Mini-Camps have finished for teams in the CFL. It’s now time to move on to the CFL draft, training camp, and soon enough, the pre-season and the regular season. In this article, I’ll break each team down, giving an assessment of how their off-season moves will affect them, and a prediction of their win-loss record for the 2016 season.
Eastern Division
1. Ottawa Redblacks 13-5
Many interesting things have happened in Ottawa in the off-season. They did lose two big key players on the defence and both just happen to be defensive linemen, Justin Capicciotti (who had the most sacks for the Redblacks last year) and Shawn Lemon (who filled in for injured defensive end Aston Whiteside). These guys will be tough to replace, but there are some positives to get out of it. The Redblacks will have Whiteside for a full season this year, who was arguably just as good as, if not better than, Lemon.
New faces are also joining Ottawa’s defence this season. Those players are defensive lineman Arnaud Gascon-Nadon and defensive back Ryan Hinds, both picked up in free agency. On offence, Ottawa added quarterback Trevor Harris and fullback Brendan Gillanders. Harris was a huge addition for Ottawa, as he was first in the league in yards and touchdowns last season. With Burris, they’re a double threat at quarterback, and they look like they are on a mission because there is unfinished business to care of.
2. Hamilton Tiger-Cats 11-7
Hamilton had the most free agents this off-season and had many tough choices to make. Somewhere along the way, the Tiger-Cats managed to pick up wide receiver Chad Owens, one of the toughest receivers in the game to contain. Quarterback Zach Collaros has a fun set of weapons to work with and a strong defence, ensuring Hamilton will be in the race for the division title. Collaros’ health may be a big question mark, but when he is healthy, watch out.
3. Toronto Argonauts 8-10
Toronto was active in the off-season, adding and improving their offensive line and defence all around. That may be a strong point for Toronto this season, but a big question mark on this team is their offense in general. Will Ricky Ray stay healthy? Can he still get the job done? How will the rest of the offensive corps go on without Chad Owens? That is what we will have to wait and see for. Losing quarterback Trevor Harris and wide receiver Chad Owens, both to division rival teams, could possibly affect the Argonauts in a very bad way.
4. Montreal Alouettes 5-13
There are far more negative things to say than positive about the Montreal Alouettes moving into the 2016 season. They made only minimal off-season improvements after the disappointing 6-12 season last year. With Montreal unsure of their next move should be, you can expect a long, slow rebuilding season. However, you might see some fun highlights from slotback S.J. Green and wide receiver Kenny Stafford here and there.
Western Division
1. Calgary Stampeders 13-5
Calgary has a special quarterback in Bo Levi Mitchell. This guy is always in the race for the Most Outstanding Player nomination. Expect it to be a tight race again between divisional rivals Calgary and Edmonton once again. This time, I believe Mitchell is the one come out on top, as I expect him not only to be a Most Outstanding Player nominee, but actually win it this season.
2. Edmonton Eskimos 11-7
Never count out the Edmonton Eskimos; the team is still deadly on both sides of the ball. The defence is expected to be among the best in the league again this year, and quarterback Mike Reilly is very good at moving the football down the field as he proved himself in a big way last season, winning the Grey Cup most valuable player award. Their staff may have changed a lot, however do not write them off because of that.
3. Saskatchewan Roughriders 9-9
Head coach of the Saskatchewan Roughriders, Chris Jones, wasted no time in the off-season cleaning house. Some big names that Jones landed in Saskatchewan were defesnive lineman Justin Capitcciotti and defensive lineman Shawn Lemon. Both played for the Ottawa Redblacks last season and were strong points on the team. These guys should be able to help Saskatchewan improve their defence in a big way after how bad it was last season. If quarterback Darian Durant is able to stay healthy long enough, you could definitely expect this team to be in a playoff spot this season.
4. Winnipeg Blue Bombers 6-12
Winnipeg was one of the most active teams in the off-season, adding many different players at many different positions. Kicker Justin Medlock, running back Andrew Harris, and wide receiver Weston Dressler are just a few of their free agent pickups.
The big stumbling block in Winnipeg, though, is their leadership. This has been a big problem for this team for a while, especially at quarterback. Drew Willy has huge problems with staying healthy. Matt Nichols could be the answer if he is able to be more consistent, but he completed only 60% of his passes last season and managed 10 touchdowns in nine games. Unless someone steps up big time, especially a quarterback for this team, the other player moves might not benefit Winnipeg in the end.
5. BC Lions 5-13
The Lions are going into the 2016 season with two quarterbacks who have played in the starter role before, Travis Lulay and Jonathon Jennings. Jennings took over the starting role last season and had an immediate impact on the team. While he might have had a good season last year, his defence certainly did not, ranking as one of the worst in the league. There are many questions about this team, and consistency is what they need most if they want to be successful this season. All eyes are going to be on Jennings to see whether he is able to have two good seasons in a row.
