Inside the CFL: Speed is the name of the 2025 CFL game

By MEDICINE HAT NEWS on July 31, 2025.

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rriba, Arriba!” cried speedy Gonzalez, the fastest mouse in all Mexico. “Let’s go!”

That pretty much describes defences in the 2025 CFL.

A big change in football the last few years is how much faster the game has become.

You might expect that with receivers and running backs but it is also true of defensive players at every position. Speed is the name of the game. Because of the swarming attack defences, quarterbacks have to be better than ever at reading those defences.

Speed readers get the ball away faster. It takes Trevor Harris 2.14 seconds to read the defence and throw the pass. Bo Levi Mitchell and Vernon Adams Jr. are right behind. Cody Fajardo demonstrated against Saskatchewan that he can still read and throw. Zach Collaros was the best but injuries have slowed him down with the end of his career in sight.

His replacement Chris Streveler can’t read nor pass, neither can Tre Ford in Edmonton. Ford is the more attractive marketing tool up North because of his nationality but the best marketing tool is winning. Fajardo can do that and should continue to start.

The leading passer in the league at this point is Mitchell in terms of completions and yardage. His Ti-Cats have won five in a row.

As spectacular as he has been, when it comes to efficiency rating, Roughrider Trevor Harris is the prince of pivots with a mark of 118.3. Compare that with Mitchell’s 109.2, Rourke’s 107.5 and Ford at 95.9. Farjado, with one complete game under his belt, is 134. That won’t last. Vernon Adams Jr. is 102.5, anything under 100 is unacceptable.

That would include McLeod Bethel-Thompson, the Alouette backup who bitterly berated TSN for downgrading his abilities. His rating is 86.6, and it is no accident the teams with veteran quarterbacks have surrendered the fewest sacks and have formidable ground games. Think of A.J. Ouellette, Dedrick Mills and James Butler.

An anomaly in all this is the 2024 Grey Cup MVP Argo quarterback Nick Arbuckle, who is finally getting some respect. Quarterbacks are ranked according to passing yards, Toronto has the No. 3 passing attack but rank eighth in total offence and have surrendered the most sacks, 21, and have won only two games. Arbuckle’s efficiency rating is a poor 97.6.

So a quarterback’s main jobs are to read defences and throw, being able to run is a bonus.

The best quarterbacks to combine the ability to both run and pass were Doug Flutie, Damon Allen and Tracy Ham. Matt Dunigan was great at both but paid a terrible price in shoulder, leg and head injuries while the other three were relatively healthy. I think Nathan Rourke has what it takes to join that August group.

But, oh, those speed demons on defence.

Saskatchewan’s front four of Carney – Malik, that is, not Mark – Micah Johnson, Mike Rose and Shane Ray is the best in the league. Along with linebackers C.J. Reaves, A.J. Allen and Jameer Thurman they sacked Fajardo eight times in their 21-18 win over the Elks. Carey, Johnson and Ray each had two take-downs, Allen and Reaves one each. The secondary was so dominant Fajardo had trouble finding an open receiver. He kept trying, only taking off with the ball four times for 30 yards.

The Cat fight on the coast last Sunday showcased the CFL at its most entertaining. The teams combined for 919 yards total offence. B.C. seemed to have the upper hand but in the end they couldn’t contain Canadian receiver Kiendre Smith who caught 14 passes for 141 yards and two touchdowns, stepping up when the lions double-teamed the great Kenny Lawlor.

With a couple minutes left the home team went into the lead but Bo Levi led a winning touchdown drive that proved again the prevent defence prevents the team using it from winning. Despite all the offensive heroics, the most spectacular play was Lion cub Robert Carter’s incredible interception in the end-zone.

Tonight Calgary plays in Ottawa. The Redblacks handed them their first of two losses in Calgary. Under concussion protocol, Adams Jr. may not play. His backup P.J. Walker was dreadful against Montreal last week. Making winning more difficult for the Westerners is they will be playing their fourth game in 20 days. Ridiculous scheduling.

Graham Kelly has covered the CFL for the Medicine Hat News for 53 years. Feedback for this column can be emailed to sports@medicinehatnews.com.