The 2011 Canadian Football League season came to an end just over two weeks ago with one of the most boring Grey Cups in recent memory.
The BC Lions opened a big lead on Winnipeg by the late stages of the game on-route to a 34-23 (which was very close to my 30-20 pre-game prediction) victory for the team’s sixth Grey Cup Championship in its history. The game was filled with miscues, like untimely penalties and dropped passes. This poor lack of execution was very disappointing to see in a game with such high stakes.
The biggest error was by Winnipeg linebacker Odell Willis. With BC on their own 15 yard line, Lion quarterback Travis Lulay threw a hitch pass to his left that Willis intercepted, but then dropped. If he had hung on, he easily would have scored a TD, and put the Blue Bombers back in the game. Instead they lost, and he looked like a fool because he couldn’t back up all the pre-game trash talking he instigated on social media programs.
It was great to see BC Place sold out, and the crowd into the game. Unfortunately it’s too bad the game itself didn’t match the crowd’s intensity. Hopefully this game will help continue to rebuild the BC Lions once proud following again in Western Canada.
I liked former Ticat coach Marcel Bellefeuille as a person, but unfortunately he couldn’t get the job done as a coach. During his three full seasons in Hamilton, the Tiger Cats didn’t really improve. They were pretty much a .500 team. Some games they showed up prepared to play (eg. Labour Day vs. Montreal this season) and others they were not (eg. the last two regular season games versus Saskatchewan and Toronto). Not knowing what Ticat team was going to come out ultimately cost Bellefeuille his job. The Ticat roster has been pretty much completely overhauled and improved, thanks in-large part to the excellent football eye and signings of Ticat general manager Bob O’Billovich. But at the end of the day, another coach is required in Hamilton to take this group of players to the next level.
The Argos signing quarterback Steven Jyles to that stupid $250,000 two year contract was surprising. I believe Jyles hasn’t proven himself to earn this high CFL profile player money. Then to top it off, today the Argos traded him to Edmonton along with kicker Grant Shaw and a 2nd round pick for star quarterback Ricky Ray. Now this deal sounds crazy. I can’t believe Edmonton would make this crazy deal and give up their prized quarterback for pretty much nothing. I could understand it, if they had a young prospect in the wings, but they don’t. I know Ray struggled this past season a bit, but I don’t think his struggles warranted him to be traded.
I’m going to go out on a limb and say I believe the CFL helped arrange this deal like they have before (eg. 1996 Doug Flutie) to help the CFL survive in Toronto. Toronto is hosting the 100th Anniversary of the Grey Cup in 2012 and the CFL wants to make sure the Argos are in the big game to help restore league interest in the country’s largest city. That interest was at an all-time low this year. With both Argo and Lions owner David Braley looking to improve the Argos’ bottomline, this league arrangement only makes sense.
I’m hoping the argo’s party will be spoiled by the Ticats representing the Eastern Division in the game instead.
…and that’s the Last Word.