Which is the best current team? Which is the best franchise ever, like the Packers? Best QB now and ever in CFL? Best defensive player?
The current best team would be Edmonton, they're 4-0 with a new coach, and have completely shocked the league. In the East, Montreal and Winnipeg are tied for first.
The best franchise is really debatable, and it will all depend on what you use as the determining factor for being the 'best'. If its championships, then it's Toronto, although these days the Argonauts don't get very much fan support, considering there are over 5 million people in the Greater Toronto Area, and they average about 25,000 fans in the Rogers Centre with a capacity of 31,000-50,000 if necessary.
Saskatchewan could be considered a comparable franchise to the Packers, in that the fan base is super passionate (for the most part... there were dark days in the 90s) despite winning only 3 championships in almost 100 years.
Montreal has been the best team of late, as has been stated, as they've won the past two grey cups and have appeared in 8 Grey Cup games since 2000. As a fan of their easter rival, the Winnipeg Blue Bombers, this has pissed me off to no end.
Best QB right now in the CFL would have to be a healthy Anthony Calvillo, although he is on the decline and will likely retire this year. Ricky Ray has also been playing great. Buck Pierce has been playing some good football lately, going 22/27 for 300+ yards and 3 TDs in his last game, but he has a knack for getting injured.
Best QB of all-time is an interesting question. Doug Flutie, Warren Moon, Matt Dunnigan, Kenny Ploen, Ron Lancaster, Russ Jackson, Damon Allen, are all notably great QBs from different eras in the CFL who jumped to the top of my mind.
Thanks in advance for any answers guys. Want to know which games and players specifically to play closer attention to.
I would have to say that (all bias aside) the Winnipeg Blue Bombers will be a very interesting team to follow for the remainder of the season. Starting off 3-1, the Bombers have the most dominant defense in the league right now. They lead the league in sacks, passing yards against and points against.
Unfortunately, as of yesterday, our Assistant Head Coach and long-time D-line coach, Richard Harris, passed away suddenly from a massive heart attack. Harris, who was a former NFL D-lineman drafted 5th overall in 1971 by the Philadelphia Eagles, was a gentle giant, beloved by the fans and simply adored by the players. The loss has hit the team hard, as many of the guys on the team felt that he took on the role of father figure on the team (even our head coach, Paul LaPolice, made a comment in an interview today that he considered Harris to be a fatherly figure for the coaching staff as well.
Given how devastated the entire team is, their next game tomorrow at home against the BC Lions will be an incredibly emotional experience. We will wait and see how the team will be able to cope after losing not only their assistant coach but a great friend.
Time will tell whether or not the team will be able to rally together and use this horrible event as motivation to go out there and be better, stronger, faster, for Coach Harris, or if the emotional distress will just be too much to handle. Right now, things still haven't fully sunk in for everyone at the Bombers organization.