him to only 64 games. His offensive

The situation in the East is simply fantastic for fans of the CFL. All Week 20 games in the East matter as to who is in the playoffs and that’s how you want it to play out. I will be on site at the marque game of the week, Montreal at Hamilton. I am looking forward to seeing Hamilton’s new stadium and the facilities they have for the players and coaches. I can remember when I worked for the Ticats, Jamie Barresi and I shared an office which was fine except for when we had to meet with the players there. The players sat on the floor and watched practice and game film on two TVs we jerry-rigged to play the same video. We had to do this because the room had a weird shape and the guys closest to the exit could not see the big TV. The big TV was actually one I had at my house and had brought in to be able have a bigger screen! I have heard nothing but great things about this new facility that will provide the players with a professional work environment they deserve, looking forward to seeing that. Speaking of Coach Barresi, he is now the head coach of the University of Ottawa, and led them to a 5-3 finish and a first round playoff win over Windsor. He will now come home to Hamilton to take on McMaster this weekend in the second round of the playoffs. I am not sure that this situation has ever happened in the CFL. The Hamilton Tiger-Cats can finish first place, second place, or be eliminated from the playoffs! You don’t often have to prepare your team for all those possibilities within a week. But I think there is a very interesting coaching situation for the Cats, let’s talk about it. Hamilton’s playoff scenario is this: if they beat Montreal by eight points or more they clinch first place; if they win by less than eight points or Toronto loses they earn second place; and if they lose and Toronto wins, they are eliminated from the playoffs. Teams that finish in first place statistically have a greater chance of going to the Grey Cup, so does Hamilton change the game plan to put themselves in first place? I think I would. Let’s say Toronto wins the game Friday and Hamilton is eliminated with a loss, this is the harder scenario. Hamilton starts the game basically down 7-0 to the Als for first place. Do they become more aggressive to make up the point differential and go for first place? Aggressive might be a fake punt or special play on Teams to be able get a few extra offensive scoring possessions. Could it be a more aggressive defensive scheme or pressure package trying to limit Montreal scoring? Third and goal from the two-yard line early in the game, usually you kick the field goal but do you go for it to make up the points to try to get first place? All these things mentioned have a risk that when not executed can hurt your chances of winning the game, which is the ultimate goal for Hamilton because they would be eliminated if Toronto wins. Late in the game this will be employed but early in the game is when it could easily affect the outcome. Certainly late in the game, if Hamilton is up by three, you will see the best of both teams, because Hamilton will actually be trying to drive the length of the field and score a touchdown with the lead. That situation does not happen often. These are the decisions that a head coach must have a good understanding of not only at the end of the year, but at the beginning of the year. In 2009, when I was the offensive coordinator of the Saskatchewan Roughriders we were in the first of a four-game series with an opponent. It was late in the game and we were winning but I called a few more passes and scored a late touchdown. A coach from the other team after the game sought me out on the field and took offence to my offence (funny?) of scoring a touchdown when we could have taken a knee at the end of the game. I looked at him somewhat surprised and said we are playing you four times and there is the very real possibility that we will end up tied at the end of the year and the next playoff tie breaker is points scored. That is why we were scoring points late in the last drive, we don’t know how we will end up, so you assume you will be tied. Points-scored has to be thought of when you play an opponent twice or four times because you could be tied at the end. Playing someone three times, points is not an issue (unless there was a tie) because someone usually finishes 2-1. Back to Hamilton, let’s assume Toronto loses and a loss by Hamilton will not affect their playoff chances, they would have second place locked up no matter what happens in their game. Now you can see the Ticats being aggressive and be ready for anything that can help them score points. No huddle to get more plays, going for it on third down, onside kicks. Mistakes or poor execution of those plays can also hurt your field position which can help Montreal’s opportunity to score, so executing these calls is key. If you have a chance, look up Head Coach Kevin Kelley and the Pulaski Academy in Little Rock, Arkansas, a coach who calls for onside kicks every kickoff and will not punt throughout the season. The guy must be crazy and must lose every game right? A state Championship, a loss in the finals, and a semi-final appearance in three years tells another story. Although some of his data may not correlate with the CFL, he believes on kickoffs the difference in the field position is only about 15 yards if an onside kick is recovered by the receiving team and coach Kelley’s teams recover one out of every three onside kicks which is a turnover, and we know turnovers are one of the most telling stats in winning football games. In the CFL, a failed onside kick would probably be a 30-yard difference in field position which is certainly a reason not to do it every time. Kelley never punts because his philosophy is you have to score more points to win the football game and you cannot score without retaining possession of the football. That is why he will always go for it on fourth down, to keep possession of the ball. So if your team is in a fourth and 3 situation four times in a game and they average 5.5 yards per rush, why not go for it? Kelley believes he will make three out of four conversions and will keep the football. Interesting thoughts and I thought of this philosophy this week to see if the Ticats would employ some of these tactics to get to first place. Either way it will be a great weekend for football, punt or no punt. Ben Jones Jersey . The underachieving franchise finished 17th in the 19-team league with a 6-17-11 record this season. "Our soccer team is absolutely in complete disarray," said Leiweke, drawing laughs during an Empire Club luncheon speech about the future of MLSE teams and plans to improve them. Derrick Henry Jersey . Now the Minnesota Vikings have set their sights on soccer. http://www.nfltitansfansstore.com/customized/ . The game was the first of two international friendlies that Canada is playing during the international break, with the second game against Slovenia set for Tuesday in Celje. Canada looked uncomfortable defensively throughout the game, and every free kick that came into Canadas penalty box looked like ending up in the back of the net. Johnathan Cyprien Jersey . On Sunday, hell attempt to become the youngest driver to win a NASCAR Nationwide race on Iowas short track. The 20-year-old Blaney wont be the only kid pushing a podium finish. Sylvester Williams Jersey . Coetzees finish, with six birdies and no bogeys, took him to 19-under 268 overall and past South African compatriots Thomas Aiken and Justin Walters, the overnight co-leaders. Coetzee was flawless on the East Course at Royal Johannesburg and Kensington Golf Club to clinch his maiden title after 24 top 10 finishes.Philadelphia, PA (SportsNetwork.com) - Elite defensive talent is hard to come by in the NHL. Every summer at the draft, there are usually only a handful of guys who figure to have the size, skill set and mental acumen to be a legitimate No. 1 defenseman. There is the rare exception, of course. Since talent evaluators are only human, they sometimes take a big swing and a miss when sizing up certain players. Calgarys Mark Giordano is one of those guys, and at the age of 31, the Flames captain is finally getting the recognition he deserves. With over a quarter of the regular season in the books, Giordano has established himself as the top candidate for the Norris Trophy. And if the Flames are able to keep up their surprisingly great start to the season, Giordano even has a real chance at winning the Hart Trophy. Already considered one of the best undrafted players of his generation, if Giordano wins the Norris as the leagues top defenseman he could join Martin St. Louis as one of the best undrafted guys of all time. If he wins the Hart -- the leagues MVP award -- then we may someday be talking about Mark Giordano, Hockey Hall of Famer. To say the least, Giordanos road to NHL stardom has been anything but usual. A little over a decade ago, he was draft eligible in the summer of 2003 and every single NHL team took a pass. Nine rounds came and went and nobody believed Giordano was worthy of a pick. A total of 292 names were called but Giordanos was not among them. Luckily, the Flames saw enough in Giordano to sign him as an undrafted free agent in 2004 following his final junior season with Owen Sound of the Ontario Hockey League. Calgarys general manager at the time -- Darryl Sutter -- gets recognition for inking him to an AHL contract, but Giordanos work ethic is what makes the signing look like the coup it is seen as today. Although Giordano was named to the OHLs All-Rookie team in 2002-03, his lack of size for a defenseman (6-feet, 203 pounds) made him an undesirable draft prospect. Instead of being discouraged, however, Giordano simply worked harder than everybody else until he proved he belonged in the NHL. He couldve taken his foot off the pedal then, but thats just not the way Giordano is wired. Calgary centerman Matt Stajan knew Giordano from their days playing against each other in the OHL. When Giordano recently was named the NHLs Fiirst Star for November, Stajan told the Calgary Sun all about his captains legendary work ethic.dddddddddddd He kind of always flew under the radar, and I never really understood why, Stajan recounted. Once he got his shot and then coming to be his teammate and watching the way he works, he just wants more. Hes never satisfied. With his hard work, hes always trying to reach that next level. When your best player is the hardest-working player Ive ever been associated with on any team, it says a lot about him as our captain. Although he proved himself as an integral part of Calgarys blue line several seasons ago, the Toronto native has been unfairly overlooked for most of his NHL career. But, as Giordano approaches his 500th NHL game, the spotlight on him has never been brighter. For the last few years, proponents of advanced statistics have counted Giordano among the best NHL defensemen but it took an increase in offensive production to get everybody on the same page. Last season, Giordano set career bests in both goals (14) and points (47) despite injuries limiting him to only 64 games. His offensive game has reached new heights in 2014-15, as Giordano is on pace for a point-per-game season with six goals and 21 assists in 27 games. Along with defensive partner TJ Brodie, a modest fourth-round pick by Calgary in 2008, Giordano is a big reason the supposedly rebuilding Flames would be in the playoffs if the season ended today. The club boasts a stable of young offensive prospects, including Johnny Gaudreau and Sean Monahan, but Calgarys surprising 17-8-2 start to 2014-15 has more to do with its top defensive pairing. The best part for the Flames is Brodie ($2.125 million) and Giordano ($4.02 million) combine for a 2014-15 cap hit of $6.145 million. Thats clearly a bargain for a Calgary team that is currently more than $18 million under the salary cap. While the Flames famously traded away defensemen with better pedigrees in recent years, such as Jay Bouwmeester and Dion Phaneuf, its a safe bet Calgary wont be doing the same with Giordano. However, with one more season left on his contract, the captain will be due a big raise before Calgary allows him to hit the free agent market in the summer of 2016. Given how far he has come already, the Flames may want to think extension now before Giordanos value rises even higher. Cheap NFL Jerseys Wholesale Jerseys Wholesale NFL Jerseys Jerseys From China Wholesale NFL Jerseys Cheap NFL Jerseys Cheap Jerseys ' ' '