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2017 Canadian Football League: Week 14 Talking Points

Grey Cup (Cmm3 - Wikimedia Commons)
Roar Guru
28th September, 2017
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Playoff positions are on the line as we creep towards the final quarter of the 2017 regular season, with our sights set on TD Place Stadium in Ottawa, Ontario, where the 105th Grey Cup Game will be held in late November.

It’s been drama upon drama this CFL season, and week 14 was no different. Here are my talking points from another big weekend.

James Wilder had another huge game
One week ago, the Toronto Argonauts back had a coming out party, totalling 457 yards of total offense against Edmonton, and Wilder’s performance this past Saturday was arguably even better.

He ran for 141 yards on ten carries, with a massive 85-yard touchdown, tight roping the BMO Field sideline, and added six catches for 77 yards to total 218 yards to help the Argos beat Montreal 33-19.

Granted, Wilder didn’t come near matching his total yardage from last week, but the key here is that he had another big game. This performance doesn’t feel like a one-hit wonder.

If the former Florida State Seminole had come out and run for maybe twenty yards and found it really tough going, we’d have all moved on, but Wilder backed up last week’s effort with another impressive outing, and it looks like he’s going to become a dangerous fixture in the Argos backfield.

With Ottawa dealing with quarterback issues and Hamilton probably too far back and Montreal looking like a basket-case at the moment, the Argos are increasingly looking like the best team in the East.

Granted, that isn’t saying much, but I feel like – in the vein of Ottawa and Henry Burris one year ago – Ricky Ray and that receiving corps, with James Wilder in the backfield, could claim a scalp or two in the playoffs.

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Calgary’s defence is amazing
There are big-name players all over the field for the Stampeders: Charleston Hughes, Micah Johnson, Josh Bell and Alex Singleton. And, there’s Ja’Gared Davis, the former SMU Mustang, who had quite an outing in Calgary’s tough 15-9 road victory over Saskatchewan on Sunday afternoon.

He recorded three sacks and clinched the game with causing a Brandon Bridge fumble. Davis was right there to recover the fumble he’d caused, helping his team to get out of New Mosaic Stadium with a crucial West division win.

At this point, Calgary are going to cause serious headaches for every team they face. Devone Claybrooks has them playing as well as any defense has played in recent memory. They boast a wealth of talent at every level, led by Singleton at middle linebacker, a serious candidate for Most Outstanding Player, and moving the football on them is tough.

The way the Stamps are playing on that side of the ball, I wouldn’t be at all surprised to see them in Ottawa in late November, seeking Grey Cup redemption.

Sergio Castillo gives Hamilton another win
The TiCats kicker nailed a 50-yard field goal to give Hamilton a much-needed 24-23 win over the BC Lions. It was their first win in Vancouver since 2011, and keeps the TiCats alive – if only barely – in the East.

Trent Richardson is a Rough Rider
The former Cleveland and Indianapolis running back, an Alabama graduate, has finally arrived in Canada, and will link up with Chris Jones to bolster the Saskatchewan backfield ahead of a run towards the playoffs.

There was a false start with the former Crimson Tide star, who looked set to sign in Regina back in August, but seemed to cool on the idea at the time.

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Now, he’s actually arrived, to join former Tide star and close friend Christion Jones, and may actually see some game action this week.

It’ll be interesting to see what sort of an impact the twenty-six-year-old back can have. He may be in the prime of his career, but he hasn’t played competitively for a couple of years, so there are a few questions that need to be answered.

If it works, Jones will look like a genius. But if Richardson performs like he did during his ineffective stay in Indianapolis, you can bet the polarising Riders coach will catch plenty of heat.

Montreal have quarterback issues
Another week, another East division quarterback problem. This time it’s in Montreal, where incumbent starter Darian Durant, who hasn’t been great for most of this season, has a hamstring injury that’s probably going to keep him out of this weekend’s game against Calgary.

It looks like we’ll see more of Drew Willy this week. He took first team reps in the week, and with the way Durant has been playing – fourteen interceptions leads the Canadian Football League, in a category you really don’t want to be tops in – it might not be a bad thing.

Bad week for Willy to get the start if it eventuates that way, given the Als are on the road against the white-hot Calgary defence.

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