Kevin Sousa/CFL.ca
Sometimes as a sports fan you gotta put in the work.
Oh, sure, it’s easy to be fully invested in Week 1 of the CFL season, when we’ve been deprived of football for half a year. You can give me a 11-8 punt fest with more rouges than in my grade 6 French class and I’m thrilled. Labour Day Weekend will have my full attention and we all live and die with the post-season. But then there is the flip side; the final week of the season.
We see this in every professional sport with losing teams tanking while the top teams are resting their stars for fear of unnecessary injury. This leads to the conclusion that there are no consequences and no stakes at the very end of the year where the playoff seedings has been determined.
RELATED
» Rourke Returns: Lions pivot expected to start in regular season finale
» CFL Simulation: Looking at nine possible Grey Cup matchups
» Prediction Time: CFL.ca writers’ Week 21 picks
» Matchups Set: 109th Grey Cup playoffs ready for kickoff
I understand this belief, but I could not disagree more. Yes, it requires a smidge more work to find significance in the final moments of an 18-game season, but trust me they are there and not difficult to locate. I am a firm believer that there are no meaningless games. This week will have zero impact on playoff scheduling but there is so much on the line for so many players and yes, there is an excellent chance we see something in Week 21 that will have a massive impact on the Grey Cup.
I have eight storylines to keep an eye on including three from the team who clinched home field throughout the playoffs first. You know what, let’s start with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers.
A Trio of Possibilities in Winnipeg
Disclaimer: I have no idea what coach Mike O’Shea’s plan is for their last game of the year. Do they go all in for the win after losing to the BC Lions in Week 19 and want to enter the post-season on a high or limit the snaps of his full time starters?
The most fascinating wide receiver this weekend has to be multi All-Star and five-time 1,000+ yard receiver Greg Ellingson. We have seen Greg play once since his Week 6 152-yard game against Calgary. He was practicing this week and it sure sounds like he will be running routes on Friday night against the Lions. I’m sure I am not the only one curious to see how he looks running at full speed, creating separation, and absorbing hits from defensive backs. Imagine how good Winnipeg’s passing attack could look with the veteran Ellingson teaming up with wonder rookie Dalton Schoen!
Greg Ellingson has played in seven games this season in Winnipeg (BlueBombers.com)
Next up is the man who replaced a legend in running back Brady Oliveira who was tasked with filling the shoes of future Hall of Famer Andrew Harris. Oliveira is 61 yards short of 1,000 yards rushing, which is a big deal in sports where we all love to see round numbers. No one gets excited about 998 yards on the ground, but we all make a big deal when that total tips over a 1,000.
Finally in the name of symmetry, I wouldn’t mind seeing back up Dru Brown come in and get the win. If you remember he stepped in late in Week 1 against Ottawa and led the Bombers to a 19-17 game winning field goal.
The Toronto Argonauts Quarterbacks
Let’s go from the top team in the West to the top team in the East. Be honest, we all want to see what backup Chad Kelly can do when given more than mop up duty. I know, I know, the league is littered with tales of high-profile Division I quarterbacks with glory on their collegiate resumes (Kelly beat Alabama in Alabama) but that doesn’t mean we’re not all curious to see how Kelly looks as a starter.
This has nothing to do with the work done by McLeod Bethel-Thompson, but rather our natural curiosity to see if Kelly’s immense physical talents can translate to the Canadian game. Kelly will likely start on Saturday afternoon, but if the former Ole Miss star falters, I am good if Bethel-Thompson passes for 269 yards to hit 5,000 yards for the season. The man deserves all the individual accolades he can garner and again give me a nice, clean round number to stare at.
The Saskatchewan Quarterback Dilemma
I have no idea what I am rooting for in the final game of the 2022 season. On the one end, I’d love to see the 2019 CFL All-Star version of Cody Fajardo, who I’m rooting for to again be playing at a high level somewhere in this league. But if Mason Fine lights it up in his second start does that mean it is over for Fajardo in Regina?
Mason Fine threw for 196 yards and a touchdown in the Riders loss to the Stamps last week (Riderville.com)
The other side of this story is a strong end of the year for Fine could kickstart something special in 2023 for the 25-year-old North Texas star. It is only one game but for Fine, it’s an opportunity to start laying down the foundation of a long CFL career while for Fajardo it could be a bittersweet end to his time in Saskatchewan.
Once again, please don’t tell me the final weekend of the season is devoid of drama.
Possible Youth Movement in Ottawa
Of course I am going to continue with the theme of young quarterbacks getting as many reps as possible!
Caleb Evans has done more losing than winning and thrown more interceptions than touchdowns. The flip side is Evans is just 24 years old and I have seen him hold his own against Montreal (297 yards, one touchdown) and Toronto (286 yards, two touchdowns) this year and the man is a short yardage machine with 15 touchdowns on the ground. Like in any league, if you want the next wave of stars to rise you need to get them on the field at a young age as often as possible.
Finally, if you need an easy storyline to root for how about getting this amazing fan base a win at home for the first time all year? This is a group that needs to leave TD Place with a collective spring in their steps.
The Status of Dane Evans’ Thumb
When asked about the status of his injured hand/thumb Evans had this to say: “It’s attached to my body, I can move it, (it) feels fine. So, we’ll see. Every day it’s gotten a little better.” I’m thrilled his thumb is still part of his body, his hitchhiking ability would have been greatly hampered otherwise.
Wait, is that the Nathan Rourke Music I hear Playing?!?
Saving the best for last.
That’s right the MOP frontrunner before that Lisfranc injury to his foot is back! Before going down, Rourke was on pace for over 6,400 yards and a Doug Flutie record-breaking 50 touchdown passes!
If Nathan looks close to the passer he was in the first half of the season, just imagine the ripple effect that will be felt all over Canada. The Blue Bombers are rightfully the favourites to get that Grey Cup three-peat but a healthy Nathan changes everything. From a non-playoff perspective I’m just happy to have the man who took this league by storm back in our football lives again.
