Tuesday Morning QB (CFL Week 15)
The CFL season is heading towards the final stretch of the season as the playoffs are only a few weeks away. With teams continuing to fight it out for their playoff spot or their playoff positioning there is plenty going off the field. One of the biggest stories this week would be the end of the season long drama between the Hamilton Tiger-Cats and Chris Williams. In 2012 Williams would put his stamp on the CFL becoming one of the most prolific special teams player in the history of the CFL. Williams would be the man that nobody wanted to kick to as he was always a risk to return a kick for a TD. He would return 6 kicks/punts for Touchdowns and would set the CFL record for most return TDs in a season. It was what looked to be the start of a great time in Hamilton as Williams quickly became a face of the sport and a fan favorite. Much of that would change in the offseason though as Williams would look to the NFL to find a new home and use his success in 2012 to get him a spot in the USA. That would not be in the cards for Williams though as his contract would not allow him to tryout for an NFL team. In the CFL players are allowed to tryout for an NFL team only after their contract is expired. Williams had would be entering the option year on his contract in 2012 after signing a two-year plus an option contract in 2011. The Ti-Cats would pick up the option meaning that Williams was required to report to training camp and would not be allowed to tryout for an NFL team. When Williams found out he would launch a complaint with the CFLPA claiming that the Ti-Cats had violated the CBA. Williams would claim that Hamilton had negotiated with an unlicensed agent and that he had never been offer a one-year plus an option contract in clear violation of the CBA. Williams would claim that this violation should result in the voiding of his contract leaving him free to pursue a career in the NFL. The arbitrator would not agree with Williams as he would state that the Tiger-Cats did violate the CBA but that the violations were punishable by fines not by voiding the contract. The dispute would run into the season as without the solution he wanted Williams refused to report to training camp while the Tiger-Cats responded by suspending him without pay. The battle would advance to the Superior Court of Canada as the CFLPA would file for a judicial review of the arbitrator’s decision. The Superior Court would overturn the ruling claiming that the contract could be voided and that the Tiger-Cats had violated the CBA enough to give Williams what he wanted. The CFLPA would declare Williams a free agent last week when the decision from the court’s decision. This week the disagreement would come to a final end long after it had started. The Ti-Cats and Williams would reach a new agreement on a contract that would allow Williams to find a job in another league while the Tabies would keep his rights in the CFL. With the freedom Williams would sign with the New Orleans Saints in the NFL and will likely stay there for at least the rest of the CFL season. Whether he will return to the CFL is still a major question as he will need to impress the Saints to stay in the NFL. The situation with Williams would take a long time to be found out but the whole ordeal would just highlight how convoluted the rules in the CFL CBA are as not only do teams and players have to think about the CFL but they also have to keep the NFL in mind as players will always be attracted to the money and stature of the beasts to the south.
Fourth Down:
(Everything else about Week 15)
One more Weapon
The Saskatchewan Roughriders would add another piece to their team as they try to recover from a midseason slide as they would acquire Alex Hall, who leads the CFL with 15 sacks, from the Winnipeg Blue Bombers for the stretch run
Twitter Strikes again
Darian Durant would be the latest athlete to be caught on Twitter after he sent an inappropriate tweet to a fan as the world of social media continues to find victims and players continue to fall for the trap
The Best of September
September would see plenty of great performances as Zach Collaros would win the Offensive Player of the Month Adam Bighill the Defensive Player of the month, Jon Cornish the Canadian player of the month, and Rene Paredes the special teams player of the month
CFL Standings:
Eastern Division:
1. x-Toronto Argonauts (18)
2. x-Hamilton Tiger-Cats (14)
3. Montreal Alouettes (12)
4. Winnipeg Blue Bombers (4)
Western Division:
1. x-Calgary Stampeders (22)
2. x-Saskatchewan Roughriders (18)
3. x-B.C. Lions (18)
4. Edmonton Eskimos (6)
x-Clinched Playoff spot
Scores:
Hamilton Tiger-Cats 33 – 19 Toronto Argonauts
– The Toronto Argonauts were one win away from clinching the top spot in the division and they would take a four game win streak to their first home game in a month but it would not go their way as the rival Ti-Cats would stop the comebacks and take the win
Saskatchewan Roughriders 31 – 17 B.C. Lions
– The Roughriders have been a team in serious trouble in the last few weeks as they have fallen fast from the top spot but this week they were trying to get back on track and would do just that beating the Lions in a very important game
Montreal Alouettes 47 – 24 Edmonton Eskimos
– The Alouettes have had their troubles this year but they seem to be finding their way at the right time of the year as they would easily get by the Eskimos whose slim playoff hopes would be dashed with a big loss
Calgary Stampeders 38 – 11 Winnipeg Blue Bombers
– The Stamps are trying to clinch their first round bye and they would get an easy step towards it taking on the Bombers who have already given up on the season trading away one of their best players and losing this game
Next Week:
B.C. Lions vs. Calgary Stampeders (Friday October 11th; 9:00 pm ET)
– The Stamps need this win to clinch the top spot in the West as a win will push the Lions out of the running while the Lions are hoping that a midseason slump is behind them as they hope to pick up momentum before the playoffs
Edmonton Eskimos vs. Saskatchewan Roughriders (Saturday October 12th; 4:30 pm ET)
– The Eskimos are out of the playoffs but that won’t stop them from trying to be spoilers as they hope to beat the Riders and force them into a semi-final game while the Riders are trying to get back to their winning ways
Winnipeg Blue Bombers vs. Montreal Alouettes (Monday October 14th; 1:00 pm ET)
– The Alouettes continue to try to clinch their playoff spot and prepare for the playoffs after a start to the season that put their playoff hopes in jeopardy and they will try to do so against the Bombers who are hoping to keep their slim playoff hopes alive
Toronto Argonauts vs. Hamilton Tiger-Cats (Monday October 14th; 4:30 pm ET)
– The Argos are still only one win away from clinching the top spot in the Division as they go on the road once again where they have had plenty of success this year with Zach Collaros leading the way once again and the Tabies looking to continue their fight for first
The Sport Addiction 