The 2017 Season - Your Predictions

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BC 1988
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BC QBs had the best O-Line protection I've seen them get last season. The preseason game vs SSK saw a disturbing number of holes in that protection. If JJ10 is untouched and injury free, then they will certainly challenge CGY for first place.

In the East, all teams have some flaws--it's looking like there will be all sub-500 playoff teams again there. Relying on injured more than healthy Ray is too much of a risk in TOR- lose him and their season is over. MTL and HAM are also too tenuous in their reliance on a few players. For that reason (even with Burris gone), OTT will take first place again.
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David
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David wrote:
Tue Jun 20, 2017 10:07 pm
3 Down Radio Show on now. Scotty, Giulio, and LU previewing the season. They're teasing some kind of position change for Saturday. Safety?

http://www.iheartradio.ca/tsn/tsn-vanco ... =1.1748196


DH :cool:
Not sure if many of you caught the show last night, but there is talk that we could see Purifoy at safety with Fenner at nickel, as that was the scenario at practice yesterday. I think guys are going to be moved around quite a lot, especially in the first few weeks. Wally said we could see as many as 9 defensive linemen on the roster (when Ainsworth is healthy. He practiced for the first time yesterday).


DH :cool:
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squishy35
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David wrote:
Wed Jun 21, 2017 12:22 pm
David wrote:
Tue Jun 20, 2017 10:07 pm
3 Down Radio Show on now. Scotty, Giulio, and LU previewing the season. They're teasing some kind of position change for Saturday. Safety?

http://www.iheartradio.ca/tsn/tsn-vanco ... =1.1748196


DH :cool:
Not sure if many of you caught the show last night, but there is talk that we could see Purifoy at safety with Fenner at nickel, as that was the scenario at practice yesterday. I think guys are going to be moved around quite a lot, especially in the first few weeks. Wally said we could see as many as 9 defensive linemen on the roster (when Ainsworth is healthy. He practiced for the first time yesterday).


DH :cool:

Fenner is a remarkable athlete that has shown flashes of a potential mean streak. I think Purifoy would be VERY effective at safety.... fast, hard hitter, and can cover ground very quickly.
Blitz
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Its an interesting development. Our Leos don't seem to be happy with Clarke at safety. We tried out Fenner at safety just prior to our exhibition game against the Riders.

Purifoy does make sense at safety in that he is a devastating hitter/turnover defensive back. However, I thought Clarke looked good at safety against the Riders.

If our Leos do decide to go with Purifoy at safety and Fenner at nickelback, I sure hope we can find a place for Clarke to play, even if its dimeback.

Washington seems very high on T.J. Lee but I thought both Clarke and Gaitor played better at boundaryhalfback last season than Lee.

One thing for sure....we have more talent and speed in the defensive backfield this season. Just having either Thompson or Parker at field corner will be a major upgrade on Stewart. As much as I was a Ryan Phillips fan thoughout the years, we needed to get younger at wideside halfback and Gaitor is a very good one and he is backed up by Buddy Jackson, who could be a starter on many teams this season.

Getting back to the focus of this thread, I think it will be very difficult for the Stamps to repeat last season, in which they didn't lose a game after their first game of the 2016 season.

The Eskimos, not our Leos or the Stamps, had the best offence in the CFL last year but their Mike Benevedes led defence was their Achilles heel. Their defense has to really improve for the Eskimos to overtake the Stamps and our Leos.

The Bombers defense will be improved this season but the turnover machine of last season will be difficult to replicate. The Bombers have added a lanky promising receiver in L’Damian Washington.

LaPolice did an excellent job of implementing a high possession style offence In Winnipeg last season and Nichols helped get things turned around but the Bombers offence lacks the star power to be a championship offence (still they made our defense look horrible in the first half of the Semi-Final last year)

The Riders are hoping that Kevin Glenn will get the job done this season. For all the moaning from some about the Riders not wanting to pay Durrant star money at quarterback, the reality is that the Riders had the worst offence in the CFL last season and Durrant was their starter for 15 games.

Saskatchewan’s offence ranked last among CFL clubs in 2016 for points scored, touchdowns scored and passing touchdowns scored. It ranked second last in net offensive yards and first downs.

Not laying it all on Durrant but he didn't play well in 2016, for all the hand wringing from some about his leaving the Riders and he got hurt again, as he has the past three seasons. At the same time I think he will play better in Chap's style of offence and Durrant is a fan of Chap's offensive philosophy. Durrant played an important role in Chap being hired as OC in Saskatchewan.

While I picked the Riders last, the Riders could overtake the Bombers and also make the cross-over. Its almost easy to forget the RedBlacks, Grey Cup champs, only won 8 regular season games last year.

I'll be pulling for the Montreal Als in the East. Too many ex-Leos on that roster to not pull for them. Chapdelaine, as HC and OC really changed his offensive philosophy in 2011 (or was allowed to change it) and the Als offence will be better this year.

Ex-Leos Ernest Jackson (the East MOP nominee last season and a receiver that I remember debating, back in the day that he should be a Leo starter on Lionbackers) and Jovan Olifioye (who I did not want our Leos to trade) will help bolster the Al's offence.

On defense the Als have added ex-Leo Westerman, a National defensive tackle who will bolster Thorpe's defensive line rotation.

It should be an interesting game between the Als and the Riders tonight.
"When I went to Catholic high school in Philadelphia, we just had one coach for football and basketball. He took all of us who turned out and had us run through a forest. The ones who ran into the trees were on the football team". (George Raveling)
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SammyGreene
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Sammy's crystal ball says:

West
Calgary 14-4
Stamps are a machine. Excellent GM and coach. They have a good young QB in Mitchell and the ability to replace key pieces without missing a beat.
B.C. 12-6
Jennings getting better & better is exciting enough on its own. Think the secondary will be much improved and Williams will add another dimension to an already terrific passing game. Purifoy wil be an even more impact player on defence. Still, they lost their best o-lineman, national receiver and 2nd best defensive player. Need to see if o-line can at least be as good as last year and the d-line make more of an impact with consistent pressure.
Winnipeg 10-8
Bombers won't produce as many turnovers as last year but do have Nicholls from day one. Shreaded the Lions defence last season in the West semi loss.
Edmonton 9-9
Always a dangerous team with Riley at the helm. Defence needs to be better to close gap on Winnipeg and BC.
Saskatchewan 4-14
Jones' long term plan better start to emerge to save his job(s). Hard to get excited with Kevin Glenn as your starting QB.

East
Montreal (11-7)
Played well under Chaps to finish the season. Now has an experience QB to work with in Durant and Als defence has always been solid under Thorpe.
Ottawa (8-10)
Left with some holes after cup run and salary camp implications. Harris will still put up big numbers in full season as a starter.
Hamilton (7-11)
Can the Ti-Cats contend for best in the East again with a healthy Collaros or too many holes elswhere?
Toronto (6-12)
Terrific hires in Trestman and Popp. Can Trestman rejuvenate an aging Ricky Ray?
Blitz
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Always good to read your posts Sammy.

When I chose our Leos to finish first in the West, my heart and gut were going against my head. Calgary is a very good team and a very well coached team too, not only in terms of leadership but also in terms of strategy.

I just took a shot that our Leos have so much talent, youth, and speed on our roster in 2017 that we will overcome our strategy deficiencies of the past. I also believe it will be hard for the Stamps to duplicate their record of last season and may prepare more for the playoffs (eg: give Messam at rest or less reps, etc).

The two sleepers are Edmonton and the Riders to me. If Edmonton can ever get its defense playing well, they will be tough to beat. The Riders are lacking a star quarterback but Glenn played very well in Regina in his last stint and if can lower his interception ratio, the Riders could surprise. The odds may be that they won't but Burris was 41 last year and showed what he could do. Glenn does not have the talent of Burris but he does have a good arm and has seen a lot of defences and can throw for good percentage.

In the East, Ottawa has not improved its talent for an 8-9-1 regular season team last year so both Montreal and Hamilton could step up. Montreal's offence will be better this year and Thorpe is a very good defensive coordinator.

Kent Austin is an enigma and seems to have a short shelf life, when it comes to success. Perhaps his temper and his arrogance gets in the way of his other leadership skills. He seems like a good 'change' type of coach but not as good at maintaining success.
"When I went to Catholic high school in Philadelphia, we just had one coach for football and basketball. He took all of us who turned out and had us run through a forest. The ones who ran into the trees were on the football team". (George Raveling)
maxlion
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West
1. Cgy. I bet against cgy last year. Won't do it again!
2. Bc. Most exciting young team in the league.
3. Edm. Mediocre defence.
4. Wpg. Got lucky last year. If Qb plays well, they may surprise.
5. Sask. Worst stable of qbs going into a season in the cfl in a long time.

East
1. Ham. Established program and best qb in the east by far.
2. Ott. Management and coaching have proven they know what they are doing.
3. Mtl. Decent talent and coaching might be enough to keep them in them in the crossover battle.
4. Tor. Too late getting started filling out the roster. Doubtful that Ray can stay healthy for a full year.
JaboVancouver
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As much as there is to like about the Leos this year, assuming everyone stays healthy, the West still runs through Calgary, but you could easily argue everyone except the Riders in the West has a chance. Too much change going on there still. The better question in Regina is will Jones make it through the season.
The East is up for grabs. If Collaros and Harris can stay upright, Hamilton and Ottawa are probably still the top two, but Montreal poses an interesting question, as I think we all wonder if Durant can bounce back. The Argos have some front office stability, but I can't see Rick Ray staying healthy and taking them anywhere.
Best part of week one - everyone has a chance! Money is on BC or Calgary, and Hamilton or Ottawa.

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David
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JaboVancouver wrote:
Thu Jun 22, 2017 5:06 pm
As much as there is to like about the Leos this year, assuming everyone stays healthy, the West still runs through Calgary, but you could easily argue everyone except the Riders in the West has a chance.
Yup. As much as our Leos are media darlings this year - and I do believe we have a really good team this year - we have to prove that we can beat the Stamps late in the season. As we saw last year, we beat them early, then lost a game we really should have won.....BUT then they scouted our tendencies and game-planned us to the point that we got obliterated in the West Final. Even with the Stamps' superior coaching, we shouldn't have lost as badly as we did. But if comes down to "Tricky Dickey" and Huff game planning us in a one-game win--or-go home, f*** or walk final? I still like their chances (our talent is going to have to really outshine theirs).

Dark horse surprise in 2017? The Edmonton Eskimos.



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CardiacKid
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Watching the Riders vs. the Als and Duron Carter has been a complete non-factor. However he appears to have been beaking off on the sidelines, making Jones intercede and getting him to shut up.
In fact, the most effective Rider receiver has been little ballyhooed Demski.
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KnowItAll
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wow. week one sure didn't make my predictions look realistic. go figure
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