Manitoba Jailbreak as Bombers Come for Labour Day Game!

The trade also keeps alive BC’s playoff hopes because if the Lions start to slide because of lack of options at quarterback, the Lions will not be in the Grey Cup game. Adams is a scrambling quarterback and is also streaky, but the combination of BC’s offensive scheme and players around him can help Adams keep the Lions afloat.

This was a trade that has Montreal GM Danny Macoica fingerprints all over it as he also favors Trevor Harris who is also streaky but also consistent between the 30-yard lines. Harris now has the green light to play his game and it would behoove Rider fans to keep an eye on Montreal because the Riders are likely to play either Toronto or Montreal in the eastern semifinal.

In this past week Calgary is moving on from Bo Levi Mitchell to Jake Maier and the move also helped Calgary break its losing habit against Winnipeg but again the Stampeders fell short 31-29.

Calgary is an interesting team to watch because now the Stamps are putting together a ground game that may pay off big in November and will alleviate the pressure on Maier to perform like the second coming of Bo Levi.

What Calgary will find is they will go as far as their offense can carry them. While Calgarys defense has played well, it has also sputtered at times allowing teams to get big plays on them. This is something the Calgary coaching staff will have to watch as they prepare for Edmonton on Labour Day.

Winnipeg for their part must be thinking their path to the Grey Cup has gotten a lot clearer with BC losing their quarterback and Winnipeg having Calgary’s number in beating them three times this season.

Hamilton went to Toronto and Dane Evans started, was replaced by Matthew Shiltz and then went in again following an injury to Shiltz and Evans threw for more interceptions including a pick six. Evans had seemed to be the heir apparent in Hamilton except this season has been a disaster and one suspects that Hamilton may be looking at other options next season if Evans is unable to break his ball insecurity habit.

Toronto is fortunate to be playing a dysfunctional Hamilton team right now and with the Labour Day spectacle coming up along with a rematch, this is where Toronto can bury Hamilton’s playoff hopes with a pair of wins.

Toronto is missing Andrew Harris, notable performance enhancing drug poster boy at running back, but with their defense kicking in to make up for the inconsistency in the offensive production, if Toronto can pull off the sweep, then they are also for real.

Edmonton had a great chance to win their first game at home in over 1,000 days against Ottawa who they had thumped the week before. This time Ottawa unleashed Nick Arbuckle who played a competent game before sticking it to Chris Jones who cast him adrift.

Edmonton managed to provide Kenny Lawler with highlight worthy catches, but Edmonton managed to let Ottawa’s offense go to town on them as they lost 25-18 in front of a crowd looking to have been made up of mostly family and girlfriends.

Ottawa is feeling good about themselves and the chance to do some damage in the east when they face Montreal on Friday. Ottawa ranks last in points for, and Montreal ranks fourth.

When it comes to points against, Ottawa ranks fifth while Montreal ranks fourth. Ottawa does well between the 30-yard lines with their ranking of fifth in net offense while Montreal is more a big play squad with their ranking of seventh.

Ottawa averages 267.4 yards passing per game while Montreal averages 270 yards per game. When it comes to defending the pass, Ottawa allows 275 yards per game while Montreal averages 261 yards per game.

It is interesting to see the stat for 30 yards or more completed passes where Ottawa has managed 30 passing plays longer than 30 yards while Montreal has racked up 13.

Ottawa had allowed 22 sacks which ranks fourth in the CFL while Montreal has allowed 28 sacks which ranks sixth. Montreal has made 24 sacks while Ottawa has made 23 sacks.

Discipline is still a problem in Montreal with Montreal averaging 8.9 penalties a game while Ottawa has picks up an average of 7.8 penalties per game. When it comes to the turnover ratio, Ottawa is at a –1 while Montreal is at a –3. Both teams have problems with ball security.

Ottawa has picked up eight interceptions while Montreal has picked up 11. When it comes to rushing the ball, Ottawa averages 89.5 yards per game while Montreal averages 81.9 yards per game.

When these teams are defending against the run, Ottawa allows 101.6 yards per game while Montreal has allowed 108.7 yards per game.

Ottawa has lost four fumbles while Montreal has lost five and Ottawa has picked up nine fumbles while Montreal has picked up 5.

When you look at the stats, Ottawa and Montreal are comparable with Montreal just being better at winning games. Ottawa will have confidence in beating Edmonton but hey, the Regina Thunder went into Edmonton and won.

Ottawa has its moments and teams should be wary of looking past them which may be the biggest way Ottawa can win this game. However, with the Adams trade and with another Montreal trade with Edmonton to exchange defensive linemen, one gets the feeling this is the Montreal team that may finish first, but more likely second place in the east simply because they are more consistent than Ottawa.

This should be a closer game than what it may initially look like and look to Montreal coming away with a 24-21 win as they look to clear away the contenders in the eastern conference.

Labour Day creates its own atmosphere and the one that exists between the Riders and the Godless Winnipeg Mass Casualty Squad is one of the most interesting. No matter what the records are, this game is always competitive and Rider teams have made it a practice to surprise Winnipeg teams that tend to be legends in their own mind.

When it comes to scoring, Winnipeg is averaging 27.1 points per game while the Riders are averaging 24.3 points per game. When it comes to points against, the Bombers rank first at allowing 19.2 points per game while the Riders give up 23.5 points per game.

Winnipeg may not be blowing the doors off the opposition, but they do move the ball. Winnipeg averages 6.5 yards per play while the Riders get 5.9 yards per play. On first down the Bombers are getting 6.3 yards per play while the Riders are doing 5.3, so Winnipeg has been more efficient in moving the ball.

The game will be decided on the lines where the Bombers have only allowe3d 21 sacks this season so far while the Riders are last with 44 sacks allowed, The Riders are the sack masters of the CFL with 34 sacks while the Bombers only have 22 which leaves them in seventh place.

Winnipeg does not have to sack the quarterback to do well. They have 38 pass knockdowns, good for third in the CFL while the Riders have 28, good for fifth. The culture that Mike O’Shea built in Winnipeg sees the Bombers with just 68 penalty yards per game while the Riders are the worst with 109 yards per game.

The two teams are tied in turnover ration with a plus 8. The Bombers are second in the CFL with just 15 turnovers while the Riders rank seventh with 25 turnovers. The Bombers have forced 23 turnovers, good for fifth, while the Riders have forced 33 turnovers, good for first.

Winnipeg has intercepted the ball 12 times and the Riders have 13 interceptions. The Bombers only have 3 fumble recoveries while the Riders have 11.

The two teams are being built for November weather with the Riders ranking first in the CFL in rushing with an average of 109.8 yards per game while the Bombers rank third with 107.7 yards per game, although injuries to the Bomber running backs may prove problematic. The Riders rank second at 82.9 yards rushing for their opponents while the Bombers have allowed an average of 84.5 yards.

When it comes to passing, Winnipeg gets 255.5 yards per game while the Riders put it up for 234.5 yards per game. The Bombers allow an average of 268.5 yards per game while the Riders allow an average of 284.4 yards per game.

Craig Dickenson being diagnosed with Covid may get hearts fluttering, but he is expected back on Saturday for Fan Day and it shouldn’t be a factor in the game. It will be interesting to see who from the Riders is back on the roster and what sort of changes that will bring.

The Bombers do not allow a lot of touchdowns and tend to shut teams down in the second half, which means the Riders need to be patient and methodical. The Bombers don’t have to sack the quarterback, although with the Riders line that should be easy.

The Riders need the same rushing effort from Hickson and Fajardo that they showed against BC and some imagination on offense in dealing with the Swiss cheese offensive line. Fajardo being benched in the first BC game made me think about Andy Fantuz being benched in 2007 because of his many drops. He sat out a game and came back with a vengeance.

Fajardo played arguably his best game of the season last week against BC. If the Riders are going to win anything against Winnipeg, it will be in this game since the remaining two games against the Bombers are in Dollarama Stadium.

That is why I think the Riders will win 24-23 on a walk-off field goal in the type of Labour Day ending that will be memorable.

On Monday is a double header with Toronto at Hamilton. Hamilton is unraveling faster than the Russian army and Dane Evans may be looking at either the last bit of CFL games he will play or he will jump start his career after looking like a Care Bear on crystal meth in throwing interceptions and fumbling like someone drinking a lot of Baby Duck. Evan has lost six fumbles this year, so this has to be in his head.

Toronto has been playing more cohesively than Hamilton but Toronto is without a seriously viable running game.

Toronto averages 23.6 points per game and 22.1 points per game against. Hamilton by comparison averages 25 points per game while giving up 27.5 points per game. Hamilton does better in net offense with 354.9 yards per game while giving up 328.45 yards per game. Toronto averages 331.9 yards per game while giving opponents 359.2 yards per game.

Toronto has allowed 29 sacks so far this season while making 20 sacks and Hamilton have made 26 sacks while giving up 23. Hamilton has knocked down 43 passes while Toronto has knocked down 21.

When it comes to turnovers, Toronto has turned the ball over 23 times while taken it back 23 times and Hamilton has forced 16 turnovers while committing 37 turnovers. Toronto has thrown nine interceptions and made 14 interceptions while Hamilton has thrown 15 turnovers and only intercepted 10.

Toronto has only averaged 76 yards rushing per game while allowing opponents 91.7 yards. Hamilton averages 81.9 yards per game while giving their opponents 76.8 yards.

Players to watch would be Tim White of Hamilton and K. Gittens Jr. of Toronto and while the Labour Day is a prism of the season for Winnipeg and Saskatchewan, for Hamilton and Toronto it is like sharing a jail cell and trying to decide who is top bunk and who is bottom.

Evans might respond like Fajardo and play the game of his life to keep his job into training camp of 2023. When you have someone trying so hard to prove themselves while they are questioning themselves, it only ends in chaos.

Someone better call Maxwell Smart Toronto wins this one 34-21.

Finally, we wrap with Calgary and Edmonton and here is an interesting stat. Edmonton is 3-2 away from Commonwealth Stadium while Calgary is only 2-2 at home.

Edmonton has an awful offense with 19.6 points per game while giving up 32.8 points per game. Calgary is averaging 29.7 points per game and giving up an average of 24.1 points per game.

Edmonton’s net offense is worst in the league at 295.7 yards per game while giving up 362.3 yards per game. Calgary is second in the CFL with 357.5 yards per game and giving up 371 yards of net offense per game, surprisingly worst in the CFL.

Calgary has done a good job of protecting their quarterback by giving up only nine sacks so far this season while making 23 sacks of their own. Edmonton has only sacked the quarterback 18 times while giving up 32 sacks.

Calgary has a plus 11 turnover ratio while Edmonton is minus 10. Edmonton averages 104 yards per game in penalties while Calgary only averages 72 yards per game.

The stat to watch to in this game will be rushing. Calgary averages 109.2 yards per game while giving up only 91.5 yards per game. Edmonton only rushes the ball for an average of 85.5 yards per game while giving up 116.8 yards per game on the ground.

Edmonton averages 231.6 yards a game in passing while giving opponents an average of 257.9 yards. Calgary passes for 255.2 yards per game while allowing 300.5 yards per game.

This is a game Edmonton can win, but Calgary seems to have passed the torch to Jake Maier and will come out with a strong running game to give their young quarterback all the support he needs.

He will not need much considering this is Edmonton. Calgary wins 46-11.

by Greg Urbanoski

Manitoba Jailbreak as Bombers Come for Labour Day Game!

What's Trending