TMQB: Labour Day Edition (CFL Week 10)
The Labour Day weekend marks a major milestone in the CFL as it is one of the biggest weekend in the league. The September long weekend is one of the most important weekends of the year as well with teams truly figuring out where they are. It is past the halfway point of the season but every year the Labour Day weekend seems to be the tipping point for all teams. It is the point where changes are made and teams prepare for the offseason or for the playoffs. It marks that point for many teams where they turn things around or begin falling. Labour Day marks the first step towards fall and for the teams in the CFL it means the first step towards the playoff race. It is considered the most important weekend in the season besides the playoffs and the Grey Cup. As a result of the importance of these games the teams that play on this weekend have formed a hatred that goes deeper than any other rivalry they may have. The rivalries that have formed and are almost always held on this weekend are a big part to the greatness of the CFL. The Battle of Alberta, The Battle of the QEW, and The Winnipeg-Saskatchewan rivalry have made the CFL even better over the years. These rivalries all known as a part of the Labour Day Classic and as teams continue to face off on this weekend the rivalries have only grown. These teams hate each other and it all comes out on the Labour Day weekend as the passion is increased. This year there would be a noticeable difference in the Labour Day weekend though as the strange scheduling of the season would continue. One of the cornerstones of the weekend would be gone as the Battle of the QEW would not be on the schedule. The Battle of Alberta would be back along with the Riders-Bombers Classic but the Toronto Argonauts and Hamilton Tiger-Cats would not face off. It was not the first time that the game would not be on during the weekend as the same thing would happen in 2011. There are not many other years that this game has not been on the docket for Labour Day though and it makes the weekend a little bit less of a big deal. It is not that the other games are not important for the weekend or for the league but there is something to be said for the oldest rivalry in football. The Argos and Tabies are two of the oldest football teams in the world and their rivalry goes far beyond any other team rivalries in football. The hate has formed from years of the two teams facing off in important games time after time. The game is one of the fiercest rivalries in the league and is one of the most anticipated matchups during Labour Day weekend. This year it was missing though as the QEW rivalry was gone and left a big hole in the weekend. It was another strange twist to what has become a strange year of scheduling. First the schedule took an abnormally long time to be released with the CFL having to negotiate around fields that were not owned by the teams. Then came the strange gaps in weekends with teams like the Toronto Argonauts rarely playing on the weekend and other teams getting the short weeks. The CFL schedule is a different beast this year and the Labour Day weekend was a good example of that as one of the biggest rivalries would not make an appearance in the rivalry week. Still the season moves on and the Labour Day weekend is over as the season gets closer to the playoffs. With 9 more games in the season the time to make a run is now as teams have limited time before the playoffs are here and are ready for a fight.
Fourth Down:
(Everything else about Week 10)
Year of the Backup Continues
The final game of the weekend would feature a theme in the season as the Toronto Argonauts and Montreal Alouettes would see both their starting QBs sit on the injury list as Zach Collaros and Tanner Marsh took the reins of their teams
Williams Case Continues
Chris Williams has been fighting his contract for the better part of this year and this week he would finally get a break when the Ontario Superior Court of Appeals would reverse the decision handed down earlier this year making him a free agent and releasing him from his contract with the Ti-Cats
Esks on Notice
The Eskimos could have taken the battle for Alberta but mistake after mistake and would fall to the Stampeders and that would not fly with GM Ed Hervey who would claim that everyone on the Eskimos is on notice if they do not get any better
CFL Standings:
Eastern Division:
1. Toronto Argonauts (10)
2. Hamilton Tiger-Cats (8)
3. Montreal Alouettes (8)
4. Winnipeg Blue Bombers (2)
Western Division:
1. Saskatchewan Roughriders (16)
2. Calgary Stampeders (12)
3. B.C Lions (12)
4. Edmonton Eskimos (2)
Scores:
B.C. Lions 29 – 26 Hamilton Tiger-Cats
– Without the Battle of Ontario this weekend the Ti-Cats would take their hot streak to the West Coast when they would take on the Lions who would take the win in a very close game that would see the Tabies hit a speed bump
Saskatchewan Roughriders 48 – 25 Winnipeg Blue Bombers
– The Riders are still the team to beat in the CFL this year and they would take the Bombers to school in this game easily winning and continuing to be the top team in the league and moving closer to guaranteeing them a spot in the playoffs
Calgary Stampeders 37 – 34 Edmonton Eskimos
– The Battle of Alberta was much closer than it needed to be as the Eskimos would make multiple mistakes and would let Mike Reilly get pummeled but the still stayed in it until the end coming up just short in the end
Montreal Alouettes 20 – 9 Toronto Argonauts
– The Alouettes started the season off terribly but lately have been making their way back and in a defensive struggle with the Argos they would continue to chip away at the lead in the Eastern Division behind Tanner Marsh
Next Week:
Calgary Stampeders vs. Edmonton Eskimos (Friday September 6th; 9:00 pm ET)
– The Battle of Albert 2.0 gets underway again in the rematch week as the Eskimos were put on notice from their GM and it will be interesting to see if they respond or they crumble under the pressure of the Stamps
B.C. Lions vs. Hamilton Tiger-Cats (Saturday September 7th; 4:00 pm ET)
– The Tabies were riding high on some big wins but they would fall to the Lions in Week 10 and now are looking to get a win against the Lions to show the CFL and themselves that they have what it takes to compete with the best teams
Toronto Argonauts vs. Montreal Alouettes (Sunday September 8th; 1:00 pm ET)
– The Argos did not look very good without Ricky Ray under centre as Zach Collaros failed to lead the offence and he will try to get some redemption when they go to Montreal for the rematch as the Als look to continue their climb
Saskatchewan Roughriders vs. Winnipeg Blue Bombers (Sunday September 8th; 4:00 pm ET)
– The Banjo Bowl finishes off the week as the Riders look to once again dominate the Bombers in what will be the most legendary game of the weekend but it may not be the best as both teams are on opposite sides of the standings
The Sport Addiction 