Sitting out of practice today was:
Kito Poblah
Terrence Edwards
Greg Carr
Odell Willis
Leslie Majors
Henoc Muamba
Johnny Sears
Clint Kent
Jovon Johnson

The Bombers returned to the field for another day of practice as they prepare to host the Toronto Argonauts Friday night.

As announced late last night, the organization announced they have re-signed receiver Alex Watson for depth purposes following several injuries. Watson was on the field today and was wearing number 83 and got a warm greeting by the team.

At the same time, the team announced that receiver Kito Poblah and safety Brady Browne have both been listed on the nine-game injured list.

Both receivers Cory Watson and Clarence Denmark made highlight reel catches with several gone for touchdowns meanwhile, Perry Floyd continued using his speed to burn defenders.

Two defensive players made top honours this week as picked by the CFL, with top Canadian going to Ian Logan and top defender going to Alex Suber. Both players notched at least one pick in their 26-14 win over Hamilton last Friday night.

As for the injured, Odell Willis and Jovon Johnson were walking around the field with little noticeable pain, while Clint Kent ran along the end zone; therefore should expect to see them on the field Friday.

Sitting out of practice today was:
Kito Poblah
Brady Browne
Odell Willis
Terrence Edwards
Greg Carr
Jovon Johnson
Johnny Sears
Henoc Muamba
Clint Kent

The Winnipeg Blue Bombers returned to practice this morning following their 24-16 comeback victory over the Hamilton Tiger-Cats. The team will prepare to host the Toronto Argonauts this Friday night. Kick-off slated for 6:30PM.

Following Friday night’s game, several players continue to recover on the sidelines. The most dangerous injuries appear to be Kito Poblah (knee) and Brady Browne (bicep). Reports indicate Browne is possibly done for the year, while the news regarding Poblah is that he will be out at least one week.

The football club announced today the release of running back, Alex Henderson, from their practice roster after signing former Jacksonville Jaguar running back, Mike McClendon was signed this morning. McClendon was on the field for practice and was limited in his reps.

While the club anticipates both Greg Carr and Terrence Edwards will be good to go for Friday’s game, they aren’t willing to take chance and Alex Watson, who was with the club during training camp, could be on his way back very soon.

Overall, practice went well past the announced time, as the offense continued working on their timing and play calling. Receiver Cory Watson had a quiet practice, catching most passes, along with fellow receiver TJ Harris.

Defensively, Alex Suber had another pick today at practice. Suber recorded a pick six in Friday’s win over Hamilton.

The team returns to practice tomorrow morning at 11 AM.

For several of the players, they have all been here before, several jobs already a lock. For others, it is a time to prove themselves and make their second chance worthwhile, ensuring that the bosses made the right moves. For the rookies, it’s a door wide open for them to take in all that is the CFL and learn all they can.

For two players in particular, first round draft picks, Defensive Linebacker, Henoc Muamba and Wide Receiver, Jade Etienne, the work the two players have put in for years, finally pays off with a shot at the big leagues, an opportunity to showcase their talents to the nation.

Among the roster list, features several players who make their return to the team for a second straight year, continuing to put their efforts forward and retain their starting position.

On that list, is receiver Cory Watson, drafted in 2010 by the Bomber brass, who last year caught 17 passes for 277 yards and one touchdown. Entering this season, Watson is looking to further his role in the offense, with Buck Pierce at the helm.

At the same time, hoping to play for a full season after suffering an ankle injury last season, Terence Jeffers-Harris makes his return to the team once again. Hailed as a possible Rookie of the Year pick before his injury, Harris made a name for himself early on, playing in his second professional game ever, recording 152 yards and two touchdowns.

Defensively, the team has a vacant position at defensive end, as the void left by the departure of Phillip Hunt to the NFL was needed to be filled. The team feels strongly enough that rookie newcomer, Jason Vega, can be that man.

Another player who broke out during training camp, however has found himself a spot on the nine-game injured list, would be Johnny Sears. Sears returns to the Blue and Gold once again, looking for a larger role to play either defensively, or help the team out on special teams, as he has done this year.

Looking to help Sears and the special teams is newcomer Leslie Majors. Through two pre-season games, and a solid training camp, Majors recorded seven tackles and one interception. Should anything happen to Jonathan Hefney, the club feels strong that Majors can help fill the void during the regular season.

For all the returning seasoned veterans, they are looking most forward to playing yet another season under the Blue and Gold, and continue their long stride at bringing the city another Grey Cup, a city who has been without the cup since 1990.

Over the last 48 hours a total of 20 players were released from the active roster, however it is speculated that several of those players will find their way to the practice roster, set to be released in the coming days.

Among some of the cuts was returning defensive lineman, Moton Hopkins. In the 2010 season, Hopkins registered seven tackles, one sack, one interception, one fumble and a touchdown.

Alex Brink will be the Bombers' third QB this season after Justin Goltz was released earlier today.

On offense, pivot Justin Goltz was given his walking papers today as well, after the emergence of Joey Elliot, the return of Buck Pierce and the decision to keep Alex Brink at third string. It appeared that Goltz would find a spot on the practice roster, and is still possible for a second straight year.

Other cuts today included running backs, Chris Garrett and Alex Henderson. It has already been confirmed that Henderson will be moved to the practice roster. This move also secures a roster spot for Canadian running back, Carl Volny, most likely backing up star back, Fred Reid.

Another surprise release comes by John Surla, expected to make the roster while current longsnapper, Chris Cvetkovic sits out due to injury. It has been noted that Surla may as well join Henderson on the practice roster.

Rounding out the list of players released today include, Non-import Offensive Lineman Brendan Dunn, Import Defensive Lineman Remond Willis and Non-import Defensive Back Chris Smith.

The organization also announced that Non-import Defensive Lineman Deji Oduwole, Non-import Linebacker Henoc Muamba and Import Linebacker Clint Kent have been added to the one-game injured list, while Non-import Offensive Lineman Paul Swiston and Import Defensive Back Johnny Sears have been added to the nine-game list.

The Bombers first game of the regular season will go down on Canada Day in Hamilton at Ivor Wynne Stadium, kick-off slated for 6PM.

For others, it will be the start of a new chapter in their professional football career, the rookies, looking to make a name for themselves, given an opportunity tonight to showcase their talents and impress the bosses, hoping for enough to land themselves a spot on the roster.

As for the veterans, they are looking to produce enough to keep their starting job, as many rookies look to battle for key positions on the team. All together, they produce the Blue Bomber football team, looking to improve on their 4-14 record one year ago.

Sophomore head coach, Paul LaPolice has spent the last seven months rebuilding and retooling this team with the hopes of making the playoffs and going forward, building off the positives from last season’s less than impressive record.

For one pivot, it will be a sort of second chance, as Buck Pierce will make his return to Winnipeg for a second season, following off-season surgery and rehab after dislocating his elbow during the September 5 game in Regina.

Then you look towards a certain draft pick, one who went fourth overall, Jade Etienne. A rookie in the Canadian Football League, looking for any shot at cracking the Bombers 46-player roster, Etienne will be out under the lights playing one of his biggest games of his young career.

With 71 players currently on the roster, the coaching staff will have their hands full evaluating players tonight and tomorrow, ahead of Saturday’s roster cut down deadline. They will finish up, hoping they made the right choices heading into the regular season.

The receiving core will be immediately upgraded with the return of veterans, Terrence Edwards and Cory Watson, as well as the addition of supplemental draftee, Kito Poblah, who had an astounding training camp, after missing all of rookie camp.

Rushing leader, Fred Reid, will make his fifth appearance for the Blue and Gold, but is being heavily flanked by running backs, Chris Garrett and Alex Henderson. Both players had sparks in their first preseason tilt last week, and look to land a spot, backing up Reid.

Defensively, the team has high hopes for one returning linebacker, Odell Willis, who will look for his leadership to help bridge the defensive unit. The emergence of Johnny Sears and Leslie Majors in training camp will have them fighting to keep at least a back-up spot to Jonathan Hefney and Clint Kent.

With Joe Lobendahn just shy of locking up the starting position, first overall draft pick Henoc Muamba will be a spectator from the sidelines, hoping to educate himself even further as he looks to crack the roster in some shape or form this season.

For several seasons, one Jovon Johnson would take in the majority of the returning duties; however with the additions of Perry Floyd and Alex Watson, it is possible that Johnson could find himself a one-dimensional player this season, allowing him to rest during the game.

Overall, tonight’s match-up against the Toronto Argonauts will be a crucial game for some, a scrimmage for others, but a fun spectator event for all the fans.

It isn’t often that two teams end up playing each other four times in the span of two months, but that’s what is happening for the Tiger-Cats and the Blue Bombers as they are to meet at Canad Inns Stadium on Friday the 13th.

This is already the fourth time Hamilton and Winnipeg have met.

The good news for both of these teams is that they would both be in the playoffs if they started today. The bad news is that they only have a combined four wins, just one of which has come against another team in the CFL.

So far in 2010, the home teams have ruled the day. The Bombers opened up the season with a shocking 49-29 upset of the Tabbies at home. Since then, Hamilton has won 28-7 and 29-22 at home.

The winning team will move a game ahead of the other. Should the Tiger-Cats spring the mild upset, they will have won the season series and the tiebreaker, effectively giving them a game and a half lead on Winnipeg for the last playoff spot in the East Division. The loser will drop back into the gutter in the division and be fighting for a crossover postseason spot.

Hamilton is still having major problems with its ground attack, which is putting all sorts of pressure on quarterback Kevin Glenn and the passing game. Glenn has thrown the second most passes in the CFL with 218, and he is second in the league in yardage with 1,886. Throwing 11 touchdowns against four picks is good for a 101.2 quarterback rating, the second highest amongst starters in the CFL.

Glenn would be nowhere without the play of receiver Arland Bruce III, though. Bruce is simply on fire right now. He leads the CFL by a country mile in receptions (43) and yards (680) and his four touchdown grabs puts him just one off of the league lead. Last week, Bruce had 11 catches for 197 yards and a touchdown. Two weeks ago, he went for 272 yards and two touchdowns on 16 catches. Three of his six games have resulted in at least seven catches and at least 100 receiving yards.

As for that woeful running game, changes may need to be made. DeAndra’ Cobb has only rushed for 249 yards this year, putting him at dead last in the league for starting running backs and just barely in front of some of the quarterbacks. Cobb’s 4.0 yard per carrry average remains the worst in the CFL.

On the other side of the ball, the Bombers are going to be facing a defence which has allowed the second most points in the East Division. This could be the week that quarterback Buck Pierce comes back to the lineup after a brief absence. Statistically speaking, both Pierce and reserve quarterback Steven Jyles have comparable numbers, which could make for some controversy should the incumbent come back into the lineup and struggle.

Regardless of who is under center, running back Fred Reid is going to be a focal point for the offence. Reid is averaging 6.6 YPC this year, the second best in the CFL amongst running backs, and even though he has just two TD runs, his 451 yards on the ground is fourth in the league.

The Bombers have only picked off five passes all season long, which could provide a bit of a challenge against a solid Hamilton aerial assault.

The victory both SU and ATS for Hamilton moved it to 3-1-0 in both categories over the last four games with the Blue Bombers.

However, the trend to take note of might just be the ‘under.’ Bettors taking the low side of the CFL betting total are 11-4-0 in Winnipeg’s last 15 games played in the month of August and is 24-8-0 in its last 32 games played on Friday nights.

For Hamilton, the ‘under’ has also been golden, as it is 39-15-1 in its last 55 Friday games. Since the opening game of the year between these teams, both duels have stayed ‘under’ the number.

Courtesy of SBRForum.com.

On July 2, the Bombers took care of the Tiger-Cats to open up the 2010 CFL betting season with a 49-29 win at Canad Inns Stadium. Just two weeks later, the Tabbies got their revenge at Ivor Wynne Stadium, pushing aside Winnipeg 28-7. Even though this is only the sixth week of the season, the two squads are already renewing ties for a third time on Saturday night in Steeltown. Just six days later, they will meet again at Canad Inns.

"Things look relatively grim for both teams at this point in the season, especially considering that each has one win against the other"

Things look relatively grim for both teams at this point in the season, especially considering that each has one win against the other. Hamilton is winless against the rest of the CFL and is tied for the worst record in the league. However, if the playoffs were to start today, the Tiger-Cats would be in a position where they were tied for the crossover playoff spot.

Winnipeg is 2-3-0 and is a game clear of the Tabbies for the last post-season spot in the East Division.

The winner of this grudge match will take third place in the East Division into Week 7, while the loser will be sitting in the gutter.

One would figure that the problems for the Bombers would be stemming from their offence. However, with 157 points scored, only Montreal and Saskatchewan have better tallies in the league through five games and that also accounts for the woeful seven-point showing against Hamilton back in Week 3.

Fifteen offensive scores this year ranks second in the CFL behind just Saskatchewan. The Riders are also the only team in the CFL to average more yards per game than the Bombers, who currently sit at a lofty 8.5 yards per play.

Though quarterback Buck Pierce hasn’t played in two weeks, reserve Steven Jyles has stepped in admirably, completing 61.5 percent of his passes for 580 yards and two touchdowns to go with four rushing scores. Pierce, who has been injury prone in his career, has been sitting out due to a knee problem. He is listed as questionable to return for the third installment against the Tiger-Cats.

The play of wide receiver Terrence Edwards has been phenomenal this year. He leads the CFL in receiving at 545 yards and is the only man in the league with at least three receptions to average over 20 yards per catch (21.5). Edwards has four receiving touchdowns on the season as well, putting him in a three-way tie for the league lead.

Wide receiver Arland Bruce III tried his best last week to break all of Edwards’ marks in just one game. The CFL veteran had the best game of his career, hauling in 16 receptions for 272 yards and two touchdowns. Unfortunately for him, his Tiger-Cats needed all those passing yards because they were constantly trailing the Saskatchewan Roughriders. Hamilton was defeated 37-24.

Quarterback Kevin Glenn has had an up and down season, but lately, he has been more high than low. He has thrown for at least 330 yards in three of his last four starts and has three touchdown passes in two of his last three. The two interceptions Glenn threw last week against the Riders were the first blunders he has made since the opening week of the season.

As a result, only Pierce and Montreal’s Anthony Calvillo have higher quarterback ratings this season than Glenn, who currently sits at a lofty 100.8.

Still, thanks to a poor running game which ranks dead last in the league at just 70.6 yards per game, the Tabbies are sixth in the CFL in total offence at 347.4 YPG.

Running back DeAndra’ Cobb has to be losing confidence in a hurry. He rushed for 1,217 yards last season, but is only on a pace for 727 this year. Cobb is averaging the worst YPC amongst starting running backs in the league at 4.0 and his 202 yards on the ground is easily the lowest amongst starting backs.

Dating back to last season, Hamilton is only 1-5 ATS in its last six overall. The team has only had two games in that stretch in which it held its opponents under 34 points.

The Bombers enter this game having covered the CFL spreads in back-to-back games as underdogs.

They’re pups once again on Saturday night, as the Bombers are 2.5-point underdogs. The ‘total’ has been set at 53.5.

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.

Former West Division rivals duke it out at Canad Inns Stadium in the first half of a doubleheader of CFL betting action. This game will be shown live on the NFL Network.

The Eskimos are the last CFL team standing that is in search of its first win of the season. After losses to the British Columbia Lions, Montreal Alouettes and Saskatchewan Roughriders to start the year, the Eskimos find themselves ranking dead last offensively in the league with just 53 total points scored. The defence hasn’t been significantly better, as the 82 points allowed is just third in the West.

Quarterback Ricky Ray is averaging 296.0 passing-yards-per-game, which ranks him third in the CFL amongst starting signal callers. Should he keep up at this pace for the rest of the season, Ray would have yet another 5,000+ yard season, a number in which he has gotten to three times in his career.

The problem Ray has right now is that he isn’t throwing touchdown passes. Only one in three games is absolutely inexcusable for an offence that has this many weapons. Coming into this week, Ray had the two best wide receivers statistically in the CFL. Though Kelly Campbell has a very impressive 21 receptions for 301 yards, it is Fred Stamps that is really stealing the show. He leads all receivers in the league with 24 catches and 399 yards. He 16.6 yards-per-carry average ranks him eighth in the league.

Running back Arkee Whitlock has the second most carries amongst running backs in the CFL with 44 and he has a total of 264 yards on the ground, third in the CFL. Whitlock is one of five players in the CFL that has a pair of rushing touchdowns on the season.

"The problem Ray has right now is that he isn't throwing touchdown passes"

The Bombers have two of those men with two rushing touchdowns, but both are quarterbacks. Backup Steven Jyles has two scores on the goal line on just nine total carries. Starter Buck Pierce only has 13 carries on the year, but he has absolutely made the most of them. Pierce has rushed for 192 yards, giving him an average of 14.8 yards-per-carry, tops in the CFL.

More conventionally through the air, Pierce has led a lethal offence this season. He is completing 65.8 percent of his passes for 774 yards and five touchdowns against just two picks.

Keep a close eye on wide receiver Terrence Edwards, as he is second in the CFL in receiving with 318 yards. On Montreal’s Kerry Watkins has more touchdown receptions (4) than Edwards on the season (3). Edwards is also fourth in the league in yards-per- catch average at 19.9, largely because of a 90-yard touchdown reception against Hamilton the first game of the season.

The Bombers enter Saturday one and a half games behind the Alouettes for first place in the East Division. They have the second highest scoring average in the East and the third highest in the league at 30.0 points-per-game. The defence hasn’t been great though, as allowing 31.0 point-per-game isn’t going to cut it to get Winnipeg into the playoffs.

Last season, the home team took both games SU in this series, but the Bombers snatched both victories against the CFL odds. Winnipeg won 27-17 at home as four point pups, while it also stuck in front of the number in a 19-17 defeat at Commonwealth Stadium late in the season.

Dating back to 2005, Winnipeg has covered seven of the last ten in this rivalry. The Blue Bombers are also 9-4-1 ATS in their last 14 games against teams with a losing record.

If you’re looking for a ‘total’ trend on the game, keep an eye on the ‘under.’ It has cashed in three straight clashes of the Eskies and Bombers, and five out of six as well. ‘Under’ betters are 6-2 in Edmonton’s last eight games overall.

The CFL betting line features a pick ‘em. The ‘total’ has been lined at 54.

Courtesy of SBRForum.com.

As the 2010 CFL season approached, it was hard to find a non-Winnipeg fan that predicted the Bombers to finish any better than third in the East Division. Well, after Winnipeg’s 49-29 victory over the Hamilton Tiger-Cats this past weekend, fans and media figures alike are perhaps beginning to look at the Blue and Gold in a different light.

Heading into their opening week matchup with the Tiger-Cats, there wasn’t much

Pierce to Edwards, the new deadly duo in Winnipeg.

faith being placed in Winnipeg, even though they were at home. When a low majority of people pick a team to win at home in the opening week of play, that spells a lack of trust. At CFL Daily Dose, we certainly didn’t have faith in the Bombers. In our Week 1 Previews and Predictions, none of the writers picked Winnipeg to win.

This writer went so far as to say Pierce would succumb to injury on his first snap.

But Pierce did not fall to injury. He instead decided to put the Bombers on his back. The B.C. Lions decided to let Pierce go in the off-season, opting for Casey Printers to be there starter. In Week 1, Pierce performed better than Printers.

Based on his Week 1 performance, Pierce is beginning to show that it has been his injuries, not his skills that have prevented him from being a star pivot.

The healthy Pierce went 17/25 for 291 yards and two touchdowns. That’s impressive. What’s even more impressive is the fact that Pierce ran for 89 yards and a touchdown. When one thinks of a mobile quarterback, Pierce doesn’t usually pop to mind, especially with his injuries. His ability to run the ball in Week 1 showed Pierce is indeed healthy and willing to sacrifice for his team.

Of course, Winnipeg’s pivot had some help. This help came in the form of wide receiver Terrence Edwards. Edwards recorded 191 yards and two touchdowns. Tough it’s early, Pierce and Edwards could be the next star quarterback-wide receiver combo in the league. Edwards has got to be happy to have a solid pivot getting him the ball.

The most impressive thing about Winnipeg’s offensive performance was the fact that they didn’t need to rely on running back Fred Reid. Reid was only handed the ball 13 times, accumulating 98 yards. Those were good numbers, but last season the Bombers had to rely on Reid much more because of their poor passing game.

Considering the fact that Hamilton scored two special teams touchdowns, the Bombers were solid on defence. Joe Lobendahn, who is attempting to replace the all-star Barrin Simpson at middle linebacker, led the way with eight tackles and two sacks. Phillip Hunt stepped up as well with two sacks on the defensive line.

The Bombers did a good job shutting down Hamilton’s star players. Kevin Glenn had a 50% completion percentage and under 200 passing yards, De’Andra Cobb was a non-factor with 22 rushing yards and Arland Bruce III was limited to three catches for 44 yards.

Now, this writer still believes that the Tiger-Cats will finish second in the East. After all, Hamilton lost to the woeful Toronto Argonauts in Week 1 last season yet still finished second. They were rusty, but Hamilton showed some signs. The game did show that Winnipeg won’t be fighting for third with the Argonauts, but challenging for second and maybe first.

The Bombers won’t make things easy on Hamilton and the Montreal Alouettes this season.

Jonathan Hamelin is an aspiring journalist, who has a freelance contract with the Regina Leader-Post and is a veteran online CFL columnist. He can be followed on Facebook and Twitter.