By Richard Obrand,
MontrealAlouettes.com
Diamonds in the rough
It’s no secret that Alouettes general manager Jim Popp stands alone when it comes to finding talent, but who knew he was so good at hiding it?
Last week, after spending more than two seasons on the practice roster, Als receiver S.J. Green finally made headlines. Green caught five passes for 113 yards and a touchdown, thrusting himself among the league leaders in receiving.
While it may still be early, could it be that Popp has added another sure-fire weapon into head coach Marc Trestman’s artillery?
Tune in Saturday at 3 p.m. as the Als face the Roughriders at Regina’s Mosaic (RDS HD, TSN HD, CKAC SPORTS, CJAD 800 AM, 98,5 FM) to find out.
Does Hamilton’s have one as well?
Sticking with the East, the Hamilton Tiger-Cats may have also found a hidden gem.
In his firts career game, import running back DeAndra’ Cobb took home Offensive Player of the Week honours for Week 2 after rushing for 100 yards and a touchdown while adding 75 more receiving.
On the injury front
Week 2 is in the books and with that, comes the injury report:
BC Lions:
Paul McCallum – While the 39-year old kicker from Vancouver may have saved a touchdown, was it entirely worth it?
In an attempt at hauling down Hamilton kick returner Marquay McDaniel, McCallum dragged the speedy return artist onto the turf, but not before dragging him onto his own leg tearing the kicker’s MCL and PCL in his right knee. The 17-year CFL veteran is expected to miss 6-8 weeks of action.
Last season saw McCallum reach 187 points, 3rd in the CFL among kickers. The Lions have activated 23-year old kicker Sean Whyte as his replacement.
Winnipeg Blue Bombers:
Arjei Franklin – The Scarborough, ON, native is reportedly going to miss 6-8 weeks with an ankle injury, which may prove costly to the Bombers as Franklin becomes the second Canadian forced out of the lineup this season following Doug Brown.
The Bombers’ top pick in the 2005 CFL Canadian Draft, Franklin has five catches for 53 yards this season.
Is the East finally Beast?
After years of playing second-fiddle to their neighbours of the west, could it be that the CFL’s East Division is finally ready to take over as the league’s better half?
Through two weeks, the East has a combined record of 5-3-0 with 263 points scored versus just 213 against. Compare that to the West’s totals of 243 for and 268 against, and a 3-5-0 record against the East, and you’ll see that there aren’t any major differences in the stats anymore
This is a vast improvement from last year, as in 2008 , the Als and the rest of the East had a combined record of 6-26-0 vs. the West with Montreal providing half of those wins, beating Edmonton, Saskatchewan and BC.
While last season proved to be a disastrous one for the Als, Argos, Bombers and Tabbies with respect to playing against the West, so far in 2009, they are only two wins away from matching their 2008 western win totals.
