Down to six (6) teams. Whew - never thought we’d get down to that with several games left on the docket.
EAST - this a no-brainer. Hamilton plays Montreal for the “privilege” of getting obliterated by Chad Kelly and the Wild Argos. Both Hamilton & Montreal have just too many weaknesses to slip by a very strong and well-rested Argos squad. Heck, the Argos might even have legendary Andrew Harris as a rotational back for that game. 88% chance Argos emerge to defend their Grey Cup.
WEST - much more interesting. Even Sask’n & Edmonton looked somewhat competitive down the stretch before falling into the abyss.
Calgary vs. BC (in BC) - if Vern Adams, Jr. is slightly off his game, this should be a cakewalk for the Stampeders. Ignore the regular season records. Stamps are surging, Lions are purging! Maier can easily run a tab of 350+ yds passing, especially in weather friendly BC Place. Wonder how long Porky Campbell will run w/ VAJ before inserting Dane Evans?
btw - cakewalk in CFL terms means a victory with the outcome no longer in doubt in the last 2 minutes.
West Final - should be a rampager in weather unfriendly IGF Stadium. Wad Miller will be sure to have sold over 25,000, maybe up to 28,000 wild-eyed screaming fans for this game. If Collaros is on his game I like the Bomber’s chances - even more if Schoen is healthy. Downside for Bombers is their semi-collapsible defense which gives up yards by the tonne. This one should be a slobber-nokker no matter who comes to Winnipeg. A game where the winner might be short players for the Grey Cup due to a combination of bad weather and hard-hitting.
That east semi final will be fun! I can see a world were Montreal or Hamilton emerge out of the East, especially Hamilton. I wouldn’t put that chance crazy high but we have seen it happen before.
Out West, I agree it’s more confusing. I want to say last week was Calgary best case combined with BC’s worst case. IF Calgary is able to run the ball like that again, BC will be hard but to it. If it’s only on QB play, BC in a trouncing.
The final will be interesting. The past 2 years Winnipeg has had first wrapped up weeks before the seasons end and had rested starters lots. Consequently, they had some absolutely terrible starts in those games, specifically in 2021. Brady needs to be the focal point of the offence. Zach can’t be going out there to win the game on his arm, to mistake prone this year, or at least his mistakes have been more catastrophic and more noticeable.
How funny would it be if Winnipeg beats Toronto in Hamilton to avenge last years loss in Saskatchewan?
Tout ce que nous pouvons penser en regard de ce qui s’en vient demeure pure conjecture, mais c’est tout de même amusant de s’y prêter.
Dans l’Ouest, la principale question est de savoir si Dane Evans sera meilleur que Dane Evans en cas de blessure à Adams. Il a été connu pour lancer des interceptions à de bien mauvais moments, ce qui l’a privé d’un poste de partant à mon sens. Si Evans est capable de ne pas se MichaelBishopiser ainsi, il peut diriger une attaque efficace. Donc, la solution pour les Lions dans cette situation serait de faire meilleur usage du jeu au sol, ce qui ne semble pas l’ADN de leur attaque. Mais cette voie aurait l’avantage de minimiser les chances de voir leurs séquences torpillées par des revirements. Du côté des Stampeders, ils ont gagné en cohésion, mais leur défaite de 28-11 contre les Alouettes, celle de 22-15 contre les Ticats et leur courte victoire contre les Roughriders me laissent songeur sur leur puissance réelle. Manifestement, contre une bonne défensive, ils peuvent en arracher. D’accord, on s’entend tous pour dire que les Lions ont une bonne défensive, surtout grâce à leur 4 joueurs sur le front. La question est donc de savoir si la débâcle de leur dernière partie était due au mauvais jeu défensif ou simplement la conséquence de la perte d’Adams, ce qui a fait que leur attaque n’a pas suffisamment soutenu ses séquences. Je me méfie de cette belle performances des Stampeders en ce qu’elle pourrait masquer une équipe qui est fondamentalement plus faible que celle que nous avons vu sur le terrain la semaine dernière.
En conclusion, peu importe qui l’emporte en demi-finale, je ne vois aucune de ces deux équipes l’emporter sur les Bombers la semaine suivante.
Dans l’Est, à mon sens, la finale est connue : les Argos vont à la Coupe Grey encore cette année, à moins que Kelly ne soit hélas blessé tôt dans la finale et que ça permette aux adversaires de prendre le dessus. Je ne souhaite pas ce scénario, même en tant que partisan des Alouettes. La demi-finale sera donc la seule qui revêtira vraisemblablement un certain intérêt. L’attaque des Ticats a manifestement progressé à partir du moment où Milanovitch en a pris les commandes et s’il y a bien quelqu’un qui peut s’imposer sur la défensive de Thorpe, c’est lui. Mithcell et Shiltz sont en santé, ce qui donne une équipe passablement différente de celle qu’on a vue le plus clair de la saison. Du côté des Alouettes, leur défensive est très solide depuis l’ajout de Lemon, Uguak et Sankey. La pression qu’ils réussissent maintenant à imposer sur les quarts adverses facilite le travail de la tertiaire et les résultats sont là. À l’attaque, les Alouettes ont un jeu au sol assez ordinaire. Ils ont de bons atouts pour l’attaque aérienne, hormis celui qui lance le ballon. Donc, si la défensive ne limite pas l’adversaire à 20 points ou moins, leurs chances de victoire sont limitées. Le match de la demi-finale va se jouer entre 2 équipes qui sont présentement à peu près à forces égales.
En conclusion, je ne vois pas l’équipe finaliste de l’Est renverser les Argonauts.
I probably don’t really give them 30% no matter who is at quarterback but I didn’t want to come off as a homer. Adams has had plenty of bad games/ bad moments/turnovers as well including 53 yards of passing (except for one fluky play) in the second half in his biggest game of the season. He was MIA when it counted. Despite early mistakes in that game Zach stepped up when it counted and the Bombers in my opinion have a decided edge at QB over either Lion QB.
Perhaps even more importantly we will be watching one of the worst running games in the CFL vs one of the best on frozen tundra. No contest. It’s already getting very cold in Winnipeg this week. In order to have a good chance to go to the Grey Cup BC really had to win their showdown with the Bombers a few weeks ago. Their inexplicable no show against Calgary last week doesn’t exactly inspire me with confidence either.
Or could it be we are slightly over reacting to one game. I think we are undervaluing BC a bit. Wouldn’t be surprised if Calgary wins but BC had two weeks to game plan and fix what went wrong. BC Place will be rocking. Limit Calgarys run game, and you put the game on Jake Maier. He still could win that game but hasn’t so far this year.
Oh I do think BC will beat Calgary in the semi but can’t seem them winning in Winnipeg. I think both the Bombers and Argos could beat Calgary with their B teams or at least be close, while BC’s A Team got smoked by them. At home yet and in a meaningful game.
All I am saying is the game is played on the field. Middle of November, bad weather, a lot can happen. I do think the Toronto and Winnipeg will rematch in the Grey Cup. But again where is the excitement in that
Looks about right. Maybe a bit higher for Wpg and Toronto. In the east I think Mtl stacks up a bit better against the Argos due to their defence but Fajardo would have to be flawless.
I don’t think BC is physical enough to outmuscle Wpg at home in the great outdoors. If they had gotten the bye at home then I’d say they would have had a 50/50 shot.
[quote=“Jon, post:11, topic:89129”]
Oh I do think BC will beat Calgary in the semi but can’t seem them winning in Winnipeg. I think both the Bombers and Argos could beat Calgary with their B teams or at least be close, while BC’s A Team got smoked by them. At home yet and in a meaningful game.
