My take on the 2014 Grey Cup Finalists

CFL Talk
#1

The thing about the CFL is that no matter how good a team is after the final whistle is blown ending regular season play the best team can be taken out and not make it into the Grey Cup game. This may well happen to Calgary. Calgary is having an awesome season this year and continues to win even with some key injuries.

I'm confident to say the team will finish up in 1st place and may have that taken care of very soon. I'm not so confident that Calgary will be in the Grey Cup after watching the Lions/Calgary game last night. The Lions held Calgary off the board in the TD department. The Lions could have won the game last night but that does mean they should have won it. Bottom line? The Lions almost handed Calgary its second straight loss. I think Calgary was lucky to walk away with a win and the coaches know it. And this was on the heels of losing to Montreal just a week earlier! I also think last night's game gave all of us a little insight into what may be down the road as we approach the Grey Cup finale.

The eastern teams are beginning to show evidence of a pulse. I like what I'm seeing with Hamilton and Montreal. I think both of these teams will finish off strong and will be able to give any western team a run for its money whether it is in an eastern semi or eastern final game or Grey Cup game. If either of these teams stays on course both could make a good Grey Cup representative. I'm not ruling out Toronto but I think Hamilton and Montreal are stronger teams at this point.

I think the Eskies have a better chance of taking out Calgary in a Western Final showdown. Either team will make great Grey Cup contenders.

It is great to see how well Calgary has been playing but they are beginning to show cracks.

If I were to make any predictions I would say the Lions are going to cross-over and get taken out in the east.

This year's Grey Cup match-up in Vancouver?

Hamilton vs Edmonton

#2

I think Calgary is being smart, they are resting their key pieces and healing up, that’s giving valuable reps to spare parts. Both Alberta teams would make good reps at the GC. In the East, who comes out on top of the October “tournament” will have a big edge and because of that tournament only two teams can make the post season, again I would not count out Toronto that’s been taking their time building up their team and healing guys up and have a sweet schedule down the stretch.

#3

I don't understand that HfxTC. Are you saying that a 3rd place team in the East could not finish up with 16 or 18 points? I've not done the math or looked at who plays who. Maybe you're right. It seems to me that the Lions or Bombers need to finish the season with at least 18 points to have a shot at the cross over. Even if an eastern team finished in 3rd place with 16 that might be enough to secure a playoff position in the East. For that to happen the 4th place team would need to finish the season with 16 points or less. For this to happen the Lions and Bombers would have to have a complete melt down.

#4

The way Montreal has started to play I don't see the Argos in the playoffs. And while I agree with what you say about Calgary and Edmonton I think BC is in the best position in the league. They're 3-4 against the west and 4-2 against the east, their road record is 4-2 and from where they currently sit they would get the crossover and face Hamilton and Montreal who are are a combined 5-13 against the west.

The winner of the crossover derby in the west can punch their ticket to the Grey Cup and will have a much easier route than the western champ. Just one more reason to get rid of this moronic divisional playoff system. Fifth in the west will be 5th or 6th in the league and out of the playoffs, the 4th best team in the league will play against two teams likely to have losing records while the top 3 teams in the league will beat up on each other for the other Grey Cup spot. None of it is fair, it makes a mockery of the regular season, even more so that it happens in a 9 team league.

If Calgary was smart they would tank and go for the crossover.

#5

The Three Eastern team play half their remaining games against one another and only one of those teams will pick up a pair. So there is no way for whoever finishes in third place in the East to have a winning record. All BC has to do is win 2 of its remaining games to punch their ticket in the East. Should they go on a tear and run the table, Saskatchewan could not win another game and they would crossover.

#6

As A Cats fan - I'm not that concerned about a western crossover team playing us in either a final or semi-final. We've won our three games at THF and we've won three in a row against western teams - and I think both those numbers will move to four after our game against BC next weekend.

#7

A solid victory against Edmonton, but I wouldn't hang my hat on the other two. Winnipeg is 1-6 in their last 7 and has only held 1 other team to under 20 points in that stretch and that was Montreal and the Bombers won that game. As for the Riders, that win was the first game without Durant, a high school team could have beat the Riders that night.

My pick is set for the east representative in the Grey Cup; the west division crossover team without breaking a sweat.

#8

The best prediction we can use is to give teams a W for their remaining home games and you get this.

Toronto 8-10
Hamilton 8-10
BC 9-9
Montreal 7-11

It's should be close till the end of the season

#9

I think both Toronto - now that they have healthy receivers - and Hamilton will likely both be considered favourites at home against whoever crosses over from the west.

I think after next weekend the Cats will finish 4-6 against the west with four of the losses decided in the last minute in games that we did not have our starting quarterback. So assuming Collaros is healthy still come the play-offs, I really like our chances at home for a play-off game against any western team other than Calgary.

#10

that would work just fine for me :rockin:

#11

Disagree. Millanovich has proven this year that his Grey Cup win was a fluke. No O'Shea or Jones and Scotty can't coach his way out of a wet paper bag. I don't care how many of the walking wounded return Argo won't make the playoffs. A recent thread asked people to post their end of season standings and I had Hamilton at 9-9 and the only east team without a losing record. I still think that's the best they will get, but come playoffs the west crossover will crush the east. They'll be nothing but cannon fodder. Playing nothing but your own division down the stretch is great for fans interest in the playoff run, but this year it will hurt the east teams who will be ill prepared for a far superior western opponent.

#12

Toronto has had a crazy number of injuries this year and lots of changes on the defensive side of the ball. But I guess the Milanovich haters will seize any opportunity to pile on him.

#13

I don't follow everything that close but the east is going to be one heck of a finish, injuries are part of the game of gridiron and your backups have to be able to step up, or else.

#14

Argos are 4-8 and you blame that on injuries alone? The majority of the injuries were on offense so how do injuries explain the worst D in the league? Yes they have a new special teams coach and new D coordinator, but the Argos game has been horrible in all aspects all season. Who's responsible for the overall team performance; offense, defense and special teams? The coach, but I guess the Millanovich fan club will find a way to rationalize that it is the fault of anyone/anything buttheir hero.

#15

I agree good comments. Milanovich has done a great job. lose 4 coaches!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 8 starters!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

BUT there is always the playoff factor. RIGHT. Never count out Ricky Ray for sure.

#16

Watch yourself. Injuries are not a valid excuse for an eastern team losing. If eastern teams lose it is a sign of structural imbalance and evidence that the league must permanently realign its division structure. If western teams lose, on the other hand, it's probably because of injuries.

#17

Glad you didn't let the fact, let me repeat that, F-A-C-T, that the east has lost 34 games so far (avg of a little over 8 per team) while west has only lost 23 games (just over 4.5 games per team) affect your well researched opinion. :roll:

#18

I hate to argue with another Cats fan in a thread about the Grey Cup ... but I think these two comments are very telling about your understanding of CFL football.

Two road games preferable to a single home game in sudden-death time? And following the demoralizing and habit-forming tactic of throwing your last five regular-season games? OK then.

Without breaking a sweat? Really? So the visiting western team may not even bother to dress most of its starters, I presume. Also, that must explain why western cross-over teams have such a stellar record in their eastern playoff games.

You may be new to the CFL, but here's something most of us know: anything can (and does) happen in the post-season. As the old saying goes, that's why they play the games.

#19

It would appear you are the one who needs to be schooled on the CFL. All previous crossover teams have been on a competitive level with the other two playoff teams. If you mean to say that BC (the team currently in the crossover spot) is at the same level as any team in the east I would say you don't understand football in general.

And yes, two road games against 2 basement dwellers is a far easier road to the Grey Cup than 1 home game against the 2nd or 3rd best team in the league. Take an unbiased look at the standings. Spots 1-5 are in the west and 6-9 in the east and you say it's easier to finish first and play the 2nd best team in the league than play 2 teams that are lucky if they find the field before the opening kickoff? Then explain to me why do teams in EVERY sport work so hard to finish on top in the regular season if it's not to get a better playoff draw?

#20

Well dcmoses, I guess you know something Hufnagle doesn't, because he seems intent on winning the west instead of taking the easier route you propose. Perhaps Chamblin has caught on to your way of thinking based on their recent slide, given that injuries to a starting QB are apparently not an excuse or explanation for losing games.

We don't have to wait long to test your theories. We'll see next week if BC breaks a sweat in Hamilton.

Lastly, I'll add that it's how you finish the season that matters, not how you start it. For example, suppose Sask and Hamilton both end the year at 9-9. Regardless of what they did in the first half of the year, I'm pretty sure most people would rather face the team with the 6-game losing streak in the playoffs, than the team that's won 8 of its last 11.