We’ve hit the official midway mark of the 2023 CFL season, with most of the league’s nine clubs having played half of their 18-game regular season.
The Winnipeg Blue Bombers (7-2) remain atop the West Division standings after a come-from-behind 38-29 victory Thursday over the Edmonton Elks, who continue to be the CFL’s dumpster fire, now 0-9 on the season. The Saskatchewan Roughriders (4-5) are a distant third in the West, falling to a below-.500 record following a 41-12 beatdown Friday at the hands of the Montreal Alouettes (5-3), who sit comfortably in second place in the East Division.
The Calgary Stampeders (3-6) continue to look better on paper than on the field, as they were delivered another punch in the mouth, this time by the B.C. Lions (7-2), who kept pace with Winnipeg with a 37-9 shellacking Saturday night at BC Place. The weekend wrapped up with the East-leading Toronto Argonauts (7-1) earning a 44-31 triumph Sunday over the Ottawa Redblacks (3-6), who are now tied with the idle Hamilton Tiger-Cats (3-5) for last place in the East, though the Ticats have played one fewer game.
There’s still plenty of football to be played and the standings could look much different by October. As they often say, the season doesn’t really start until after the Labour Day weekend, when the temperature dips and the jockeying in the standings begins in earnest.
But before we look too far ahead, lets take a glance back at the drama-filled week that was in the three-down loop in the latest edition of CFL Rundown.
1) For a second there it looked like the Elks might achieve the impossible against the Bombers. But it turns out not even a 22-0 lead was enough of a head start, as Winnipeg, under the guidance of No. 2 QB Dru Brown, clawed its way back. The game didn’t even need to go down to the final moments, with the Bombers taking the lead fewer than two minutes into the fourth quarter when Brown connected with Kenny Lawler on a one-handed TD catch.
2) Brown came in cold and was exceptional, completing 17 of his 24 passes for 307 yards and four touchdowns in the win. He was called into duty after Zach Collaros suffered a neck injury early in the second quarter, following a hit from Elks D-lineman Kony Ealy. With Collaros absent from practice all week, Brown looks primed to make his first start of the season against the Stampeders at McMahon Stadium Friday night.
3) While Brown’s performance certainly sent some shockwaves across the CFL, none of his teammates, nor anyone that covers the Bombers, was all that surprised. What raised eyebrows, though, was how Ealy wasn’t called for a roughing-the-passer penalty. Ealy doesn’t look to have any ill-intent on the hit, but he clearly makes contact with Collaros’ head. The craziest part is Winnipeg challenged the play and the call was upheld. It’s a good thing Collaros’ injury appears to be minor, and if he’s not in this week, I don’t see him missing much more, if any, time.
4) The latest victim of the Elks fiasco is president and CEO Victor Cui, who is no longer with the team after he and the club mutually parted ways. The buzz out of Edmonton is this is anything but a mutual decision, and that Cui was ousted by the board after weeks of deliberations. Not sure I’m buying into the rumours that he led a toxic environment — heavy turnover of staff is a rite of passage for all professional sports teams, especially when a new regime comes in — but I am told the Elks are in deep financial trouble. I wouldn’t be surprised if other clubs around the CFL offer to pitch in and help get them back on track, as far as sharing best business practices, as the Elks are going to wait two or three weeks to find an external interim candidate. What an absolute mess.
5) Cui is clearly just another fall guy, and while he certainly made some mistakes along the way — remember in the midst of the Elks losing streak last year, Cui publicly guaranteed three straight victories, only to lose all of them? — this falls mostly on GM/HC/DC Chris Jones and the football operations side. You’d have better luck selling a ketchup popsicle to a woman in white gloves (R.I.P. Chris Farley) than trying to push tickets for an Edmonton club that hasn’t won a home game since 2019.
6) The Elks board is also a disaster. Why after relieving Cui would board chairman, Tom Richards, publicly endorse Jones, who is a dismal 4-23 since taking over and has run an outfit this season that has been nothing short of embarrassing? Even if the board is somehow confident in Jones, the message to fans needs to be that they’re evaluating everything, not committed to the same garbage we’ve seen for months.
7) I might sound like a broken record but the Riders are in serious trouble. With No. 1 pivot Trevor Harris already out for months, backup Mason Fine is now expected to miss the next two or three weeks with a pulled hamstring. How desperate is Saskatchewan? They’ve acquired Antonio Pipkin from the Ticats for global punter Kaare Vedvik. It doesn’t get any easier for the Riders, either, as they face the Lions once and the Bombers twice over their next three games.
8) Speaking of the Ticats, HC Orlondo Steinauer said before the club went on the bye week that they’d be addressing the various “elephants in the room.” Well, the axe came out, with Hamilton firing offensive co-ordinator and assistant head coach Tommy Condell. Scott Milanovich, who was hired as a senior assistant over the winter and has two Grey Cups as an OC and one as a head coach, will take over the offence. It will be up to Milanovich to get the most out of a QB room that currently consists of Taylor Powell, Kai Locksley and Mike Glass, with Bo Levi Mitchell and Matthew Shiltz still nursing injuries.
9) The Alouettes were without No. 1 QB Cody Fajardo, lead running back William Stanback and defensive stalwart, Almondo Sewell, and they were still able to steal Saskatchewan’s lunch money. Credit to Caleb Evans, who played well in relief after Farjardo took warmup before being sidelined.
10) Lions quarterback Vernon Adams Jr. looked no worse for wear after returning from a two-game absence owing to a knee injury. He finished 23-for-32 passing for 322 yards and four TDs against the Stamps. If he can keep up his consistency, Adams certainly belongs in the conversation for the league’s most outstanding player, along with Collaros and Toronto’s Chad Kelly.
11) It’s been a tough run for Dave Dickenson in his first year as GM/HC with the Stamps. Calgary has been hit pretty hard by injuries, but that’s professional football. What’s most concerning is Dickenson looks defeated, having called out his team’s effort several times this year, while also once questioning their commitment to fitness. The Stamps haven’t won back-to-back games this season and their only notable victory came against an Argos club that was on a short week and had Kelly sidelined with an ankle injury in the second quarter.
12) Any concerns Kelly would lose a beat returning from the ankle injury were quickly extinguished as the Argos’ No. 1 QB had arguably his best game of the season against the Redblacks. He eclipsed 400 passing yards and threw four TDs, three of which involved him hanging in the pocket and taking a big hit to deliver the pass.
13) If Toronto fans have any beef with the league’s schedule makers it should be about the fact the Argos and Bombers meet just once this season. It’s wild that we’ve got to wait until Sept. 29 to see a rematch of last year’s Grey Cup. As for Toronto playing too many road games in a row or the fact they’re off on their third and final bye week, I’d be looking at the ownership group, as Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment is well known to dictate to the CFL when they play at BMO Field.
14) Is it just me or are the Redblacks the most enjoyable 3-6 team to watch? Dustin Crum has had some good games since taking over QB1 duties in Ottawa, but his performance against the Argos was his best. Talk about growth for the 24-year-old, who despite losing, completed more than 80 per cent of his passes for 292 yards, while adding 42 rushing yards on nine carries. He could use a little help from the O-line, though, as Crum has been sacked 34 times, the most among any CFL QB despite starting just five games.
Twitter: @jeffkhamilton
Jeff Hamilton
Multimedia producer
After a slew of injuries playing hockey that included breaks to the wrist, arm, and collar bone; a tear of the medial collateral ligament in both knees; as well as a collapsed lung, Jeff figured it was a good idea to take his interest in sports off the ice and in to the classroom.
