EDMONTON — Trying to score points on the BC Lions is like entering the den of a dangerous predator: very difficult, sometimes painful and not at all fun.
Edmonton should not fret that much because, at this time in the season, it is becoming clear that only four teams have the ability to be in the big one: the Lions, the Bombers, the Argos, and the Alouettes. The other teams would be wise to prepare for 2024; either by misfortune or not enough quality players they are not making the big one. Edmonton is not alone in their struggle to compete this season.
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I’d say Big 3. Not sure I’d put the Als in there. They’ve lost 3 of 5. Should beat Calgary but that only puts them @ .500.
The league the past couple of seasons has had too many non-competitive teams & a serious lack of QB talent. The product just isn’t the same. Go back 5 years & you had Collaros (SK), Bo (Cal), Reilly (Edm), Lulay (BC), Masoli (Ham), Harris (Ott), as well as Nichols (Wpg), McBeth (Tor). There was a plethora of veteran QB’s throughout the league still playing at a very high level. Since then, we have a very watered down version, especially @ the QB position. Easy pickings for teams who have some talent @ that position. And we’re seeing the result of this. If you’re not competitive, fans are staying away.
You are SO SO Wrong
Masoli and MacBeth were NEVER good QBs = never mind Great.
Today we have equally good QBs on Most Teams and so Many Promising ones.
I’ll say that I’m scared of BC. No team really even worried me the past couple seasons, but BC is a great team. our next game will be a huge test.
Should be a barn burner! Let’s hope we have a game for the ages. We’ll see if BC’s defence is truly the class of the league or not.
BC wins and they take a stranglehold on 1st, and a home WF game.
When’s the last time they had that?
Memory fails me, I’ll let someone else do the homework. I do think it’s bad karma to start talking first place already, lots of football left to play yet (thank goodness). I expect the BB will play a much better game than the last one. They won’t let their reputation as a dominant team slip away easily.
Shoot, the porcupine didn’t fall into my trap!
It’s good to see that there is at least one BC fan that hasn’t pencilled in BC as Toronto’s opponent in the Grey Cup if not the GC winner. I am sure the Bombers will be a formidable opponent in the WF as will BC be to us.
It’s hard to accurately gauge Toronto as they have had only one game against a top opponent as has Winnipeg. BC has had two. If they continue to play almost flawlessly it may not matter who is the better Western team.
And that one game was VA’s only stinker of the year.
You missed the point. There is a severe lack of good QB’s in the league right now. McBeth was only the starter as Ray was injured so use him if you like. As for Masoli, he threw for over 5,000 yds in that season. As did Reilly, Harris & Mitchell. That is the standard every QB aims for, as is 1000 for RB’s & receivers. The best QB in the league right now, Collaros, has only once managed 4,000 yds. And he stands heads & shoulders above most of the rest of the league & is surrounded by good talent. He is unlikely to have that OL in front of him for the duration of his 3 year contract, starting with changes next year.
Go back half a dozen years & you didn’t have QB’s leading teams with little or no experience. The end result - well you see it. You have 6 teams who have lost more games than they’ve won - 2/3 of the league is non-competitive.
I would not have included the 2018 Lulay in there. Jonathan Jennings was playing lousy, but Lulay threw lots of INTs that year, as well.
But yeah, too many inexperienced QBs currently. Too many coaches not developing, but retreading old ones. I think Calgary would be winning more games with Mitchell, but that would be one less year of experience for Maier (good on Dickensen). I don’t know if Mitchell, and Trevor Harris, have enough gas left to do well in a new system. “You can’t teach old dogs new tricks.”
On the other hand, I guess it’s a cycle. The glass half-full version would be that in a few years, we should have lots of quality QBs again 
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Only game that is really gonna matter is the play off game these two teams are bound to be playing each other… Regular season is going to be for setting up grudge feelings and pay backs in the playoff match
But the 3 games vs each other will decide who plays at home for the playoffs. That is a big advantage. WPG has to win this game to make the 3rd game even bigger.
Yes but it ain’t like either team is gonna roll over and play dead in the play offs if they lost home feild
I don’t disagree on Lulay who was at the end of his career. But THAT is not my main point. There is a dearth of experienced QB’s in the league right now. Lulay was still in the QB room, as was Ray in Toronto. There were veterans around. The one exception was the ALs with the Adams/Manziel/Shiltz show but even there Drew Willy was around a short bit.
Maier had 9 starts or so before being anointed & Mitchell traded away, Cornelius has been the oldest guy in the room almost since he got there, Fine has less than half a dozen starts, Powell may be next man up in Hamilton, Crum was #4 on the charts in Ottawa. Is it any surprise those 5 teams, after the Stamps’ loss today, are the bottom feeders in the league? And nobody, outside of BC, has anyone with a backup with more than a handful of starts.
I agree that the Bombers have a lot more to lose than the Lions. If Bombers lose they lost both @ IGF. On top of that, they are well rested after their bye week & the Lions are on a short week. Maybe without their 1st string QB. If they lose, they’ve still split the 2 games in Winnipeg. All the pressure’s on the Bombers. If the Bombers lose they fall 3 games behind & lose the season series.
I don’t buy that winning or losing the series decides 1st place for either. Look, nobody, including the Argos are going 18-0 & no one, including the Elks, is going 0-18. There are upsets every year. Even should the Bombers lose, lots can happen. Injuries have already derailed a few teams. Way too much emphasis is placed on 3 game series. There’s 15 other games that have to be decided too.
Sure anything could happen, but most can see that it’ll be a BC/WPG race for 1st.
Lose the series, you lose the tiebreaker. In a close race, which it’ll likely be, that is big.
I see it as a race more between BC and the Bombers to come out of the West . Slightly different wording but emensly different meaning