55 Yard Line
Tributes pour in for Stamps' Mylan Hicks, dead at 23 after nightclub shooting
Andrew Bucholtz at 55 Yard Line6 hrs agoThe CFL was struck by tragedy Sunday morning with the news that 23-year-old Calgary Stampeders' defensive back Mylan Hicks was fatally shot outside a Calgary nightclub around 2:30 a.m. According to the CBC, police responded to the Marquee Beer Market at that time after reports of shots fired, and Hicks was transported to hospital in life-threatening condition, but later died from his injuries. Police say they have three people of interest in custody. The Stampeders confirmed Hicks' death in a statement later Sunday morning, saying his life was "taken in an act of violence":
Riders get third win of season, knock off Ticats 20-18, affect East race
Andrew Bucholtz at 55 Yard Line19 hrs agoWhile the Saskatchewan Roughriders are still an extremely long shot to make the CFL playoffs, they managed to have a major effect on the race Saturday night and showed some improvement along the way. The Roughriders pulled off a 20-18 home win over the Hamilton Tiger-Cats on a last-second field goal from Tyler Crapigna, and while this only improves their record to 3-10, it marked their second-straight win in a row and suggested they're making some progress. It also may have a major impact on the East Division's playoff race.
Stampeders edge Bombers thanks to Paredes, Mitchell's final 20-second drive
Andrew Bucholtz at 55 Yard Line1 day agoFor most of Saturday's hotly-anticipated clash featuring the largest combined winning streak in CFL history, the Calgary Stampeders looked in great shape against the Winnipeg Blue Bombers. With 20 seconds left, though, they looked all but sure to lose thanks to a go-ahead touchdown and extra point from Winnipeg. Then Bo Levi Mitchell took over, making two incredible quick throws to set up Rene Paredes, who fought through injury to kick a season-long 52-yard field goal at the buzzer, giving the Stampeders a 36-34 home victory and their 10th-straight win.
From EWU to the CFL: Mitchell and Nichols lead historic matchup of hot teams
Andrew Bucholtz at 55 Yard Line4 days agoThere's not a lot that hasn't previously happened in the 65-plus-year history of the CFL, but we're getting something very new this Saturday when the 10-1-1 Calgary Stampeders host the 8-4 Winnipeg Blue Bombers. According to the league office, this is the first clash in CFL history between two teams with winning streaks of seven (Winnipeg) or more (Calgary's won nine straight) games. It also features two starting quarterbacks who are having great seasons and played at the same school, Eastern Washington University. Those quarterbacks, the Stampeders' Bo Levi Mitchell and the Blue Bombers' Matt Nichols, took part in a CFL teleconference Wednesday, and had fascinating things to say about each other, their shared alma mater, just how their teams got so hot and more.
While Nichols and Mitchell are rivals now, they weren't always. In fact, Mitchell said Nichols hosted his EWU recruiting visit out of high school, which left a good impression and led to him eventually transferring to the school from SMU in 2010 (the year after Nichols graduated).
12 Audibles: Examining crossover potential
Andrew Bucholtz at 55 Yard Line4 days agoWelcome to another week of 12 Audibles, our regular look at storylines from around the CFL. This time around, we start with a look at the playoff situation, and specifically the chances of a crossover...
After long saga, Alouettes' Jim Popp out as HC, which may not solve their issues
Andrew Bucholtz at 55 Yard Line6 days agoAfter the Montreal Alouettes' 20-17 loss to the Hamilton Tiger-Cats Friday, 3 Down Nation's Justin Dunk reported Alouettes' players "were told after Friday night’s loss that Jim Popp would not be returning as coach after the team’s bye week," plus "special teams coordinator Kavis Reed gave Popp the game ball and told the team he was dealing with some personal issues at home and wouldn’t be coming back after the bye week." Numerous Alouettes then denied that anything of the sort had happened, though, with Reed telling TSN's Gary Lawless "Jim Popp has not stepped down as head coach of the Alouettes nor has he indicated to the staff that that is coming" and Popp telling CJAD's Rick Moffat he had no plans to step down. Now, the team appears to have made the decision for Popp, announcing Monday that he will "focus on his general manager duties" while receivers coach Jacques Chapdelaine steps in as interim head coach.
Riders down Chris Jones' old team with defence, Eskimos' Western hopes dim
Andrew Bucholtz at 55 Yard Line7 days agoWhile Saskatchewan Roughriders' head coach and general manager Chris Jones has been known for building great defences, including with the Edmonton Eskimos when they won the Grey Cup last year, his team hadn't accomplished that this year. Heading into Sunday's home game against Edmonton, they were 1-10 on the year, and a defence that had given up a league-high 364 points was one of the major culprits. The Riders locked down Edmonton Sunday, though, particularly containing star receivers Adarius Bowman and Derel Walker, and that gave them a 26-23 overtime win. It's a win that provides some hope Saskatchewan's heading in the right direction, and a loss that greatly diminishes the Eskimos' chances of getting back into the West Division playoff picture.
Ex-CIS, ex-NFL, current CJFL WR Rashaun Simonise shows CFL eligibility issues
Andrew Bucholtz at 55 Yard Line10 days agoThe CFL released the latest edition of its annual September prospect rankings Thursday, and there are plenty of interesting names near the top, including top-ranked Mississippi State offensive lineman Justin Senior and second-ranked Laurier defensive lineman Kwaku Boateng. However, the most notable inclusion of all may be the guy who's seventh on that list, Rashaun Simonise. His case raises questions about the entire CFL draft system, and suggests that it may need some changes.
12 Audibles: On Rakeem Cato's practice meltdown and the Alouettes' issues
Andrew Bucholtz at 55 Yard Line12 days agoWelcome to another week of 12 Audibles, our regular look at storylines from around the CFL. This time around, we start with a look at a confrontation that happened at the Alouettes' practice Tuesday...
1. We talking about practice? Yes, Allen Iverson, we are, as for at least the second time this year, there's been an absolute disaster at a Montreal Alouettes' practice. Back in early August, a gas leak that relocated and partially cancelled their practice felt like a good metaphor for the Alouettes (2-4 at that point), and it hasn't gotten better.
Argos pay more for Drew Willy than they did for Ricky Ray, Bombers add Glenn
Andrew Bucholtz at 55 Yard Line13 days agoThe Toronto Argonauts delivered one of the most surprising CFL trades in some time Sunday evening, optingto pay big for Winnipeg quarterback Drew Willy despite Dan LeFevour leading them to an impressive win over Hamilton just an hour earlier. They sent 29-year-old defensive back T.J. Heath (who led the way defensively against the Tiger-Cats with a game-high seven tackles and two interceptions), a first-round pick and a third-round pick to the Bombers for Willy. Keep in mind that Willy lost his starting job to Matt Nichols back in July after leading Winnipeg to a 1-4 start.
