Tuesday Morning QB (CFL Week 8)
The CFL is one of those leagues where things seem to be settling down and teams begin to work themselves out only to see everything change.
It was pretty clear where teams stood headed into Week 8 with teams beginning to slot themselves into certain spots.
With only a month left until Labour Day the league was beginning to show what the playoff race was going to look like.
The Biggest difference in Week 8 was going to be the opening game of the week when the best team in the league took on the worst.
The Toronto Argonauts had seen five straight games without a win and came painfully close a few times.
Penalties and turnovers sunk their chances of getting their first win and heading into Week 8 they were set to take on the best team this year.
It was assumed that the Argonauts would lose but the question was just how bad they would lose.
The Winnipeg Blue Bombers were the unbeatable team for the majority of the season so far as they went 5-0 throughout the first six weeks of the season.
They began an east coast road trip in Hamilton, a team that wasn’t necessarily the team they were advertised to be.
The Ti-Cats were good but they weren’t as good as many thought and with an undefeated record, it was assumed that they were going to win.
That thought was inevitable when the Ti-Cats lost their starting quarterback in the middle of the game.
The Bombers couldn’t pull off the win though as they struggled against the Ti-Cats and took their first loss of the season.
That was a shock but the Ti-Cats were always supposed to be a good team and even without their starting QB they just seemed to have enough that night.
Heading into their second game in the east in two weeks they were set to rebound as they were angry and taking on a team who hadn’t figured out how to win.
The Argos did show some signs of being a better team in recent weeks but there was no way they could stop the attack of the Bombers.
The Argo defence stood up though and prevented the Bombers from really getting going while the offence reduced the mistakes to make it a game.
Winnipeg struggled to get anything going and although this was far from a blowout or a terrible performance they couldn’t find it when they needed it the most.
The Argos took the win in a hard-fought battle for their first this season while the Bombers lost two straight.
In an era where the east has been so far behind the west, it is odd for any western team to lose two straight to eastern teams.
It only becomes stranger when that western team was undefeated and Grey Cup favourites before playing the eastern division.
The Bombers remain the measuring stick as of right now as they still have the best record in the league and are at the top of the standings.
This is the first time they have faced adversity all season though and the coming weeks will determine just how good of a team they can be.
Although it is always great for the fans to cheer on a winner this is the perfect time for them to start going through a tough time.
Now is the time that they can start figuring it out and find out what kind of character they have in the locker room.
If they can find out what has gone wrong and fix those things they can get back to winning and if they can do it before Labour Day they are on the right track.
It is always good for teams to go through some adversity before the playoffs so that they can figure out how to handle things when nothing seems to be going right.
To do that near the end of the season takes all of their momentum but to do it now before the real race begins allows them the time.
Although no team ever wants to lose and especially lose two straight after winning five in a row it couldn’t come at a better time.
They will head into Calgary next week where the major question will be whether or not they can fix things before its too late.
Three in a row could be crushing but to figure it out and take a win will stop the panic and show that they can manage adversity on their way to the playoffs.
Fourth Down
Taking a Shot
The Toronto Argonauts finally got their first win this week but it wasn’t a great performance and still left questions. The main question is the same one that plagues most struggling teams as there is plenty of debate under centre. After McLeod Bethel-Thompson threw five interceptions in two weeks the Argos began looking for help. They believe they got that help when they brought back Zach Collaros in a trade with the Roughriders. The only problem is that Collaros is still out with a concussion suffered in Week 1 and his third in two seasons. He clearly has the talent but his recovery is going to be the difference-maker on whether or not the Argos have found their QB of the future by reaching into the past.
The Year of the Returner
The CFL has always been known for the explosive plays that can happen at any moment but this year has been different. Although special teams have always played a major role in the game it has never had the impact that it has so far this year. In Week 8 the CFL saw Terry Williams take a kickoff for a touchdown. That marked the 8th return touchdown in the season which broke the CFL record. With plenty more season to go that record should be shattered this year making the return games more important than any other season in the CFL.
The Sport Addiction 