- Being a blogger is funny. You get to step out of the fanatical fan role and try to analyze games objectively. Obviously no one is perfectly objective but you certainly try.

- I always liked when my team lost and a player acknowledged how badly they played because I knew, the next week, they’d be much better. See Rob Maver, Darian Durant, Marc Parenteau. Do not see Kevin Glenn (maybe some others).

- Durant was very quick to blame himself (see TSN’s post-game interview). It is the job of a team’s leader to shoulder the blame whether or not its deserved. If I were to be critical of Durant I’d say just take care of the ball. No fumbles, run more, and relax.

- I also could say well the first interception should have been overturned because the ball hit the turf, the second one was a goofy tip (although probably an overthrow to a short receiver) and the third one was in garbage time.

- How about this. If Durant had not thrown his three interceptions he would have ended up with a 81% passing average. With them he had a 73% passing percentage (which is still very good about 65% is a “good” average). This shows two things. 1) Durant is a good QB 2) Interceptions will kill you! 3) If the defence isn’t getting the ball back for you, then its tough to win.

- It would also be wrong to not give Edmonton credit. They played very well!

- Perhaps I am less forgiving of Kevin Glenn because his quote after the game was “Real frustrating, especially getting the loss, getting pulled in the first game of the season. It just felt like a smack in the face.”

- Just step up! Say “Ya I didn’t produce the way my team needed me to” or “3 interceptions is not acceptable.” No I am not excusing Durant’s three but he certainly took the blame.

- On cue, the Stampeders brought in another kicker. I’ve never felt that Maver was overwhelmingly good and so this may backfire even further on him to give him further competition.

- Looks like De’Audra Dix is getting a second shot as he returns to the Als lineup. I’m not sure this move was because he’s better than what is on the market but he knows the defence. Jerald Brown will be missed in the Alouettes secondary. Dix is not very strong.

- Travis Lulay had 45 pass attempts against Montreal. Conversely, there were only 3 rushing attempts. Is this a trend for BC or something they felt they could exploit against Montreal? We know that in the CFL a “pass attempt” can take many forms. Yet it seems like the attack was anything but balanced.

- I’d love to hear your opinion on this section from Lowell Ullrich’s blog “The Fifth Quarter”

Yes, there was only 1:47 left; yes, they didn’t have a timeout and yes, the Lions were well positioned in Als territory. So after the team held a rundown Saturday, the topic was raised and Buono spent about six minutes talking about the decision to send out Paul McCallum rather than go on third-and-five, a move which may have been formulated in about 1.6 seconds. You almost expect to be drawn into a debate with the head coach because rest assured that has been the case many times in the past. Not this time. Buono said he apologized to his team Saturday and admitted he had made another error in the seconds immediately prior to summoning the field goal unit. More in the paper tomorrow. Buono bashers are likely about to feel vindicated.

- Does anyone know if Chad Owens is seriously hurt? If so… wow that could be a big blow to the Argos.

- O’Neil Wilson will be a good addition to Toronto. Maybe I can criticize their receivers and they will start doing well just like in Edmonton did when I criticized them. But seriously, aside from Copeland their dominant threat is? Brandon Rideau? Spencer Watt? Maybe.

- It’s great to watch these games early in the year because you never know who will win. Lets take Calgary and BC this weekend. The winner will be .500 and the loser will be 0-2. I’m sure BC does not want to start the season in a hole like that again!

- Winnipeg and Toronto play to see who can be 2-0. Great matches and really I can’t predict either of them!

- It needs no mention that the game of the week will be Montreal and Saskatchewan. I am eager to see two great QBs square off. Advantage to Montreal. Way less injuries. Motivated. Same receivers as last year. Not saying Saskatchewan can’t win but it’ll be hard-fought.

- The week finishes off with another unpredictable match between Hamilton and Edmonton. Advantage Edmonton? I liked Hamilton’s defence last week though.

- Did you hear Chris Cuthbert say on Sunday night that Rich Stubler told his team that it would take them until labour day to learn his defence? I wonder if its complex…

- Calgary is getting beat up with injuries just like the Riders. They lose Maver, Mace, Rambo (hamstring pull) and Malik Jackson with a concussion. I was talking with someone the other day and we both agreed that the CFL isn’t just who plays best, but the team that can whether the storm of the long season with the bulk of their starters in tact.

- My class act of the week award goes to Greg Marshall. First game as a head coach. His team gets beat quite soundly and he answers questions for nearly 10 minutes from the media and maybe longer. That’s not an easy place to coach and he is a classy guy.

- CFLjoe is a daily blog that can be found at www.cfljoe.blogspot.com

Henry Burris - a great player but a better person.

Henry Burris, you’re all right.

Last weekend, for the first time ever, I had the chance to meet and interview the Calgary Stampeders pivot. While it may be considered sacrilegious to say for a resident of Saskatchewan – where hatred for Burris is seemingly universal – Burris made a very good first impression on me.

The first thing I noticed once I spotted Henry Burris in the Hotel Saskatchewan (where the interviews of Stamps players were being held) was that he had a big smile on his face. This smile remained visible throughout the entire process. This was fitting, of course, since Burris has the nickname Smilin’ Hank.

But, Burris had arguably no reason to smile. The Stampeders, I believe, had arrived into Regina not that long before. I wouldn’t have blamed Burris if he was tired after the flight. Furthermore, I wasn’t exactly expecting him to be thrilled to do several interviews, some of which pertained to the controversial pictures of himself wearing a black bra. It wasn’t like Burris was a kid waiting to be welcomed into Willy Wonka’s Chocolate Factory.

Yet Burris seemed so happy that it felt like there was no place he’d rather be. He smiled as a group of reporters filmed him and asked him questions and then remained smiling as he did some one-on-one interviews. I was the last person there to interview Burris, yet he was still as pleasant as when he started.

What impressed me even more was that Burris also interacted with fans in between interviews. A couple of people lined up to see Burris and he took the time for all of them, signing autographs and posing for pictures. With every fan, Burris seemed very friendly and did not appear in a hurry to send them away.

In a society full of smug and greedy athletes, how could I not be impressed by an athlete who has no problem doing interviews or talking to fans?

Too often we hear about athletes arrested for drinking and driving, or punished for taking steroids. They behave in such a way that it is hard to have any kind of respect for them. Tiger Woods, a star professional golfer and past role model for the sport, shocked everyone when it was discovered he cheated multiple times on his wife. In recent news, Brett Farve, one of the greatest football players to play the game, allegedly sent inappropriate text messages and pictures of his genitalia to a female employee of the New York Jets.

After hearing all of these stories, it is refreshing to meet an athlete like Burris. Besides taking time for the media and the fans, he has also played a huge role in charities. Too many athletes don’t give back to the people.

As an athlete, it is also hard not to respect Burris. I mean, this is a man who has thrown for over 35,000 yards and added 31 touchdowns in his career, adding nearly 4,000 rushing yards and 51 touchdowns. Also, Burris has won a Grey Cup. Clearly, he is a stellar athlete.

Sure, I was and am still a bit angry that Burris left the Riders for Calgary in 2005. I thought Burris left for the money and could’ve done some great things in Regina. But hey, it’s in the past.

The Riders haven’t suffered for the move. Both Calgary and Saskatchewan have posted nearly identical records and one Grey Cup each. Would the Riders be doing better with Burris? Not likely. Besides, the team was able to discover Darian Durant because of this. Durant is the future of the franchise, whereas Burris could be on the last stages of his career.

Also, Burris leaving to Calgary has created a ferocious rivalry. Some of the most exciting games to watch at Mosaic Stadium are when Calgary rolls into town. It is fun chanting “Heeeeeeeeeeenry.” The games usually go right down to the wire as well.

When an athlete looks back at their career, you’d hope they have fond memories. After meeting Burris, it is clear he is enjoying every moment of his career. He wasn’t named Smilin’ Hank for nothing.

Don’t get me wrong, I hope Burris and the Stampeders never win another game against the Green and White. I will shout his name loudly and boo Calgary frequently whenever they roll into town. However, I can’t and won’t hate Burris as a person. He is simply too nice to hate.

Players like Malik Jackson might not win any awards, but they are helping Calgary win games.

The Calgary Stampeders were left out of the Gibson’s Finest CFL players of the month awards in August. While many would feel the Stamps were snubbed by the decisions, if you asked the players themselves, I’m guessing they wouldn’t be too hurt by the choices.

The CFL has seen some very talented players making waves throughout the season and most of them have been on teams that haven’t necessarily been winning. You’d think that a team that is 7-1-0 and leading the league in many categories would be stacked with players leading the league.

The reality this year has been that big player performances haven’t really led their teams to victory. None show this fact more than Arland Bruce III, who tied a CFL record with 16 catches to go with 272 yards receiving back on July 31st. The Tiger-Cats weren’t ever really in the game, losing 37-24 to the Saskatchewan Roughriders. Kevin Glenn had 425 yards passing in the game to go with three touchdowns. Bruce was the offensive player of the week,and Glenn was the runner up in a game that they didn’t come close to winning.

It’s the same for the Calgary/Saskatchewan game in Week 4. The Stampeders doubled the Riders 40-20, yet Durant had 354 yards passing to the 279 yards passing Burris had.

When you look at the rushing stats for two time rushing leader Joffrey Reynolds, you might wonder if he’s having a tough year. Reynolds has only had one 100 yard rushing game, but still sits in third place in rushing yards, although he’s 170 yards back of Toronto’s Cory Boyd.

Even the receivers haven’t blown us away. Nik Lewis is on pace to be named an all-star, but the catches have really been spread out. Although Ken-Yon Rambo missed the first four weeks of the year, he could be on pace to shine.

What is most impressive about this season for the Stampeders is the fact the whole team is doing well. The passes have been spread around and the rushing is even being shared. Drew Tate has had only taken a few snaps at Quarterback, but has been very impressive going 7/8 for 66 yards and three touchdowns with a very impressive 158.3 passer rating. Jon Cornish has even taken some serious reps at running back and has not disappointed with an 8.8 yard average and 274 yards rushing.

Looking at the defence, the Stamps have had everyone pulling their own weight. Calgary leads the league in sacks with 22, but no Stampeders players are close to the sack leader. Montreal’s John Bowman and Winnipeg’s Phillip Hunt lead the league with seven sacks, while both Robert McCune and Malik Jackson have four sacks each.

No Stampeder player is even in the top 20 in defensive tackles. Juwan Simpson leads them with 29 tackles, 24 behind league leader Kevin Eiben.

With all that said, it doesn’t surprise me that the Stampeders haven’t been well represented in the players of the week, or the players of the month. The team has been playing so well together, everyone has been pulling their weight and making the most of their chances when they get the chance.

The Stampeders still have a long way to go before they can say they are the best team in the league, seeing as they still have two games against the Montreal Alouettes and two games left against the Saskatchewan Roughriders AT Mosaic Stadium. That being said, playing well as a team will make it that much harder for other teams to beat them. There aren’t any huge weaknesses and shutting down one player only leaves openings for others to step up, and so far they have.

At the end of the year, they may not take home any of the hardware, but they’ve got as good a shot as any of winning it all. 

After all, last season Durant and the Saskatchewan Roughriders didn’t lose a game to the Calgary Stampeders and Durant matched up well against Burris in head-to-head meetings. It was a common opinion that Durant’s stock was rising, while Burris’ stock was on the decline.

This season, however, Burris has shown he is not quite ready to be surpassed by Durant just yet.

After Durant started off strong this season and Burris started off slow, Burris has rebounded nicely and is now outplaying Durant. Calgary’s recent success and Saskatchewan’s recent struggles certainly reflect this.

The change in each team’s fortunes started in Week 4, when the 3-0-0 Riders travelled to Calgary to take on the 2-1-0 Stampeders.

At this point, Durant had gone 62/ 101, for 941 yards, seven touchdowns and one interception on the season, while Burris had gone 71/111, for 788 yards, five touchdowns and six interceptions. Durant was not only outplaying Burris, but he was a leading candidate early in the season for the most outstanding player award.

Burris and the Stampeders are outplaying the Riders right now.

As a team, the Riders had already beaten the powerhouse Montreal Alouettes and had earned victories over two West Division foes: the Edmonton Eskimos and the British Columbia Lions. Calgary, on the other hand, had earned their two victories over East Division opponents. In fact, they had not played a West opponent until this point of the season. Because of this reason, many fans felt the Stampeders’ record was deceivingly-high and they would get a wakeup call the hands of the Green and White.

There was a wakeup call in the game, but it was delivered to Saskatchewan instead. Tied at seven going into the second half, Calgary exploded for 33 second half points and stunned the Riders 40-20. Durant threw one touchdown and three interceptions, while Burris tossed four touchdowns and two interceptions.

This was really a turning point in the season so far for both teams. Suddenly, Calgary is red-hot. The team is currently riding a five-game winning streak and sit first place in the West comfortably at 7-1-0. Saskatchewan is stone cold, dropping two of its last four games. Last week, both facing 1-6-0 teams, Calgary easily took care of B.C. while Saskatchewan lost in the dying minutes against the Eskimos.

The rise and fall of each team has had a lot to due with the play of the quarterbacks. Stats-wise, Durant was outperforming earlier in the season. Now, not so much. Burris’ numbers on the season are: 183/281, for 2,226 yards, 18 touchdowns and 12 interceptions. Durant’s numbers on the season are: 177/301, for 2,474 yards, 11 touchdowns and 12 interceptions. Besides yards and interceptions, Burris is leading Durant in almost all categories. He has more completions, a better completion percentage, more touchdown passes and a better quarterback rating.

Has Burris been perfect? Not exactly. Though his team is on a five-game winning streak, there have been some close calls. But, he is doing what Durant is having trouble doing currently, winning.

The fact that Burris is leading in the league in touchdown passes and has cut down somewhat on the interceptions just show how much he has improved since his early-season struggles. Since Week 4, he is averaging close to 300 passing yards a game. More importantly, he and the Stampeders are doing what they failed to do early in the season, attack opposing defences deep. Some of these deep throws have led to interceptions, but in the process Calgary has become far more explosive on offence. With Ken-Yon Rambo back and Nik Lewis and Romby Bryant playing well, Burris has tons of hot targets to throw the ball to.

Burris has also been using his feet more effectively to buy his receivers time, something Durant was doing well earlier in the season.

Durant has averaged a decent amount of passing yards a game in the last four weeks, but his interception total has skyrocketed. Not all of these interceptions have been his fault, but the fact is it is an area that continues to be a concern for Durant. For all of the beautiful touchdowns he will throw on the run, he is starting to throw just as many interceptions in general. His team has suffered as a result. In their stunning loss to Edmonton last week, Durant deserved most of the blame.

With Saskatchewan playing relatively week foes recently, they haven’t exactly looked impressive. Once again, this has something to do with Durant. Against teams with winning records, Montreal and Calgary, Durant has thrown for over 400 yards a game. Against teams with non-winning records, Edmonton, B.C., Hamilton, he is throwing for less than 250 passing yards a game.

Now, it is too early to right off Durant just yet, but the fact that Burris is outplaying him at all is surprising. Heading into the season, with all of Calgary’s losses and Saskatchewan’s gains, to see Calgary playing so well and Saskatchewan playing so poorly is something no one would have expected.

Saskatchewan is not out the race for first in the West yet. Calgary still has to travel to Saskatchewan twice this season and play the Montreal Alouettes twice. However, if the Riders hope to get match-up against the Stampeders, Durant will need to improve. With similar defences and special teams units, Durant and the offence will need to outshine Calgary’s offence to win in the future.

Durant may be an up-and-coming star, but for now Burris looks content to hold onto his elite quarterback status.

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The Stampeders won all four meetings against the Lions last season.

Going into the sixth week of the season, the Stampeders are tied for first place in the West Division at 4-1-0, while the Lions are in the gutter with the Edmonton Eskimos at 1-4-0.

On paper, the Stampeders should be one of the best offensive teams in the CFL. However, with 140 points scored, they are just a middle of the road team in terms of point production. The team is averaging 24.4 first downs per game, the second highest mark in the league. As a result, they Calgary is one of the best time of possession teams in the league.

The Stampeders’ biggest drawback is that they are just flat out turning the ball over too much. Seven fumbles lost is tied for the league lead coming into Week 6, while quarterback Henry Burris has tossed a league worst eight interceptions.

The good news for Burris is that his numbers are starting to recover from a horrid start to the year. Without Ryan Thelwell (injured), Ken-Yon Rambo (injured) and Jeremaine Copeland (now in Toronto) to start the season, Calgary’s signal caller has looked uncomfortable in the pocket at times. However, the Stampeders are now at full strength with both Thelwell and Rambo returning in last week’s 23-20 win over the Winnipeg Blue Bombers. As a result, Burris was 28/38 for 340 yards, two touchdowns and more importantly, no picks.

The Calgary defence has given up the fewest touchdowns in the league (Seven) and is averaging allowing a league best 21.0 points per game.

As for the boys from British Columbia, they need a real shot in the arm and quickly. The Lions are coming off of a bad 28-25 loss at Commonwealth Stadium to the Edmonton Eskimos in a game that they really accomplished nothing through the air.

"As of Thursday morning, there is still a question as to who will be taking the first snap under center for head coach Wally Buono"

Backup QB Travis Lulay, playing in place of the injured Casey Printers, only went 16/26 for 134 yards and two interceptions. He did run for 62 yards and the team’s lone offensive score.

BC’s rushing attack has had some awful outings this year and though the Lions are averaging 105.8 YPG on the ground (Sixth in the CFL), a good chunk of those yards have come on huge runs. They average just 15.8 rushing attempts per game, the lowest in the CFL.

Running back Jamal Robertson was considered one of the top weapons on this team at the outset of the season, but he just hasn’t been deployed enough to make a huge difference. Though Robertson leads all backs in the CFL in rushing average (7.9 YPC), he has only handled the rock 46 times all year, easily the lowest in the league for starters.

As of Thursday morning, there is still a question as to who will be taking the first snap under center for head coach Wally Buono. Lulay is clearly the only healthy option he has at his disposal, as Printers is listed as doubtful for the game. Don’t count out the prospects of seeing Jarious Jackson, last year’s starting quarterback, for a good chunk of the season, either.

Calgary is simply on a roll in this series. The Stampeders won all four meetings with the Lions last year, taking 28-26 and 48-10 decisions at BC Place while winning 27-18 and 37-30 at home. In fact, you have to go back to the very first meeting of the 2008 season between these teams to find the last BC victory. Since then, the Stampeders have taken down eight straight SU and are 7-0-1 ATS.

The good news for the Lions is that they are typically a strong team in the second full month of the season. They are 20-7 ATS in their last 27 matchups played in August. However, Calgary is 8-3 ATS in its last 11 games played against teams with a losing record.

The CFL betting lines for this crucial duel feature the Stampeders as 2.5 point favorites. The ‘total’ can be found at 49.5.

Courtesy of SBRForum.com.

The CFL continues its fifth week of CFL betting action on Saturday, as Winnipeg face off with the Stampedery on Saturday night.

"The oddsmakers are expecting the Stampeders to roll in this game, favoring them by 6.5 points on the CFL betting lines"

These two former West Division rivals now find themselves on opposite ends of the CFL world, as Winnipeg has since shifted East. The Bombers are a game and a half behind the Montreal Alouettes for first place in the East, while Calgary is tied for first in the West but hold the tiebreaker over the Saskatchewan Roughriders.

Winnipeg has a major problem at the quarterback position, as QB Buck Pierce is probably going to miss his second straight game due to a knee injury this week. Pierce actually has the highest quarterback rating amongst all starting signal callers in the league with a 108.3. He has thrown five touchdowns against two picks, completing 65.8 percent of his passes.

However, assuming that Pierce is on the shelf for the week, quarterback Steven Jyles will be taking over under center. Jyles hasn’t been a full time starter at any point during his CFL career. He did a decent job last week in a 47-21 win over the Edmonton Eskimos, completing 14-of-22 passes for 267 yards with a touchdown and two interceptions. He completed five passes for at least 20 yards on the game, stretching a very thin Edmonton defence. Jyles also used his fantastic legs, rushing for 63 yards and two touchdowns on just eight carries.

Jyles, Pierce and running back Fred Reid have already combined to rush for 547 yards and seven touchdowns. Jyles leads the CFL with four touchdown runs on the season.

Defensively is where the Bombers have really made their mark this year. They are allowing just 307.2 yards-per-game, the best mark in the CFL. They have the second most efficient pass defense in the league, allowing just 7.4 yards-per-pass-attempt. Winnipeg is also third in the CFL in rush defence at just 102.0 YPG on the ground allowed.

The Stampeders are coming off of their biggest half of football of the season. A 33-13 second half against its rivals from Saskatchewan led Calgary to a 40-20 win at McMahon Stadium.

Even though quarterback Henry Burris did toss a pair of interceptions, his four touchdown passes were a season high. He went 21/31 for 279 yards. Burris has double the interceptions of any other quarterback in the league, as his eight is four higher than the second most in the CFL this year. The good news is that Burris has nine touchdown passes, which led the CFL coming into this weekend but is now second to Montreal’s Anthony Calvillo, who has 10.

The issue Calgary is still having offensively is at the wide receiver position. Though Romby Bryant has had a good season with 21 catches, 327 yards and a CFL-high four touchdown receptions, no one else has really proven to be able to step up and lead the way yet. Missing both Ryan Thelwell and Ken-Yon Rambo is preventing Burris from getting into his groove this year.

"The Bombers could be the way to go in this game. They covered four of the last five spreads in this series, including both last season"

Should running back Joffrey Reynolds have a fantastic day on the ground, he could take overthe CFL lead in rushing once again. His 6.3 yards-per-carry might not be one of the best marks in the league, but at 351 yards and a pair of touchdowns, Reynolds is well on his way towards another 1,200+ yard season.

The oddsmakers are expecting the Stampeders to roll in this game, favoring them by 6.5 points on the CFL betting lines. The ‘total’ has been set at 56.5.

The Bombers could be the way to go in this game. They covered four of the last five spreads in this series, including both last season. Winnipeg pulled a 42-30 upset at home last year over Calgary, while it stuck in front of the hefty 14.5 point spread in the last meeting of these clubs with a 31-23 defeat.

The home team has won eight straight games in this series and had covered seven straight CFL lines before the Blue Bombers covered the spread in the last clash.

Especially after a solid outing last week, don’t be surprised if Jyles leads the Blue Bombers to another cover against the CFL betting lines in Calgary.

Courtesy of SBRForum.com.

Having battled for the 2009 Grey Cup in one of the greatest CFL games in history, the Montreal Alouettes and the Saskatchewan Roughriders didn’t lose enough in the off-season to drop out of contention for first in their divisions.

After four weeks in the CFL, the Riders and Alouettes are tied for first as expected. Right along side, however, are the Calgary Stampeders and the Toronto Argonauts.

"After four weeks in the CFL, the Riders and Alouettes are tied for first as expected. Right along side, however, are the Calgary Stampeders and the Toronto Argonauts"

The Stampeders showed last year their offence could usually get the job done, but they had some defensive troubles keeping them from moving forward. Some positions were addressed, but changes on the offensive line had people questioning them coming in. The offensive line has answered most of those questions, allowing less than two sacks a game and averaging 158 rushing yards a game.

It is Calgary’s defence that has most impressed, as they have only given up 21 points a game, 99 rushing yards a game and only two rushing touchdowns. What was most impressive was their ability to shut down a Saskatchewan offence in Week 4 that coming into the game was leading the league in many offensive stats.

Even though there have been offensive struggles this season, the Stampeders defence has held its own, keeping them in games and giving the offense more chances to succeed.

Much of the same can be said for the Argonauts. The Argonauts were very hard to watch last year, from a fan’s perspective, lacking in many positions from the coach down. A new coach and philosophy gave a lot of people hope when the season began, but expectations weren’t high with so many new faces in the lineup.

Receiver Jermaine Copeland was brought in to bring a spark and to mentor young receivers. So far his output has been limited, but not due to his lack of effort. The Argonauts made a questionable choice in starting NFL veteran, but CFL rookie, Cleo Lemon in the quarterback position. In doing so, Toronto bumped back veteran backup Dalton Bell.

While the Argos are 3-1 this season, the offence can’t be credited for much of the teams success. Some questioned the choice to go with Lemon over Bell and I think the statistics are showing they might be right.

Lemon is averaging 190 passing yards a game, with three touchdowns, four interceptions and four fumbles in four games.

Rookie running back Cory Boyd has been the only shining light for the Boatmen on offence, leading the CFL in rushing through four weeks with 431 yards on 66 carries.

The defence, on the other hand, has been incredible at shutting down some solid offences and bringing their team back in games they probably should have lost.

Many thought the Stampeders would have wiped the floor with the Argonaurts in Week 1. Toronto didn’t play well on offense, but the defence held Calgary to 23 offensive points. The other seven points were off a fumble return for a touchdown near the end of the game.

After giving up some big yards in the win over Winnipeg, Toronto’s defence came up huge against Calgary, limiting Henry Burris to 207 yards passing and intercepting him four times. The Argonauts defense also held two-time CFL rushing leader Joffrey Reynolds to 44 yards on the ground.

Calgary had the lead for most of the game, but Toronto was able to stop Burris and the Calgary offence from putting the game away and opened it up for the Argonauts to come back and take it.

The Argonauts defence wasn’t finished there. The British Columbia Lions looked like a formidable opponent and again had a lead on the Argonauts late in the game.

Former Argonauts running back Jamal Robertson did have two touchdowns, but only rushed for 54 yards, and did fumble once.

Travis Lulay looked pretty sharp in his first CFL start, but threw two picks to the Argos defence, one of which was returned for a touchdown late in the game to give up the lead and eventually the game.

While both teams deserve credit for their victories, I have to wonder how long the winning streaks will last. Calgary overcame some offensive struggles to put up a huge win over Saskatchewan. The Argonauts haven’t been able to do much offensively, and while Boyd leads the league in rushing, he only has one touchdown.

Calgary looks to be moving in the right direction and could be number one at the season’s end, and while the Argos do look much better than anticipated, they will have to get much more out of their offence if they plan on challenging Montreal for first in the east.

Yet every team, no matter how good, has their weaknesses that can be exploited by opposing teams.

On Saturday the Calgary Stampeders, much like professional scientists, used a near-perfect formula to best the Green and White 40-20, ending the team’s three-game winning streak. In doing so, Calgary jumped into a tie with the Saskatchewan for first in the West Division at 3-1-0.

While some wouldn’t call it a “shocking” upset, the fashion in which Calgary emerged victorious was jaw-dropping. So, what did Calgary do right to pull off the upset?

Put pressure on Darian Durant: Durant is a mobile quarterback. He won’t necessarily take off and scramble a lot during a game – though he is the second-leading rushing quarterback in the league with 162 yards on 17 carries – but Durant does use his mobility in the passing game. If Durant is feeling the pressure he will often escape the pursuing defenders, buying more time for his receivers, before throwing a completion. In Week 1, when the Riders were taking on the Montreal Alouettes, Durant avoided the pressure and threw a beautiful 87-yard touchdown pass to Rob Bagg. So, what is the best way to counterbalance this? Lots of pressure. By bringing the heat on Durant, team’s can force him to stay in the pocket or force a rushed throw and a possible interception. The Stampeders brought a lot of pressure all game long, tallying two sacks. One of these sacks led to a safety and the constant pressure caused Durant to throw three picks. Durant had only thrown one interception in the first three weeks. By pressuring Durant relentlessly, Calgary did not allow him to have time to dictate the game. The defence certainly made Durant look ordinary.

Attacked the defence deep: Saskatchewan hasn’t been the easiest team to run the ball against this season, but they have allowed over 320 passing yards a game. Simply put, teams can have success against the Green and White if they throw the ball. Besides cornerback Omar Morgan and half back Lance Frazier, the Riders field a pretty inexperienced defensive secondary. James Patrick has only been playing safety for two years, cornerback Donovan Alexander has only started for one year and Chris Mackenzie is in his first year as a starter at the half back position. This inexperience has shown early in the season, as Calvillo torched the defence for four touchdowns in Week 1 and Edmonton’s receiver Fred Stamps had over 200 yards in Week 3. Ironically, Calgary had not had many deep passes heading into this game. They had proven to be cautious when it came to attacking defences deep. They weren’t cautious in this game, as Burris challenged Saskatchewan’s defence deep. This didn’t always work – Burris threw two deep interceptions to Patrick – but he also connected with Romby Bryant on a 67-yard touchdown bomb. By throwing these deep passes, Calgary opened up the short game.

Used a well-rounded attack: Saskatchewan has proved this season that one player doesn’t have to carry the team himself. Calgary adopted this mentality, getting numerous players involved in the game. On the ground, Calgary utilized more than just one running back. Joffrey Reynolds had 15 carries, 93 yards and one touchdown while Jon Cornish also chipped in with 77 yards on five carries. This duel-running attack helped Calgary pick up some key first downs without over working Reynolds and opened up the passing games. In the passing game, Burris spread the ball to numerous receivers. Bryant led the way with seven catches for 116 yards and two touchdowns. Nik Lewis, whose conditioning has been questioned this season, chipped in with five catches for 50 yards and a touchdown. P.K. Sam had a solid game with 46 yards and a touchdown. Even speedster Deon Murphy chipped in with two catches for 25 yards. Calgary was able to move the ball consistently against Saskatchewan because they used multiple targets. In the process, they mirrored what the Riders do so well.

Won the field position battle: With such a talented offence, it is important to make the Riders start their drives as deep as possible. As good as their offence is, it is hard for any team to score when they are starting their drives so deep. Punter Burke Dales helped the Stampeders win the field position battle on this day. He averaged 48.3 yards a punt in the game, pinning the Riders near the goal line a couple of times. The field position battle was very lopsided in the first half, a big reason why the Riders only scored seven points. Murphy also helped out in the return game, averaging 31.5 yards a return. Calgary had ideal conditions to execute their offence, while the Green and White were just fighting to get the ball out of their end.

Didn’t get comfortable: Calgary held a 19-10 lead heading in the fourth quarter. Time to relax? Hardly. Every team knows the Riders are the “comeback kids”, having already won two games from behind this season. You can never be comfortable with a lead against them. Just ask Montreal, who saw a 33-12 lead evaporate in a hurry in Week 1. Instead of being complacent, Calgary worked hard to put the game away. Early in the fourth, Cornish broke of a 50-yard run and Bryant finished the drive with a 10-yard touchdown catch. The defence then forced another Durant interception and Reynolds ran the ball into the end zone three plays later, giving the Stampeders a commanding 33-10 lead. The Stampeders even added another touchdown in the fourth quarter to secure the victory. With so many late surges by the Riders in the past, it was surprising to see the team fail to mount any sort of comeback. Credit has to go to Calgary.

While it may have just been one bad game for the Riders, the Stampeders followed a perfect formula to beat the Riders. Will the rest of the league take note? Will the Riders find the road harder going forward? Will Saskatchewan emerge from the loss even better? Only time will tell, but for now the Stampeders will celebrate a huge victory.

Two annual contenders for the Grey Cup from the West Division will square off Saturday night at McMahon Stadium.

"The 'under' has cashed in 12 of the last 17 meetings between these teams at McMahon Stadium"

The Riders are the last undefeated team in the league at 3-0-0 and they are clearly the class of the West. Even though the Montreal Alouettes have scored the most points in the league at 137, they have played four games. No team has a higher scoring average than the Riders, as they are putting up points at a clip of 38.3 points-per-game.

Defensively, Saskatchewan has conceded 89 total points, but since allowing 51 against Montreal to open the season has only conceded 19.0 PPG.

A victory for the Riders would leave them a full four points, or two games, in front of the Stampeders after just four games. They will clearly have the inside track towards hosting the West final once again.

Quarterback Darian Durant has done a little bit of everything for the men in green this year. He has completed 61.4 percent of his passes for 971 yards and seven touchdowns against just one pick. With two touchdowns and 242 yards passing, Durant will lead the league in both categories through four weeks of play. The former North Carolina Tar Heel also has 134 rushing yards, ranking him tenth in the league and second amongst quarterbacks in the CFL.

The leading rusher for this team is Wes Cates. He is averaging a CFL-best 7.7 yards-per-carry and his 317 yards on the ground is still second in the league despite the fact that half the teams have already played an extra game this week.

The defence has only picked off one pass all season long, which is something that needs to improve. The secondary is also allowing 9.8 yards- per-pass, which is by far the worst in the league. However, the Riders rank number one in the league in rush defense, allowing just 91.3 YPG.

Calgary badly needs this game to draw even in the West after last week’s embarrassing loss in Toronto.

The surprise of this season has been how well the Stampders have played defensively. They are allowing a CFL-best 21.7 PPG this year, a far cry from the 28.6 PPG they allowed during the 2009 season. The unit has only allowed three touchdowns all season long, also the best mark in the CFL. Opponents only have 52 total first downs for the season to boot.

Offensively though, there are still a lot of problems. Quarterback Henry Burris should have some of the best numbers in the league, but after tossing four interceptions against the Argonauts in Week 3, his stats are lacking. “Smilin’ Hank” has two more picks (6) than anyone else in the CFL and his 73.6 QB rating is the second lowest in the league heading into play on Saturday night.

His biggest problem has been at the wide receiver position. Both Ken-Yon Rambo and Ryan Thelwell have been out due to injury all season long and with the departure of Jermaine Copeland to Toronto in the offseason, Burris has really been lacking solid targets. Wide receiver Nik Lewis, a veteran in Calgary, leads the team in receptions (16) and receiving yards (211). Both he and Romby Bryant have a pair of touchdown catches on the year.

Last season, the ‘Riders dominated this series, going 3-0-1 SU and 4-0 ATS. Calgary only had one game in which it scored more than 23 points. The Riders, in contrast, scored an average of 31.3 PPG in four games.

These two teams met in the West Final last year, with Saskatchewan coming away with a 27-17 victory. They also played in an epic 44-44 tie last October.

Historically speaking, these two teams despise each other. This is an annual fixture that everyone in Canada looks forward to every season and will be the first of at least three meetings they have this year.

The ‘under’ has cashed in 12 of the last 17 meetings between these teams at McMahon Stadium. The Stamps have also gone 6-1-1 for ‘under’ bettors in their last eight games overall. On Saturday night, Calgary has been lined as a 1½-point favorite, while the ‘total’ comes in at 56.

Courtesy of SBRForum.com.

Quarterback Henry Burris had just finished his seventh season of professional football. He spent the first two years primarily as a backup quarterback for the Calgary Stampeders, served as the starter for the Saskatchewan Roughriders in 2000, had a brief stint in the NFL and NFL Europe, then returned to Saskatchewan in 2003.

In 2004, Burris led the Riders to the West Final against the British Columbia Lions. Unfortunately, then-Saskatchewan place kicker Paul McCallum missed an 18-year field goal in overtime and the Green and White went on to lose the game.

That off-season, Burris had a decision to make. He could re-sign with Saskatchewan or pursue another option. Burris shocked the Green and White faithful by signing with the Stampeders. Why Burris decided to leave Saskatchewan is obviously debatable.

Whether or not you are a fan of Burris, though if you live in Saskatchewan you almost certainly hate him, it is clear that his move to Calgary was the best thing that could happen for Calgary, Saskatchewan and the Canadian Football League.

The Stampeders certainly benefited from the move. In the era known as “Before Burris”, Calgary was in a rut. They had missed the playoffs for three consecutive seasons, winning only 15 games in total. Furthermore, the team needed a stellar quarterback. They had tried to find a quarterback, but players like Ben Sankey, David Corley and, who could forget, Kevin Feterik failed to deliver.

Burris brought a spark to Calgary. He immediately helped the team improve, as they posted a record of 11-7-0 in 2005 and made the playoffs. In fact, since Burris made his decision to come to Calgary, the Stampeders have not missed the playoffs. Burris has led the team to a combined record of 51-37-2.

But, a real star quarterback needs to win a Grey Cup for his team.

After struggling in the playoffs during his first three years with Calgary, Burris finally won the big game in 2008. The team posted 13 wins during the regular season and then beat the British Columbia Lions and Montreal Alouettes in the playoffs.

Statistically, Burris has enjoyed success in Calgary. In his six seasons with the Stampeders, Burris has gone 1,646/2,722 for 23,734 yards, 146 touchdowns and 80 interceptions. Would he have had this same success in Saskatchewan? We’ll never know.

On the same note, Saskatchewan has had its share of success since Burris left. The move did not affect the team’s playoff chances, as the Green and White have not missed the playoffs since Burris left and have posted a record of 52-37-1.

"Whether or not you are a fan of Burris .... it is clear that his move to Calgary was the best thing that could happen for Calgary, Saskatchewan and the Canadian Football League"

But, the big positive for the Riders was the emergence of quarterbacks Kerry Joseph and Darian Durant. Joseph came over from the Ottawa Renegades in 2006 in the dispersal draft. After an average 2006 campaign, Joseph had a breakout year in 2007. He was named the most outstanding player in the league and led the Riders to their first Grey Cup victory since 1989.

Durant began to emerge after Joseph was traded to the Toronto Argonauts in 2008. He had his ups-and-downs in 2008, but showed signs of greatness last season. He was named the West Division most outstanding player and almost led Saskatchewan to a Grey Cup victory. He continues to excel this season.

Would the Riders have won a Grey Cup, or found a star quarterback if Burris had not left? Once again, we will never know, but it is clear that both Calgary and Saskatchewan have done well since the big move.

The fans, both Calgary’s and Saskatchewan’s have also benefited from Burris moving to Calgary.

Since Burris left for Calgary, the Calgary-Saskatchewan rivalry has been kicked up another notch. While the two western opponents always had somewhat of a rivalry, this move really kicked things up a notch.

Burris was immediately despised by almost all Rider fans following his decision. When he returned to Saskatchewan to play against the Riders, fans packed the stadium to boo him. Chants of “Hennnnnnnnnry” continue to explode across Mosaic Stadium every time he returns. Before this move, there wasn’t as much enthusiasm among Rider fans when it came to watching a game against Calgary.

Naturally, with so much hate towards their starting quarterback, Calgary fans began to equally hate the Riders. The fact that more and more fans of the Green and White have packed into McMahon Stadium for every road game hasn’t helped either.

One thing both fans can agree on is that the rivalry has been exciting and a lot of fun. Calgary and Saskatchewan have had some exciting regular season battles and have met three times in the playoffs since 2005. The Riders won all three games.

Finally, the CFL has also benefited from the move. While I don’t have the exact numbers, Saskatchewan-Calgary games have always drawn a lot of hype and large TV audiences. Adding another classic rivalry has helped the CFL increase its fan base.

This week there will be another instalment of this new rivalry, as the Riders travel to Calgary to battle the Stampeders on Saturday. A lot is on the line even though it is only Week 4. At 3-0-0, Saskatchewan will look to prove they are indeed the top dogs in the West. Right behind them at 2-1-0, Calgary will look to prove they will be competing for the top spot in the West.

Who could have known that one small move would kick-start such a big rivalry. While Burris remains with the Stampeders, the rivalry between the two teams will continue to be heated. When he leaves the team, the rivalry will still remain but won’t be the same.

Burris has created one hell of a rivalry.

Three Downs With Jonathan Hamelin appears each week on CFL Daily Dose. Hamelin is an aspiring journalist, who has a freelance contract with the Regina Leader-Post and is a veteran online CFL columnist. His work can be followed on Twitter and Facebook.