September 9, 2016

Berg vs. Ferg: Who is the surprise team of 2016?

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 12 we ask the question: which team has surprised the most in 2016?

Expect the unexpected. That’s one way to describe the Canadian Football League year in and year out, and 2016 has been no exception.

From the one-win Riders to a Stampeders team that, despite massive changes, has now won seven straight and is the class of the league, the first 11 weeks of the season have documented exactly why it’s so hard to get a pulse on what could happen any given year.

» Related: No shortage of surprises as season hits halfway point

Yet if you ask Pat Steinberg and Marshall Ferguson, two teams have stood out even more as the biggest surprises this season.

For Steinberg, one of this team’s biggest skeptics early in the season, the Bombers are the surprise team of the CFL season. All but written off after a 1-4 start, Mike O’Shea shook up his team by putting Matt Nichols in at quarterback under Drew Willy. The move paid off and Winnipeg has yet to lose since, rattling off five straight wins to get to 6-4 after Labour Day.

You can’t talk about surprises without mentioning the 7-3 BC Lions. A team that’s only scratched the surface of its potential in recent years, the Lions went into 2016 with a young quarterback and an old/new head coach on the sidelines with the return of Wally Buono.

BC was a team without identity ever since Buono dropped the head coaching duties from his title after winning the Grey Cup in 2011, but this season the Lions are characterized by their relentless work ethic and adherence to discipline.

Both the Bombers and Lions are in the race in the heated West Division. Question is, after an off-season in which everyone talked about Calgary, Edmonton and Saskatchewan, which result has been more surprising? Steinberg and Ferguson debate in the latest Berg vs. Ferg.

BERG VS. FERG: WEEK 11 RESULTS

BergvsFerg_Twitter_Facebook

Last week, Berg and Ferg debated over which Labour Day Classic was most pivotal.

» View Week 11 Berg vs. Ferg

CFL.ca

Twitter

TOTAL

Steinberg – 321 (51%)

Ferguson – 303 (49%)

Steinberg – 543 (68%)

Ferguson – 256 (32%)

Steinberg – 864 (61%)

Ferguson – 559 (39%)

BergVFerg Weekly Tally_week_12

BERG (2-5): I WAS WRONG, BUT I WASN’T THE ONLY ONE

Pat_Steinberg_2016

Pat Steinberg, CFL.ca
@Fan960Steinberg

Sometimes it’s fun to be wrong.

I won’t shy away from how critical I’ve been of the Winnipeg Blue Bombers in recent years. Well, after a 1-4 start, the Bombers have now won five straight and are in a good spot to make it six straight this weekend in the Banjo Bowl against the Riders. Not only is Winnipeg full marks for its turnaround, the Bombers also tough to cheer against right now. More than anything else, I didn’t see this coming and that’s why this reversal of fortune is the biggest surprise so far in 2016.

There are two reasons why this Bombers’ surge is so surprising. I honestly didn’t see Matt Nichols being such a catalyst for change, but that’s exactly what he’s been. Because he took over five games into the season, Nichols isn’t going to be near the top of any statistical category right now. What Nichols has brought, though, isn’t necessarily measured in yards and touchdowns. Instead, he’s brought calm, measured decision making to Wininpeg’s offence, which wasn’t there before with Drew Willy. It’s turned out to be exactly what the doctor ordered.

Then there’s what we’re seeing defensively. I didn’t think the Bombers were going to be bad on the defensive side of the ball, but I certainly didn’t see them being as dominant as they’ve been. All Winnipeg does is force turnovers over. They lead the CFL with 20 interceptions, doubling Montreal’s total in second; with 13 forced fumbles, the Bombers also lead the league with 33 total turnovers. But we’re not talking about a high-risk situation here. With 229 points allowed so far, Winnipeg is the CFL’s second stingiest team. This defensive front has turned into one of the league’s most terrifying, which I didn’t necessarily see coming.

At 6-4, the Bombers are anything but home and cleared. But at 1-4, it seemed like this team was on course for a fifth straight year out of the playoffs. They’re not assured a post-season berth yet, but riding a five game win streak right now, they absolutely deserve full credit.

FERG (5-2): NEVER UNDERESTIMATE WALLY BUONO

Marshall_Ferguson_2016

Marshall Ferguson, CFL.ca
@TSN_Marsh

Maybe I’m finally showing my age. Sports media is not a young man’s game, especially when it comes to respecting legendary coaches.

Bo Schembechler? I’ve heard he was good.

Tom Landry? Sure.

Wally Buono? Seems like he knew what he was doing way back when.

I picked BC to finish last in the West division this year. To many, if not most of you reading this, that will seem naive. Guilty. I’m usually proud of my fresh angle and different perspective from my experienced superiors. Not on this one.

Wally coached his first game in the CFL as a head coach a year before I was born. As a result, when the Jeff Tedford experiment failed and Wally returned to the sidelines, I thought it was a stop gap.

Just another aging coach with a young quarterback who is trying to keep his beloved franchise above water until finding a solid solution. Wrong.

Wally Buono and the Lions have done three remarkable things which make them the most surprising CFL team of the 2016 CFL season.

First, they established an identity. Power running and asking your quarterback to make fewer than 10 great throws a game is just not what the CFL has become. Wally doesn’t care.

Next, the Lions know who their playmakers are on defence and have created a defence which allows them to flourish. In Will Ferrell’s comedic masterpiece ‘Semi Pro’, Jackie Moon (Will Ferrell) tells Ed Monix (Woody Harrelson), “I’m a rover, coach. I’m just going to go rover”.

Every time I watch Adam Bighill and Solomon Elimimian play football I imagine the play call somehow involving the term ‘team 100 rover’. Those guys are everywhere and they’re combined.

Finally, the Lions have owned the field position battle. Richie Leone has been outstanding and if you are playing old school football there is nothing better suited to complement a running game and dominating the time of possession than a game changing leg.

I showed my age in assessing the Lions while Wally refuses to accept his. I love it. The Lions are my shocker.

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.

Fan Poll
Which team has been the bigger surprise in 2016?
BC Lions
Vote
Winnipeg Blue Bombers
Vote