Redblacks and Stampeders reach 2018 Grey Cup Final: What it means for the 2019 season

The New Year marks the end of yet another invigorating CFL season, and while it would be easy to reminisce about the Ottawa Redblacks and Calgary Stampeders recent triumphs in the south and west divisions respectively. In preparation for when play resumes next June, here’s our preview of the 2019 season, where we’re going to pick our favourites to reach the division finals, win player of the season and take a look at some of the rookies who will hope to make an impact next year.

Favourites To Reach The Playoff Finals:

West Division

Calgary Stampeders

It’s hard to look past the Stampeders, with bookmakers and fans alike putting the Calgary based team as their top pick to reach the Western finals, after their latest victory this year.

Qualifying for their third consecutive Grey Cup final, head coach and former player Dave Dickenson’s influence can’t be understated. He’ll take charge in what will be his 11th straight season as part of the Stampeders coaching staff and has been a constant in what has been a remarkably successful period for the club, winning 5 Western Division Championships and 1 Grey Cup.

Also, if star quarterback Bo Levi Mitchell continues his impressive vein of form, then the Stampeders will, without doubt, have another strong campaign.

Blue Bombers

The Blue Bombers reached the Western final this year after finishing third in the league’s standings and won a hard fought contest in the semi-finals against the Roughriders 23-18.

However, their campaign came to a bitter end when they were defeated by the Calgary Stampeders.

The Blue Bombers had the momentum even though they were down 14-8 after the first 2:40 of the third, but only managed to make it 14-11 by the fourth quarter after being bogged down by the Stampeders organization. There, the match slipped away from them, resulting in the final score of 22 -14.

Sure to be motivated by the loss, coach O’Shea believes that this team has the staying power, even with the uncertainty of a draft ahead, “They’ve all gotten better and they’ve all grown stronger. I believe they really became a team.”

East Division

Argonauts

Now we know, a fourth placed team doesn’t exactly scream play-off contenders but track your mind back to 2016.

Argonauts sit bottom of the east division, then a year later are champions and on their way to the 105th Grey Cup final.

A transition season is common found in the CFL and before the start of the 2018 campaign, former coach Marc Trestman seemed to be privy to that knowledge. Dodging questions regarding the championship, perhaps he believed that it was a new team who needed to find their own way to the title.

It’s a shame Trestman won’t get a chance to repeat the impressive feat he achieved in 2017 after having his contract terminated, but the Argonauts still hold plenty of potential to bounce back from a disappointing campaign.

With promising quarter back James Franklin and former outstanding rookie of the year James Wilder Jr. still in their ranks, we’re confident they’ll put in a strong challenge, provided Jim Popp can find a decent enough head coach to marshal them.

Ottawa Redblacks

The Ottawa Redblacks have been a dominant force in the CFL over the past few years, finishing either 1st or 2nd in the East Division’s standings in 2015, 2016, 2017 and 2018.

Easily dispatching of the Hamilton Tiger Cats 46-27 in the CFL East Final at TD Place, the Redblacks were led, as they have been all season, by quarterback Trevor Harris, who tossed a CFL record 6 touchdown passes.

Set to face the Calagary Stampeders in the Grey Cup, they’ll be brimming with confidence as they approach the matchup, a sentiment which defensive back Sherrod Baltimore reiterated after the game stating, “We have to move on, keep our eyes on the big prize.”

That mentality will put the Redblacks in good stead for their third straight Grey Cup final and for the 2019 season.

Most Outstanding Player

There are not many more outstanding candidates for the title of player of the season than Calgary Stampeders quarter back, Bo Levi Mitchell.

Already having won the award in 2016 and nominated for the league’s top individual honour this year, the Texan’s run of impressive campaigns shows no signs of slowing. This season he threw for 5124 yards and completed a league leading 35 touchdown passes, a remarkable feat when you consider that the Stampeders offensive line was hampered by injury throughout the season.

Although there are concerns that Mithchell might not even still be in the CFL next season, if he chooses to remain in Canada then he’ll certainly be in the conversation when the award comes around again in 2019.

Best Rookie

Montreal native Mathieu Betts was included in the CFL Scouting Bureau’s first ever edition of the top 20 prospects eligible for the 2019 draft and when looking at his stats over the course of his three year tenure at Université Laval Rouge et Or, it’s easy to why.

A six foot three, 250lbs defensive end, he has appeared in 24 games over the course of his 3 seasons full seasons and in that time has registered 73 tackles, 26.5 sacks and 14 pass breakups.

In his debut season for the University, he completed 12 sacks setting a new U Sports record for a rookie – the first of many accolades that Betts received. Named RSEQ and the CIS rookie of the year in 2015, RSEQ and the U SPORTS lineman of the year in 2016 and 2017, the first player to ever do so, he was also selected for the RSEQ all-star team in every season that he’s played.

Here’s an expert of the some of the other players who were included in the top 20 prospects eligible for the 2019 draft:

Kongbo tops first Scouting Bureau Rankings for 2019

Let us know your predictions regarding next year’s CFL, with plenty of moving parts including new agreements and rulings to be put in place, it promises to be an incredibly exciting season.

Advocating for football prospects one story at a time.

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