The Hamilton Tiger-Cats inability to play defense in 2012 was a definite factor in head coach George Cortez losing his job this week, but it wasn’t the only factor.
Don’t be surprised if the writing came partially on the wall after the very first game of the season, when Hamilton was blown out by Saskatchewan 43-16.
In that particular game it was clear that Cortez should have challenged a particular play and failed to do so.
The writing seemed to be on the wall after that.
Were the Tiger-Cats supposed to be better? The answer is simply yes. Quarterback Henry Burris led the league with 5367 passing yards, but in the same token, the team gave up 576 points and were a league worst 6-12.
Defense. Oh yeah, a key component in winning games.
In an interesting event Monday, the Edmonton Eskimos have named Ed Hervey a their GM for the 2013 Canadian Football League season.
In making the decision, the Eskimos have decided to look inward, as Hervey had been the team’s head scout for four years.
Hervey’s comments Monday were interesting. First, he endorsed head coach Kavis Reed, who was also considered for the job, and secondly, he vows to deliver a winning tradition back to Edmonton.
What do you think of the move? Let us know at www.anysportanytime.ca.
This week on the show we’re talking about the NHL trying “non-binding mediation” to end the lockout & what’s next, the latest news on the Phoenix Coyotes ownership situation and a major punishment handed down to the WHL’s Portland Winterhawks. As well, we look at concussions in the NFL, the NBA fining a team for its lineup & a prominent female skier who wants to race against men.
In the GABBYs: Ronda Rousey, the Toronto Maple Leafs, Kevin Love, Christine Sinclair, Mosaic Stadium & the Phoenix Suns. The Punchline this week is Dwight Howard of the LA Lakers!
This week on the show we look back on the Toronto Argonauts Grey Cup win, the latest NHL lockout news and the war of words between players & the league and we share a laugh over the NBA handing out its first ever flopping fine.
In the GABBYs: Jack Taylor, Sam Gordon, Leo Messi, Morehead State, Tufts University and Luiz Adriano. The Punchline this week is the Cleveland Browns.
For the second year in a row and for only the third time since 1978, has the home team won the Grey Cup.
On Sunday, Chad Kackert ran for 133 yards and had 195 total yards as the Toronto Argonauts defeated the Calgary Stampeders 35-22.
Kackert was clearly the difference maker on Sunday as he had a career game, literally running by the Stampeders’ defense with ease.
It is interesting that the Vanier Cup and Grey Cup was a weekend of running backs as Kackert was joined by Maxime Boutin of Laval as most outstanding players this weekend.
Defensive end Ricky Foley of Courtice, Ontario was named the top Canadian after forcing a key Jon Cornish fumble in the first half.
In one of the biggest sporting events of the year, the 100th Grey Cup takes place Sunday in Toronto. The 12-6 Calgary Stampeders face the 9-9 Toronto Argonauts.
The game will have the two finalists for the 2012 Canadian Football League’s most outstanding player award. On Thursday we learned that Argonauts’ wide receiver Chad Owens, who set a CFL record for most all-purpose yards in one season, had more votes than Calgary Stampeder running back Jon Cornish.
This is the third time the Stampeders are facing the Argonauts for the Grey Cup, and 2012 is drastically different compared to 1971 and 1991 when the Argonauts entered the game as the heavy favourite and entered the game as a team the rest of the Canadian Football League were adamantly not pulling for. That tendency isn’t here this time around, and if you go by one Calgary player’s undisciplined actions prior to the Western Final, many football fans nationwide are tempted to cheer for Ricky Ray, Jim Barker and the Argonauts.
The Grey Cup will take place Sunday at 4pm on TSN.
Here are the other events I’ll be watching this weekend:
The CFL handed out its player awards on Thursday night and Chad Owens, wide receiver of the Toronto Argonauts was named the most outstanding player for 2012. Owens beat out Jon Cornish, the running back of the Calgary Stampeders, who ended up winning the CFL Most Outstanding Canadian award.
Cornish was trying to become the first Canadian to win the most outstanding player award since Tony Gabriel won the award with the Hamilton Tiger Cats in 1978.
So why did the panel go with a wide receiver over a running back? Well, it’s quite possible it stems from a mooning incident Cornish had with the Saskatchewan Roughrider crowd earlier this year. The CFL was simply not comfortable handing out an award to an athlete who lacked complete judgment in a particular situation.
In other awards, linebacker J.C. Sherritt of the Edmonton Eskimos was the top defensive player, Jovan Olafioye of the British Columbia Lions was the top lineman and wide receiver Chris Matthews of the Winnipeg Blue Bombers was the top rookie.
According to the Canadian Press, the mayor of Calgary will a have a friendly bet with the mayor of Toronto when the Calgary Stampeders meet the Toronto Argonauts for the 100th Grey Cup in Toronto on Sunday.
On Monday, Calgary mayor Naheed Nenshi proposed a bet to Toronto mayor Rob Ford. Whoever loses the bet will need to donate his individual weight in food to the winning city’s food bank and the loser must also wear the winning Grey Cup team’s jersey in a city council meeting.
Nenshi proposed the bet on Twitter, and Ford accepted.
Ford played high school football at Scarlett Heights Entrepreneurial Academy in Toronto and has coached the Don Bosco Catholic Secondary School since 2001. Ford’s niece Krista was a former captain of the Toronto Triumph of the Lingerie Football League and the club’s marketing manager.
This week on the show we’re talking NHL CBA talks, players speaking out about the situation, GSP’s triumphant return at UFC 154, an exciting week for the Toronto Blue Jays and we make our Grey Cup predictions!
In the GABBYs: Stanford basketball, Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Buster Posey, Miguel Cabrera, Nik Lewis, Drew Tate and Draymond Green. The Punchline this week is a basketball conspiracy theory in Minnesota!
The Toronto Argonauts and the Calgary Stampeders will meet in the 100th Grey Cup a week from today at the Rogers Centre in Toronto.
On Sunday, three Toronto Argonauts had outstanding offensive performances in a 27-20 win over the Montreal Alouettes. Ricky Ray passed for 399 yards, Chad Kackert had 139 rushing yards and wide receiver Chad Owens had 207 receiving yards.
Toronto bounced back after a 17-10 halftime deficit and an inability to score any points on a second quarter drive where they were first and goal at Montreal’s one yard line.
The Stampeders meanwhile beat the B.C. Lions 34-29 in equally an impressive offensve performance. Quarterback Kevin Glenn, who will be starting in his first career Grey Cup game, threw for 303 yards. Running back Jon Cornish ran for 112 yards and wide receiver Maurice Price had 117 yards receiving.
A major reason for Calgary’s success was because Glenn was able to connect with Marquay McDaniel for a 68 yard touchdown pass in the first quarter and Romby Bryant for a 57 yard pass in the third quarter.
Once again this weekend I’ll be watching four kinds of football from both side of the border.
Th most interesting matchup will be the Western Final on Sunday afternoon between the Calgary Stampeders (12-6) and the British Columbia Lions (13-5) (2:30pm, TSN). This week there has been more drama in the Stampeders’ dressing room than an entire week of the Young and the Restless, and for that I give the Lions the advantage.
Travis Lulay is expected to be at the top of his game and the Lions are well rested. My only concern however is that it has been a while since they played a very meaningful game, so it will be interesting to see how they come out mentally.
Calgary Stampeders’ quarterback Drew Tate is out for the season surprisingly and will not participate in Calgary’s game against the British Columbia Lions for Sunday’s Western Final.
Tate showed up to practice Thursday with a cast and the diagnosis is a fractured right forearm. It is not known when the injury exactly took place.
Tate led the Calgary Stampeders to a 36-30 win over the Saskatchewan Roughriders on Sunday. He threw a 68 yard touchdown pass to Romby Bryant with 39 seconds left to give Calgary the impressive come from behind victory. He was also named the CFL’s offensive player of the week for the divisional semi-finals.
According to the Canadian Press, Calgary Stampeders’ wide receiver Nik Lewis was fined an undisclosed amount Wednesday for an inappropriate comment he made Monday on twitter.
Lewis made the following comment, “I just bought OJ’s gloves on eBay. Now all I need is a white girl named Nicole.#Maybe a little too far.”
Lewis’s comments have been described as “horrific”, “idiotic”, “sick”, and “sheer stupidity” by Eric Francis of the Calgary Sun.
In an excellent article written by George Johnson of the Calgary Herald suggests “maybe it’s time to take away the toys.”
What is even more amazing is Lewis’s lack of remorse. He told Francis today following practice that “Do I regret it? I regret they’re taking money out of my pocket” and told Vicki Hall of the Calgary Herald , “you can’t just go around apologizing every time.”
This week on 15 Minutes of Fame we look at a disappointing effort & a gruesome looking injury from the Edmonton Eskimos East Semifinal loss over the weekend, a tough few days for NHL CBA talks and why 2013 might be the best year ever for big UFC fights.
In the GABBYs: Andrew Luck, Glasgow Celtic, Joakim Noah, soccer fans & Anderson Silva. The Punchline this week is the Washington Wizards!
The Hamilton Tiger-Cats inability to play defense in 2012 was a definite factor in head coach George Cortez losing his job this week, but it wasn’t the only factor.
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