The Canadian Press
Stop me if you’ve heard this before: the Calgary Stampeders are the head and shoulders best team in the CFL. As a result, and has been the case for most of the last decade, the rest of the league is battling it out to be first in line behind the Stamps.
As it stands right now, there are three candidates in the “best of the rest” conversation. Before we get there, though, a tip of the hat once again to Calgary. The Stampeders were precise in their execution as they opened up a 24-0 first quarter lead against the Riders on Saturday. That was enough to hold off Saskatchewan in the final 45 minutes and stake Calgary to a 6-0 record.
This team has allowed just 68 points in six contests, which is good for 11.3 points against per game. That sounds low when you first think about it, but it’s even more ridiculous when you compare it to the rest of the league. The next best point total against is 126 (Ottawa), while the second best per game total is 21 (Ottawa and Winnipeg). The Stamps really are way out in front of the rest of the pack.
In saying that, the REDBLACKS, Bombers, and Edmonton Eskimos are the teams clamouring to get in line first behind Calgary. They’re the only other teams with records above the .500 mark, and have all exhibited some really positive traits.
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Trevor Harris and the REDBLACKS pace the East after a 4-2 start to the season (Adam Gagnon/CFL.ca)
Would it surprise you to know Winnipeg is the highest-scoring team in the league through the first two months? The Bombers are averaging more than 34 points per game and are doing so with a fairly balanced attack, especially lately. We’ve seen that as they’ve scored 78 points in back-to-back wins over Toronto.
With the way Matt Nichols has played the last two weeks, it’s safe to say he’s gotten things back on track after struggling slightly in a return from a knee injury. When you combine that with what Andrew Harris has done all season, you can see how Winnipeg has only been held under 30 points twice in seven tries.
What’s been slightly surprising in Ottawa’s 4-2 start is how off-script they’ve been. In recent years, the calling card of the REDBLACKS has been a high-powered attack. Instead, we’ve seen Ottawa surge to the top of the East Division thanks to some aforementioned stingy defensive work.
If that continues, the REDBLACKS look like they could be handful when they inevitably get things clicking offensively. And don’t forget: Ottawa’s only losses this season have come to Calgary, and one of those losses very easily could have gone either way.
Edmonton has been in this conversation for quite some time, and they’ve pushed the Stampeders at different times over the last few years. The Eskimos have done that led by the league’s deadliest aerial attack and, well, nothing has changed this year. Once again, Edmonton boasts the CFL’s leading passer (Mike Reilly) and receiver (Duke Williams).
We’re only a third of the way through the 2018 season, so there’s a lot still to be determined; we could absolutely see someone track Calgary down between now and October. But right now, the Stamps are in their familiar spot atop the mountain. As it stands now, it’s Edmonton, Ottawa, and Winnipeg standing the best chance of knocking them off.
It’s football time
I wish I could say I’m surprised to see the Montreal Alouettes off to a difficult start to the season, but I’m not. They had huge quarterback uncertainty and plenty of off-season turmoil, so a rough beginning seemed somewhat telegraphed. The Als addressed a little bit of that last week, though, in acquiring Johnny Manziel from Hamilton. It doesn’t change the fact Montreal is still extremely uncertain at the game’s most important position.
Jeff Krever and I got into a fun and heated argument in last week’s CFL Fantasy Podcast after the Alouettes made their big move. Krever’s assertion Manziel is ready to take off in Montreal was rooted in sound logic: generational athleticism, a chip on his shoulder, and plenty of natural motivation. But I’m just not sold this is a slam-dunk.
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» Thursday, 7:00 p.m. ET: Ottawa at Toronto
» Thursday, 10:00 p.m. ET: Saskatchewan at Edmonton
» Friday, 7:30 p.m. ET: Hamilton at Montreal
» Saturday, 9:00 p.m. ET: BC at Calgary
Most importantly, the Als give Manziel one thing he wasn’t getting with the Ticats: opportunity. Jeremiah Masoli is the guy in Hamilton and that doesn’t look like it’s going to change, so for Manziel to get an opportunity to start, he was going to have to go somewhere else. At 1-5, Manziel will get playing time in Montreal, so at the very least he has a chance.
But to confidently say he’s going to be the answer to a huge quarterback question is extremely premature. Manziel still hasn’t thrown a pass in a regular season game since December 2014 with the Cleveland Browns. Will athleticism and motivation be able to counteract almost four years of inactivity?
Look, Johnny Football could very well be what Montreal is looking for and I get the logic behind their big deal with Hamilton. For the Alouettes to stay static at quarterback after all the struggles they’ve had in recent seasons, including this one, would have been crazy. But this acquisition is anything but a sure thing.
Why worry?
After the aforementioned Matt Nichols struggled in his first two starts of his 2018 campaign, there was some worry about his status as Winnipeg’s number one guy. At the time I thought that conversation was really early, and Nichols has gone out to prove that’s the case.
It just seemed really premature to think Nichols had all of a sudden lost it after watching two games following a knee injury. Since taking over as starter early in the 2015 season, Nichols has been one of the league’s best and most consistent pivots and the biggest reason the Bombers have dramatically turned things around.
Sometimes it takes a little bit to get comfortable again after an injury and, maybe more significantly, missing a lot of time. Nichols missed Winnipeg’s final pre-season tune-up and their first three regular season games before returning to action in Week 4. I certainly wasn’t expecting him to return in perfect fashion.
But Nichols has made me a believer over the last two years. After initially opposing Mike O’Shea’s decision to install Nichols as starter over Drew Willy, I’ve seen the error of my ways. Nichols is 24-11 as starter as a member of the Bombers, including 3-1 this season. It’s tough to bet against him.
