Joe's Take

CFL fans were treated to an outstanding doubleheader to kick off the season, which was followed up by a few games that won't be making anyone's top 10 list at the end of the year.

BC invaded Toronto in the opener, and the first quarter looked like auditions for "Where's My Line?" Dave Dickenson and Damon Allen were both competing for the lead role. In particular, the Argos line looks like it still needs time to gel, but there's hope that the talent will be able to come together and keep the quarterbacks alive and standing for 17 more games plus playoffs.

There was the typical sloppiness of Week 1 in the CFL, and more. Bashir Levingston's 129 yard field goal return for a touchdown (a new CFL record, I might add) came on a missed 33 yard field goal, something that doesn't happen all that often, and even less so for a CFL veteran such as Paul McCallum. This game also was proof positive that a good kicker is a requirement to succeed in the CFL, as Toronto suffered after the loss of Noel Prefontaine. Thankfully, they had a backup that was functional, but the Argos made a few decisions that showed their lack of faith in the backup, where in normal circumstances, they'd have went for three points. Given that the score ended up being 24-22 in BC's favour, it becomes all the more important. On that note, ESPN.com is reporting the signing of Steve Christie to fill the kicker slot until Prefontaine returns.

It wasn't all roses for BC, either, as they struggled to make the plays that they're usually so good at making. Geroy Simon couldn't hang on to a pass he usually would, and it turned into a Toronto interception. I'm not holding my breath waiting for his next drop, though. The return teams also had issues hanging onto the ball, and I don't expect that a performance like they had on Thursday will be acceptable for any length of time.

Of course, the big topic of discussion for this game is the Argos quarterback situation. Damon Allen started, and while he was functional, the team had no spark. Michael Bishop came in late in the game, and there was a noticeable difference in offensive production, as well as an attitude change. All signs point towards Bishop being named the starter for week 2, and with Mike McMahon still waiting in the wings, and oh yeah, Damon Allen's still in the picture, don't expect this situation to come to a conclusion any time soon.

The next game featured Winnipeg heading to Commonwealth Stadium to take on the Edmonton Eskimos. TSN did a very good job telling me that Wendy's is an official CFL sponsor, but instead of feeling hungry and asking "Where's the beef?", it only made want to ask "Where's the D?" To make a long story short, the offences were on the top of their game, as Ricky Ray and Kevin Glenn led their respective teams to huge production numbers. There was still a bit of sloppiness on the part of the offences, though, especially with Winnipeg, as they racked up three illegal formation penalties in the first half. Special teams also weren't all that special, especially for Winnipeg, as Troy Westwood made only one of four field goals, prompting the Bombers to trade a 3rd round pick to BC for K Rob Pikula.

CFL fans were treated to a game where one team kept setting the pace, and the other would come back and even it up. The pace continued in the fourth quarter, with Edmonton scoring with less than three minutes to go, but Milt Stegall kept the Bombers in it late with a huge catch on 3rd down, keeping posession after being nearly flipped by a low hit. Stegall then made a diving catch in the end zone with 30 seconds to play to not only tie the game, but to tie the CFL record for touchdowns in a career. Edmonton got first shot in overtime, and scored to once again set the pace, but Winnipeg converted a 3rd down to keep themselves alive, then Charles Roberts scored his 4th touchdown of the game to tie it up again. Winnipeg didn't gain any yards on their second overtime drive, and Westwood missed his 3rd field goal of the game, with Tony Tompkins keeping the Bombers off the scoreboard entirely. A sack on Ray, though, and an incomplete pass set up a Sean Fleming attempt from 47 yards that also went wide, with Albert Johnson III taking it out to ensure the game ended in a tie.

Saskatchewan then came East on Friday to start their season against the Alouettes, and they started it off with a bang, keeping Montreal from doing much of anything on offence, while conceding more points on safeties than the Als scored on their own. The 16-7 win was much closer on the scoreboard than on the field, as Anthony Calvillo had a very rough game at pivot for the Als. Kerry Joseph managed the game quite well for the Riders, but Henri Childs looked lost in the backfield, not fulfilling the expectations I had for him when he left Winnipeg. Montreal had better get it together, as they are on the road at Winnipeg next week, on the road to Hamilton the week after, and hosting Winnipeg in week 4. If the Bombers offence is as good as it looked this week, things could get ugly for the Als. A home and home against Toronto directly after this is too far away to make a call on, but anything worse than 2-4 coming out of the second Toronto game would probably be death to any plans of hosting a playoff game.

Finally, Calgary hosted the Hamilton Tiger-Cats, and they weren't very welcoming host. A 37-9 blowout was punctuated by a high-powered Stampeders offence and the continuing struggles of Jason Maas. Timmy Chang played late in the game, and some in Steeltown are already clamouring for him to be the starter against Toronto in week 2. Hamilton played with tenacity and fire, something not seem very clearly late last season, but too many rookies and too much inexperience doomed this team on Saturday night.

Week 2 has some important matchups already, as Montreal travels to Winnipeg, Edmonton heads to BC Place and the Lions, Toronto and Hamilton renew their rivalry, and Calgary heads to Regina to take on the Riders.

I've got Winnipeg holding home turf against the Als, as I don't see Montreal having it together enough at this point to keep up with the Bombers, but I predict a close game, as the Montreal D will not let the Bombers get carried away with things. A 29-25 final wouldn't be out of the question.

Edmonton has a lot of rookies, and I think they'll be overwhelmed heading to BC Place. Then again, BC has not looked like the unit that won the Grey Cup last year at this point, and I expect Edmonton to hang in there for three quarters before BC pulls away for a 38-25 final score.

Toronto and Hamilton might appear to be a tossup, but I don't think the Ti-Cats have enough experience to hang with the Argos, regardless of who's who at the QB position in this one. I see a 29-19 final, and I see one or two major breaks go the Argos way to make this happen.

Calgary has a high powered offence, but Saskatchewan looks like they can shut people down so far. Just ask the Als. I don't know if their offence can hang with the Stamps, though, and I have Calgary breaking away in the 3rd for a 37-26 final.

We'll see about this, and I have a feeling that week 2 will answer some lingering questions about who's who in the CFL this year.