Six games into the Canadian Football League season for most teams, with Week 8 set to kick off tonight in Saskatchewan, several genuine surprises have emerged.<\/p>\n
A big one for me is in Hamilton with the Tiger-Cats (3-3). It was on July 5 in Hamilton against the Winnipeg Blue Bombers that Ticats quarterback Bo Levi Mitchell suffered a serious left ankle injury. The next day, Orlondo Steinauer, team president, announced that Mitchell had undergone successful surgery, a substantial loss for the team, since Mitchell had been enjoying a stellar season up to that point \u2013 86-for-110 in passing for 1,107 yards, nine touchdowns and just one interception.<\/p>\n
In that Winnipeg game, he had led Hamilton to a 13-4 lead, going 18-for-29 for 228 yards and a touchdown, before the injury.<\/p>\n
Many expected the Ticats season to go down the drain with the loss of Mitchell, but that hasn\u2019t been the case.<\/p>\n
They\u2019re second to the Montreal Alouettes in the Eastern Division, going into their big game Sunday.<\/p>\n
Hamilton never panicked. Instead of trying to replace Mitchell\u2019s passing acumen, they balance their offence more around the run.<\/p>\n
Quarterback Tre Ford\u2019s mobility changed their offence. He’s tenth in the CFL in rushing, at 156 yards, for an average of 11.1 yards.<\/p>\n
Their defence has been opportunistic, with timely stops and turnovers. I look at their offence \u2013 last in the CFL, with 2,039 yards \u2013 and I shake my head. Hamilton has become the most intriguing team in the CFL for bettors.<\/p>\n
The Edmonton Elks are another positive surprise, sitting first in the West at 5-1. Their offence has been explosive, ranking fifth in the CFL with 2,394 total yards and second in rushing with 710 yards (118.3 per game). Quarterback Cody Fajardo has been a major reason why, ranking third in the league with 1,781 passing yards while completing 70% of his passes, with nine touchdowns against just four interceptions.<\/p>\n
There still is a long way to go in the season, but the Elks to this point have gone from afterthought to Grey Cup contender.<\/p>\n
Let\u2019s set up the Week 8 games, starting tonight:<\/p>\n