CFL 2005 in Review: Regular Season Part One
Published on December 20, 2005 under Canadian Football League (CFL) News Release
Toronto, ON (December 20, 2005) - In celebration of the 2005 season, the CFL continues to revisit this past year to recapture some of the great moments from season opener in June through to August.
June
CFL on TSN - Two high-profile names joined the CFL on TSN announce team for 2005. Twenty-year broadcast veteran Chris Cuthbert joins the TSN team as the primary voice of the CFL on TSN and in the studio, TSN added Matt Dunigan as an analyst.
CFL on CBC - Veteran CBC Sports announcer Mark Lee became the primary voice of the CFL on CBC. Lee, with colour commentator Chris Walby called the overtime thriller, 93rd Grey Cup in Vancouver.
McManus Surpasses Lancaster - Hamilton Tiger-Cats pivot Danny McManus surpassed Ron Lancaster's 50,535 career passing yards, moving him into second place all-time in the CFL record books. McManus threw for 2,544 yards in 2005, bringing his career total to 52,795.
Rogers CFL Player Awards Return for 2005 - The Rogers CFL Player Awards program returned for its third season in 2005. Players were awarded for outstanding play during the season on a weekly and monthly basis. The Fans' Choice Award allowed CFL fans to select a "Player of the Game" in all TSN broadcasts and culminated with the presentation of the Rogers CFL Fans' Choice Award presented at the Rogers Player Awards Ceremonies during Grey Cup week. After more than 40,000 votes were cast, the fans selected Damon Allen as this year's Rogers Fans' Choice award recipient.
Rogers CFL Players of the Week - Week 1: Dave Dickenson (Offence), LaDouphyous McCalla (Defence), Rashad Jeanty (Lineman), Corey Holmes (Special Teams)
July
Canada Day Bash - This represents the first of the three CFL classic long weekends. The Canada Day Bash was home to one of the year's most exciting football games. The first match-up on Canada Day saw the Ottawa Renegades play host to the Montreal Alouettes. Down by 23 points heading into the fourth quarter, the Renegades charged back in the final frame, sending the game into overtime. The outcome was decided with a 14-yard field goal by Matt Kellett (former Alouette) in the second overtime, giving the âGades the 39-36 advantage.
In the second contest of the Canada Day games, the Toronto Argonauts defeated the Calgary Stampeders 22-16 at McMahon Stadium.
CFL Wireless - In partnership with Setanta Media, the CFL launched a comprehensive wireless sports content package in the United States. CFL fans south of the border can now receive real-time news and scores for the nine Canadian football teams, along with player profiles, interviews, feature stories, game schedules, venues, and other updates. In August the service expanded to include SMS applications, downloadable player images, team logos, games, ring-tones and wallpaper, as well as video and audio components.
Commissioner Wright - On July 19, Commissioner Tom Wright confirmed his decision to remain at the helm of the Canadian Football League as the 11th Commissioner, accepting a new agreement from the CFL's Board of Governors that sees his tenure extended through to the end of 2006.
Landry Dashes for Two - In one of the year's most riveting contests, Montreal's Ezra Landry returned a 74-yard punt return for a touchdown and ran back a missed field goal 125 yards for a major, the fourth longest missed field goal-return in League history. The Alouettes ended up edging the Edmonton Eskimos 32-29 on a last-second field goal by rookie kicker Damon Duval.
CFL Extends Corporate Roster - As the CFL entered its fourth week of regular season on-field action, the League continued to build upon its off-field performance with a commitment to building a strong roster of key partners including the addition of Canon Canada Inc. and Reckitt Benckiser (Canada) Inc. through its FRANK'S® RedHot® brand.
Lazaruk Joins 500 Club - On July 30th, as the Hamilton Tiger-Cats visited Commonwealth Stadium to take on the Edmonton Eskimos, referee Ken Lazaruk's officiated his 500th career game in the CFL.
Hitchcock Sets Club Record - Hamilton's Rob Hitchcock surpassed Joe Montford to become the Ticats' all-time tackle leader. Hitchcock finished the campaign with 53 tackles, bringing his career and Ticat total to 464.
Ray and Calvillo Shine - Quarterbacks Ricky Ray and Anthony Calvillo both had stellar performances in the month of July.
In a 51-46 loss against the Winnipeg Blue Bombers, Calvillo passed for 439 yards and three touchdowns, surpassing Alouette-great Sam Etcheverry for the most passing yards in Montreal's history. At a league level, Calvillo has thrown for 44,692 yards, fourth highest total among CFL pivots.
A week later in Edmonton, Ray threw for five touchdowns and 369 yards. The five TD game was a personal best for Ray, however it was three majors shy of the CFL record held by Joe Zuger (Hamilton). Ray and the Eskimos defeated the Hamilton Tiger-Cats that game by a score of 36-30.
Rogers CFL Players of the Week - Week 2: Kerry Joseph (Offence), Michael Fletcher (Defence), Demetrious Maxie (Lineman), Matt Kellett (Special Teams) Week 3: Nealon Greene (Offence), Richard Karikari (Defence), Anthony Collier (Lineman), Ezra Landry (Special Teams) Week 4: Josh Ranek (Offence), William Fields (Defence), Gavin Walls (Lineman), Tony Tompkins (Special Teams) Week 5: Charles Roberts (Offence), George White (Defence), Mike Abou-Mechrek (Lineman), Tony Tompkins (Special Teams) Week 6: Antonio Warren (Offence), Korey Banks (Defence), Rashad Jeanty (Lineman), Noel Prefontaine (Special Teams)
Rogers CFL Players of the Month - Dave Dickenson (Offence), Michael Fletcher (Defence), Anthony Collier (Lineman), Tony Tompkins (Special Teams).
Trades & Transactions - The Edmonton Eskimos traded defensive lineman Clinton Wayne to the Montreal Alouettes in exchange for wide receiver Kwame Cavil. Neither player was on the Grey Cup roster.
August
Westwood Continues Perfect Streak - The month of August kicked off with a CFL record for consistency. Winnipeg Blue Bomber Troy Westwood connected on his 561st consecutive convert, surpassing Lui Passaglia's mark of 560 straight converts made. The new CFL benchmark set by Westwood sits at 601 heading into 2006.
Penalty Statistics Show Decline - Increased time and investment committed by the League toward training and game preparation of CFL officials, plus increased dialog between coaches and officiating staff paid dividends in 2005.
Through the first six months of the 2005 regular season, officials threw an average of 21.5 flags per game. The same statistic from the 2004 campaign for the same time period was 26.2 flags, for a decrease year-over-year of 18%.
Canadian Football League Stories from December 20, 2005
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