Though the Elks lost to the Winnipeg Blue Bombers by a score of 38-29, Ford breathed life into a previously struggling offence. He completed 75 percent of his passes for 189 yards with one touchdown and one interception as well as five carries for 50 yards and a major along the ground.

“I felt really good,” said Ford of his first start of the season. “I feel like the game has slowed down for me this year.”

The appearance made the Niagara Falls native the first Canadian quarterback to start in back-to-back seasons for Edmonton since Frank Cosentino in 1968.

“I just want to prove that Canadians can play with Americans,” said Ford. “And especially doing it at the quarterback position is a kind of next level, there are not a lot of people that have done that.”

And while the former Waterloo Warrior waited to check off this historical moment on the field as teammates Taylor Cornelius and Jarret Doege took their shots at starter in weeks prior, Ford said his focus was on watching film.

“I did benefit from it. I feel like I’m much further mentally than last year.”

Elks fans, however, were focused on sharing their eagerness for him to get a turn as a starter. Many took to social media to share posts with the hashtag #FreeTreFord in hopes of change as their team has yet to claim a win in 2023.

Though Ford indicated he is not very active online, he did see some of the encouraging messages.

“It was cool that the fans were kind of like, ‘Well, what happened to this guy? Where is he?'” said Ford. “I’m thankful to have their support and get the opportunity to finally be back on the field playing again.”

Finally, after the Elks’ first practice back from a Week 9 bye, Ford was informed that he would at last get his long-awaited chance. He quickly shared the news with his family, who were excited on his behalf.

Ford said he speaks to his brother Tyrell on the phone every day as his twin is also embracing an exciting opportunity on the field, hoping to solidify a spot down south this NFL preseason with the Green Bay Packers.

“I think he has a good chance. I mean, I thought he played pretty well in the opportunities that he was given.”

Up north, however, one of Ford’s biggest challenges at this point of the season is time. According to him, he only had a little over three weeks to solidify his chemistry with the Elks’ offence but remains hopeful.

“I wasn’t really throwing to them for the first eight weeks, which is kind of a long time,” said Ford. “I don’t think we’re on the perfect page, but we’re definitely getting closer. We just got to practice and work at it.”

Fortunately for him, the 25-year-old is surrounded by veterans in the locker room who can help when needed.

“Geno [Lewis] provides a lot of a lot of knowledge and so does Manny [Arceneaux],” said Ford. “The things Manny talks about are not even always football. He just has a good view on life and anytime you can get his insight, I think it’s valuable.”

Another point of guidance for Ford is Jarious Jackson, a former CFL passer who also embraced a new position in Week 10 after being promoted from quarterbacks coach to offensive coordinator. Jackson took over in place of Stephen McAdoo, who was subsequently tasked with other responsibilities for the Elks.

“It’s just a lot easier to communicate and be on the same page as [Jackson] because he’s played the position, he kind of understands what’s going on,” said Ford. “I feel like he’s tailoring the offence more to my strengths as a quarterback.”

Changes on and off the field have been seemingly nonstop for the Elks as they strive to break a 13-game losing streak that dates back to last season. Other moves within the organization include the unexpected departure of president Victor Cui, who joined the club in 2022. Still, Ford said he doesn’t let any of those things affect him.

“I just try to worry about what I can control,” said Ford. “I can’t control all the stuff that’s going on above my head, so I’m just focused on the Xs and Os and going out there and playing.”

In Week 11, the Elks will take on the Hamilton Tiger-Cats for the second time this season at Tim Hortons Field.

“I haven’t had a road game as a starter this year,” said Ford, who won his first career start in Hamilton last season. “I still think we’re going to be able to prepare pretty well mentally, I feel super good with the playbook this week going in.”

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“I don’t feel entitled to them,” Lemon said this week ahead of his Alouettes debut. “They didn’t have to offer me a contract, that’s their right.”  

In 2022, the final year of Lemon’s second stint with the Calgary Stampeders, he racked up 29 defensive tackles, a career-high 14 sacks and forced five fumbles in 17 games. That led to him being named a CFL All-Star and earning the West Division nomination for Most Outstanding Defensive Player.

Still, Calgary moved on from the 34-year-old in the offseason and will now get a taste of what they lost.

“Everything happens for a reason and the way it set up was for me to be back in the league against a team that I played for and was nominated in last year,” Lemon said, still insisting that he won’t be motivated by bad blood.

“I enjoy their coaching staff. Had fun there. Some of the guys on the team are good friends still to this day.”

Lemon was initially signed by the B.C. Lions for the 2023 season, but was unexpectedly released in May. It took him until Week 8 to find a new home, but he isn’t giving up on his goal to become the league leader in sacks this season.

“I’m confident in my skill set,” he said. “I have about 13 games left in the regular season. I’ve been traded later than this from Toronto to BC and I got double digits that year.”

If Lemon hits double digits again, he will have made history. Today, he has 92 career sacks and only needs four to eclipse Hall of Famer Mike Walker for 14th on the all-time leaderboard. If he can record eight, he’ll become the 13th player in league history to reach 100 career sacks.

“It means a lot to me because I just understand the work that I put in and the consistency.”

To that end, the veteran edge rusher did not stop working during his time off. In addition to training, Lemon made sure to watch all of the games and took notes about how every team attacked the quarterback, evaluating how each scheme could fit him as a player.

“I watch a lot of film. I just love everything about the game, especially the Canadian Football League game.”

The fit in Montreal was a natural one, as both Lemon and the Alouettes have faced unexpected changes over the last year. During the 2023 offseason, Montreal welcomed new ownership, a new starting quarterback, and a new head coach.

Despite the unforeseen revamp prior to the season, the Alouettes have continued to surprise fans on the field during the season — much as Lemon has throughout his career. 

“I see what head coach Jason Maas is doing on offence,” he remarked. “It’s been a very explosive team here and I just want to come in and add my leadership and experience to make it that much better.”

The Alouettes will no doubt look to Lemon to bump them up from their current spot at the bottom of the league in sacks when he takes to the field on Sunday, with just seven produced through five games. Until then, Lemon says Maas is presenting him with another challenge.

“Coach Maas, the first day I came in, he wanted me and everyone to know their jersey number in French,” Lemon shared. “So, he gave me some homework to do.” 

With the move to Montreal, Lemon has officially been under contract with eight of the league’s nine teams throughout his twelve-year CFL career. Hamilton is the only destination that remains unchecked. 

While he came close to joining the Ticats first, Lemon is pushing out any thought of completing the storied Kevin Glenn circuit.

“It was going to happen because Hamilton was one of the teams that were hitting me as well,” Lemon said. “I’m just happy for this opportunity here and I want to stay here. I love everything about it so far.”

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“I told [my family] I had to go and I stayed up for another four or five hours eating mozzarella sticks,” Chad Kelly laughed. “And, you know, just watched film. I was already moved on to Edmonton after I rewatched the game, so I was just anxious to get started.”

The Argos are heading to Edmonton for their second matchup of the regular season to take on the winless Elks on Sunday. Kelly was a longtime member of Edmonton’s negotiation list but never signed with the team, declining a contract offer before his rights were traded to the Double Blue in 2021. He indicated there’s no bad blood between him and the organization, but hadn’t thought about the trade until asked about it.

Instead, the 29-year-old is focused on maximizing his team’s performance against a sound Elks defence.

“They’re fast, they’re physical, they’re long, they’re aggressive,” he said. “There are some things that they do that are a little different and that is not traditional. But, I think that’s what makes Edmonton good.”

Nevertheless, Kelly is not the only one concentrating heavily on preparation. He said Toronto’s receivers, running backs, and fullbacks get together for 20 minutes to watch film of practice every day.

“As long as we keep on sticking together and staying focused on what the goal is, and that’s to win each snap, not to win every game.”

Ultimately, Kelly wants to be remembered as a winner — one who is loyal and gives confidence to other people. That’s something he learned from former Argos’ starting quarterback McLeod Bethel-Thompson, who mentored him during the 2022 season before leaving to play for the USFL’s New Orleans Breakers.

“It was such a great room to be in last year and I learned so much,” he said. “The totality of everything he did and how he handled himself, the way he prepared, the way he did things, I took so much from it.”

This season it’s Kelly who is considered a mentor to two backup quarterbacks who are brand new to the CFL. Bryan Scott out of Occidental College in Los Angeles and Cameron Dukes from Kentucky’s Lindsey Wilson College joined the Argos in March during the offseason.

“There are two young guys that are still trying to figure out how to watch film, let alone be able to bounce ideas off of. So, it’s a little different being the older guy and showing them the way.”

Photo: Matt Johnson/3DownNation. All rights reserved.

Kelly’s thankful for the support of the experienced people around him, such as head coach and offensive coordinator Ryan Dinwiddie, quarterbacks coach Mike Miller, and receivers coach and pass game coordinator Pete Costanza.

With that, Kelly is focused daily on preparedness and confirms that work is the first thing he thinks about when he wakes up in the morning.

“I’m ready to leave the house,” he said. “Let’s go to work, without wasting time. There’s bigger and better things to come, that’s how you got to think and approach every day.”

The hard work is paying off for Kelly thus far, as he impressed fans in his second-ever CFL regular season start and set the tone for the team’s 150th anniversary season. He completed 14-of-23 pass attempts for 208 yards and scored three rushing touchdowns while avoiding any turnovers in the afterglow of the franchise’s 18th Grey Cup banner-raising ceremony

When asked if he was afraid at all when it comes to the season ahead, Kelly turned to the surrounding staff and smiled excitedly.

“This woman just asked me if I’m afraid,” he said. “That’s why I’m the quarterback here, I’m not afraid.”

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“If they invest more money into it and create a more of an experience around it like, I don’t know, the whole tailgating thing seems to be really cool,” said one respondent.

Overall, only 20 percent of respondents say they currently keep up with the CFL, while the remaining 80 percent say they do not. Among those asked, nearly half (48 percent) say that nothing would change their minds.

The remaining 52 percent say they are interested in learning more about the CFL and believe that increased marketing (14 percent), four downs/NFL rules (14 percent), free tickets/deals (8 percent), larger hype around star players (7 percent), tailgating/game day experience (7 percent), and league expansion (2 percent) would make them want to further follow the league.

“I think being able to put player personalities out there and really let people know that these are obviously bigger than life athletes, but on a personality level, these are people that you can really gravitate to and make a connection with — I think it’s really important,” said one respondent.

Photo: 3DownNation

Out of the 100 participants, those between the ages of 19 to 25 are the least interested in learning more about the CFL, followed by those between the ages of 26 to 35 and those ages 36 to 59. One respondent said he believes that leveraging partnerships to better showcase players from Canadian universities and colleges may attract a younger audience. 

“It would be cool if they were similar to what you see in the U.S. with NCAA March Madness. Obviously it won’t be on that level, but just any type of hype and camaraderie and culture.”

Another said that changing the rules to match those of the NFL would be the way to go.

“I think it would create a little more intensity in the games because with three downs you see a lot of punting and CFL needs a little more action, a little more playmaking, rather than a lot of special teams play.”

These findings are on par with some of the data collected in a recent survey by Leger, which 3DownNation wrote about earlier this year. It also echoes another done by Angus Reid in 2018, which showed that 53 percent of respondents between the ages of 18 to 34 prefer the NFL to the CFL. This indicates there has been little to no change in the level of interest of younger Canadians in the CFL for nearly four years.

The post We asked 100 people in Toronto for their thoughts on the CFL and here’s what they said appeared first on 3DownNation.