Does the CFL schedule maker treat some teams better than others?
The 2015 CFL schedule included such oddities as the Northern Kick-off and Bye Weeks in week 2 and week 20. Mike Reilly questioned at the time whether 17 games in a row defeated the purpose of having bye weeks. The league office promised in 2015 that this would be better next season and Eskimos president Len Rhodes assured Eskimo fans that the schedule would not be this unfavorable for another nine years.
Fans expected a 2016 schedule with byes in week 4 or 5 and week 14 or 15. But then the schedule was released in February, and to Edmonton fans’ shock, it did the Eskimos no favors. Traditionally favorable schedules went to the top teams and less favorable went to the bottom teams, but apparently the CFL doesn’t subscribe to that concept for all franchises. The CFL schedule maker seems to favor some teams and not others, regardless of the previous year’s record.
Prejudicial Treatment in CFL Schedule
This year the bye weeks for the Eskimos are at week 2 and 17, only a two week improvement from last year. In 2016 the Eskimos have the Stampeders, Bombers and Riders both three times, but shouldn’t that be the Lions, Bombers and Riders three times? Then there is the entire month of October without a home game and only two home games in the final six-game drive for the playoffs. Finally, the Eskimos have only five days between games to prepare for the opposition four times in the 2016 schedule, the most of any team.
The Eskimos were once again treated poorly. And as the reigning champs, they have been largely disrespected by the schedule maker. The reality is the Eskimos have been handed, again, the most negative and unfavorable schedule the year after winning the Grey Cup. The CFL office should be embarrassed at their treatment of the champs.
The 1st Third
On a positive note, the first six games include four home games and two away games, giving the Eskimos the opportunity to start the season well. However, it looks like a certain TV network has far more influence in the 2016 CFL schedule than the teams or even the CFL itself.
The week 1 Ottawa at Edmonton matchup speaks to the TV’s influence in an attempt to build buzz. Ottawa has lost some bite in free agency and without Lemon, Shologan and Capicciotti, the Redblacks should be in tough for the opening week.
The Riders have a bye in week 1 and then host the Argos before coming into Commonwealth in week 3. Jason Maas has an extra week to plan his game and the Riders will still be gelling as well as making adjustments, so the advantage at home goes to the Eskimos. However, this will not prevent the Rider nation from trekking west and making noise to disrupt the Eskimos offense at home.
In week 4 Winnipeg will be better at home in 2016 and Andrew Harris always plays well against the Eskimos. This being the first away game for the Eskimos and coming off what is sure to be an emotional rivalry game at home has the potential for a bit of a trap game in Winnipeg. Yet it will still come down to Willy or Nichols and the Eskimos front seven.
Hamilton quarterback Collaros is out for the start of the 2016 season and the Eskimos have nine days to game plan for his replacement in week 5 if he still hasn’t returned. But Collaros will probably be back for the game in Edmonton and with the Ticats’ off-season changes, this will be a close, hard-fought game. With a home game against Winnipeg and an away game against the Redblacks, the Eskimos could come out of the gate with a 5-1 or 4-2 record.
The Middle Third
Teams with a lot of change to their rosters usually gel in the first third of the season and can be a force in the second third of the schedule. From week 8 to 13 the Eskimos are in tough. One can also expect by week 8 bumps and bruises will start to mount and it will be tough to prepare with only five days between the Ottawa road game and the week 8 home game against Montreal. Thankfully Montreal teams usually travel poorly and starting at 7 pm local time (9 pm eastern) will help the Eskimos to wear down a usually tough Larks defense.
Last year, Franklin and Walker teamed up for a 38-15 victory against the Argos. This was revenge for what Laing, Harris and Owens did in week 2 to Mike Reilly and the Eskimos defence in the Argo “Home” in the Fort McMurray game. The truth is the Eskimos, for whatever reason, each year are challenged to win on the road against the Argos. In week 9, going into the new Argos home at BMO Field, even with the Toronto roster changes seeing the loss of Harris, Okpalaugo, and Laing, the Eskimos will be in tough once again.
Week 10, with the Riders visiting Commonwealth for the second time, is easily the biggest game on the schedule to this point in the season. At this stage the Eskimos could be no more than two points ahead of the Riders, and the winner of this game will have the advantage in winning the West. Commonwealth has always been a tough place for the Riders to play and this should be no different, but if Jones is going to go high risk gambling for high reward this is the game he will be all in on. I expect Maas to counter punch with a offense that will not let the defense to get set and attack where the defence is the weakest.
The back-to-back Labour Day Classic games, in weeks 11 and 12, will be a little less intense than last year’s event. The Stampeders are set to take a step backwards with big player personnel losses such as Cornish, Walter, Bishop, Rogers, Raymond, Fuller, and Simpson. These games should both go to the Eskimos as a result, but not without a fight. In no way can one count out the Stamps, but the Esks core is stronger for the first time in a very long time. Eskie fans can fully anticipate their team to be 8-3 or 7-4 going into week 13.
For Edmonton’s sake it needs to be 8-3, because the Eskimos will have a hard time winning in Mosaic when the game matters and the Riders are pumped up to play their rival. Moreover, this is the emotional Mosaic send-off season and Rider nation will be as loud as ever making communications very tough for the Esks offense. This will be the toughest game of the regular season for the Eskimos and could be a make or break for first place in the West, but it also could bury the Riders in third place. Worst case scenario is the Eskimos are 7-5 and the best case 9-3 at the end of Week 13.
The Stretch Drive
Week 14 brings a rebuilding team in the BC Lions to Commonwealth, with a young starting quarterback in Jennings. However, the Wally Buono led Lions have a young group that could either be the biggest surprise or the biggest bust of 2016. The Lions play the Eskimos tough, but the champs should prevail at home.
Week 15 puts the Eskimos on the road in Winnipeg against Willy, Harris, Dressler and an improved defense. While Bombers are poised to improve on their 7-11 2015 season, they will need to clean up their offensive line play and keep Willy upright more. One can fully expect the Eskimos to get everything they can handle from the Bombers at Investors Group Field. The Eskimos at this point should be no worse than 8-6 and could be in a best case scenario of 10-4, but splitting the difference is what is most likely at 9-5 at this stage.
Being at 9-5 or 10-4 is imperative for the Eskimos going into week 15 as it is the beginning of the toughest part of the schedule, as the Eskimos are on the road in Winnipeg, Montreal, Vancouver and Hamilton. This is abnormal in football schedules and normally there would be at least one home game in four to break up such road trips. This type of trip is punitive to the Eskimos, who will travel 7,694 kilometers from September 24th onward and the CFL would have cause to dismiss their schedule maker for being inept on this fact alone. At least there is a week 17 bye in between the two game road trips, but this type of goofy scheduling has Eskimo fans wonder out loud how this type of thing could be approved by the CFL.
One can only expect one win in three road games from week 16 through 19, setting the Eskimos at 10-7 or 11-6 coming into week 20 and a Saturday home game against the Argos. At this stage the Riders and potentially a second western team could be 10-7, providing for a potential three way tie at the top of the West coming into the final week. The back-to-back games between B.C. and Saskatchewan could play into the crossover bid by the B.C. Lions as will the Ottawa back-to-back games against Winnipeg. Expect the Eskimos to finish off the regular season with a 12-6 or 11-7 and hosting the West Final Sunday, November 20th in spite of the poor schedule for a second year in a row.
Now if we can just replace the current CFL scheduler with someone more competent and tell the TV network to keep out of the schedule making the Eskimos might just get something reasonable in 2017, but don’t hold your breath, Eskimo fans.
