Hello, Week 11. I know this column is all about Week 9 and that Week 10 is coming right up with some tasty match-ups (Cody back in Montreal, a critical Toronto\/Ottawa tilt and Winnipeg hoping for a revenge game in Calgary), but I can\u2019t help but know you are on the horizon.<\/p>\n
Because after the weekend\u2019s games, I got to thinking \u201cwhen do we get to see Sasky and the Hammer?\u201d<\/p>\n
And it\u2019s not far away at all, with the CFL\u2019s two hottest teams clashing in Regina on August 16.<\/p>\n
So here\u2019s to you, Week 11. I see you coming.<\/p>\n
But first, I see Week 9 going. Here are the takeaways.<\/p>\n
RELATED WELL DONE, NO NOTES<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n Coming off a bye and in kinda desperate need of a win to get their 2025 chances back on the rails, the Ottawa REDBLACKS jumped back into action and knocked off the injury-weakened Calgary Stampeders by a score of 31-11.<\/p>\n It was a well-rounded effort and the defence, in particular, stood out, with three picks and holding the Calgary ground attack to a paltry 35 yards on 17 rushes.<\/p>\n Asked by TSN 1200 Radio\u2019s AJ Jakubec what he liked, specifically, about his defence\u2019s strong showing, Ottawa head coach Bob Dyce replied:<\/p>\n \u201cTruly, it was everything.\u201d<\/p>\n Alrighty then.<\/p>\n On to Toronto, where the defence merely needs to hit the \u201crepeat\u201d button. Always easier said than done.<\/p>\n KILLER INSTINCT: LOCATED<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n Last week, after the Saskatchewan Roughriders held on to keep the Edmonton Elks at bay for their sixth win of the season, head coach Corey Mace addressed media queries about his team\u2019s perceived lack of killer instinct.<\/p>\n The implication was that although they were 6-1, too many of the six were too adventurous in the end.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re missing it somewhere, right now,\u201d Mace had said. \u201cBut, man, we\u2019re still gettin\u2019 kills.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWe know how we would like to finish games,\u201d he added. \u201cWe\u2019ll continue to push ourselves to be able to do it the way we would like to do it.\u201d<\/p>\n One week later, in the aftermath of a 34-6 win in Montreal, Mace was satisfied.<\/p>\n \u201cBe us every play, play with conviction,\u201d he said of his team\u2019s stifling effort, which included killer instinct galore.<\/p>\n \u201cThe last piece was the finish. Today, I thought we did all three.\u201d<\/p>\n Perfect way to head to a bye.<\/p>\n IT SEEMS LIKE A BIZARRO WORLD KIND OF THING BUT MAYBE IT\u2019S JUST THE NEW NORMAL<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n Hamilton quarterback Bo Levi Mitchell<\/a> has been known for a lot of things over the years.<\/p>\n The threat to run and pocket escapability haven\u2019t really been two of those things. Not since he was a younger quarterback, anyway.<\/p>\n But as this season progresses, we are seeing more and more evidence that opposing defences will have to at least think about the possibility of the veteran quarterback taking off when pass coverage is tight and the pocket is collapsing.<\/p>\n In Saturday\u2019s win against Edmonton, Mitchell avoided a couple of what I thought were sure sacks in order to complete passes downfield on plays he extended. On another, he dashed for five yards on second down to set the Ticats up for an easy conversion on third and inches.<\/p>\n \u201cHe\u2019s doing a great job of moving in the pocket,\u201d said Hamilton head coach Scott Milanovich after the game.<\/p>\n Nobody\u2019s saying Mitchell is gonna be a Tracy Ham or Damon Allen type of threat going forward. Or a Nathan Rourke.<\/p>\n But if he can keep up the positive plays on the rare occasion that his offensive line can\u2019t give him the usual five or six steamboats he\u2019s been getting from them, well, that will make the Hamilton offence that much more difficult to stop.<\/p>\n THAT\u2019S NOT YOUR USUAL KIND OF ECLIPSE<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n Winnipeg Blue Bombers veteran defensive lineman Willie Jefferson<\/a> has blotted out the sun on many a quarterback during his illustrious career, but maybe never quite the way he did on Friday night in his team\u2019s 40-31 win over Toronto.<\/p>\n
\u00bb Ticats hold off Elks behind Bo Levi Mitchell\u2019s three TDs<\/a>
\u00bb Riders dominate Als in seventh win of season<\/a>
\u00bb Trey Vaval\u2019s two return touchdowns spark Bombers\u2019 win over Argos<\/a>
\u00bb REDBLACKS down Stampeders to grab first home win of the season<\/a>
\u00bb\u00a0Sign up and watch CFL games on CFL+ in the U.S. and Internationally<\/a><\/p>\n