The league’s most exciting player is sidelined and there is ownership drama yet again in Montreal, but CFL commissioner Randy Ambrosie remains upbeat as the traditional Labour Day rivalry weekend looms.
Since taking the job in 2017, Ambrosie has usually maintained an optimistic outlook when problems arise and nothing has changed with the latest bad news — B.C. Lions star quarterback Nathan Rourke out, potentially for the season, with a foot injury and an ownership shuffle with the Alouettes.
“There are lots of reasons to be optimistic, but when you get up in the morning you know there’s work to do,” Ambrosie said before heading to Montreal for Friday’s game against the Redblacks.
Ambrosie touched on a variety of topics in an interview with Sportsnet this week.
The Alouettes
Minority owner Gary Stern, who arguably became the face of the franchise with his regular social-media posts, announced he was stepping away from day-to-day operations and resigning from the CFL’s board of directors earlier this week.
The estate of his late father-in-law, Sid Spiegel, has a 75-per-cent stake in the franchise and is now running the team.
On the surface, it would seem less than ideal to have an estate at the helm of the team. Ambrosie doesn’t see it that way, though.
“I’ve had a chance to speak with representatives of the majority shareholder. I’ve been really pleased, really impressed,” Ambrosie said. “We went in not knowing what expectations to have. But so far, they’ve really focused on three messages and they’ve been resolute. One is that it’s steady as she goes. They’ve been in discussions with Mario Cecchini, the CEO and president of the team. Mario’s running the team as he was. The two priorities that they were very clear on is they want to win football games and they want to entertain their fans. Frankly, that’s pretty cool messaging. They’ve been incredibly professional and very thoughtful.”
Nevertheless, it seems entirely possible that a long-term ownership solution will be needed. Ambrosie says the league formed a committee last year to look at potential investors for franchises and is now working with an investment bank.
The Alouettes are just three years removed from having been operated by the league, but Ambrosie insists he’s not worried.
“I think there is a long-term solution (with the current structure),” Ambrosie said. “If that changes, it’ll change. But for today, I think they’ve got a great leader. They’ve got a very strong, very positive message from the majority shareholder. I see nothing but positives in that.”
The quarterbacking landscape
The injury to Rourke was part of a rough stretch for CFL quarterbacks. Injuries and below-average play loomed large in the first half of the season.
The fledgling XFL hired QB guru Jordan Palmer, who has worked with Josh Allen and Joe Burrow, as its director of quarterback development this year. Ambrosie was asked if the CFL has any specific plans for their own quarterbacks.
“We do spend time and did this off-season on the question of quarterback development and how do we approach it,” Ambrosie said. “I think there were a lot of good suggestions and ideas on the table and I think those conversations will continue. But you have to step back a bit. If you do, you’ll see we got Nathan Rourke emerging this year. He got an injury and that’s terrible and we all want Nathan to be back as soon as possible. But what a great story for the league. Look in Calgary, I’m a huge Bo Levi Mitchell fan but now Jake Maier is performing incredibly well. Zach Collaros in Winnipeg and how well he’s done.”
“You always want to look at how you can creatively ensure you have a pipeline of talent including quarterbacks. But when you step back from it today, you have to say there is a lot of bright spots, there’s a lot of very positive things that have happened.”
Labour Day
While crowds have been soft in certain markets this year, Labour Day weekend should help. The Saskatchewan Roughriders have a sellout for their Labour Day eve game against the Winnipeg Blue Bombers and the Hamilton Tiger-Cats have the same for Monday’s showdown with the Toronto Argonauts.
Ambrosie also expects strong crowds in Montreal on Friday and in Calgary for Monday’s Stampeders-Edmonton Elks tilt.
“Labour Day has always been a big part of the CFL story. The thing that’s fascinating is there’s so much at stake in this weekend’s games,” he said.
“I just think the games should be great. Two thirds of our games have been decided in the last three minutes of the game. That’s standard CFL behaviour. I think we’re going to see great football this weekend. The football this year has been really good and I’m expecting more as we get into the second half of the season.”
What we liked in Week 12
• The Stampeders-Blue Bombers game — a 31-29 Winnipeg win. With Rourke out, these appear to be the top two teams in the league — and they played like it.
• Roughriders QB Cody Fajardo’s play. After getting benched the previous week, Fajardo was 19-for-24 for 321 yards and two touchdowns in a 23-16 win over B.C.
What we didn’t like in Week 12
• Yet another second-half collapse by the Tiger-Cats against the Argonauts. What’s more, quarterback Matthew Shiltz is out after suffering a wrist injury. The Ticats’ season will likely be on the line on Labour Day.
• Another home loss by the Elks — making it 13 losses in a row in Edmonton dating back to 2019. This one was to league-worst Ottawa, resulting in a home-and-home split with the road team winning each contest. The Redblacks also have been awful at home.
• An apparent groin injury to Lions QB Michael O’Connor. The Ottawa native got the start after Rourke, another Canadian, was hurt, but his stay in the job might not last long after the injury. The Lions acquired Vernon Adams Jr. in a trade with the Alouettes this week.
Week 13 picks
Ottawa Redblacks at Montreal Alouettes (-4.5), Friday, 7:30 p.m. ET / 4:30 p.m. PT
Second of four in a row at home for the Alouettes, who have won their past two games. PICK: Montreal
Winnipeg Blue Bombers (-3.5) at Saskatchewan Roughriders, Sunday, 6 p.m. ET / 3 p.m. PT
A Grey Cup-hosting season hasn’t gone according to plan for the Roughriders, but a win here could be a turning point. PICK: Winnipeg
Toronto Argonauts at Hamilton Tiger-Cats (-1.5), Monday, 1 p.m. ET / 10 a.m. PT
The Ticats are on a series-best seven-game winning streak against the Argos on Labour Day. PICK: Toronto
Edmonton Elks at Calgary Stampeders (-12.5), Monday, 4 p.m. ET / 1 p.m. PT
The Elks won last year’s Labour Day game after losing the past eight holiday classics against Calgary. PICK: Calgary
2022 record: 26-21
(Odds from FanDuel as of Thursday night)
Power rankings
1. Winnipeg Blue Bombers (10-1, Last week: 1): Responded nicely after losing their first of the season against Montreal the previous week.
2. Calgary Stampeders (6-4, Last week: 3): Maier looked like the real deal in a showdown against Collaros. Two in a row against the last-place Elks coming up.
3. B.C. Lions (8-2, Last week: 2): Bye week comes at a good time with two quarterbacks hurt and another acquired in a trade. We’ll see if Adams can resurrect his career on the West Coast.
4. Toronto Argonauts (5-5, Last week: 5): It’s hard to predict what you’re going to get week to week from the Argos, but they put together a big win last week against the Ticats.
5. Saskatchewan Roughriders (6-5, Last week: 6): Got a much-needed win over the Lions heading into home-and-home with the Blue Bombers.
6. Montreal Alouettes (4-6, Last week: 4): Seems a bit unfair that they drop after a bye last week. Despite the ownership drama, they could be in good shape if they beat Ottawa on Friday.
7. Hamilton Tiger-Cats (3-8, Last week: 7): It’s now or never for Dane Evans, who hasn’t been good this year after being given the No. 1 QB job. Two-time reigning East champs are in trouble.
8. Edmonton Elks (3-8, Last week: 8): The good news is the Elks are not playing at home this week. Anything less than a split in a home-and-home with Calgary likely ends Edmonton’s season.
9. Ottawa Redblacks (2-8, Last week: 9): Because the East has been so bad, the Redblacks will have a real playoff shot if they can upset the Alouettes on Friday.
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