Johany Jutras/CFL.ca
Every week of the 2016 season, CFL.ca columnists Pat Steinberg and Marshall Ferguson debate over one of the league’s most contentious storylines. With the playoffs set to start, we ask: could we be in for an all-West Grey Cup?
You could say there’s a first time for everything.
That’s the way Edmonton Eskimos fans might be thinking this week, their team getting set to travel east in hopes of taking the path less traveled to the Grey Cup Championship. OK — the path never traveled.
The Esks, the fourth-place team in the West, earned a crossover spot by finishing fourth in the West with more points than third in the East. The playoffs, of course, are exactly where the Eskimos want to be as a team that’s seen its ups and downs this year but appears to be peaking at exactly the right time.
The problem is that no crossover team has ever made it as far as the Grey Cup. Only two, meanwhile, have ever made it past the Division Semi-Final round.
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The question: why not this year?
The Eskimos are positioned well heading into Sunday’s Eastern Semi-Final matchup with the Hamilton Tiger-Cats.
It starts with how they’ve progressed under first-year head coach Jason Maas, new defensive coordinator Mike Benevides and a complement of new talent on the defensive side of the ball. Winning the Grey Cup had its toll on the Eskimos but it’s fair to say their progression has been very linear week to week.
Then there’s the reality of the East Division, where the Ticats and REDBLACKS, the top two ranked teams, combined for a record of 15-20-1.
Playing on the road all of the time isn’t going to be a walk in the park. Yet for a team that played against highly-competitive Western opponents all year, heading East is considered favourable by many. The Eskimos won’t have to play league-leading Calgary unless it’s in the Grey Cup.
It’s never happened before but could 2016 be the year of the all-west Grey Cup? Pat Steinberg and Marshall Ferguson debate.
| BERG VS. FERG: WEEK 20 RESULTS |
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CFL.ca |
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Ferguson – 618 (76%) Steinberg – 199 (24%) |
Ferguson – 602 (77%) Steinberg – 180 (23%) |
Ferguson – 1,220 (76%) Steinberg – 379 (24%) |
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FERG (9-7): PRIDE IS ON THE LINE FOR THE EAST
Marshall Ferguson, CFL.ca
@TSN_Marsh
There comes a time in every Berg vs. Ferg where I evaluate my own argument and think, “do I have a chance to win this week?” All signs in this debate point to no.
The Montreal Alouettes led Eastern teams with four wins against West Division opponents and they failed to make the playoffs.
The Tiger-Cats were worked over in Week 19 by the Eskimos in a way that suggested an East Division playoff game win for Hamilton over Edmonton would be best characterized as a redemption story against the odds. Not to mention Ottawa’s offence does not strike fear into the soul of defensive secondaries as it did early this season or last year during the REDBLACKS’ playoff run.
All of this is to say it doesn’t look good for the East.
Despite all of that — the stats, the trends, the current injury lists — I have to believe playing at home means something to the Ticats and REDBLACKS and more specifically their fans.
The East has incredible fan bases in Hamilton and Ottawa with the ability to influence a game. Ottawa will feature the most well balanced offensive attack in the East playoffs despite the crushing loss of Chris Williams to an ACL injury and Hamilton has the ability to be as explosive as anyone on offence with Zach Collaros back at the helm.
Edmonton travels well and has shown inspired play as of late but at some point one has to believe the Esks will hit a wall with road game after road game.
It’s time for the East Division to show some pride in playing at home and stake claim to what is theirs. I believe it would be remarkably disappointing for a member of the East Division to watch a Western team raise the East Division trophy on Nov. 20.
BERG (7-9): IF EDMONTON CAN’T DO IT, NO ONE CAN
Pat Steinberg, CFL.ca
@Fan960Steinberg
I think the Edmonton Eskimos have what it takes to do what has never been done before: advance to the Grey Cup through the East Division as a crossover team. With how the Eskimos are trending heading into the playoffs, it’s tough to choose against them even knowing they have to win not once, but twice on the road.
More than anything else, Edmonton looks like a team getting hot at the right time. In a sport where timing your peak is important, it sure does look like the Esks are very much on their way up. Edmonton enters the Eastern Semi-Final with wins in five of its last six games while both Hamilton and Ottawa stumbled to the regular season finishing line.
With losses in five of their last six, and nine of their last 13, it sure is tough to feel great about the Tiger-Cats right now. Yes, Hamilton boasts some impressive individual talent, but this team hasn’t been able to put it together on anything close to a consistent basis all season long. To make matters worse, they Ticats will be without Andy Fantuz for the rest of the season. Very little makes you feel positive about the way things are going for Hamilton right now.
Things weren’t much better to finish the season in Ottawa. Yes, the REDBLACKS did win an impressive game over Winnipeg in Week 19 to clinch the East Division, I’ll give them that. However, the REDBLACKS finished the season with a 4-7 record, including losses in four of their last six games. While a bye might help injured players like SirVincent Rogers get closer to a return, this certainly doesn’t feel like a juggernaut Ottawa group as the playoffs begin.
Now let’s contrast that with the Eskimos. Not only did Edmonton finish its season on a tear but the Eskimos are also no stranger to winning big football games. We’re talking about the defending Grey Cup champions here, with a good chunk of players from last year’s winner still in the fold.
If there’s any team to show the poise needed to win a pair of playoff games on the road, it would be a team with guys like Mike Reilly, JC Sherritt, and Pat Watkins on it.
Reilly led the CFL’s second best passing attack this season and has the league’s two best receivers in Adarius Bowman and Derel Walker. To slow that trio down is something teams have struggled with all season long. Edmonton has grown and progressed over 18 games under new head coach Jason Maas and it’s clear that is a vastly improved team compared to the one that started the season.
No team has ever won two games as a crossover team. If there’s a team to make history like that, it’s the 2016 Eskimos.
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.
The winner will be revealed in the following week’s Berg vs. Ferg.
