Tuesday Morning QB (CFL Week 12)
Week 12 in the CFL marks a special moment for the league every year as it is Labour Day weekend.
Aside from the Grey Cup, there is no bigger weekend than Labour Day weekend partially because it pits the biggest rivals in the league against each other.
The other big reason is that Labour Day provides teams with a chance to prove what they really have to offer.
Every year Labour Day is the unofficial midway point of the season and for a league like the CFL, it means that things can begin to change.
For most leagues, a team sitting directly at the bottom of the league after 12 weeks will never make their way back to the playoffs.
In the CFL the lack of teams allows for those struggling teams to still have hope after the midway point.
This is what Labour Day represents for teams as it truly does mark a point of no return for a lot of teams in the league.
It is the point where teams need to make a change or realize that they won’t have the chance to play in the playoffs this year.
It is what makes Labour Day so important in the league as it is truly a turning point in the season for every team.
This year six teams were in action as the league put on only the true Classic games on the schedule with the biggest rivalries marking the beginning of fall football.
First up was in Regina where the fiercest rivalry in The Prairies took the focus in a game that meant a lot more than usual.
The Bombers had been the best team in the league throughout the season and they have been able to fend off all challengers even without their star QB.
Their long-time rivals in Saskatchewan were beginning their climb to the top of the west as they were sitting just behind the Bombers with a five-game win streak.
A win would chip away at the lead that the Bombers had built and would set up a very important Banjo Bowl the next week.
The game was certainly worthy of the “classic” title as both teams went back and forth with the Riders coming out on top after a last-second field goal.
The win put the Riders within two points of their rivals as the lead is being cut down and the Bombers have been backed into a corner.
Next week the Banjo Bowl could go a long way to determining first place in the division as the Riders could take the season series giving them a leg up should the west division come down to those two teams.
The other teams sitting just below those two were fighting it out to put themselves in a position to take advantage of a potential fall and also playing to stay out of that crossover.
Edmonton and Calgary have been playing in the Battle of Alberta for almost 60 years and they have had some pretty amazing battles.
This time around the Stamps took full advantage of Bo Levi Mitchell returning to the starting role to take a convincing win.
The win for the Stamps gave them the season series meaning that the rematch in Week 13 will see Edmonton playing to grab some points away from their rivals.
The team with the most to prove on Labour Day was the Toronto Argonauts who had only won 1 game all season.
They have struggled all year and it started with their season opener in Toronto when Hamilton beat them by 50 points.
The Argos have played better in recent weeks but have failed to finish when it matters most and this was their chance t prove they were a better team.
They certainly did that with a great performance that put them ahead by ten points after the first half.
The problem was that they should have been ahead by far more with four turnovers by Hamilton in the first half leading to three points total.
The Argos once again struggled to finish and the Ti-Cats took over in the second half taking the win and ending the hope of an upset win for the Argos.
Although this also gives the Ti-Cats the season series this was a lot more for the Argos in a season where there is little to be positive about.
A win would not have only given them a win over their biggest rivals but a spark that could help them climb back.
With eight games left a win could have begun a run that could have eventually given them up to ten wins on the season.
That was the potential but another heart breaker sees the Argos still trying to find answers as the chances of a comeback fall apart with every loss.
Labour Day weekend always serves as an unofficial halfway point and a marker for teams to begin building something towards the playoffs.
Once again it served as a statement and while some teams failed to take advantage others are heading into September with plenty of momentum.
Fourth Down
Adding Another Weapon
Chris Matthews didn’t get a lot of playing time this year as the Bombers resigned the former Winnipeg star hoping he could be an extra weapon. It turned out the Bombers had all of the weapons they could need and after Week 11 they released the receiver allowing him to sign somewhere else. He found that new home before Labour Day when the Montreal Alouettes signed the veteran. The Als will hope that he can take a big role and provide Vernon Adams with another weapon as they continue their run to the top of the eastern division.
Needing a Change
There have been a lot of injuries this season when it comes to the quarterback position but the biggest QB news is possibly that Mike Reilly hasn’t been on that injury list. He has been hit more than any other QB this year as the biggest free agent of the offseason hasn’t been given a lot of time to make a difference in BC. Although he does have a tendency to hold the ball there is a lot of blame to be brought to the line and the Lions are looking to make a change before it’s too late. They announced that offensive line coach Bryan Chiu would part ways with the team in what the Lions hope can be the catalyst to a change that can help them make a run.
The Sport Addiction 