And for those saying, ikay, genius, put your money where your mouth is, my comments are below HfxTC's, in Green.
British Columbia Lions: First off, I adore the province. It is my favourite place in the world to visit. Now, that's out of the way. The team... Okay. I have to say it is sad to see that the Lions have been struggling in the west the past couple of seasons, as they used to be thought of as a powerhouse team. However, I think that the issues with quarterback injuries greatly affected the offense. Buck Pierce seemed to be a glass cannon; Jarious Jackson seemed to show moments of brilliance and other moments of being ineffective; and both rookie QB's Champion and Lulay showing potential, albeit young. I do believe the signing of Printers proved to be effective as he seemed to show a lot of confidence and potential while running the offense. I believe, and hope to see, that Printers will be able to run the offense this season to a respectable result at the season's end. They have a great set of receivers as well as a lot of depth at running back. I hope that BC will be able to call themselves a powerhouse team again rather sooner than later.
Lack of stability at the QB position, Draftees have been slow to pan out and most have been cut or lost to NFL. Terrible scouting of import players at the talented positions since Shivers has taken over from Obilovitch, they need to sign guys to 2+1 or walk away. Might be time for Wally to move to the GM position only.
Folks are starting to ask if BC is rebuilding, re-loading, or simply treading water. Criticism of Wally that would have bordered on blasphemy 3 years ago is starting to find some traction. His once-masterful job of QB development and management has over the last two off-seasons produced a couple of head-scratcher moves, and legitimate controversies unlike anything in years' past. Combine a revolving door at the game's most important position with the two-headed monster of an old-age/big salary purge and an exodus of a handful of true studs to the NFL, and this team's once-vaunted depth has been sanded pretty thin. I think the Lions have been fair to middlin' in recruiting - enough to keep a solid team afloat, but not to keep up with the departures of the last two off-seasons.
In a very tough West, BC has to have a lot of things come together the right way, as there are legitimate questions in all areas save for the receiving corps. If the stars align, 9-9 or 10-8 are not out of the question, however no one outside of lotusland would be shocked if the Lions stumbled to a 6 or 7 win campaign.
Edmonton Eskimos: Another place that I love. It is a beautiful city. The Esks have seem to have drifted in and out of the spotlight these past seasons. They have either been great, mediocre, or not very good at all. It is a shame as they are guided by my personal favourite quarterback Ricky Ray. Although it seems that Ray has shown his age as of late as he isn't as explosive as he used to be - that of course could be due to the lack of overall ability on the rest of the offense. He is smart, and has shown through quite a few games that he still has the ability to make big plays - but I think that, being somewhat a captain of his sinking ship, he is going down with it. I am hoping the pick up of new talent this preseason will lead the Esks to stronger defense, and an offense reminiscent of the Evil Empire they used to be. If Ray ever decides to hang his hat, they do have a valuable back-up in Maas.
Team is run like a country club, the love in is cute but complacency is all over that team. Hall will be a little more assertive with a year under his belt. Ray is still a great QB but until the coaching staff commits to a running game, he will be limited.
Any analysis that includes the phrase "a valuable back-up in Maas" has to be taken with a grain of salt. Jason Maas has the best job in the CFL - he gets paid 6 figures to run the scout team in practice, soothe Ray's confidence during games, and mop up a few games in garbage time. He hasn't thrown a meaningful pass since returning to Edmonton. He's like the baseball long reliever who only comes in when the starter is shelled, so he can't really do any more damage.
Anyway, Edmonton is in the throes of a post-Hughie Campbell world, where gifted players no longer seem to magically appear just when needed, and are coached by legends of the game (The Don, Jackie Parker, Ronnie...). They've dipped into free agency more in the last 3 years than they did in the previous 10, and, equally telling, are no longer the go-to roster weak teams look at each offseason when free agency comes around. To have a hall of fame QB play for the Eskimoes in the prime of his career and they finish 4-4-4-3 in the last 4 years says more than I can about the team's talent level (at all levels of the organization). Yet again, Danny has rolled the dice with some free agent signings and trades - it will be interesting to see if a magical combination has been achieved, or whether it will be a case of SSDD (same s**t, different day).
Since, given the state of the East, it seems hard to imaging both Edmonton and BC being awful, you're probably looking at something between 7 and 10 wins for the Eskies again. If BC stumbles, lean to the higher number. If Wally's moves pay off, well, you get the drift.
Calgary Stampeders: This team is actually hosted in my all-time favourite Canadian city. I love Calgary. I plan on moving there, actually. Anyways. What can I say about the Stamps other than they seem to be an offensive powerhouse. I tend to think that the Stamps are a well-rounded team. Good offense, good defense. Lackluster special teams. Henry Burris is pretty much the sheriff, being able to run and throw at a high-caliber rate. Being backed by a potentially successful Nealy doesn't help either. Reynolds was a beast the past two seasons, and I am sure he will continue to be so this season. They have a respectful set of receivers, a decent offensive line, and a defense that holds characters like Hughes and Lysack - which can only mean trouble for other teams. I hope the Stamps continue to stay as strong as they have been as of late, because I tend to think they deserve to have some limelight for once. They seem to be overshadowed by both BC and Saskatchewan.
More proof why you should not let your coach act as general manager. Not sure what kind of relationship Barker and Huff had but one thing is for sure this team has lost another all star Cnd. player and the whole defense needs to be rebuilt. Jones has got his hands full. This team may have to start trading high draft picks if their NI talent gets a few injuries. Paper thin...
A still-dynamite offence and good and a no-nonsense detail-oriented coach will probably paper over a few weaknesses for this season at least. Hank, Joffrey and a quality stable of receivers should compensate for two massive losses on the o-line. Defensively it's been a revolving door for a couple of years, and even with the inconsistency, they've often found a way - as long as they haven't rolled that dice one too many times. Canadian depth has to be a concern....I know, they have 34 Canadians on their roster - I've been publicly made aware of that fact. However, numbers aren't everything - and there are not a lot of known quantities among that group. Compare Calgary's NI depth to Montreal or SK, and the point becomes self-evident. Two or three injuries to the wrong people, and things may get off the rails in a hurry. However, playing the odds, you gotta book Hank for somewhere in the neighborhood of 11 wins.
Saskatchewan Roughriders: I'll try my best not to biased here. From a fan-prospective.. Yes, I love the Saskatchewan Roughriders. They are my favourite team and always will be. I bleed green, and all that nonsense. I am really glad to see that we have come as far as we have since 2006. I grew up watching the Riders, and I often thought that we were the worst team in the world, but I still loved them. So it was weird to see that in the 2000's when Barrett rolled in that we began to form into something other than terrible. And to see this team come from rags to riches within such a short time is astonishing, and I do hope it lasts. It is a franchise that deserves it. I think Durant (my second favourite quarterback) will guide, arguably, the best offense in the league to a great finish this season. I do believe that Dinwiddie is a viable back-up, despite popular belief. He is a good back-up. There isn't much to say about the rest of the offense considering how little nit-picking it needs. The defense may struggle this season, but I believe that our special teams will give them a lot of breathing room. I guess I just hope that this season will be just as good as the last. If not, oh well.
Very difficult to predict where this team will be this year. Tillman, LaPolice, Baggs, Chick, Williams and the psychological impact of losing the GC on a stupid error may leave them vulnerable or motivated. This team has done a great job of drafting and developing the talent Tillman acquired so as long as they hang on to these players they will be a competitive team. Also to watch will be how the relationship between Berry and Durant develops. Was Berry driven nuts by a meddling Bauer or is he just a plain wack job ??? Can the defensive unit handle the loss of the rest of their better talent ???
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The continuing losses of personnel seem to tell you that things have to slow down for these former lovable losers, but they've been as resilient as they ever have. Ten years ago the turnover of the last 2 campaigns would have the team reeling, but a strange new attitude has sprung from next-year land. Offensively, one has to think they can only be better - a full season under Durant's belt, a receiving corps that was good last year plus Rodriguez and hands-down the deepest o-line in the country - if Cates returns to form at all, offense won't be the problem. Berry, despite the Winnipeg meltdown year, should be fine - his finest stretch in the league was as OC under The Don in Montreal at the turn of the millenium, and those were good teams, with good offences.
Plugging the holes on defence will be the determining factor. The key will be d-line, namely the end position. If they can come some way to replacing Chick and Baggs, the other losses will be less noticeable. Simpson for Williams is actually an upgrade, and he'll QB the defence much like ED did last year. McKenzie is highly touted by the coaches, and Etch's defence is one that likes to keep people off-guard - a second year in his system should only bring more of the same, as it's been stated that he wasn't close to running his full package last year in his first year as DC.
If the D personnel is as good as it's been (or close) look for 11-12 wins. If they get into some 48-42 thrillers, or both BC and Edmonton are stronger than anticipated, they could back up to 9-9. I'm biased, but I'll bet the former.