Never a dull moment in CFL Bombers dominance continues, Elks appear to have given up on season By: Jeff Hamilton Posted: 7:00 PM CDT Thursday, Sep. 1, 2022 Last Modified: 9:08 PM CDT Thursday, Sep. 1, 2022 Updates

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 31/08/2022 (846 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

It’s often said that the “real” CFL season begins Labour Day weekend. Just don’t tell that to the clubs currently clawing for a playoff spot —and there’s a few —after struggling through much of the first half of the 2022 campaign.

Believe it or not, the points still counted prior to the upcoming rivalry weekend, and the Winnipeg Blue Bombers (10-1) opened the Week 12 schedule by adding two more following a narrow 31-29 win over the Calgary Stampeders (6-4) at IG Field last Thursday night. The Toronto Argonauts (5-5) continued their four-games-in-five-weeks run against the Hamilton Tiger-Cats (3-8) to kick off a doubleheader Friday, earning a convincing 37-20 triumph at BMO Field.

The Saskatchewan Roughriders (6-5) got the first glance of what the B.C. Lions (8-2) look like without star quarterback Nathan Rourke, in what ended with a 23-16 win at BC Place. The weekend wrapped with a couple of teams that certainly wish the standings point system wasn’t in effect yet, as the Ottawa Redblacks (2-8) rode a first half lead into a 25-18 victory over the Edmonton Elks (3-8) at Commonwealth Stadium Saturday.

The coming weekend will be packed with juicy storylines and important matchups. But that didn’t prevent this past week from generating plenty of news on and off the field.

So, let’s get into with a look back at the week that was in the latest edition of CFL Rundown.

1) After sweeping the Stampeders in their three-game season series — the first time they’ve achieved such a feat since 1987 — the Bombers have a clear path to winning the West Division. Take care of the Roughriders over the next two games and it’s all but wrapped up, even with B.C. close behind for now.

2) Despite the loss, the Stampeders are officially Jake Maier’s team. Maier was fantastic in the loss to Winnipeg, completing 16-of-17 passes in the first half before ending the game 23-of-28 for 294 yards and three touchdowns. I don’t see Calgary going back to Bo Levi Mitchell, this year or into the future.

3) In a season filled with rough outings, Dane Evans might have had his worst this past week. After the Tiger-Cats pivot was intercepted three times, leading to 17 points for the Argonauts, including a game-clinching pick-six early in the fourth, Evans admitted afterward he keeps screwing his team over. With Matt Shiltz expected to miss 4-6 weeks with a hand injury, Evans has a month to prove he should keep his job.

4) For those keeping score at home, the Roughriders have injured three quarterbacks this season, with the most recent victim being Michael O’Connor. Rourke and Jeremiah Masoli were the other two sidelined after facing Saskatchewan. Perhaps the Bombers will wrap Zach Collaros in bubble wrap these next two games. Or at the very least keep a close eye on league troublemaker Garrett Marino.

5) I’m still not sold on the Roughriders, but we should get a better idea of where they stand in the West following back-to-back games against the defending Grey Cup champions.

6) Speaking of Saskatchewan, the Roughriders signed Canadian receiver Brayden Lenius. Lenius, who inked a two-year deal, had been released by the Atlanta Falcons in July. The 25-year-old had 37 catches for 471 yards and four touchdowns in 14 games with the Roughriders in 2021.

7) With NFL pre-season now in the rear-view mirror, there were a handful of former CFLers released. The notable names include OL Drew Desjarlais, WR Brandon Zylstra, QB Chris Streveler, DE Jonathan Kongbo, OL Dakoda Shepley, WR Marken Michel, DE James Vaughters, among others. Most accepted spots on a practice roster, while those who didn’t will certainly spend the coming days and weeks looking for another NFL shot. Congrats to former Bombers all-star defensive back DeAundre Alford for cracking the Falcons active roster.

8) I received a fair number of emails from readers asking me what the hell happened with Streveler. It’s a good question — after all, New York Jets head coach Robert Saleh did say Streveler “probably had one of the greatest pre-seasons in the history of football” — but it’s also an easy answer: NFL politics. The reality is Streveler had no chance of cracking the Jets’ 53-man roster, something he acknowledged would be a very difficult task in a New York Post article published shortly after he led the Jets to 24-21 win over the Philadelphia Eagles. He was added as the fourth stringer behind starter Zach Wilson, 15-year veteran Joe Flacco and Mike White, who has proven to be a reliable No.3. I’m not saying it’s fair — it’s not — but Streveler did do enough to join the practice roster and that’s a victory in and of itself.

9) The Gary Stern circus has officially left town. Well, kind of. Seemingly out of nowhere, Stern, who has a 25 per cent ownership stake in the Montreal Alouettes, wrote an open letter stating he had stepped away from the daily operations of the club and had resigned from the CFL’s board of governors. He also deactivated his Twitter account, a platform he used daily to engage and encourage fans to support the Alouettes and CFL, often through messages riddled with spelling errors. Stern will keep his one-quarter share, but the understanding is the other 75 per cent — which is owned by the estate of Stern’s late father-in-law, Sid Spiegel, who died weeks before the start of the 2021 season — will be working with the CFL to find new ownership.

10) I had been hearing for weeks that the Alouettes were in financial trouble and that Spiegel’s estate was growing increasingly tired of running an organization that loses money. I had also heard that while Stern is certainly wealthy — he’s the president of Crawford Steel, a company founded by Spiegel in 1944 — he doesn’t have the kind of incredibly deep pockets needed to fully own a CFL franchise. I just thought it would take longer than mid-season for it all to come crumbling down.

11) It was a tough week for the Alouettes, despite being off on the bye. Not only is their ownership now in flux, but they also had to deal with some serious off-field issues with fullback Christophe Normand. Montreal released Normand Thursday after he was accused of attempting to lure a minor for sexual purposes. The seven-year CFL veteran, who also teaches in the off-season, faces two charges of luring a child under 18, including one count of luring a child under 16.

12) I wrote in last week’s CFL Rundown that if the Lions were hoping to still compete for a cup after losing Rourke, they should at least try to trade for another experienced QB. They did just that, acquiring Vernon Adams Jr. from the Alouettes in exchange for a first-round pick in the 2023 CFL Draft. Adams had lost his job in Montreal to Trevor Harris weeks ago, while also battling illness and injury throughout the year. He’s no Rourke, but he is mobile, capable of escaping the pocket and running to extend plays. While there’s no way of knowing right now how he’ll fare with his new club, Adams is surrounded by talent on the Lions offence and he’s certainly an upgrade over O’Connor and Antonio Pipken.

13) That wasn’t the only CFL trade this week, nor was it the only deal involving Montreal. The Elks have officially begun the unloading of their roster following a 3-8 start, sending two quality players in defensive back Nafees Lyon and defensive end Thomas Costigan to the Alouettes for defensive lineman Avery Ellis.

14) I teased last week that the Elks might be open for business if they can’t turn things around soon. Losing to Ottawa at home, extending their losing streak at Commonwealth Stadium to a dismal 13 games, is officially rock bottom. Expect more trades in the coming weeks, as the Elks realize they have no chance at making the playoffs.

15) One player opposing clubs will and should be salivating over is receiver Kenny Lawler. Lawler has lived up to his pricy $300,000 price tag this season and would make any club he joined instantly better. In his latest showing against the Redblacks, he had only three catches, but all were monster grabs, totalling 146 yards.

16) Looking for a piece of Edmonton football history? Former CFL pivot James Franklin is selling his 2015 Grey Cup ring.

17) Congrats to former Bomber and Canadian Football Hall of Famer Doug Brown for being inducted into the B.C. Football Hall of Fame. Seems a tad overdue, but better late than never.

18) Shoutout to Maya Turner of the University of Manitoba Bisons for becoming the first female to score points in Canadian university football history. Turner converted a 25-yard field goal in a 10-9 preseason loss to the University of Saskatchewan.

Jeff.Hamilton@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @jeffkhamilton