sports@metronews.ca

Dan Toth has been covering the CFL for more than a decade and is a lifelong fan of Canadian football.

Gloves already off in CFL off-season

December 02, 2011

The Canadian Football League’s off-season is like a Joe Kapp right cross — unexpected and dramatic, while packing enough punch to knock a veteran to the floor.

Sifting through Grey Cup grey areas

November 25, 2011

Winning one-on-one battles and performing your best despite game-day jitters on the CFL’s biggest stage separates champs from chumps.

Can Ticats pen feel-good Final chapter?

November 18, 2011

The Hamilton Tiger Cats can’t possibly pull off another upset like the one we witnessed last Sunday in Montreal, can they?

Roster shakeup gives Stamps playoff edge

November 11, 2011

Fear of the unknown is keeping the Edmonton Eskimos awake at night, for good reason.

Calvillo at the epicentre of Als’ decline

November 04, 2011

They haven’t fallen far, but the Montreal Alouettes are no longer kings of the CFL mountain.

Can Ticats find footing in two QB tango?

October 28, 2011

Two-quarterback systems rarely work.

Lots of upside to Stamps QB decision

October 21, 2011

John Hufnagel’s decision to bench quarterback Henry Burris this week shocked the reigning CFL Most Outstanding Player

Calvillo’s record legit in its own right

October 14, 2011

Anthony Calvillo’s CFL record for all-time passing yards stands on its own merit, without being tagged the “pro football” record too.

Road to victory leads away from home in 2011

September 23, 2011

When does a CFL team NOT want a home playoff game? When that team is the Calgary Stampeders, of course.

Blame shifts to Barker if Jyles is another lemon

September 09, 2011

Whose tires will Jim Barker be pumping on TSN’s dreadful behind-the-scenes Argos show now that Toronto has punted quarterback Cleo Lemon?

Riders left scrambling after coaching gaffe

August 26, 2011

The story and subplots out of Saskatchewan after the firing of coaches Greg Marshall and Doug Berry are getting more and more curious.

Eskimos looking to right offensive tailspin

August 19, 2011

Nobody believed Edmonton could finish first in the West this season, not even the Eskimos, and seven weeks into the season reality is finally setting in.

Finding it rough to ride out the storm

August 12, 2011

Roughriders fans want heads to roll after a 1-5 start, but maybe the faithful green horde is a little delusional.

Ti-Cats right in cutting Bruce loose

August 05, 2011

Tiger-Cats fans are digging to find a subplot in the Arland Bruce trade from Hamilton to Vancouver this week, but there isn’t one.

Reality hits home with Harris’ death

July 29, 2011

The sudden death on Tuesday of Richard Harris, 63-year-old Winnipeg Blue Bombers defensive line coach, casts a light on the less-than-idyllic lifestyle of CFL coaches.

Fans in a frenzy over Riders’ lacklustre start

July 22, 2011

Greg Marshall waited a lifetime for his first CFL head coaching job, but will he wait just as long for his first win?

Calvillo’s greatness becoming unquestionable

July 15, 2011

The debate over Anthony Calvillo’s place in CFL history has started, even though the sensational quarterback is a long way from finished.

Glenn’s gabbing gaffe and thoughts heading into Week 2

July 08, 2011

Hamilton quarterback Kevin Glenn should take a lesson from Casey Printers, a former MVP whose big mouth and attitude had him punted from the Canadian Football League.

Who will hoist the grey cup?

June 30, 2011

Throwing away the mortgage money on a potential Grey Cup winner before the season even starts is pure lunacy, especially in the most unpredictable pro sports league on the planet.

Seven points to watch this CFL season

June 17, 2011

Let’s kick off the 2011 CFL campaign with seven questions that should get answered between the season openers on Canada Day weekend and the time the Grey Cup is hoisted Nov. 27 in Vancouver.

Alouettes teach Roughriders a familiar lesson

November 30, 2010

The Montreal Alouettes long ago learned a tough lesson that the Saskatchewan Roughriders are now also forced to endure.

Trip to Grey Cup becoming a Montreal tradition

November 25, 2010

Getting a little sick of seeing Montreal’s annual trek to the Grey Cup? You’re not alone.

Lemon avoiding mistakes is key for the Argos

November 18, 2010

Jim Barker’s “we’re the team of destiny” sales pitch has plenty of buyers in the Argos locker room, even if the rest of the country can see through it.

Expect Cat power to prevail on Sunday

November 11, 2010

Upsets add a jolt of adrenaline to the CFL playoffs, when one bounce can send a favoured team packing and make underdogs suddenly believe they can topple giants.

Calgary's Nik Lewis deserves Outstanding Player award

October 28, 2010

Receivers have claimed the CFL’s Most Outstanding Player award just twice in the past decade, but it’s time to throw the silverware to a pass catcher once again.

CFL fumbled on banning players from wearing pink

October 21, 2010

CFL players who recently wanted to wear pink for Breast Cancer Awareness Month were banned from doing so during games

Petulant Printers gets turfed by the Lions

October 14, 2010

It’s no surprise the B.C. Lions have released petulant quarterback Casey Printers.

Grey Cup anniversary game a good fit for federal cash

October 07, 2010

The CFL’s 100th Grey Cup game in 2012 will be an event of national significance and is worthy of commissioner Mark Cohon’s request to have the federal government become a partner by contributing $12 million.

Time for the Argos to give Bell a shot

September 30, 2010

Cleo Lemon suffered the head shot, but maybe it was Jim Barker who got the concussion. How else can you explain the Argo head coach’s insistence that Lemon is still the No. 1 QB in Toronto?

Don't bet on a CFL team in Atlantic Canada

September 23, 2010

The first neutral-site regular-season game is Sunday afternoon at the new stadium in Moncton, N.B., but smart money says the CFL will never venture that far east with an expansion franchise.