage to get through their growing pains with a veteran QB and an unknown receiving corps, it should be a relative close game with Calgary emerging with a 29-22 score.

Finally, we have Ottawa at Edmonton. Ottawa is going on a wing and prayer while Edmonton is already looking to book their own tickets to the Grey Cup. Edmonton’s offense will depend on timing between Trevor Harris and his receiving corps and the way to get Harris off his timing is to rush him constantly. Fortunately for him, Edmonton has an offensive line.

Edmonton starts its Grey Cup run with a 27-20 win over Ottawa.

by Greg Urbanoski

A CFL season like no other is soon upon us

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