Hello, Andrew Wakefield.
Congratulations on your debut as a CFL referee on Saturday night, at BC Place. Nailed that first TV moment, too, looking straight into the camera that was on you, a few hundred feet away.
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But, I’m gonna reserve full judgment until I hear how you handle things when a punter hits the scoreboard.
Here are the Week 1 takeaways.
HE’S ALL GREEN AND HE’S ANGRY. HULK EMILUS SMASH!
The Saskatchewan Roughriders might want to make Samuel Emilus angry on a regular basis if they can.
He did it to himself in Thursday’s season-opening win over the Ottawa REDBLACKS, being stripped of a ball he’d caught during the first quarter. Emilus admitted during a TSN interview that the mistake riled him up.
What did his whole night look like?
Eight catches for 133 yards, 50 in YAC, and a touchdown.
Emilus also delivered a bone-rattling, chef’s kiss block on Thomas Bertrand-Hudon‘s second rushing TD, the one that ended up sealing the deal for the Roughriders.
A sign of things to come? Is this to be the Summer Of Sam?
BONUS TAKEAWAY: Roster depth? Check. The Roughriders disregarded the losses of Rolan Milligan Jr., AJ Ouellette and Kian Schaffer-Baker in their 31-26 victory over Ottawa.
FORMIDABLE, N’EST-CE PAS?
The Montreal Alouettes found that revenge was a dish best served cold — ice cold, in fact, after it had been stuck in the off-season freezer for six months — in opening the campaign with an impressive 28-10 win over the Toronto Argonauts, who found out that not everybody has fun in Montreal on a Friday night.
It was a pretty thorough performance by the Als, one that showed us that their defence, in particular, is poised to flex its might in 2025.
Nobody is in mid-season form at this point but in Week 1, the Montreal Alouettes showed they are closest to it, at present.
THE VERNON EFFECT IN EFFECT. EFFECTIVELY.
Quarterback Vernon Adams Jr. helped get the Calgary Stampeders off to a positive start in a 38-26 win over the Hamilton Tiger-Cats on Saturday.
His numbers weren’t perfect — the veteran threw two interceptions on the night — but he did go 19 for 28 for 284 yards and moved Calgary into touchdown position on a couple of long drives (one of them, the opening drive, of 85 yards).
It’s more than what’s on the field with Adams, though, and they did go on about that on the TSN broadcast, spelling out just how successful Adams is at bringing teammates together with his determined leadership and friendly, energetic personality.
There was certainly evidence of Calgary energy throughout this one, including the magnificent spectacle of Adams soaring through the air, reaching out for the first down marker as he sailed out of bounds on one play.
He didn’t get it but that’s not the point.
It was the attempt that mattered as an example of the electricity that Adams is bringing to the Stampeders as they try to climb back into contention in 2025.
MORE THAN JUST A PRETTY ARM
BC quarterback Nathan Rourke enjoyed a nice start to the season, even with a lull in the Lions’ attack coming after an impressive opening drive and through the rest of the first half.
(Mid-Takeaway Bonus Takeaway: You can see how the pieces are going to come together for that Edmonton defence, can you not?)
Rourke put up great stats in the second half, firing three touchdown passes, and on the night finished with 324 yards through the air.
But it was the scrambling that really popped for me, especially on a 107-yard long touchdown drive in the third quarter. Rourke avoided pressure and deked, juked and sprinted his way for 42 total yards on three runs on that particular drive, showing that he’s up there with the best of them when it comes to making chicken salad out of… you know.
Nathan Rourke: Not just a pretty arm.
SOME QUESTIONS HAVE BEEN ANSWERED ALREADY, I THINK
I was asked, last week, to put together a list of questions that I had prior to the dawn of a new CFL season and I managed to come up with 25 of them.
I hadn’t imagined any real timeline on when any of the answers would come to many of those questions, but I reckon I’ve gotten a few of ’em already based on Week 1.
A couple I’ve already addressed in above takes; looks like Vernon Adams can kickstart the Stampeder attack and it also looks like Nathan Rourke can indeed be what we thought he could.
Many other questions remain unanswered as of yet after Week 1, including: Can the Argos overcome major off-season personnel changes? Are the Elks well and truly revived? Can the Ticats avoid digging a big hole?
More weeks coming, more questions to be answered.
That’s, you know, why the play the games.
AND FINALLY… I think it is evident that Davis Alexander is ready for this moment, don’t you? So, another answered question, I do believe.
