Johany Jutras/CFL.ca
Berg vs. Ferg returns for another season on CFL.ca as columnists Pat Steinberg and Marshall Ferguson debate over some of the league’s most contentious storylines. This week, they debate on which non-playoff team has the best chance to bounce back.
While the final playoff seeding has yet to be determined, we already know going into Week 19 that the Montreal Alouettes, BC Lions and Hamilton Tiger-Cats will not play in the post-season this year.
It’s a disappointing result for three teams that had high expectations going into 2017, with two of them — Montreal and BC — going through second-half collapses.
For fans of those teams, the next couple of months will bring about a different kind of excitement, with the focus turning to the off-season and what’s next.
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We’re already certain that big changes are on the way in Montreal, where Kavis Reed will step back into his GM role and choose a new coach. That will be a big move for the Alouettes, who are looking for a new face of their franchise.
In BC, a highly-talented core may be overshadowed by questions about Wally Buono, a Hall of Fame coach whose future on the CFL sideline is unknown. After roaring to a 5-2 start, the Lions have lost eight of their last nine games en route to a 6-10 record.
The Ticats may be the most popular pick to bounce back, after responding to an 0-8 start with a 5-3 surge. They’ve played well under June Jones and Jeremiah Masoli, but they, too, have their question marks this off-season both at quarterback and head coach.
It’s early; a lot will change this off-season. But at this moment, which team has the best chance to bounce back in 2018? The debate continues in this week’s Berg vs. Ferg.
| BERG VS. FERG: LAST WEEK’S RESULTS |
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Poll Result: Who is the Most Outstanding Rookie? |
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Ferguson: Richard Leonard (52%) Steinberg: D’haquille Williams (48%) |
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FERG (10-9): TICATS ARE BELIEVING AND BUYING IN
Marshall Ferguson, CFL.ca
@TSN_Marsh
When asked to name one factor or characteristic in a football team that could define why they are improving, what would you answer?
Some might go tangible with terms such as national depth, top-end talent or roster continuity.
While all those things matter, this season has proven that two terms rise above all others when pointing to an improving team.
Belief and buy-in.
The Saskatchewan Roughriders believed in themselves long before many others did, and they have parlayed that belief into an improved end-of-season performance heading towards the playoffs.
While the Hamilton Tiger-Cats are not in the dance this year, they feature many of the same characteristics seen in Regina.
Since June Jones arrived, the feeling on the sideline in-game and in the locker-room post-game has changed. There is no doubting the Tiger-Cats players feel embraced by Jones’ player-friendly style and constant positive reinforcement. It’s played a big part in Hamilton’s improved second half, which many Hamilton fans are right to hope continues into 2018.
At this point, you’re probably saying, “wow, predictable. The Hamilton guy picked Hamilton as the best non-playoff team next year”.
The reality is the Ticats might not even be in the top five teams next season, but I’d rather have their situation than the other two options.
BC feels like an organization in transition due to under achievement, and Montreal has yet to piece together much in the way of a public plan that suggests their improvement will out-reach Hamilton’s.
If June Jones returns, Phillip Lolley gets a chance to build his defence from day one and the quarterbacks continue to improve under Jones’ watch, the Tiger-Cats should be back in the playoffs next season. Something I can not as confidently say for BC or Montreal.
BERG (9-10): A GREAT POSITION TO BOUNCE BACK
Pat Steinberg, CFL.ca
@Fan960Steinberg
Full disclosure: I chose the BC Lions to win the Grey Cup, so my submission in this week’s debate is likely already biased. The Lions have had an extremely disappointing season and for them to miss the playoffs falls well short of expectations. But BC had high hopes entering the season for a reason: they’ve got a lot of really good players. That’s why I think they’re the leading candidate for a bounce back 2018 campaign.
For that to happen, Jonathon Jennings is going to need to accomplish two things: stay healthy for most of the year and clean up his decision-making. The injury sustained by Jennings in mid-July seemed to throw everything off for BC’s quarterback after a nice start to the season. Upon returning, Jennings has been prone to forced throws and his 12-15 touchdown-to-interception ratio will speak to that. If Jennings continues to work on his patience, I still think there’s a lot to work with.
Let’s not forget Jennings has some impressive threats at his disposal. With Bryan Burnham and Emmanuel Arceneaux, BC still boasts one of the CFL’s best one-two punches at receiver. Jeremiah Johnson, on the other hand, remains one of the league’s most consistent tailbacks and helps round out the Lions on offence. Assuming everyone is back next year, BC still boasts proven, reliable and dangerous playmakers.
An underlying look at the Lions defensively shows there’s some promise next year, too. This season, BC has allowed fewer than 80 yards per game on the ground, the second-best total in the league. The Lions have been decent defending the pass, too, sitting fifth with 299.7 passing yards against per game. If they can get a little more push on the defensive line this off-season, BC could be very formidable defensively; they’ve racked up 25 sacks, the league’s third lowest total.
No one is more disappointed in this season than Lions players and coaches. This team had high expectations both internally and externally, and they haven’t been able to live up to them. But those expectations weren’t simply fabricated for the sake of it. Plain and simple, BC has underachieved in a big way this season. With a couple tweaks, the Lions can absolutely be a factor in 2018.
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.
