Alex’s CFL Tuesday Takes

Alex’s CFL Tuesday Takes

Published: Tuesday, Aug 22nd 2023, 12:08pm

By Alex Dormuth (@RealAlexD)

 

Eastern Crossover…. Hahahaha you’re kidding, right? – Because the Saskatchewan Roughriders and Calgary Stampeders were both under .500 going into last week, I saw FAR too many people talk about how there will be a crossover this season… but for the first time, an East team will cross over to the West playoffs. There’s… no way you’re serious, right? Ottawa, while they have shown some glimpses, aren’t a good team. And Hamilton… yikes. Well, the only chance the Ticats have of keeping pace in the playoffs is if Bo Levi Mitchell magically appears and is his former self. Keep in mind BOTH of these teams have to finish with BETTER records than BOTH the Riders and Stamps. It just ain’t happening.

 

Feeling Crummy in the Nation’s Capital – Teams have figured Dustin Crum and the Redblacks out. The defense is generally playing well, but lately, the CFL’s 2 week sensation Crum has looked like a backup QB, not the saviour that fans thought he was. He definitely isn’t a 4th stringer anymore, but he still needs some time. No fault of his, it’s no fault of anyone… that’s life with a young, inexperienced QB. It will pay dividends in the future, because I think he has a lot of good tools to be a good CFL starter, but I feel for this fanbase who have witnessed a few collapses in the last few weeks. The biggest disappointment is that they are 0-5 in their own division. That HAS to change fast if they want to get into the playoffs.

 

Embrace the in-practice fighting! – Last week, Riders Head Coach Craig Dickenson said he was not happy with the little skirmish in practice that had O-Lineman and D-Lineman get at each other. Obviously, you don’t want that to be a regular thing, but it was the first real sign of intensity that the team showed all season long! It showed that they were NOT happy with their performance in Montreal and guess what? It worked! Sunday’s win over the BC Lions was the most intense Riders team I have seen in YEARS. They were coached VERY well last week and during the game. Just, embrace the fact it isn’t all lovey dovey all the time and little fights in practice can be used to get better as a team!