Written by Guest Bloggger: Jenn Cox wordaddict.ca
Wanna get the goods on last week’s CFL games? Or maybe you’re not really a total CFL fan (yet)? Then look no further – four of football’s biggest fans get together to discuss who played well (and who didn’t), what they love about the CFL (and what they hate), and everything in between.
The Old-Timer I’m a die-hard Als fans through and through – from the time I was a little kid playing tackle football in Terrebonne Park I idolized the Montreal Alouettes. So here’s my sum up of this week’s Als’ game…
Anthony Calvillo didn’t play well, end of story. He was terrible on completions but it wasn’t entirely his fault – Hamilton was covering the Montreal receivers really well. Calvillo is definitely still suffering from his vision problems (he experienced blurred vision after a hard tackle in last Sunday’s loss to Saskatchewan). He’s usually so accurate and quick – one, two and boom, the ball is there. But not this week. There were also a lot of dropped passes.
What can I say? Hamilton played well in every aspect of the game and they deserved to win it. Avon Cobourne had some good runs even though it was his first time playing the Als, his old team, and you could tell there was a lot of animosity on the field.
There was also a hit at the very end of the game – it was like cowboys wrestling a steer to the ground. It was really dirty – I don’t like when I see my team pull things like that. In the last few weeks the Als have been leading the league in dumb-ass penalties. It’s gotta stop.
One thing I wanna mention is how much I like it when they show all the names of past players at a particular stadium. This week at Ivor Wynne Stadium in Hamilton they showed players like Angelo Mosca and Garney Henley – it brings back cool names from the 60s. I love looking at that.
The Weekend Warrior What would Jesus do?…
Likely, he wouldn’t ask anyone to walk on water, even though he has it on good authority that it can be done. Why then, would Toronto Argonauts’ head coach Jim Barker ask his second-string kicker Grant Shaw to try for a 57-yard field goal with a full 24 seconds to go on the clock? Sure, it’s possible, but you are more likely to sink and drown. Hold your nose… we are going under.
Barker asked for this “kick from the gods” in a game where the Argos were trailing the undefeated Eskimos by a single point, on a third-and-five play. It was also a career game that saw RB Chad Kackert turn 20 carries into 139 rushing yards, so why not ask for 144, a new set of downs and a realistic field goal position?
Loss goes to the Coach on this one.
The Sports Encyclopaedia Why would a NFL fan follow Canadian football? I can’t stand the CFL. I’m a real hater. Some of the rules are just ridiculous. It’s why I don’t watch it. For example, there’s only 11 Canadians in the NFL (on 32 teams) and they’ve started under 50 games between them – they’re not even starters. But there are 20 per team in the CFL with seven starters, so until you get the best man for the job why would you want to watch that game? Who would want to watch second- and third-string players?
There’s something wrong with that.
Canadian content is what kills the CFL – it’s sucky. And right now salary has nothing to do with it.
The Football Wife Hey ladies… so I’m the gal you all love to hate, because not only do I understand football but I also really love it too.
Now don’t get me wrong… I don’t know how many rushing yards Blue Bomber Fred Reid ran for and I still don’t totally understand every rule in the playbook, but I can easily follow a game. And trust me: in my CFL-loving household, it’s do or die – do learn about the CFL or die of boredom!
So this week, I will give you a two-minute tutorial on the CFL – that way you can follow along with your hubby or boyfriend instead of being relegated to the basement with “The Notebook” and a glass of Chardonnay.
“CFL” stands for the “Canadian Football League” (so far so good?). There are eight teams from eight cities that are divided into two divisions, the East and the West (easy peasy!). The object of the game is to try and get the football into the end zone (areas at the ends of the field that seem to be the only place you’ll see grown men dancing in public) and score – either with a touchdown or a field goal. They get three tries, or “downs,” to get it to their end before they have to give the ball back to the other team. And there ya have it!
Sure, there are all kinds of other rules and loopholes, but you get the gist of things.
So instead of the wine pop open a beer this weekend and (possibly to your mate’s chagrin) join the men in your life for this week’s CFL games. You may just discover your inner football fan.
