Columnist Brodie Hallett:

Playoff Time….The best time of year to be a fan of football….So what’s at stake this time of year? Oh…….you know…….just the Grey Cup. But to get to the big game you got to make it through your respected division….and it all starts at the Eastern and Western Semi-Finals…but before I give my thoughts on those games I want to quickly address a couple other things.

RANDOM THOUGHTS:

- Happy Trails Marcel Desjardins. You lasted not even a full season in a team that seems to have been in rebuilding mode the last 3-4 years. A lot of people are saying this was expected and he should have never been hired. But I disagree; I think Marcel did a great job. Without Marcel in this league, the Riders would not have gotten Wayne Smith, DJ Flick, Jamie Boreham, Corey Holmes etc, etc, etc. Are we sure this guy wasn’t on the Riders payroll?

- Michael ‘Pinball’ Clemons, you are a true toast of the league. You are and always

will be an ambassador to the league. Rumors have run wild the last few months, heck, even years that you may soon step down from the controls of the Argos and today it is announced that you are doing just that at the end of the year. I want to take a moment to thank Pinball for all you have done over the years. In fact, if it wasn’t for you, I’m not sure I’d be as avid as a CFL fan as I am. Many of you know I grew up in Toronto and watching Pinball play made the game exciting. Your personality shined through like no other player ever has. It has been an honor having you in the league and I hope you don’t go away completely.

EASTERN SEMI FINAL
Montreal Alouettes @ Winnipeg Blue Bombers

-Kevin Glenn needs to improve on his play of late otherwise this could be ugly for Bomber fans.

- The Bombers D needs to become that Bombers D we saw at the start of the year. With each week this Bombers team is looking more beatable and beatable.

- Chuck Bob needs to have a major game. He needs to set a tempo early and often. Having him back in the lineup takes a lot of pressure of Kevin Glenn.

- The Als have being rolling the last couple of weeks, and who would have thought so after AC not being behind the helms of this squad.

- Marcus Brady has been playing great, but he is such a hot and cold QB that no one can know what to expect out of him in the cold weather game in Winnipeg.

- Ben Cahoon, win or lose, will have a massive game for the Als. If Cahoon wasn’t playing I’d already of written off Montreal, but Cahoon always finds a way to come up big week in and week out.

- In the end, this game all comes down to Winnipeg. If this team can play to its potential, look out. But if they start off slow and the Als get rolling this one could turn in favor of Montreal.

WESTERN SEMI FINAL
CALGARY STAMPEDERS @ SASKATCHEWAN ROUGHRIDERS

- What a year to move away from Regina. I have missed the single best season this team has had in QUITE some time.

- The biggest factor in this game is going to be the 13th Man. The crowd noise will be electric; I expect to hear many HENNNNNNNN-RY chants from the crowd during this game and to be making a tonne of noise while the Stamps are in the offensive huddle.

- Speaking of loud, whiney people, Henry Burris needs to be near perfect to win this game, and I firmly believe this will not happen.

- I know I have my green tinted glasses on while I type this but I fully believe that this team has what it takes to take down the Calgary Stampeder’s. Unless the Riders completely blow up, I’ll be writing about my most feared game, SASK @ BC, next week.

- I know the fans are going to make tons of noise in Regina on Sunday, but would it hurt, before the game started, to maybe get the whole crowd going on a MVP-MVP-MVP chant for Kerry? I think that would set Hank off and not in a good way for Stamps fans.

- All in all I have never been this excited for a CFL Playoff Game that I am not attending. Last year the atmosphere in Calgary was NUTS, the single greatest time I have ever had as a rider fan, but this weekend will be different. The HOME crowd is going to be crazy, like nothing this province has ever seen before. What a day it is going to be.

Until next time,

Brodie Hallett signing off