What do you call this week? With four games left on the schedule that have zero impact on the playoff picture in the CFL, everyone is trying to get through this weekend injury-free so they can make that all-important next step into the playoffs.
Well, just about everyone. Winnipeg and Edmonton are the odd teams out, both sitting at three wins on the season. You could argue though, that for the Bombers and Esks, these season-finale games are very winnable and should mean more to them than the other six teams in the league that have something else to play for.
So what do you call a week like this? If it weren’t for the crushing effects of a three-win season in Edmonton, it would feel like a preseason game. It kind of still does, if you can put everything you’ve seen to this point behind you (good luck with that). With the Riders likely resting Darian Durant and Kavis Reed speaking this week about ensuring he gets all three of his quarterbacks some snaps, it doesn’t feel like a regular season game. As I write this, it’s a wet, one-degree morning in Regina. So weather-wise, the setting is accurate for an end-of-season game. The best I can do with all of this is pre-postseason. If you’ve followed the Esks all year though, you’re probably happy that the end is near and that the opportunity for improvement awaits this winter.
We can get into that more this weekend and next week, though. We’re here to talk winners and losers, right? Trying to make picks in four pre-postseason games is no easy feat and really, this week more than any other this season, I feel like no one will have much of an idea of what’s going to happen. I think experience tends to win out in these situations but in the end, will anyone remember these games when next season rolls around? Will anyone remember them next week when the playoffs start? Just like the players will say this weekend, let’s get through this.
Coming off of a 4-0 weekend, I’m sitting at 41-27 this year, which is a personal best in two years of submitting picks to the Calgary Herald.
Montreal at Toronto — Argos fans — and Ottawa RedBlacks fans — get another look at Zach Collaros this week, as every playoff team in the league tries to get through this final week injury free. You never now what you’re going to see in these end-of-season games, but the Argos have been the more consistent of the two teams this season and that should bode well for them. Remember last year when the Argos had the second-seed in the East locked up and still knocked the Tiger-Cats out of the playoffs with a Swayze Waters game-winning field goal? There are ways to generate good momentum from here to take into the postseason. Expect the Argos to do that. — Toronto
Calgary at B.C. — Buck Pierce gets the start this week, as the Lions look to try and get back on track in their at-home finale, a week after pulling the rug out from under a very beatable Edmonton team. Kevin Glenn should feel like he’s got something to prove, after a turnover-laden showing last week against the Riders that saw him benched for the second half of their eventual win. Still, the Lions are tough at home and provided Pierce can stay healthy (always an iffy subject), he could inject some hope into a team that’s limped through the last month on its journey to the post-season. — B.C.
Hamilton at Winnipeg — Henry Burris, for some reason, is going to start on Saturday against the Bombers, even though the Ti-Cats have their spot in second-place in the East solidified. In the final week of a dismal 3-14 season, the Bombers shouldn’t be much of a chore to push over if Hamilton can strike quickly. The Bombers are playing for pride, playing for jobs, etc. but really, just like in Edmonton, they’re playing out the clock. Bombers fans have had to endure a brutal season inside a gorgeous new stadium. Hopefully next year there’s something better happening on the field there. — Hamilton
Edmonton at Saskatchewan — One province over from Manitoba, another playoff-bound team is trying to run things safely and smoothly against an opponent that just wants this season to be over. Saturday’s game in Regina is the most winnable one the Eskimos have seen since they were in their home-and-home series with Winnipeg, but this season has been a long, painful lesson on what the Eskimos can’t do (win). What they very well could do is find a way to lose against the Riders’ B-team and stumble their way into the record books as a historically bad Eskimos team. The Riders have bigger fish to fry. This should be a nice appetizer before the first course comes to town the following week. — Saskatchewan
Mike Reilly’s best Halloween costume? His former boss
Some small talk with Mike Reilly yesterday unearthed a funny story about his best Halloween costume.
“In 2011 I went as Wally Buono,” Reilly said. “I had a grey, poofy wig and I put the glasses on…he always had a toothpick in his mouth that year so I rocked that. That was probably my crown jewel of Halloween costumes.”
Reilly said there are a few pictures of him in the costume but Buono didn’t see him in the costume.
“I don’t know if he’s ever seen it, to this day,” Reilly said. “Some of my teammates saw it…. I have a picture of it somewhere but I’m sure he’d take it all in stride. He’s got a good sense of humour.”
Hugh Charles’ answer was also funny, but veered in a different direction.
