Johany Jutras/CFL.ca
Every week of the 2016 season, CFL.ca columnists Pat Steinberg and Marshall Ferguson will debate over one of the league’s most contentious storylines. In Week 11 we ask the question: with two marquee matchups arriving on Labour Day Monday, which one means more?
On Labour Day, anything goes. It’s always been the case for the Hamilton Tiger-Cats, the Toronto Argonauts, the Edmonton Eskimos and Calgary Stampeders — whether your record is 7-2 or 1-8.
This year both the Battle of Alberta and the Battle of Ontario offer just as much intrigue as always — but which matchup carries more weight?
In Calgary, the league’s two top quarterbacks so far in 2016 as well as the previous two Grey Cup winners will clash for the first time this season as Bo Levi Mitchell and Mike Reilly go head to head. Labour Day also offers the Eskimos a chance to start mounting their comeback in the West Division — if they want to seriously threaten Calgary for the division title, this is their last stand.
In the East, the duel between Zach Collaros and his former team and mentor in the Argos and Ricky Ray will have significant implications in that division. Chad Owens will also face his former team while two 4-5 teams off to disappointing starts are in desperate need of a win.
Which Labour Day matchup this season is bigger? Steinberg and Ferguson debate in the latest Berg vs. Ferg.
| BERG VS. FERG: WEEK 10 RESULTS |
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CFL.ca |
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TOTAL |
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Steinberg – 480 (52%) Ferguson – 441 (48%) |
Steinberg – 266 (45%) Ferguson – 324 (55%) |
Steinberg – 746 (49%) Ferguson – 765 (51%) |
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FERG (5-1): NO ONE NEEDS A WIN LIKE THE ARGOS AND TICATS
Marshall Ferguson, CFL.ca
@TSN_Marsh
The Argos and Ticats are both below .500 and both teams are banged up in unfortunate and unpredictable ways at important positions, but this game is one of the marquee must-see moments of the CFL season.
Hear me out.
The Argos have more to play for than ever before. The team has lost three straight and its losing streak against Hamilton was extended in a 42-20 defeat in Week 1 this year.
The sentiment around the Double Blue in 2016 seems to be, “as long as our veteran quarterback is healthy we can beat anyone”.
Ricky Ray returned this past week against the BC Lions and turned in a sparkling performance going 24-of-29 for 213 yards and a touchdown pass. That completion percentage screams classic Ricky Ray and a smooth outing reminiscent of the 2012 Argonauts. The question now becomes how will Ray perform against a Tiger-Cats defence which allows a league low total yards per game? Personally, I can’t wait to find out.
If you think the Argos have a lot to play for, please allow me to introduce you to the Hamilton Tiger-Cats.
Zach is back, and a force to be reckoned with. Since returning from his devastating knee injury, Collaros has put together three straight performances of 300 or more passing yards (331, 381, 439). In Collaros’ previous 47 games played he had 11 games of 300 or more yards passing.
Collaros is firing on all cylinders, the defence is one of the best in the league and the Tiger-Cats special teams are among the two or three most dangerous in the league. Yet the Ticats sit at 4-5 on the season and are just 1-2 since Collaros’ return.
Something has to give for these two proud franchises on Labour Day. Oh, then six days later we get to do it all again at BMO Field, a massive improvement in venue which should breath life into the rematch.
There are lots of great match-ups on Labour Day weekend. If you love desperation, rivalry and genuine hatred mixed with game experience and beautiful venues then the Tiger-Cats and the Argos are for you!
BERG (1-5): TWO TOP PIVOTS AND A POTENTIAL TURNING POINT
Pat Steinberg, CFL.ca
@Fan960Steinberg
When I was told Labour Day was going to be our topic for this week’s showdown, I knew there were going to be no wrong answers. Ferg’s assertion that Monday’s Battle of Ontario matchup between Hamilton and Toronto should be considered the marquee game of this marquee weekend isn’t wrong at all. That said, though, let me take a little time to tell you why your eyes need to be on Monday’s annual Battle of Alberta at McMahon Stadium.
The Labour Day Classic between the Calgary Stampeders and Edmonton Eskimos has been a yearly tradition since 1959 and has seen some memorable showdowns between the two rivals. The history behind the game, which has been held in Calgary since 1982, makes this must-see TV regardless. The circumstances surrounding the two teams right now make the 2016 edition of this game even more compelling.
This will be the first non-preseason meeting between the two teams since last year’s Western Final and you know Calgary will be looking for a little retribution. The Eskimos cleaned house last November and dispatched of the Stamps thanks to a 45-31 game and would win the Grey Cup one week later. The same scenario played out the year before with reverse results; Calgary romped in the Western Final before winning the Grey Cup. After a lull in this rivalry for a few years, these two foes have renewed their dislike for one another and some playoff action has helped stoke the fire.
The football on the field shapes up to be pretty good on Monday afternoon, too. There’s not a better quarterback matchup in this league right now better than Bo Levi Mitchell vs. Mike Reilly. The former has been the league’s most consistent pivot since taking over as a starter in 2014 while the latter is on pace for one of the best passing campaigns in years.
What intrigues me most is Calgary’s game plan to slow down its opponent’s high-powered attack. Reilly, along with receivers Adarius Bowman and Derel Walker, make up two of the league’s three most potent passing connections and are a force to be reckoned with each and every week. Lead by Charleston Hughes and Deron Mayo, though, this Stampeders defensive front has quietly crept near the top of almost every defensive category. If there’s one defence to trip up the Eskimos through the air, it’s this one.
For a few years, attaching the word “classic” to this Labour Day game wasn’t really accurate. There were some snoozers and there were some laughers before things were rekindled a few years ago. Once again, though, Edmonton and Calgary are a part of one of the most heated rivalries in the CFL and I thoroughly recommend watching them hash it out on Monday afternoon.
DON’T SIT ON THE FENCE!
While both sides are pretty convincing, someone’s got to take it. Whose argument convinced you the most?
You can vote for this week’s winner both on CFL.ca and Twitter. Meanwhile, continue the conversation by tweeting @Fan960Steinberg and @TSN_Marsh. While the discussion never ends, polls close on Sunday night at 11:59 p.m ET.
The winner will be revealed in the following week’s Berg vs. Ferg.
