A Perfect Weekend Wraps up 2024 CFL Season

Once upon a time there used to be sports reporters with people who knew what questions to ask and tried to educate fans. Now there are people with keyboards who are self appointed gurus, and I suppose I am no exception with that, but the herd mentality of the keyboard warriors glosses over the easy and glib story lines coming out for the 111th Grey Cup.

I made the allusion in my last column about shades of 2007 when Winnipeg lost Kevin Glenn with a broken arm in the eastern final, thrusting rookie Ryan Dinwiddie into a starting position against the Saskatchewan Roughriders. Dinwiddie lost 23-19, mostly because of the three interceptions he threw to James Johnson of the Riders.

The difference between the Argos of this year and the Bombers of 2007 is the Argos have two quarterbacks in Arbuckle and |Cameron Dukes who have both had starting experience and wouldn’t be overwhelmed stepping into a championship game. Dinwiddie was also in the interesting situation of

being an unexpected starter in the Grey Cup and would have a better idea of what a quarterback would need to succeed in that case.

While Arbuckle would be asked to manage the game, the key to victory for Toronto would be how well its defece did against the Bombers. The Bombers caught the Riders by surprise in the western final by going deep and apparently tried to do the same thing against Toronto.

One of the interesting things I had been watching was how the Argo defense would do after the departure last season of Cory Mace who took the Riders head job. The Argos have not lost a step, mostly by keeping a majority of free agents including Wynton McManis, who should have been the most outstanding player of the Grey Cup.

McManis disrupted the Bombers rhythm and was tasked with stopping the dual Outstanding player and Outstanding Canadian player Brady Olivera. McManis did that and more.

The game probably changed in how the Bombers reacted when Zach Collaros cut open his finger and apparently dislocated his middle finger of his throwing hand. Collaros was stitched up and wore a glove to keep the hand solid, but Collaros said he had feel for the ball that resulted in his many interceptions.

I would humbly suggest that Winnipeg Head Coach Mike O’Shea’s decision to put Collaros back out there despite the problems he was having was the bigger factor in Bombers third consecutive Grey Cup loss. The Bombers did not run Brady Oliivera, or perhaps did not have as much success with Olivera as they were expecting, and Collaros under pressure tends to toss it up and hope for the best.

If Collaros could not throw, then the Bombers had two other quarterbacks who could at least demonstrate of modicum of ball security. O’Shea has demonstrated loyalty to his vets in the past, including allowing Adam Bighill to play in last year’s Grey Cup when he was more a detriment than a positive.

The loyalty comes at an expense, which is what is best for the team. The Bombers have gone to thee Grey Cup for five consecutive years, but other than beating Hamilton in their first two wins of the streak, have sputtered against Toronto and Montreal.

In the fourth quarter when the Argos turned on the hose and cleaned the Bombers off the turf, it occurred to me that if the Bombers are in the heads of the Riders and the Riders will never win against the Bombers unless they demonstrate it on t he field, then the Argonauts are in the heads of the Bombers, having won the last three games against them, and interestingly enough, have never beaten the Argonauts in a Grey Cup game.

The Argonaut win saved the CFL from the chirping of Bomber fans who were planning their Grey Cup parade routes in May. The Argonauts and the Alouettes have provided the CFL with a template of how to beat thee Bombers, basically an aggressive defence and lots of motion on offence.

The Grey Cup was the farewell for outgoing CFL Commissioner Randy Ambrosie whose contract was not renewed due to some feeling Ambrosie had fumbled everything from playing in the COVID year of 2020 and not getting federal help, to the shenanigans of the Command Centre to the failure to expand to the Maritimes.

Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment, who operate the Argos, has a mandate to increase the value of their franchises and the aborted talks to merge with the XFL did not sit lightly for some of the board of governors. MLSE has been sold to Rogers and where the Argos rank in their corporate firmament is up for discussion.

While MLSE prefers the field of dreams approach to marketing (if you build it they will come) they are starting to realize that this is an incremental process and the Argos are in relatively good shape.

The 111th Grey Cup in Vancouver was notable for the engagement of the local public and how the Lions are building a grassroots support for the Lions and the CFL. The Lions did their part to make it a hometown appearance in the Grey Cup by signing Nathan Rourke as quarterback and Matthieu Betts on the defensive line.

The Rourke signing created a divided locker room because Vernon Adams Jr. had done a good job leading that team when he went down to injury. It is a truism that you do not lose your job to injury, but when it comes to attention and big bucks, the Lions put Rourke in before he was ready and the situation between the two of them (Adams and Rourke) resulted in BC

tumbling from challenging for first to tumbling to third and elimination by the Riders.

The Lions fired Rick Campbell and he was let go to his lack of successful handling of the quarterback situation. |Campbell will likely end up in Edmonton who are trying to convince Canadian quarterback Tre Ford to remain with them.

While Campbell might bring Jordan Maksymiac, the Lions offensive coordinator, along with him to Edmonton, Maksymiac may interview for the Lions position and the Lions may also interview Bomber offensive coordinator Buck Pierce.

Expect to see Mark Kiliam, recently released by the Stampders, to interview for Edmonton and if he doesn’t get the job there, there is talk he will end up in Riderville.

While the Lions shop Adams to potential teams, who know the Lions cannot afford both quarterbacks under the salary cap next year, other teams are looking at their own rosters, doing exit interviews and determining where they want to go to replenish talent.

The Riders will likely hang on to Trevor Harris for another year. Harris may be 39, but the Riders looked like a different team when he was under centre and the Riders will be looking for aa back up quarterback who can step in when needed and perhaps be the quarterback of the future.

The Riders will have to look at their bad luck with injuries to determine which players are reasonable to bring back considering a number of players were on one or two week injury lists, those salaries count against the salary cap and the Riders are apparently right up against the salary cap.

The Riders managed to get a lot of players valuable experience, but now have to address their injury situation and figure out if they have to change the way they operate next year.

In the meantime though, the Bomber Grey Cup drought is now three years and counting.

by Greg Urbanoski

A Perfect Weekend Wraps up 2024 CFL Season

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