Tuesday Morning QB (CFL Week 20)
The CFL season is officially over and the true pursuit of the Grey Cup begins now as the playoffs are just about to begin.
Those playoffs may have a familiar tone to them as well with one of the major stories surrounding the entire season will creep into the playoff.
This year, like many before it has seen the western division dominate the league with a great competition in the west and a pretty terrible one on the other side.
The winner of the western division finished with a 13-4-1 record and only one of the five teams in the division finished with a losing record.
Meanwhile, on the other side, the Toronto Argonauts finished off the season at 9-9 and won the division with a .500 record.
It was a struggle for the east throughout the entire season as they couldn’t get the wins they needed against the west.
It led to plenty of talk about a need to rethink the way the league is organized in order to make one division where the best teams make the playoffs.
There are plenty of issues with that change should it happen and most have to do with the business and not the game.
Last year the same talk swirled around at the end of the season as the same situation was once again in place.
A team slightly above .500, the REDBLACKS had one tie, was sitting on top in the east while winning teams just had to fight to get the crossover.
Everyone wanted to see the divisions go away and yet the team that barely won the east division found their way to the Grey Cup and winning the title.
The season was much the same as a year ago and now the Toronto Argonauts and Ottawa REDBLACKS look to show that the east can still compete.
Although the regular season is important, once the playoffs begin it means very little and it comes down to the wins that a team needs to get the Grey Cup.
Last year the REDBLACKS weren’t great in the regular season and the playoffs were not an easy go for them either.
They suffered some important injuries and struggled against Edmonton in the Eastern Final but got the win and found their way to Toronto.
They were set to take on the best team in the league in the almost unbeatable Calgary Stampeders but once again they came out on top.
In the end, it didn’t really matter how they finished the regular season as long as they took a playoff spot.
That gave them the chance to play the important games and find their way to their first championship.
They will be back looking to do the same thing this time around as they are back in the playoffs but are not the division champions.
The Argonauts now have that distinction after finishing with an even record and they are hoping to follow suit with the surprise win this year in Ottawa.
Nobody will really get the full picture as the best teams in the west are not necessarily going to take on the best teams in the east.
It is simply about the best team playing in the game on that day so it isn’t a sure thing that they will be able to truly show their dominance.
What will happen though is the same thing as last year, one of the western teams will represent the division in the eastern playoffs.
The crossover is in effect for another year and for some it is the perfect chance for the west to show just how good they are.
Last year the Edmonton Eskimos travelled east looking to make their way to the Grey Cup through what many assumed would be the easier route.
They took out the Hamilton Tiger-Cats in a tight semi-final but fell short of making it an all-Alberta final with the Calgary Stampeders.
In fact, no team has ever made it to the Grey Cup playing in the crossover spot no matter how dominant the west has been over the years.
The Saskatchewan Roughriders will be the next to attempt to make it an all-western final as they head east to take on Ottawa and hopefully Toronto.
They have been playing well and winning although there are plenty of questions including the murky quarterback play.
The Riders will be seen as a representative of the west as they take what everyone is thinking is an easy path to the Grey Cup.
Then again, they all thought that last year and there is certainly no easy win in the playoffs regardless of division.
The Riders have a shot but the REDBLACKS and the Argonauts are not going to lay down and be a part of the first year that the west wins the Eastern Finals.
Fourth Down
Is Buono’s Time Up?
With the season over the teams sitting outside of the playoffs have some major questions to answer and the Lions are not different. Wally Buono has been a part of the BC Lions organization for decades and his latest stint as head coach was nowhere near as successful as he would have wanted. As a result, many are wondering if Buono is ready to walk away from the sport for good. The answer might come with the decision by David Braley to either sell the Lions or remain the owner for another year as both Buono and Braley have been tied together for years in Vancouver.
The Search Begins
Montreal is another team trying to figure things out this off-season and that will begin with two very important searches. The Alouettes will need to find a new head coach after Jacques Chapdelaine was fired midway through the season. They will try to find someone to lead this team but the next decision will be a big one as well with the new coach needing a quarterback. They have struggled at the position since Anthony Calvillo retired. The answer to these questions in the off-season will set up a new season and hopefully begin to turn things around for a once dominant team.
Beating Himself
Solomon Elimimian is one of the most feared defenders in the league as one of the hardest hitters and the player that just seems to be everywhere. Although he did lose his partner in crime this year with Adam Bighill heading to the NFL he remained one of the top defensive players in the league. He even improved on a year ago as last year broke the record for most tackles in a single season. This year he broke his own record recording his 144th tackle against the Toronto Argonauts and putting his name at the top of the list for top defensive players in the league for another year.
The Sport Addiction 