Jimmy Jeong/CFL.ca
TORONTO — J.C. Sherritt returned to practice on Thursday for the first time since rupturing his Achilles in Week 1. Will he be ready to return on Saturday?
What happens in Winnipeg if Justin Medlock doesn’t return to the Blue Bombers next season? Will the plethora of free agents in BC – including star receiver Emmanuel Arceneaux – re-sign with the team next season?
And who will be the next head coach of the Montreal Alouettes?
All that and more in this week’s Checking Down:
Jump to team:
BC | Calgary | Edmonton | Saskatchewan | Winnipeg | Hamilton | Toronto | Ottawa | Montreal |
BC LIONS
– He was the league’s leading tackler but do you know what Solomon Elimimian is like off the field? (BCLions.com)
– The BC Lions roster is littered with veteran pending free agents – including receiver Emmanuel Arceneaux – who stays and who goes? (Justin Dunk, 3DownNation.com)
EDMONTON ESKIMOS
– C.J. Gable went off for 107 yards a pair of touchdowns in the Eskimos Western Semi-Final win. He has fit perfectly in Edmonton’s offence (Chris O’Leary, CFL.ca).
– The Western Final will see two of the most dominant teams in the regular season go head-to-head, but who has the edge between the Esks and Stamps (CFL.ca)?
– The Esks are riding high following their thrashing of the Bombers and are carrying a lot of momentum heading into Calgary (Terry Jones, Edmonton Sun).
– Linebacker J.C. Sherritt practiced for the first time since rupturing his Achilles in Week 1 on Thursday. There is no word if he will play on Sunday (Dave Campbell, 630 CHED)
CALGARY STAMPEDERS
– The Stampeders are well rested and ready to rumble against the Eskimos after a bye to the Western Final (George Johnson, Stampeders.com).
– Head coach Dave Dickenson says that the Battle of Alberta will be a “dog fight” with the way that the Eskimos have been playing (Stampeders.com).
– Alex Singleton has become the CFL’s fastest rising star. But how did he do it? (Chris O’Leary, CFL.ca).
SASKATCHEWAN ROUGHRIDERS
– As we’ve seen so far this season, everything that Riders head coach Chris Jones does is not an accident (Marshall Ferguson, CFL.ca).
– Marcus Thigpen was sitting at home just a few months ago before he sent a message to Kevin Glenn on Instagram about joining the Riders (CFL.ca).
– When it comes to players to watch during the post-season, receiver turned defensive back Duron Carter tops the list (CFL.ca).
– Duron Carter has picked apart the Toronto Argonauts secondary in the two meetings this season. How did he do it? (Marshall Ferguson, CFL.ca).
WINNIPEG BLUE BOMBERS
– CFL.ca’s Chris O’Leary put himself in one of the most rabid environments in the CFL, taking his chances with the wilder, bear costume-wearing crew in section 143 of Investors Group Field (CFL.ca).
– Quarterback Matt Nichols revealed during Monday’s locker clean out that he had been playing the last few weeks of season with a broken finger (CFL.ca).
– After two seasons with the Blue Bombers, kicker/punter Justin Medlock is unsure of his future in Winnipeg (CFL.ca).
– The man behind the creative play-calling in Winnipeg, Paul LaPolice is set to stick around with the Blue Bombers next season (CFL.ca).
HAMILTON TIGER-CATS
– Plenty of former Tiger-Cats remain in the playoffs like six Saskatchewan Roughriders including Kevin Glenn, Peter Dyakowski, Bakari Grant and Marcus Thigpen (Drew Edwards, 3DownNation.com).
– First-round draft pick Connor McGough and eighth-round pick Sean Thomas-Erlington enjoyed stellar rookie campaigns with the Tiger-Cats (Ben Andrews, Ticats.ca).
TORONTO ARGONAUTS
– James Wilder Jr. has been one of the most exciting members of the Toronto Argonauts over the last month and is the sixth player to watch in the Division Finals (CFL.ca).
– While the Argos deserve plenty of credit for finishing first in the East, the efforts of head coach Marc Trestman cannot be overlooked (Frank Zicarelli, Toronto Sun).
– He once played for the Saskatchewan Roughriders and was once a quarterback in college but now Armanti Edwards is fitting in just fine with the Toronto Argonauts (Don Landry, CFL.ca).
OTTAWA REDBLACKS
– The Ottawa REDBLACKS made waves across the internet with Diontae Spencer’s limbo celebration during the Eastern Semi-Final (Max Rosenberg, CFL.ca).
– Receiver Greg Ellingson hopes that the REDBLACKS can attract free agents in the off-season (OttawaREDBLACKS.com).
MONTREAL ALOUETTES
– Could former Alouette Ben Cahoon be the next head coach of the Montreal Alouettes? TSN690 discusses that he could be a good fit (TSN.ca).
– Or perhaps Ottawa REDBLACKS offensive coordinator Jamie Elizondo is the next man up for the head coaching job (3DownNation.com).
– John Bowman has played 200 career games in the CFL and had a chance to reflect on his career (MontrealAlouettes.com)