Five takeaways from Friday night's CFL preseason triple-header

The CFL preseason wrapped up Friday night with three games. In Winnipeg, the Hamilton Tiger-Cats beat the hometown Blue Bombers by a score of 26-15, while Regina saw the visiting Calgary Stampeders come away with a 37-29 win over the Saskatchewan Roughriders, and the Edmonton Eskimos edged the B.C. Lions 18-13 in a game at UBC in Vancouver. Scores aren't what really matters in the preseason, though; it's much more important to see how various players perform. Here are five takeaways from the final preseason games.

1. Travis Lulay and Darian Durant look ready to go: B.C.'s Lulay and Saskatchewan's Durant both missed much of last year with injuries (a half-season for Durant, almost the entire season for Lulay), and there were questions about their health heading into this season. Unlike Toronto pivot Ricky Ray, though, Lulay and Durant both seem set to return as their team's starting quarterbacks when the season kicks off. Their performances Friday night weren't spotless, with Lulay completing eight of 13 passes (61.5 per cent) for 121 yards and a touchdown and Durant connecting on 14 of 22 (63.6 per cent) for 146 yards with a touchdown and an interception, but they were solid, and both quarterbacks seemed strong mechanically. That's good news for their teams, as the health of Lulay and Durant could be crucial to the success B.C. and Saskatchewan find this season.

2. Hamilton's passing offence is still in good form: The Ticats' impressive passing offence played a big role in their run to the 2014 Grey Cup game, and it looks like that offence is still clicking along, particularly when Zach Collaros is under centre. Collaros is entering his second season as Hamilton's starter, and he was lights-out Friday night in Winnipeg, staking the Ticats to a 20-7 lead in less than a half of play before leaving the game to give backup Jeremiah Masoli a chance. Collaros was effective and efficient, completing 14 of 17 passes (82.4 per cent) for 183 yards and a touchdown. If he can keep that up, Hamilton should put up plenty of points this season.

3. The Eskimos' ground game might be just fine:  Edmonton's loss of star running back John White for the season after he ruptured his Achilles tendon during practice earlier this month seemed potentially devastating, as the rushing attack he provided was key for them last year. His top backup, CFL rookie Shakir Bell, looked awfully good Friday though, collecting 54 yards on just five carries (and with a longest run of 15 yards, so that wasn't all just from one particularly good play). At 5'8'' and 185 pounds, Bell is almost as big and bruising as White, and he had a solid college career at Indiana State, being named as a finalist for the Walter Payton Award (the top player at the FCS level) last season. Meanwhile, the Eskimos' other main option, third-year CFL man Chad Simpson, wasn't as strong this week (eight carries for 26 yards, just 3.25 yards per carry), but he had 53 yards on five carries last week. If either back can perform close to that level once the season gets going, Edmonton's ground attack might be okay despite White's absence.

4. Some backup quarterbacks are looking strong: It's not particularly surprising to see Calgary backup Drew Tate (who, remember, was the team's starter as recently as 2013) do well, but the impressive showings from Saskatchewan's Kevin Glenn, Edmonton's Matt Nichols and James Franklin and Winnipeg's Robert Marve are a little more remarkable. Tate completed 12 of 17 passes (70.6 per cent) for 175 yards and a touchdown to lead Calgary to a late win, while Glenn connected on 12 of 14 (85.7 per cent) for 147 yards and a touchdown, Nichols hit on four of six (66 per cent) for 44 yards, Franklin completed 16 of 23 (69.6 per cent) for 157 yards with a touchdown and an interception, and Marve had 11 completions on 16 attempts (68.8 per cent) for 115 yards. Those completion percentages are particularly impressive. Of course, backup quarterback stats from the preseason should be taken with a grain of salt, as these guys are usually playing against defenders further down the depth chart and guys just trying to make the team by the time they enter, but they're also usually playing with weaker offensive linemen and receivers. Preseason backup quarterback performances don't always mean a ton, but these ones might be good signs for the teams involved if anything happens to their starters.

 5. Lemar Durant might prove doubters wrong: Durant, a SFU product, was widely projected as a hot prospect and perhaps the best receiver in this year's draft, but he wound up sliding to the end of the second round, where Calgary took him 18th overall. He was the fourth receiver off the board, and he tweeted that his draft slide was "one of the most shocking things I have ever been through." Durant certainly looked like a top prospect Friday night, as he led the Stampeders with five catches for 85 yards. He has plenty of speed and athleticism, and he looks like he's adjusting to the Canadian game, something that was one of the big pre-draft questions about him. If he can keep this up, some teams may regret passing on him.

The CFL regular season starts Thursday, June 25 with Ottawa facing Montreal. Stay tuned to 55-Yard Line for more preview coverage.