Tuesday Morning QB (CFL Week 13)
Before the season began there were plenty of stories to watch as the season was full of possibilities.
There were teams trying to get back to winning games and teams trying to stay on top of the league for another year.
New homes and farewells to old homes were highlighting the season to come but there was one storyline that seemed to be a popular one.
That surrounded the Hamilton Tiger-Cats who were headed into the season without their top quarterback.
Zach Collaros had been hurt at the end of the season in 2015 and caused the Ti-Cats to go from a top team to a faltering team.
They seemed like sure things to get to the Grey Cup for another year as they were a dominant team but without Collaros, there were not the same group.
The new season was set to start without Collaros as he continued to recover from his knee injury.
That resulted in a big question before the season began as everyone wondered what they could be like if when Collaros returned to the team.
They simply needed to stay afloat until their quarterback came back and if they could do that then big things could have been in the future.
After all, the Ti-Cats were so good when Collaros was in the line-up that they constantly seemed like a Grey cup winning team.
The problem was that Collaros was consistently hurt every season he has been in Hamilton and he has been unable to find a full season with them.
In 2015 they were headed to the Grey Cup until his injury effectively ended their hopes of returning to the Grey Cup.
In 2016 it was expected that as long as the Ti-Cats could stay close to the rest of the teams and not lose too many games they would be in a good spot.
They would get their star player back and begin taking over the league once again on their way to the top the Grey Cup.
At least that was supposed to happen and as every sports fan knows that plans rarely turn out properly.
His first game back was not exactly what they were hoping for as they lost to the BC Lions 45-38 in his return to the starter’s role.
It was a hiccup and Collaros proved that in his next game when he led the Ti-Cats to a 53-7 win against the Roughriders.
It seemed like this was the game that everyone had been waiting for and the dominance was about to start.
This was the moment where the Tiger-Cats were going to begin taking over the league and making their push to the Grey Cup.
Then came a loss to Calgary followed by a win against Toronto and another loss against the Argonauts.
The theme of Collaros’ return has been inconsistency not dominance as him and the Ti-Cats have not been what everyone thought they were going to be when their quarterback returned.
They are still making their way to the top of the east, partially due to the drop of Ottawa and the inconsistency of Toronto.
They still look like a guarantee to earn a playoff spot but they are not the team that any thought they could be with Collaros under centre.
If they can find that swagger again before the playoffs begin there is little doubt who the favourites will be heading into November.
Then again if they can’t it is an entirely new ball game as the playoff race is only getting more exciting.
Nobody in the east has taken over yet but there are still weeks left before someone can find the momentum they need to take over the division and find their way to the Grey Cup.
Fourth Down:
(More news this week in the CFL)
Popp Steps Down
The Montreal Alouettes have been a strange team this year and a lot of the blame has fallen on head coach Jim Popp who took himself out of the equation stepping down as head coach with Jacques Chapdelaine taking over on an interim basis
Sinkfield in BC
The NFL talent continues to flow into the CFL as the BC Lions added to an already great receiving corps after signing Terrell Sinkfield only providing a boost to an already good team that is making a push to the playoffs
Controversy in Montreal
This week the CFL was captivated by stories out of Montreal when quarterback Rakeem Cato got into a fight with receivers Duron Carter and Kenny Stafford continuing an already bad season for the Als
Week 13:
Hamilton Tiger-Cats 20-17 Montreal Alouettes
– The Montreal Alouettes came into the game with plenty to prove after a fight broke out between their QB and two receivers but they seemed to put it behind them giving the Ti-Cats a challenge even if they came up just short
Winnipeg Blue Bombers 46-29 Toronto Argonauts
– The Argos and Bombers traded players a week ago but none of them would step on the field in this game as the Argos looked good again with Dan LeFevour leading the way but they lost steam in the fourth with the Bombers continuing their win streak
Calgary Stampeders 48-23 Ottawa REDBLACKS
– The REDBLACKS were trying to get back to winning and they got a real challenge in doing that against the best team in the league that they could not overcome as the Stamps took the win to clinch the CFL’s first playoff
Saskatchewan Roughriders 26-23 Edmonton Eskimos
– It was a game that most people knew was going to be easy for a surging Eskimos team but it wasn’t as easy as most thought as the Riders fought tough and took a rare win this season keeping their slim playoff hopes alive
Week 14:
Toronto Argonauts vs. Ottawa REDBLACKS (Friday, September 23rd; 7:00 pm ET)
– The Argonauts have looked better with Dan LeFevour under centre and they will look to take that improvement to an important win against a REDBLACKS team that is not playing their best right now and sits just ahead of them
BC Lions vs. Edmonton Eskimos (Friday, September 23rd; 10:00 pm ET)
– The Eskimos were shocked in Week 13 when they took a loss to the Riders and now they try to get things back on track but will have a tough fight in the Lions who have looked good all season and are hoping to get closer to a playoff spot
Winnipeg Blue Bombers vs. Calgary Stampeders (Saturday, September 24th; 4:00 pm ET)
– The Bombers are streaking right now but many of those wins have not come against the top teams in the league which changes now as they will put the streak on the line against the best team in the league all year
Hamilton Tiger-Cats vs. Saskatchewan Roughriders (Saturday, September 24th; 9:30 pm ET)
– The Riders are riding high after a rare win this season and they likely remember the beating they took the last time they faced the Ti-Cats as they look to get some revenge while the Tabbies try to begin a streak into the playoffs
The Sport Addiction 