Inside the CFL: Kelly’s Peerless Pigskin Prognostication

By MEDICINE HAT NEWS on June 8, 2023.

sports@medicinehatnews.com@MedicineHatNews

Can Winnipeg Wing Commander Zach Collaros win his third straight Most Outstanding Player Award? Will Elk herder Chris Jones beat Roughrider boss Craig Dickenson to the unemployment line? Can Lion tamer Rick Campbell make a silk purse out of two sows’ ears? Will everything be Jake at the Crowchild Corral? It’s time for my Fearless Football Forecast otherwise known as Kelly’s Peerless Pigskin Prognostication.

Winnipeg should be favoured to finish first, given they lost only two starters from their 2022 team. But they are aging. While appearing in three straight Cups, winning twice, everything has gone Winnipeg’s way, cracks may be appearing. The re-acquired outstanding receiver Kenny Lawler has been hit with a three-game suspension over impaired driving problems. That could be the first leak in the dike.

After three years of good health, MLB Adam Bighill, DE Jackson Jeffcoat and DBs Desmond Lawerence and Winston Rose, along with running back Brady Oliveira, missed most of training camp and won’t be 100 per cent Friday night against Hamilton. But this team is so good, 50 per cent may be enough.

All-Star quarterback Collaros has been leading a charmed life after his nearly eight seasons mostly with Hamilton and Saskatchewan were marred by concussions. The next blow to the head could end his career. Dru Brown is the backup, but even with outstanding receivers like Dalton Schoen and Nic Demski and a superb offensive line, they won’t win the West if Collaros gets hurt.

Addition by subtraction? Michael O’Shea finally cut kicker Marc Liegghe.

Despite injuries and Father Time, Winnipeg should be able to finish first again.

When it comes time for predictions you can usually depend on Calgary to make the play-offs. They haven’t missed since 2004 and have been the CFL’s most successful organization this century. They don’t blow teams up or do anything drastic. They tinker and tweak. A few days ago the Stampeders had the best offensive line in the league. Then they cut former all-star Derek Dennis after which Joshua Coker, Zach Williams and Bryce Bell pulled up lame. Facing the Lions tonight, John Hufnagel and Dave Dickenson are worried men, but they won’t be worried long. They always adjust to adversity.

Calgary has a superb running game with Ka’Deem Carey backed up by Dedrick Mills who is almost as good. Malik Henry and Reggie Begeleton lead a deep receiving corps. Rookie Canadian slotback Cole Tucker looks like a future star. The big question mark is quarterback: How good will Jake Maier be in his first full season as a starter? The rap on him after he replaced Bo Levi Mitchell was he was too conservative and couldn’t go deep. But Dave Dickenson calls the plays.

The Stamps’ defence is excellent, the special teams superb. Second place.

Spring is the time for renewal on the prairies. That is certainly true in Saskatchewan where so much is new: a new offensive co-ordinator, quarterback, receiving corps and line.

The Riders have a powerful defensive line with Pete Robertson, Anthony Lanier II, Micah Johnson and Miles Brown. Larry Dean leads terrific linebackers and the secondary is solid. Defensive co-ordinator Jason Shivers gets little attention but he’s one of the best.

The offence must and will be better. The fans won’t have Jason Maas to kick around anymore. His replacement as co-ordinator is Kelly Jeffery. Veteran Trevor Harris replaces the beloved Cody Fajardo at quarterback. They’d better win, starting Sunday in Edmonton. But the Riders are the only team that doesn’t draw an Eastern opponent the first third of the schedule.

They won both their preseason games. The last time they did that was 2007 when they captured their third Grey Cup.

B.C. has an excellent receiving corps and strong defence. Their O-line is average, their ground game a big question mark. It all comes down to quarterback. The oft-injured Vernon Adams, Jr. has only played 16 games the past two seasons. His backup, former Ti-Cat Dane Evans, is really inconsistent. Both are mediocre. Fourth place.

The dark ruminant in the race is Edmonton. Chris Jones brought in dozens of bodies last year. To improve the worst defence in the West he has brought in proven veterans. The offence has lots of weapons . They may be good. Their first hurtle is to end a two-year home winless streak.

Graham Kelly has covered the CFL for the Medicine Hat News for 51 years. Feedback for this column can be emailed to sports@medicinehatnews.com.