Money Well Spent, Ottawa

 

Redblacks' receiver and member of the fab-five, Brad Sinopoli has been a major contributer to Ottawa's early season success. Photo via Ottawa REDBLACKS (@REDBLACKS)

They didn't come easy, nor did they come cheap, but the Ottawa Redblacks' off-season signings have so far proven to be worth every penny they've been promised in 2015.

The Redblacks, who missed the playoffs in their inaugural season with a 2-16 record, had no choice but to overhaul their passing-offence, acquiring five prized receivers- Chris Williams, Maurice Price, Brad Sinopoli, Ernest Jackson and Greg Ellingson- as well as a stout left tackle in SirVincent Rogers, formerly of the Toronto Argonauts. General Manager Marcel Desjardins identified those two positions as the team's weakest links and addressed them in the best, but most expensive way possible: free agency. 

Not every General Manager is a believer in using free agency to build a team. Many teams have sustained success by finding their own talent south of border and either re-signing or replacing them with a new diamond-in-the-rough player once their contracts are up; not by paying a high price for an established free agent replacement and/or upgrade. 

The Redblacks will one day boast a team deep enough to do that, although they had to start somewhere, much like how Kent Austin had to when he re-built the Hamilton Tiger-Cats after joining them in December of 2012. 

Austin signed numerous free agents in his first-offseason at the helm including DE Brian Bulcke and LB Marcellus Bowman. He then inked S Chris Butler, DB Brandon Stewart and WR Cary Koch to contracts the following off-season in 2014. Having successfully used free agency to kick-start the rebuild and put together part of the team he originally envisioned back in 2012, Austin is now aiming for year-to-year continuity now that something like only six players remain from the team he took over three seasons ago.

After literally and figuratively starting from scratch, this seems to be the approach Desjardins is taking with his own team. And while they didn't come cheap, Ottawa is absolutely getting their money's worth as this version of R-Nation has never seen better days after two wins in two weeks of regular season action.

The Redblacks looked good during their 20-16 win against Montreal, however injuries to Alouettes' quarterbacks Jonathon Crompton and Dan Lefevour undoubtedly helped matters. But any doubts regarding Ottawa's offence were erased in their impressive week two victory over the re-budding BC Lions, as Henry Burris and co. put up 437 total yards of offence while spreading the ball around to seven different receivers on route to 296 yards passing with three touchdowns and one interception. 

Ottawa's remarkable turn-around, having already matched their win total of their first season in the CFL, shouldn't be all that surprising given the amount of talent they brought in on offence to balance out what was already a solid defence on very a competitive team in 2014.

See, this Redblacks offence is totally night-and-day compared to last year. While having a new offensive coordinator and offensive line coach in Jason Maas and Byran Chiu have been huge, I still don't think the results on offence would be anywhere close to as good as they've been so far in 2015 without the additions of Rogers or any of the fab-five. Having numerous dynamic and experienced receivers have been huge, and they've all been contributing. 

Ernest Jackson was the go-to guy in week one, amassing 7 catches for 74 yards and the game-winning touchdown. National receiver and former Ottawa Gee-Gee star quarterback Brad Sinopoli was that guy in week two, hauling in 9 passes for 99 yards and a touchdown during his homecoming game at TD Place against BC.

The most highly-touted of the five, Chris Williams, has been Mr. Consistent, totalling 149 yards as the teams leading receiver while often piling up his yards in chunks as the big-play target, much like he was with the Tiger-Cats in 2011 and 2012. Rounding out the bunch have been former Stampeder Maurice Price (6 catches for 52 yards) and former Tiger-Cat Greg Ellingson, who has 5 grabs of his own for 74 yards with his first touchdown coming in the second half of Saturday night's game against the Lions.

The ball is being spread around evenly and everyone is making plays in this pick-your-poison system. As a result, quarterback Henry Burris appears to be turning back the clock and finding success, proving to everyone that a 40-year old quarterback can still be effective in professional football.

After tossing 14 interceptions versus 11 touchdowns last year, Burris has looked far more comfortable being able to trust his receivers and the scheme he's playing in. While he's already thrown four picks in 2015, much of last year's offensive-woes that resulted in Burris' worst statistical season of his career can be attributed to the poor group of receivers and offensive lineman he was surrounded with. 

Not anymore, however, as Burris is re-gaining his stride with five receivers who can actually catch, run the correct route and read defences at a fast pace. It's all coming together for Ottawa, and much of the credit has to go to Desjardins for going out and bringing his signal-caller some playmakers that make the job of Burris, and everyone else, much easier. 

So just how vital have Ottawa's off-season acquisitions been to the team's success thus far in 2015? 

Well, had they not opened up their chequebook and spent big money in free agency, there's a far better chance the Redblacks are staring at an 0-2 record rather than sitting undefeated atop the East Division. 

Rogers and the fab-five have just been that good. Money well spent, Ottawa. 

Week Two Picks

BC Lions quarterback Travis Lulay will be making his return to the scene of the crime in week two action. Lulay re-injured his shoulder in his first start of 2014 at TD Place, and will be seeing his first regular season action since on the same field.

Wednesday's Weekly Halftime Post is a weekly series in which I offer opinions regarding any news of the past week, look ahead to the next week, justify my picks and answer a question of the week. Here's week two's post, starting with some headlines from the past week:
 
Injury bug harasses Saskatchewan

The Saskatchewan Roughriders lost more than just the game itself on Friday night at Mosaic Stadium. They lost four key players to injury, and while some are more serious than others, those to their Canadian talent may hurt the most. You all know Darian Durant's situation, but it's the injuries to national middle linebacker Shea Emry and national safety Keenan Macdougal that'll really test Saskatchewan's depth. 2014 draft pick Rory Connop had a shaky first career start against Winnipeg, though he'll likely take on a full-time roll to account for Macdougal's part in the ratio, while Kevin Regimbald will replace Emry in the middle. Regimbald saw some action in the second half against Winnipeg, though the 'Riders preferred to go with three internationals for the most part in Emry's absence. It's time to find out how good Saskatchewan's Canadian depth actually is.

Laing avoids discipline

The league announced Tuesday that they will not be handing out any sort of discipline to Toronto Argonauts defensive tackle Cleyon Laing for his low hit on Edmonton Eskimos' quarterback Mike Reilly, stating Laing tripped on the foot of an offensive lineman while being pushed from behind by another. Despite this being the third time Laing has injured Reilly, I believe this probably was the right decision. There was no intent to injure on the play, nor did Laing "know where to fall". It's a shame that we won't be able to see Mike Reilly for another 10-12 weeks, but that was just one of those unavoidable plays.

Shaw Performers of the Week

As the old saying goes: If it ain't broke, don't fix it. Well, the league unnecessarily decided to go-away with the traditional player of the week awards and instead decided to highlight three individuals each week regardless of their position, sort of like the "Three Stars of the Week." This wasn't all that well received, and for good reason. The first three in week one- Trevor Harris, Drew Willy and Jeff Fuller- all play offence, so the Top-Three list may favour quarterbacks, receivers and running backs. There's no more Canadian or Special Teams Player of the Week award, and that's slightly disappointed. Change is inevitable, I suppose.

Week Two Picks:

Hamilton (0-1) at Winnipeg (1-0)

Without a doubt the hardest game of the week to predict, this Tiger-Cats vs Blue Bombers game is expected to be a barn-burner at Investors Group Field. The 'Cats are coming off a heartbreaking loss to the Calgary Stampeders in a Grey Cup re-match, while the Bombers are riding high after knocking off the Saskatchewan Roughriders at Mosaic Stadium for the first time in 11 years.

Hamilton's offence was very one-dimensional against Calgary, gaining 281 yards through the air versus a mere 37 on the ground, while only 24 yards on eight carries was contributed by fourth-string-turned-starting running back Ray Holley. The Bombers appear to be the ideal team for the Tiger-Cats to get their running attack going against, as they just gave up a whopping 212 yards on the turf to 'Rider running backs Anthony Allen and Jerome Messam. Keep in mind, 132 of those yards were gained on three plays alone, and the Bombers will be getting safety Maurice Leggett back in the lineup.

If Hamilton wants to beat the Bombers, they have to get pressure on quarterback Drew Willy. The Riders didn't bring all that many blitzes against the Bombers and Willy made them pay, completing 22 of 25 passes for 325 yards with three touchdowns. With running backs Paris Cotton and Cam Marshall coming off big games, and with Hamilton going up against Winnipeg's offensive line without All-star defensive end Eric Norwood, I'm not sure the 'Cats can stop Willy's offence. They'll have to outscore them on the other side of the football.

If pre-season games indicate anything, the Tiger-Cats won't have much of a problem putting up points against this defence. Collaros was ultra-efficient in Hamilton's exhibition victory over Winnipeg, while Holley had a nice first half himself. Winnipeg's defence looked shaky against Saskatchewan, giving up 497 total yards, although they should be able to focus on pass coverage after seeing Holley and Hamilton's offensive line struggle to run the ball last week despite the many three-man fronts the Stampeders lined up in. These teams appear to be so evenly matched that the winner may come to down to whichever team wins the turnover battle. I'll take the Bombers, who are 5-1 in their last 6 home openers, to defeat the Ti-Cats in front of hopefully a sold out crowd. In a game that I expect to be very, very close, and with the sample size of the two teams being so small just one week into the season, I'd rather not go against my Bombers.

Projected score: Winnipeg 31 Hamilton 27

Calgary (1-0) at Montreal (0-1)

The Alouettes are coming off a terrible first week of the CFL season that saw them lose two quarterbacks in starter Jonathon Crompton and backup Dan LeFevour to shoulder injuries in a losing effort. The Stampeders didn't have all that good of a week either, but ultimately defeated the Tiger-Cats 24-23 courtesy of a game-winning field goal by Rene Parades. Calgary's performance was anything but dominant as they snuck out with the win despite losing the turnover-battle 5-1. That came thanks to three uncharacteristic Bo Levi Mitchell interceptions and two failed third down conversions by Drew Tate.

Montreal will be going with two 23 year old rookie quarterbacks in the absence of Crompton and LeFevour. Both Canadian Brandon Bridge out of South Alabama and International Rakeem Cato out of Marshall may see playing time, and I don't see the results being very good against Calgary's ball-hawking defence. Both quarterbacks have tons of potential, but with their first test coming less than two weeks into their professional careers, some mistakes will be made, and they'll be costly. The Alouettes have to find a way to run the ball effectively on first down to put Bridge, who's expected to get the opening nod, in more manageable second down situations. Bridge puts a lot of trust into his powerful arm, and any interceptions thrown to Calgary may seal the Alouettes' fate.

Expect Bo Levi Mitchell to respond in a big way against Montreal coming off his first career three interception outing. Montreal's front seven is very talented, but unless their offence can be as efficient as Winnipeg's was against Saskatchewan, they wont be able to keep Calgary's offence in check long enough. I'd be surprised if Calgary's doesn't eclipse 450 yards of total offence. 

Score Prediction: Calgary 35 Montreal 10

BC (0-0) at Ottawa (1-0)

We're only one week into the new season and the Redblacks have already halved their win total of 2014 following a 20-16 victory over the Alouettes. While I'm not too sure what to expect from BC's offence, I know their defence will be problematic for Ottawa.

I'm not sold on Ottawa's offence yet. Quarterback Henry Burris tossed three first half interceptions in week one while running back Chevon Walker only gained 52 yards on 16 carries. Both the defensive and offensive lines of these two teams match up really well, however I'd be shocked if Walker improved on his week one rushing totals this week with Lions' linebackers Soloman Elimimian and Adam Bighill hunting him down. Burris and co. will improve as the weeks go on, but they'll have to sustain more drives than they did last week as BC's offence will be more effective than that of Montreal's was.

I'm interested to see what style of offence Head Coach Jeff Tedford and Offensive coordinator George Cortez bring to the Lions. Both are offensive masterminds, and they have talent in quarterback Travis Lulay and running back Andrew Harris to work with. Speaking of Lulay, it's unlikely he's forgotten how to play football despite his lengthy time away from the game due to ongoing shoulder issues. I don't think he'll dominate right out the gate, but it won't matter all too much with Harris carrying the load. The Redblacks have to focus on stopping Harris, and if they do, I expect Lulay to do enough through the air to guide BC to victory. 

Score Prediction: BC 20 Ottawa 17

Toronto (1-0) at Saskatchewan (0-1)

Everything that could've been said on Roughriders' quarterback Darian Durant's season ending injury has already been said. It's obviously devastating, but they signed Kevin Glenn for this reason. Glenn was serviceable, but less than stellar last year in BC, however I feel Saskatchewan offers the veteran signal-caller a better situation. Aside from likely an increased interception total, I don't think Saskatchewan's offence will be all that different with Glenn at the helm. 

What can I say about Trevor Harris and that Argonauts offence? Led by a fourth year quarterback making his second career start, the Argos had their way with Edmonton's supposedly overpowered defence. After seeing Winnipeg walk all over Saskatchewan's defence, I expect Scott Milanovich's group to do exactly the same. 

Kevin Glenn has to protect the football and their tailback tandem of Anthony Allen and Jerome Messam have to be effective. Mosaic Stadium and all of Rider Nation will be rocking, but if Toronto's offence resembles anything like it did against the Eskimos, the Argonauts should leave victorious. Saskatchewan will be missing middle linebacker Shea Emry and safety Keenan Macdougal, which will undoubtably hurt. 

Score prediction: Toronto 30 Saskatchewan 20 

Question of the Week: 

Q: Lance Keiser (@LWOSLance) asks: Do you expect to see a 2nd string QB be acquired at a premium at some point this season?

A: The last couple seasons have really proved how important a solid back-up quarterback is in this league. Just last season, the 'Riders lost Darian Durant for the year and away with Durant went their season. Saskatchewan won two of their next six games without Durant. And now in 2015, Durant's season is lost again, however Saskatchewan has highly recruited, well-travelled veteran Kevin Glenn to start in his absence. The Eskimos lost Mike Reilly while the Alouettes lost two in Jonathon Crompton and Dan LeFevour, though the former is only on the six-game injured list. Over in BC, the Lions' season can change with one hit if a defender gets a clean shot on Travis Lulay's shoulder and ends his season. As you can see, back-up quarterbacks are very important and as a result, are in very high demand. 

Although to answer your question, Lance, I don't think we'll see a blockbuster trade that sends a capable back-up like Drew Tate or Robert Marve to another club. As of right now, at least four teams (BC, Saskatchewan, Montreal and Edmonton) either have an injured starting quarterback or are without a proven back-up. There are few trading options left, and they'd be Drew Tate, Robert Marve/Brian Brohm or Thomas DeMarco, and I can't see any of these pivots being traded as the other teams have proven how quickly a season can change when a starting quarterback goes down. These back-up quarterback's hold too much value to be traded, and unless Jim Barker shocks the Country and trades the injured Ricky Ray, which obviously won't happen, we won't see any signal-callers traded this season. 

Bombers Need More Than a Great Middle Linebacker

 

Middle Linebacker Sam Hurl needs to be much better, but not all the blame regarding Winnipeg's run game should be directed at him. Photo via Winnipeg Blue Bombers (@wpg_bluebombers)

They're working with a new defensive coordinator, a new middle linebacker and a new season, but the Winnipeg Blue Bombers still can't stop the run. 

In week one of the 2015 season, the Blue & Gold's run defence looked no better than the ninth ranked unit they were against the run last season. Winnipeg gave up a whopping 212 yards on the ground to Saskatchewan, and almost all of the blame fell on the shoulders of newly signed middle linebacker Sam Hurl. And now, as a result, the Bombers appear prepared to make changes to improve their odds of slowing down their opponents' rushing attack in the coming weeks. 

I'll be the first to tell you that Sam Hurl was an underachiever in Saskatchewan and that he seemed to confirm this in his first game with the Bombers. That being said, I wouldn't say benching Winnipeg's free agent acquisition would solve all immediate matters, as stopping the run all starts with the big guys up front. 

The Bombers' two interior defensive lineman, Zach Anderson and Bryant Turner Jr., simply need to be better. Defensive tackles are supposed to cause havoc by plugging gaps, which helps the linebackers. They take on multiple blockers and as an added bonus, rack up tackles and sacks. Anderson and Turner Jr. did none of that, and it made Hurl's job all that more difficult. Saskatchewan rarely had to double-team Winnipeg's duo, instead allowing centre Dan Clark to quickly work up to the "second level" (the linebackers) knowing his guards, Brandon Labatte and Chris Best, could handle Winnipeg's interior. Hurl had very few opportunities to square up with Roughriders' running backs Anthony Allen and Jerome Messam, instead often being picked up by Clark or even double-teamed. The Bombers need Anderson and Turner Jr. to be far more disruptive as neither made their presence felt until late in the fourth quarter. 

When you look at the statistical numbers from the Bombers' win over Saskatchewan, the 212 rushing yards against clearly stands out, as does Hurl's low amount of tackles (four). It should be mentioned that 132 of those yards were gained on three carries, so Winnipeg's yards per carry may not have been that terrible. However, it's Hurl's inability to clean up tackles that were difference, particularly on Anthony Allen's 47 yard gallop. The University of Calgary product had a perfect angle to end the damage nine yards in but had his wrap-up tackle cleanly broken, resulting in 37 additional yards gained after-contact by Allen. And on Jerome Messam's big 53 yard touchdown, a great middle linebacker in Hurl's spot would've limited the gain to five yards. While Saskatchewan's offensive line opened up a huge hole, Hurl's blocker missed his cut block, however since he was late identifying the inside handoff, he was ultimately late to ball and Messam was gone. These are the plays that need to be made by a starting middle linebacker, and if Hurl can't make him, then it's next-man-up for the Bombers. 

Head Coach Mike O'Shea seems to be kicking the tires of 2014 second round pick Jesse Briggs and rotating him in at middle linebacker. I'm not sure how much this move will bolster the run defence (though it's worth a try), it provides the Bombers with more options in their coverage. The Bombers blitzed Sam Hurl on nearly or more than 50 percent of passing plays, and I'm quite sure that's due to the poor awareness in zone coverage he's displayed. With Hurl struggling mightily to supply any sort of pressure with a pass-rush, the Bombers were repeatedly burned by the blitz. Defensive coordinator Richie Hall finally took note of this in the fourth quarter and replaced Hurl with Greg Newman during passing situations, allowing another former 'Rider to cover the middle instead of having Hurl blitz. Briggs, meanwhile, is very athletic (he ran an insane 4.57 at the CFL combine) and excels as a coverage linebacker. Moving Khalil Bass into the middle with Briggs taking over at his weak-side position would make sense, but either way, increasing the McGill products' game reps is worth trying to bolster Winnipeg's linebacker play. 

But again, it wasn't all Hurl's fault. Take Nic Demski's 23 yard carry for example. The Bombers, as they did far too much Saturday night, blitzed Sam Hurl through the "A-gap" and were in man coverage. Nickel linebacker Chris Randle motioned with Demski and read the jet sweep perfectly, but took a terrible pursuit angle and was left in the wind. That play could've been a one yard gain, but Randle's poor play, as well as defensive end Thad Gibson's poor contain, resulted in a huge gain for Saskatchewan. 

Here's where Bombers safety Maurice Leggett would have flew in and limited the damage, but the former Kansas City Chief was out in week one with an undisclosed injury. His replacement, rookie Demetrius Wright, was ineffective, and having Leggett as a safety-net is the difference between a 50 yard gain and a tackle by Winnipeg's 2014 Most Outstanding Player limiting the damage to a mere 8 yards. 

Hurl underachieved, no doubt. Four tackles (one was on special teams) is not good enough, but no matter who the Bombers plug in at middle linebacker, the run-game-woes will continue until they establish some sort of presence along the interior of their defensive line. Starting Briggs will improve their pass defence (they gave up 285 yards through the air), but his presence as a run-stuffing middleman won't be noticed all that much without help from the four lineman up front. Having Leggett back too will help, but it's all about Zach Anderson, Bryant Turner Jr. and the rest of Winnipeg's defensive line to stop the run. 

The Bombers will get a good opportunity to get their run-defence on track against Hamilton in week two. The Tiger-Cats only managed to pick up 37 yards on the ground against Calgary's often-used three-man front, and they'll still be running with fourth string Ray Holley at tailback due to injuries. 

If the Bombers can figure it out and stop the run, they could be a very good team in 2015. And while Sam Hurl probably isn't a serviceable middle linebacker, it's not fair to put all the blame on him. 

League Hits Home Run with Rule Changes

 

Argos' pivot Trevor Harris put on an offensive clinic Saturday against the Eskimos, proving the potential of the league's new rule changes. Via CFL.ca

We're only one week into the 2015 CFL season, but it's already starting to appear as though the league hit a home run with the new rule changes that were announced in April.

The new rules were designed to further help offences move the ball and put up points. Many skeptics, myself included, were worried that offences in the league were already at an advantage and that these new rules would penalize good defence and lead to ridiculously high scoring games. That was not the case, however, and it was reassuring to see that the rules- particularly the updated 'illegal contact' infraction- didn't play out as drastically as many thought they would.

While offences are still gelling as the season is young, the average game in week one saw an average of 44 points scored per game (although of course, some points came from defences and special teams). That number is actually down from last season, where the average game saw 45.5 points per game. But it's week one, each team had some rust to shake off and adjustments to make.

Most notable was the smooth flow that the games followed, particularly in the Hamilton-Calgary and Winnipeg-Saskatchewan contests. Offences moved the ball consistently with very few two-and-out possessions that left fans yawning and changing the channel. Friday night's game saw much of that, but with even more good defensive plays by the defences of both Hamilton and Calgary. As expected, we saw far more zone coverage than normal with defences doing their best to contain receivers without having the option to slow their route down past the five yard contact zone. And as a result, we saw more interceptions from defensive backs being able to read the quarterback and jump the route in zone coverage rather than solely focusing on locking down their receiver in man-on-man. Interceptions are exciting plays, and excitement is exactly what the league was looking for when they announced these changes. Even in the lower scoring games, offences didn't struggle to move the ball, they simply failed to execute after gaining positive momentum or self-destructed via penalties.

Two quarterbacks in particular really showed the possibilities of the new rule changes. Both Winnipeg's Drew Willy and Toronto's Trevor Harris put on offensive clinics, dissecting their opposing defences while only throwing three incompletions each. Willy's Blue Bombers had 470 yards of total offence with three touchdowns through the air, and Harris' Argonauts matched that, reaching 484 yards of total offence with their own trio of passing touchdowns. And as I had predicted, the success of these young gun-slingers came at the expense of two veteran secondary's in Edmonton and Saskatchewan who were previously built to play a physical game on receivers and struggled to make the adjustment. These two quarterbacks displayed the exciting potential of the updated 'illegal contact' rule while not completely going over-board, if you will, as the two offences scored 30 and 26 points, respectively.

Another highly anticipated rule change- or highly controversial for some- was that of which prohibited the interior five lineman on each team's punt coverage unit from crossing the line of scrimmage prior to the football being kicked away. This was implemented to decrease the amount of no-yards penalties while bringing more open-field in the return game. I can't tell you if there was a decrease in flags on punt returns, but I can confirm that the league got a taste of what it had desired with this change. Tiger-Cats' ace Brandon Banks took a punt back for six points against Calgary, as expected, while a couple of other return touchdowns in other games were inevitably called back due to blocking infractions.

We saw true CFL-calibre games in week one. They were up-tempo (another factor caused by the rule changes), flowed well and featured offences putting up tons of yardage. Penalties weren't all too bad- Edmonton and Saskatchewan had many self-inflicted wounds- despite the players being new to the rules, while defensive coordinators quickly started to figure out what works and what doesn't when trying to slow down these offences. A plethora of zone coverage and a heavy pass-rush identified themselves as formulas for success, while genuinely skilled defensive backs with increased athleticism are necessary needs as well. The two secondary's that did the best in man coverage were those of Toronto and Ottawa, and they feature mostly young defensive backs that are relatively new to the league and don't rely on impeding a receivers' route to cover them. Those of Hamilton and Calgary, meanwhile, especially excelled in zone coverage, where their veteran defensive backs understand the coverage and angles of the wide field used in Canadian football. The new rules exposed some veterans' inability to cleanly cover, while some youngsters like A.J. Jefferson in Toronto and Brandyn Thompson in Ottawa proved their skill and athleticism in both types of coverage.

The sample-size still might be too small to say that these rule changes were a complete grand slam, but week one was a huge step in the right direction for the entertainment value of the game in two-down football. As defences continue to adjust and offences continue to improve, the games will only get more and more exciting. It's a positive sign for both the fans who love offence and for those who envy great defence, as both sides of the ball had their share of exciting moments. We didn't see any 100 point affairs, we didn't see a touchdown on every play there wasn't an illegal contact penalty, it all balanced out and made for some good week one football games.

The league can likely chalk up these rule changes as a success, and while there are still improvements to make elsewhere, they may want to start taking a look at a new problem, and that is the epic epidemic that is the health of the league's quarterbacks. Although, the CFL instilled confidence in myself that most of their rule changes are most likely for the better of the game, so I'll give them the benefit of the doubt early on next time around they try to further better the game.

2015 CFL Predictions: The Bold and the Obvious

Hamilton Tiger-Cats returner Brandon Banks is one of many players expected to have huge seasons in 2015.

The 2015 season kicks off on Thursday and I have a few predictions to put out there before I hear Rod Black's voice crack when he exclaims: "And the 2015 CFL season is officially kicked off." 

I'd like to be able to say that I'm completely confident in my predictions, but that would be a lie. The bold ones are essentially gut-feelings, so be sure to come back to this post in a couple months and laugh at what was wrote. I'll be on Twitter to accept the ridicule with no potential sorry excuse. 

You can read a detailed piece of my West Division predictions here, and East Division predictions here.

Playoff predictions: 

West Semi-Final: Edmonton over Winnipeg

East Semi-Final: Saskatchewan over Montreal

West Final: Edmonton over Calgary

East Final: Hamilton over Saskatchewan

Grey Cup: Hamilton over Edmonton

There you have it, the Hamilton Tiger-Cats are my projected Grey Cup champions. Keep in mind, while predicting the two teams that meet in the Grey Cup is logical, predicting the outcome of a game that won't be played for another five months is a complete toss-up. I'm going with the Ti-Cats simply because it'll be their third consecutive trip to the big game. 

And now for some individual stats...

Projected 2015 Individual Leaderboards: 

A) Quarterbacks: 

You'll hear me refer to the new rules the CFL implemented frequently throughout this post. I think we'll see an improvement in the offensive play, although defences will still make games very competitive. 

Starting with the quarterbacks, I think we could possibly see up to five 4,000 yard passers. Saskatchewan's Darian Durant believes he can pass for over 6,000 yards, which I don't buy at all and would be impressed to see a single signal-caller join the 5,000 yard club. Durant, Mike Reilly, Zach Collaros, Bo Levi Mitchell and Drew Willy are all solid bets to have big seasons if they can manage to stay healthy. 

Projected passing totals: 

1. Mike Reilly, Edmonton: 4,700 yards passing, 36 touchdowns, 12 interceptions

2. Bo Levi Mitchell, Calgary: 4,200 yards, 31 touchdowns, 9 interceptions

3. Drew Willy, Winnipeg: 4,150 yards passing, 20 touchdowns, 15 interceptions

4. Zach Collaros, Hamilton: 4,100 yards passing, 28 touchdowns, 11 interceptions

5. Darian Durant, Saskatchewan: 3,800 yards passing, 25 touchdowns, 16 interceptions. 

B) Runningbacks 

The new rules will also affect the CFL's run game and it's bell-cows, slightly diminishing their involvement in the offence with possibly less 1st down hand-offs. Calgary's Jon Cornish and BC's Andrew Harris are the only two runningbacks that I see surpassing 1,000 yards. Cornish is an easy bet as he did so last year in only nine games, while Harris as also an elite 'back who'll be playing in an offence that should be very run-heavy. Montreal's Tyrell Sutton and Edmonton's Kendial Lawrence, pending what his actual role in the offence will be, may not reach the four-figure plateau, but could challenge Harris for the total-yards-from-scrimmage crown. 

Projected rushing totals: 

1. Jon Cornish, Calgary: 1,500 yards, 11 touchdowns 

2. Andrew Harris, BC: 1,100 yards, seven touchdowns 

3. Tyrell Sutton, Montreal: 850 yards, seven touchdowns

4. Paris Cotton, Winnipeg: 750 yards, five touchdowns. 

5. Anthony Allen, Saskatchewan: 700 yards, five touchdowns. 

C) Receivers: 

As someone who loves offence and superstars, it was somewhat sad to see only three pass-catchers individually account for 1,000 yards of receiving last year. Since I have the quarterbacks' numbers improving in 2015, I can say confidently that the receivers' numbers will follow suit. With defensive backs no longer being able to clutch and grab, and with hopefully a clean bill of health, our superstar receivers whom the fans love ever so much will return. 

Projected receiving totals: 

1. Adarius Bowman, Edmonton: 1,500 yards, 10 touchdowns 

2. Eric Rogers, Calgary: 1,400 yards, 12 touchdowns 

3. Weston Dressler, Saskatchewan: 1,300 yards, 7 touchdowns

4. Chad Owens, Toronto: 1,250 yards, 9 touchdowns 

5. Clarence Denmark, Winnipeg: 1,200 yards receiving, 4 touchdowns

CFL awards: 

Most Outstanding Player: QB Mike Reilly, Edmonton

He'll have a monster year with the Eskimos, leading them to the Grey Cup. Both his passing and rushing stats will jump off the page. 
 
Update: Mike Reilly is likely done for the season with a knee injury. My new pick is Bomber QB Drew Willy. 

Most Outstanding Canadian: RB Jon Cornish, Calgary 

This would be the third consecutive year Cornish will have won the award. If he stays healthy, he can't be stopped. 

Most Outstanding Defensive Player: LB Dexter McCoil, Edmonton 

A sightly bold pick here, but McCoil was a ball-hawk in his rookie season. He has freakish athleticism and led the Eskimos in tackles, defensive touchdowns and was tied for the CFL's interception lead. 

Most Outstanding Rookie: G Sukh Chungh, Winnipeg

Drafted second overall by the Bombers not even two months ago, Sukh Chungh has already earned a starting position. His incredible athleticism and intelligence have impressed Winnipeg's coaching staff every day. 

Most Outstanding Special Teams Player: PR Brandon Banks, Hamilton

The league installed another new rule to open up the return game, so I definitely think this award will go to a returner. Banks is part of a great special teams group led by coordinator Jeff Reinebold that will be dynamic in 2015. 

Most Outstanding Lineman: G Brendon Labatte, Saskatchewan:

With former Calgary Stampeders centre Brett Jones gone to the NFL, I think Labatte is now the clear-cut top offensive lineman in the CFL.

10 Thoughts and Predictions: 

1. Much like in 2014, the Eastern Division will start terribly slow. The Argonauts play their first four games out West followed by a divisional game in Hamilton before finally playing their home-opener August 8th against Saskatchewan. 

The Alouettes play Calgary twice in their opening five games and could start 1-4, while the Redblacks are still gelling as an offence and start the year out West, so they'll possibly either start 1-6 or 2-5. Either way, CFL fans may revert back to insisting the league should implement a single-division playoff seeding format by labour day. 

2. If the Redblacks start as slow as I think they will, there's no way quarterback Henry Burris isn't holding a clipboard as Thomas Demarco's back-up by week nine. Burris will have no excuse as Ottawa did a great job acquiring talent to build around him, but still, it won't be enough to solve his accuracy woes. 

3. Training camp may be wrapped up, but there's still somewhat of a quarterback controversy brewing in "La Belle Province". Jonathon Crompton is currently Montreal's starter, but head coach Tom Higgins has made it pretty clear the 27 year-old pivot's job is far from secure. 

We already know Crompton isn't a field-general who'll carry the team to victory each week with big numbers. He's a game manager, but he still wins. As long as Crompton keeps his team's record around an even .500, he'll keep his job, no matter how he performes. But I can't see this happening. Dan Lefevour takes over by week six. 

4. BC Lions defensive end Alex Bazzie will be the lone breakout edge-rusher from 2014 to suffer a sophomore slump. Bazzie hit double-digits with his sack total last season, however he's currently listed as a back-up and could've been a product of the system last year. I also think Toronto's Ricky Foley, BC's Khreem Smith and Ottawa's Justin Capicciotti will see their numbers fall off. 

6. Out in Edmonton, I think Shamawd Chambers regresses in his fourth season with the Eskimos. A former first round pick, Chambers will start the season on the six game injured list, giving veterans Nate Coehoorn and Cory Watson a chance to lock down their spot, while 2014 first round draft pick Devon Bailey will get an opportunity as well. Chambers' season high for receiving yards is a mere 465. 

7. The Saskatchewan Roughriders will lead the league in penalties. It's a known fact that they had the most holding infractions called against them in 2014, and if they weren't first in total-penalty-yards-against, they were close. I think Saskatchewan's veteran secondary will struggle to adjust the to new role changes and it will hurt the team all season. 

8. There'll be a high number of veteran defensive backs that'll be on the bench by mid-season. Certain players that depend on their ability to play physical and impede a receiver's route will be exposed by the new rules and eventually replaced. Geoff Tisdale was the first to experience this, who's next? 

Patrick Watkins? Terrell Maze? Brandon Stewart? 

I expect many veterans to be affected. 

9. The speedy Brandon Banks will out-duel Ottawa's Chris Williams in the return game this year. While numbers show Brandon Banks is pretty average, I'm still predicting he'll have a massive year with Jeff Reinebold drawing up returns. Meanwhile, Ottawa's special teams are a mess that perhaps not even Williams can meet his full potential in, however the new rules will undoubtedly see punt return averages increase, and Williams will be right behind Banks. I'll set the 'over/under' for punt return touchdowns for the two as 5.5 and will take the 'over' for Banks.

10. Toronto's defence may have holes all over, but I'm quite confident newly signed defensive back A.J. Jefferson will stand out and earn All-Star nods. Jefferson, a four year NFL veteran, locked down receivers during the pre-season and has an interception to show for it. Expect teams to shy away from throwing towards him once the lanky 6'1", 200lbs cornerback pads his stats early on.