Tuesday Morning QB (CFL Week 19)
The CFL schedule is always a difficult thing to make as working out a schedule that keeps everyone happy is near impossible.
The availability of stadiums and balancing the home and away schedules to keep teams and fans happy with their home dates.
It often leads to a few quirks in the schedule for some teams but none might be stranger than the one this year.
That is the way that the Ottawa schedule worked out as they played 17 straight weeks without seeing one bye week.
With two bye weeks for every team that means that Week 18 was their first bye and to fit in their second, it would be at the end of the season.
Week 18 and Week 20 would be bye weeks for the REDBLACKS making them take two weeks off at the end of the season.
That leaves a lot of room for debate as many wonder whether or not that can be a good thing or a bad thing.
It becomes an even more important debate as the REDBLACKS head into the playoffs playing only one game in the past three weeks.
For a team about to compete for the biggest prize in the league being inactive as much as they have been could be a terrible thing.
Football is a game that takes timing and rhythm as offences are better when they know how to play well with each other.
When quarterbacks can trust their receivers because they just simply know where they are it means the passing game can operate better.
A running back tends to be better when they can get the vision after playing regularly as they can process quicker the more they see.
The same thing can be said for the defence as they can read plays much better the more they see and the more they play.
Defensive backs can better read a receiver if they have been in the game and locked in rather than on the sideline.
Overall it seems like being active can help players more than hurt them as they are in the game and can stay in the game.
There is an argument for the rest too though as players can go through a full season and get pretty banged up.
Playing in 17 straight games is rough as not many players can withstand the damage a body takes in that many games.
Injuries can pile up over time and teams can lose some of their best players in that time.
More importantly though is the fact that most players go throughout a season with something wrong with them.
Nobody plays and entire year without some kind of injury although many players can play through that injury.
Taking two weeks off in a short amount of time gives those players some time to recover from those injuries.
That can help some good players get better as they can enter the playoffs with a healthier body allowing them to step up their game.
That is where the debate lies for the REDBLACKS as they showed what can happen with just a week off.
Their game against the Hamilton Tiger-Cats was an important one as a loss in the game meant they would be playing in the semi-final against a western team.
A win would give them hope of waiting to play in the final, although it would also give them three bye weeks in four weeks.
That game began with the REDBLACKS looking rough and not starting off the game like they had hoped.
The Ti-Cats came out to an early lead and Ottawa looked like they were not going to get the win forcing the REDBLACKS into second place.
Ottawa eventually came back and after a tight game came out on top but the slow start could be concerning.
They might not be able to get past that slow start in the playoffs so they will need to come out of their bye week or bye weeks in a much different way than they did in Week 19.
The REDBLACKS will wait to see what happens in Week 20 as they hope to see BC win over the Argonauts and host the eastern finals.
If that does happen the two theories on time off will be put to the test as they could see another two weeks before they play a game.
If the time off helps them to get healthy and play better they could get through the playoffs to another Grey Cup.
The time off could also put them behind though and that will not help them get back as there are good teams waiting for them that won’t give them any room to falter.
Time off will be truly put to the test as the REDBLACKS’ season is now over with one more week left and the playoffs right around the corner.
Fourth Down
Impressive Night
The REDBLACKS didn’t do well at the start of their Week 19 game but one player helped them to find their way out of the hole they built. Diontae Spencer went off on the day doing everything for Ottawa as a kick returner and a receiver which helped them to the win. It was a big help to their win but he also entered the record books as he earned a total of 496 all-purpose yards breaking the CFL record for all-purpose yards in a single game.
Legendary Career Over?
It hasn’t been the greatest year for Nik Lewis as a receiver but his limited productivity has still put him on the top of most major receiving categories. As his production continues to decline the talk of his retirement increases and he added fuel to that fire this week. Lewis sent out a somewhat cryptic tweet this week that made it seem like he was ready to walk away after this season and if he does he will do so as the best receiver in the history of the game.
QB Rotation
The Saskatchewan Roughriders continue to play well heading into the playoffs as they look like they could cause problems whether in the east or the west. What is somewhat concerning is what they are doing under centre though as they seem to be good with using all three quarterbacks throughout the game. It is a strategy that is working but for some, it is a strategy that is bound to fail as no quarterback seems to be given enough time to get into a groove in the game despite the good results.
The Sport Addiction 