TORONTO — Could Swayze Waters be headed back north of the border? And what’s the latest on injured Alouettes receiver S.J. Green?
That and much, much more in the latest Checking Down:
Jump to team:
BC | Calgary | Edmonton | Saskatchewan | Winnipeg | Hamilton | Toronto | Ottawa | Montreal
BC LIONS
Another strong performance by Adam Bighill highlighted BC’s Week 8 win (The Canadian Press)
– Jason Arakgi moved into a tie for most all-time special team tackles while Adam Bighill had a big game on his bobblehead night (Mike Beamish, Vancouver Province).
– At 36, Lions starting guard Tim O’Neill is having the best time of his career playing for the team he grew up watching (Cam Tucker, Vancouver Province).
EDMONTON ESKIMOS
Jason Maas and the Eskimos will look to make it two straight in Week 9 vs. Toronto (Johany Jutras/CFL.ca)
– The Eskimos, ranked second-last in the CFL in sacks, have signed veteran defensive end Jason Vega. Part of which has to do with an injury to Marcus Howard (Gerry Moddejonge, Edmonton Journal).
– Conversely, Howard has been placed on the six-game injured list (Dave Campbell, CHED).
– After making the transition from defensive end to linebacker, Deon Lacey is becoming a household name in the CFL (Gerry Moddejonge, Edmonton Journal).
CALGARY STAMPEDERS
Rookie head coach Dave Dickenson is turning his efforts to BC (The Canadian Press)
– Dave Dickenson isn’t taking anything personally after being the target of Chris Jones’ wrath following the Stamps’ win over the Riders in Week 8 (Scott Mitchell, Calgary Herald).
– While Brandon Banks and Chris Rainey are the CFL’s biggest kick return names, Roy Finch, the league’s leader in punt return average, may not be far behind (Rita Mingo, Calgary Herald).
– Bo Levi Mitchell has reportedly been fined for last week’s tweet about the Riders (Gary Lawless, TSN).
SASKATCHEWAN ROUGHRIDERS
Tyler Crapigna could provide a boost to the Riders’ kicking game (Matt Smith, CFL.ca)
– The Riders’ 1-6 start is new territory for many new Riders — but all of them believe in the system and that things will turn around (Ian Hamilton, Regina Leader-Post).
– The Riders expect to have Tyler Crapigna, who’s 16-of-18 on field goals this season, back in the lineup this weekend (Ian Hamilton, Regina Leader-Post).
– Chris Jones has added two veteran defensive backs to his lineup, acquiring Fred Bennett and Jeff Hecht via trade with the Stamps.
WINNIPEG BLUE BOMBERS
Led by Mike O’Shea, the Bombers have won three straight (Adam Gagnon/CFL.ca)
– The Bombers’ season started out rocky, but according to GM Kyle Walters, firing Mike O’Shea was never an option (Gary Lawless, TSN).
– A three-game winning streak has set the Bombers up to go a run considering the play of their defence and their next three opponents. Is a six-game winning streak really possible? (Kirk Penton, Winnipeg Sun).
HAMILTON TIGER-CATS
Zach Collaros played his first game in nearly 11 months in Week 8 (Jimmy Jeong/CFL.ca)
– Kent Austin was left quite impressed by Zach Collaros’ first game in nearly 11 months, despite the Ticats taking the loss (Drew Edwards, 3 Down Nation).
– The Hamilton Tiger-Cats will play host to the annual Canadian Football Hall of Fame Game on Sept. 16 vs. the Montreal Alouettes.
– The Ticats have struggled with penalties on special teams, something Jeff Reinebold says he takes personally (Drew Edwards, The Hamilton Spectator).
TORONTO ARGONAUTS
Former Argos kicker/punter Swayze Waters has become a free agent (Adam Gagnon/CFL.ca)
– It appears Ricky Ray could be back on the field ahead of schedule, as he’s now off the six-game injured list and throwing to receivers (Matthew Scianitti, TSN).
– Former Argo Swayze Waters has been released by the NFL’s Carolina Panthers, but the Argos say they aren’t in need of a kicker right now (Dan Ralph, The Canadian Press).
– The Argos appear to be healthier as Kevin Elliott and Vidal Hazelton are both primed to hit the field in Week 9 while Cory Greenwood and Marshall McFadden could also return (Frank Zicarelli, Toronto Sun).
– Of Logan Kilgore’s five Week 8 interceptions, only one came from a poor decision according to Scott Milanovich (Frank Zicarelli, Toronto Sun).
OTTAWA REDBLACKS
Henry Burris made all the headlines after his rant in Week 7 (Johany Jutras/CFL.ca)
– As the REDBLACKS return from the bye, Henry Burris says he didn’t let the media get under his skin and he stands by his comments made at halftime vs. Edmonton (Gord Holder, Ottawa Citizen).
– While a Trevor Harris return could be on the horizon, the REDBLACKS see no downside to having two good quarterbacks (CFL.ca).
– Jerrell Gavins remains out for Ottawa in Week 9, but fullback Brendan Gillanders is expected to make his 2016 debut while Abdul Kanneh will also be back in the lineup (Gord Holder, Ottawa Citizen).
MONTREAL ALOUETTES
S.J. Green is expected to be ready for 2017 after successful surgery (The Canadian Press)
– While Duron Carter awaits a decision on the appeal of his one-game suspension, will the Alouettes receiver play on Friday night? (Gary Lawless, TSN)
– Speaking of Carter, the Alouettes say they’ve moved on from the Carter-Rick Campbell sideline incident from early in 2016 (TSN).
– S.J. Green has tweeted that he’s undergone successful surgery and is on track for a full recovery. He also tweeted a video with some of his progress on Wednesday.
– Alouettes defensive back Jovon Johnson says his former team will get his best shot when the two clash in Week 9 (Herb Zurkowsky, Montreal Gazette).