Football This Week
By Richard Obrand,
MontrealAlouettes.com
Als take over East Division All-Stars
After capping off the 2009 regular season with a franchise record 15th win, the Montreal Alouettes’ hard work has paid off.
Wednesday, the CFL announced its 2009 East Division All-Stars, with 17 Alouettes being selected.
Montreal’s 2009 total is the highest total of All-Star selections for one team in league history.
Anthony Calvillo, Ben Cahoon, Jamel Richardson, Kerry Watkins, Josh Bourke, Scott Flory and Brian Chiu took eight of the 12 spots on offence while Keron Williams, Anwar Stewart, John Bowman, Chip Cox, Mark Estelle and Mathieu Proulx snagged six spots on defence.
Damon Duval and Larry Taylor filled out the entire special teams section, with Duval being named an All-Star as both a kicker and a punter.
Printers get the nod
Casey Printers has a golden opportunity to show his critics why he was chosen as the league’s Most Outstanding Player in 2004.
Tuesday, BC Lions head coach and general manager Wally Buono announced that Printers will dress as the starting quarterback for Sunday’s East Division Semi-Final against the Hamilton Tiger-Cats.
Printers was questionable heading into the week leading up to Sunday’s game, as the pivot left last week’s matchup with the Edmonton Eskimos with a minor thumb injury.
“It’s just like I expected – a little sore,” said Printers after testing his thumb at practice Tuesday on TSN.ca. “But this is playoff time, all that doesn’t matter. I’ve just got to go out there and play.”
“My expectation is for this team to win regardless of who is playing,” added Printers.
The winner of Sunday’s matchup will go on to face the Montreal Alouettes in the Eastern Final on Nov. 22.
Update on Canadians and ex-CFLers in the NFL
Nate Burleson: In a 32-20 comeback win over the lowly Detroit Lions, Burleson racked up 75 receiving yards on five receptions as the Calgary, AB native continued his strong 2009 campaign. The receiver now has 562 total yards in eight games with the Seahawks so far this season.
Stefan Logan: The former BC Lion was relatively quiet in his first career Monday Night Football appearance. In a 38-20 win over the Denver Broncos, Logan managed to garner just 69 return yards on three attempts, averaging 23.3 yards per return.
Cameron Wake: In a 27-17 loss to divisional rival Tom Brady and the New England Patriots, Wake recorded one sack for a four-yard loss. Wake, a former Lion, now has 11 tackles with 3.5 sacks and a forced fumble so far this season, his first in the NFL.
