CFL Weekly Report

by David Standish
Published on August 1, 2002 under Canadian Football League (CFL)

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Thursday, August 01 Ottawa Renegades at Toronto Argonauts 7:30 ET - TSN

Ottawa Notes: The Renegades announced that kicker Demitri Scouras and defensive back Duane Provo have been released from the team's practice roster.

Darren Davis will miss the game with a neck injury and Mark Nohra will take the starting running back position.

The third quarter of this game could prove very interesting. The Renegades have been outscored 65-7 in that period while the Argos are being beaten up 56-13 in their games so far. Ottawa has played very well in front of their home fans at Frank Clair Stadium winning two of three so far. It's on the road where they've had problems, losing both and being outscored 95-31 in those games. Ottawa is second in giveaway-takeaway ratio, with a +5 rating. They also share the lead in picks with eight as a team, with Alfonso Roundtree having two of those to his credit.

Toronto Notes: Toronto is expected to start Reggie Slack, who has been out of football for two years.

The Argonauts signed 2000 Grey Cup MVP Robert Drummond to a season ending contract this past week to fill the running back spot vacated by the recently re-injured Juan Johnson.

Michael Bishop and the Arongauts find themselves last in 20 of the league's offensive categories, including only scoring 13.4 points per game. Bishop and his fellow QBs have been sacked 19 times so far. However Orlando Steinauer leads the CFL with 31 tackles so far in five games.

Ottawa Injured List: BOIREAU, Michael (DL), ASHLEY, Donnie (WR), DE LA PERRALLE, David (OL), GAUTHIER, Alexandre (OL), KIRWAN, Andre (WR), VAUGHN, Gerald (DB)

Toronto Injured List: JACKSON, Stanley (QB), JOHNSON, Juan (RB), LEVINGSTON, Bashir (DB), RAY, Darryl (WR), SAWATZKY, Garry (OL)

Thursday, August 01 Saskatchewan Roughriders at Hamilton Tiger-Cats 5:30 MT, 7:30 ET

Hamilton Notes: The Cats are -11 in the turnover ratio as QB Danny McManus has continued his past trends of many interceptions with very few sacks against. Hamilton's receivers have been as strong as ever as currently Archie Amerson leads the five game group with 432 yards and Darren Flutie is third with 366. Despite missing what would have been the game winning field goal with three seconds last week against Ottawa, Paul Osbaldiston still leads the five game group with 56 kicking points so far this year.

Saskatchewan Notes: The Roughriders have not won in Hamilton since August of 1997. On the other side of the kicking game, Saskatchewan's Paul McCallum leads the CFL with 90.9% accuracy on his 11 attempts so far. On the injury side of things both quarterbacks are resting an injury; Nealon Greene has a pulled left hamstring and Danny McManus has a sprained right ankle. No word yet if either will miss Thursday's game.

Saskatchewan Injured List: BENDROSS, Demetris (WR), BOGLIN, Armand (LB), BUSH, Davin (DB), BUTLER, Ian (QB), DAVIS, Nathan (DL), MOORE, Andrew (OL)

Hamilton Injured List: CHAHINE, Samir (OL), FIELDS, Haven (LB), FREEMAN, Mace (WR), HACK, Dave (OT), HIPSZ, Tom (DT), MERKERSON, Ron (LB), MIHELIC, Mike (G), MILES, Tony (WR), SPENCER, Marcus (DB)

Thursday, August 01 Calgary Stampeders at BC Lions 7:30 PT, 8:30 MT - TSN

Game Notes: This game features the two most inaccurate field goal kickers this season. Mark Mcloughlin has made only six of his 10 attempts so far, including what would have been the game winner three weeks ago in Hamilton with time run out on the clock. That is only surpassed by Matt Kellett of the Lions who has made only five of nine so far, including four in a row on July 9th against Toronto where the B.C. faithful booed him at his home building after he missed a game winner with no time left. The Lions won both regular season games last season and three of the last four at B.C. Place. However, the Stampeders won the Western division semifinal game at McMahon Stadium last November.

For the Stampeders WR Tyree Davis has been inserted into the lineup and CFL special teams player of the week Raymonn Adams will be removed. The club only had 91 yards passing in their win last week against the Riders and hope Davis can produce similar numbers in the red and white as he did in 2001 with the Alouettes (56 catches for 874 yards and five touchdowns). In the rushing category, Kelvin Anderson has run for 67 yards per game against the Lions since 1996. Conversly, Sean Millington has only run for 26 yards per game against the Stampeders in the same time period.

Stampeders Injured List: CARTER, Andrew (OL), LOUD, Kamil (WR), OOSTERHUIS, Jon (DL), POPE, O'Lester (OL)

Lions Injured List: CRUMB, Mike (S), FAIRBROTHER, Benjamin (OT), TAYLOR, Tyrone (WR), WALLACE, Alex (CB), WHITE, Emmett (RB), WHITE, Wes (OL), WRIGHT, Chris (RB)

Friday, August 02 Edmonton Eskimos at Montreal Alouettes 5:00 MT, 7:00 ET - TSN, RDS

In what could be the best game of the season so far, the 4-1 Eskimos travel to Montreal to face the 5-0 Alouettes.

Edmonton Notes: Edmonton's backup QB Ricky Ray made an immediate impact in his first CFL start completing 21 of 28 passes for 277 yards and four touchdowns. His main target was Ed Hervey, who caught five for 129 yards and two scores in the third quarter as the Eskimos pulled away from the Lions during that period scoring 17 points. This week the Eskimos announced the signing of free agent defensive end/linebacker Tito Hannah who had spent the last two seasons with the Alouettes. Montreal signed OL Jerry Crafts 6'7'', 350 lbs. after Neal Fort was injured two weeks ago against the Stampeders. The Eskimos have not won at Molson Stadium since July of 1997 and the home team has won eight of the last 10 in their series.

Montreal Notes: The Alouettes have won five straight games in 2002 and are starting to make fans forget their eight game losing streak to end last season. They were 4-1 after five games in 2001. To relive some history, the Alouettes and Eskimos met each other in the Grey Cup game five out of six years between 1974 and 1979. Edmonton won three of those meetings, including the 1978 and 1979 games, which began their run of five straight championships under coach Hugh Campbell. Their contest in 1975 in Calgary, a 9-8 win for the Eskimos was the lowest scoring Grey Cup game since 1944. And no wonder, the temperature at field level was below -35 degrees Celsius throughout.

Eskimos Injured List: ABDULLAH, Rahim (LB), BURKE, Patrick (DB), PETERSON, Jerome (DB), PILON, Marc (LB), ROBERTS, Jed (DL), SMITH, Keith (QB), TUCKER, Jason (WR), WILLIAMS, Ronald (RB)

Alouettes Notes: FORT, Neal (T), GIBSON, Phil (DL), PETZ, Mat (LB), STABLES, Harvey (SB), STRICKLAND, Timothy (CB)

Players of the Week

CFL Offensive Player-of-the-Week - Milt Stegall SB - Winnipeg Blue Bombers

Stegall had 18 receptions for 354 yards and five touchdowns in two games during week #5.

Runners Up: Edmonton QB Ricky Ray #15, Montreal WR Pat Woodcock #16

CFL Defensive Player-of-the-Week - Alphonso Roundtree - DB - Ottawa Renegades

Roundtree had three defensive tackles, knocked down three passes and intercepted two passes

Runners Up: Winnipeg LB Lamar McGriggs #36, B.C. LB Barrin Simpson #51

CFL Lineman-of-the-Week - Seth Dittman - OT - Ottawa Renegades

Dittman was coming off the line and engulfing people on his run blocks.

Runners Up: Toronto DE Joe Montford #53, Montreal DL Robert Brown #94

CFL Special Teams Player-of-the-Week - Raymonn Adams - RB - Calgary Stampeders

Adams ran for 117 yards on two (2) kick-off returns and 45 yards on six (6) punt returns.

Runners Up: Montreal SB Keith Stokes #6, B.C. RB Willie Hurst #33

Canadian Football League Stories from August 1, 2002

• CFL Weekly Report - OSC Original by David Standish
• Ticket Sales Big for B.C. Game - Winnipeg Blue Bombers
• Alouettes Celebrate Pierre Vercheval - Montreal Alouettes
• Reid named CFL Player of the Month - Montreal Alouettes

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