2011 CFL season

Canadian Football League season August 2024 August 2024 2011 CFL season June 30 – November 5, 2011 East Winnipeg Blue Bombers West BC Lions 99th Grey Cup November 27, 2011 BC Place Stadium, Vancouver BC Lions 2010 CFL season 2010 2012 CFL season 2012 List of Canadian Football League seasons CFL The 2011 CFL season was the 58th season of modern-day Canadian football. Officially, it was the 54th season of the Canadian Football League. The complete schedule was released on February 18 and featured the defending Grey Cup champion Montreal Alouettes opening the season against the visiting BC Lions on Thursday, June 30, 2011.https://www.cfl.ca/article/2011-cfl-schedule-is-here 2011 CFL schedule is here Cfl.ca 2011-09-02 https://web.archive.org/web/20150923202121/http://www.cfl.ca/article/2011-cfl-schedule-is-here 2015-09-23 dead The season was among the most notable in the modern era for the competitiveness of the teams; going into the final week, five teams were tied for first place in the league, a first in modern CFL history. It was also the first time since 1982 that all teams finished with fewer than 12 wins in the regular season. As well, for the first time since 1950, the start of the modern era, all four teams competing in the division finals were different from the four teams that had competed in the division finals the previous year. Newly renovated BC Place Stadium in Vancouver hosted the 99th Grey Cup on November 27, with the hometown Lions defeating the Winnipeg Blue Bombers 34–23 in front of a sold-out crowd.https://www.cfl.ca/video/index/id/22595 99th Grey Cup Recap: Winnipeg 23, B.C. 34 27 November 2011 CFL.ca 28 November 2011 https://web.archive.org/web/20111130030814/http://www.cfl.ca/video/index/id/22595 30 November 2011 dead CFL news in 2011 Touchdown Atlantic The CFL returned to Moncton for the second installment of the Touchdown Atlantic series. The Hamilton Tiger-Cats were the home team, while the Calgary Stampeders were the visitors with the game having taken place on Sunday, September 25. Labour Day Classic twist When the 2011 schedule was released, it was revealed that the typical Labour Day Classic match-up featuring the Hamilton Tiger-Cats hosting the Toronto Argonauts would not occur this year for the first time since 1995.http://www.thespec.com/news/local/article/489485--no-argo-labour-day-game-this-year No Argo Labour Day game this year TheSpec 2011-02-19 2011-09-02 Instead the Tiger-Cats will play host to the Montreal Alouettes and then visit the Alouettes the following week as a part of a home-and-home series. While the fan reaction was heated, Commissioner Mark Cohon explained that due to a lack of available home dates for the Argonauts, Toronto would be hosting a game against the BC Lions that weekend, necessitating the need for the change. This was the ninth time that Hamilton played Montreal on the Labour Day weekend. Rule changes On April 14, 2011, it was announced that four significant rule changes would be introduced for the 2011 season.https://www.cfl.ca/article/2011-cfl-rule-changes-approved 2011 CFL rule changes approved Cfl.ca 2011-09-02 https://web.archive.org/web/20110417121135/http://www.cfl.ca/article/2011-cfl-rule-changes-approved 2011-04-17 dead The following changes were implemented: Expanding the use of instant replay on game-changing plays and giving the CFL Command Centre more control over these calls. These include: Awarding possession to the defensive team if they successfully challenged and recovered a loose ball that was fumbled by a quarterback that was originally ruled an incomplete pass. Awarding possession to the defensive team if they successfully challenged and recovered a loose ball that was fumbled by a receiver after a catch that was originally ruled an incomplete pass. Eliminating blocking below the waist after a completed pass. This means that the offensive team can only block above the waist of a defender, otherwise it will yield a 10-yard penalty. Blocking below the waist is still permissible on running plays and on plays where the pass is completed behind the line of scrimmage. Adding 10 yards to an illegal punt that goes out of bounds. If a punt goes out of bounds in the air (i.e. without bouncing) between the 20-yard lines, the receiving team will have the option of taking the ball where it went out of bounds plus 10 yards or have the kicking team re-kick 10 yards further back from the original line of scrimmage. Specifying that if a player is pushed out of bounds by an opponent, he can return to the field and make a play. Originally, the rule did not state that there had to be bodily contact from an opponent. Hall of Fame induction weekend For the third consecutive year, the Canadian Football Hall of Fame induction weekend events took place outside of Hamilton, Ontario, the home of the museum. It took place in Calgary from September 14 to 18, with the hall of fame game itself featuring the Calgary Stampeders hosting the BC Lions on Saturday, September 17, 2011.http://www.cfhof.ca/index.php/article/2010dates Canadian Football Hall of Fame – Hall of Fame Weekend 2011 Dates Confirmed Cfhof.ca 2011-09-02 https://archive.today/20120723130751/http://www.cfhof.ca/index.php/article/2010dates 2012-07-23 dead https://www.cfl.ca/schedule/year/2011/time_zone/0 Official Site of the Canadian Football League CFL.ca 2011-09-02 dead https://web.archive.org/web/20110902090157/http://www.cfl.ca/schedule/year/2011/time_zone/0 2011-09-02 Salary Cap According to the new collective bargaining agreement, the 2011 salary cap will be set at $4,300,000. As per the agreement, the cap is fixed and will not vary with league revenue performance. The minimum team salary will be set at $3,900,000 with individual minimum salaries set at $43,000.https://www.cfl.ca/article/media-backgrounder-new-cba New CFL-CFLPA CBA at a glance Cfl.ca 2011-09-02 https://web.archive.org/web/20100703091944/http://www.cfl.ca/article/media-backgrounder-new-cba 2010-07-03 dead Records and milestones On July 15, Montreal Alouettes quarterback Anthony Calvillo completed his 395th career touchdown to Eric Deslauriers to move past Damon Allen to become the CFL leader for most touchdown passes.https://www.cfl.ca/article/new-touchdown-king https://web.archive.org/web/20150923224930/http://www.cfl.ca/article/new-touchdown-king 2015-09-23 New Touchdown King: Calvillo throws TD 395 On August 4, Anthony Calvillo completed his 5,159th pass completion to Brandon London to move past Damon Allen to become the CFL leader for most pass completions.https://www.cfl.ca/article/calvillo-sets-completions-record-against-argos https://web.archive.org/web/20150923202816/http://www.cfl.ca/article/calvillo-sets-completions-record-against-argos 2015-09-23 Calvillo sets completions record against Argos On October 8, BC Lions kicker Paul McCallum kicked his 29th straight field goal to pass the previous record of 28 straight field goals set by Dave Ridgway.https://www.cfl.ca/article/mccallum-lions-kick-stamps-out-of-first-place https://web.archive.org/web/20150923224801/http://www.cfl.ca/article/mccallum-lions-kick-stamps-out-of-first-place 2015-09-23 McCallum, Lions kick Stamps out of first place On October 10, Anthony Calvillo completed a 50-yard touchdown pass to Jamel Richardson to become professional football's all-time leading passer.https://www.cfl.ca/article/calvillo-becomes-cfl-s-all-time-leading-passer https://web.archive.org/web/20150105214255/http://www.cfl.ca/article/calvillo-becomes-cfl-s-all-time-leading-passer 2015-01-05 Calvillo becomes CFL's all-time leading passer On October 21, Toronto Argonauts wide receiver and kick returner Chad Owens became the first player in professional football to record at least 3,000 combined yards in back to back seasons.https://www.cfl.ca/article/argonaut-chad-owens-sets-pro-football-record https://web.archive.org/web/20111223131840/http://www.cfl.ca/article/argonaut-chad-owens-sets-pro-football-record 2011-12-23 Argonaut Chad Owens sets pro football record On October 28, Toronto Argonauts cornerback Byron Parker scored the ninth interception return touchdown of his career, surpassing the previous CFL record of eight shared by Dick Thornton, Malcolm Frank and Jason Goss.https://www.cfl.ca/article/parker-registers-ninth-pick-six-a-new-record https://web.archive.org/web/20121221230911/http://cfl.ca/article/parker-registers-ninth-pick-six-a-new-record 2012-12-21 Parker registers ninth pick-six, a new CFL record On November 5, Paul McCallum finished the season with a 94.3% field goal percentage, surpassing the previous record of 90.9% held by Lui Passaglia.http://www.bclions.com/article/best-in-the-west https://web.archive.org/web/20111109004057/http://www.bclions.com/article/best-in-the-west 2011-11-09 Best in the west Regular season Structure Teams play eighteen regular season games, playing divisional opponents three or four times and teams from the opposing division twice. Teams are awarded two points for a win and one point for a tie. The top three teams in each division qualify for the playoffs, with the first place team gaining a bye to the divisional finals. A fourth place team may qualify ahead of the third place team in another division (the "Crossover") if they earn more points in the season. If two or more teams in the same division the following tiebreakers apply: a) Most wins in all matches b) Head to head winning percentage (matches won divided by all matches played) c) Head to head points difference d) Head to head points ratio e–g) Tiebreakers b–d applied sequentially to divisional games h–i) Tiebreakers c–d applied sequentially to all games j) Coin toss Notes: 1. If two clubs remain tied after other club(s) are eliminated during any step, tie breakers reverts to step a). 2. Tiebreakers do not apply to the Crossover. To cross over a team must have more points than the third place team. Standings Note: GP = Games Played, W = Wins, L = Losses, T = Ties, PF = Points For, PA = Points Against, Pts = Points Teams in bold are in playoff positions. BC finished 1st in the West Division because they won the season series over Edmonton (3–1) and Calgary (2–1). Edmonton finished 2nd in the West Division because they won the season series over Calgary (2–1). Winnipeg finished 1st in the East Division because they won the season series over Montreal (2–1). Award winners CFL Player of the Week WeekOffensive Player of the WeekDefensive Player of the WeekSpecial Teams Player of the WeekOutstanding CanadianOne Jamel Richardson Alex Suber Tim Brown Ian LoganTwo Anthony Calvillo Joe Lobendahn Rene Paredes Jerome MessamThree Brandon Whitaker Chip Cox Justin Medlock Jermaine ReidFour Buck Pierce Greg Peach Damon Duval Cory WatsonFive Chad Kackert Jonathan Hefney Paul McCallum Dave StalaSix Anthony Calvillo Solomon Elimimian Larry Taylor Jerome MessamSeven Chad Owens Chip Cox Sean Whyte Jabari ArthurEight Arland Bruce Aaron Hunt Noel Prefontaine Chris GetzlafNine Henry Burris Joe Lobendahn Sean Whyte Johnny ForzaniTen Travis Lulay Jerrell Freeman Chad Owens Akeem FosterEleven Anthony Calvillo Khalif Mitchell Paul McCallum Craig ButlerTwelve Buck Pierce Chris McKenzie Noel Prefontaine Jerome MessamThirteen Brandon Whitaker Jovon Johnson Marcus Thigpen Ricky FoleyFourteen Jon Cornish Charleston Hughes Adam Bighill Jon CornishFifteen Anthony Calvillo Anwar Stewart Paul McCallum Jerome MessamSixteen Cory Boyd Chip Cox Paul McCallum Jon CornishSeventeen Ricky Ray Jason Vega Justin Medlock Jerome MessamEighteen Travis Lulay Khalif Mitchell Christopher Milo Johnny ForzaniNineteen Adarius Bowman Juwan Simpson Paul McCallum Andre DurieTwenty Anthony Calvillo Jamall Johnson Marcus Thigpen Jon CornishTwenty-one Chris Garrett Korey Banks Paul McCallum Andrew Harris SourceGibson's Finest CFL Players of the Week https://www.cfl.ca/page/gibsons-finest-cfl-players-of-the-week-2011 Canadian Football League 2011-08-23 https://web.archive.org/web/20110828193407/http://cfl.ca/page/gibsons-finest-cfl-players-of-the-week-2011 2011-08-28 dead CFL Player of the Month MonthOffensive Player of the MonthDefensive Player of the MonthSpecial Teams Player of the MonthOutstanding CanadianJuly Ricky Ray Odell Willis Justin Medlock Jerome MessamAugust Henry Burris Solomon Elimimian Sean Whyte Johnny ForzaniSeptember Brandon Whitaker Jerrell Freeman Paul McCallum Jon CornishOctober Travis Lulay Byron Parker Paul McCallum Jerome Messam SourceGibson's Finest CFL Players of the Month https://www.cfl.ca/page/gibsons-finest-cfl-players-of-the-month-2011 Canadian Football League 2011-11-08 https://web.archive.org/web/20111104175215/http://www.cfl.ca/page/gibsons-finest-cfl-players-of-the-month-2011 2011-11-04 dead CFL playoffs 99th Grey Cup The BC Lions became the first team to win the Grey Cup on home turf since the 1994 BC Lions and became the first ever team to win the championship after starting the season 0–5 by defeating the Winnipeg Blue Bombers, 34–23 at Vancouver's BC Place Stadium. Lions' quarterback Travis Lulay was named the MVP, while Lions' running back, Andrew Harris was named the Grey Cup's Most Valuable Canadian. Playoff bracket November 13: Division Semi-Finals November 20: Division Finals November 27: 99th Grey CupBC Place Stadium – Vancouver 1 East West E2 Montreal Alouettes 44 E3 Hamilton Tiger-Cats 52* W2 Edmonton Eskimos 33 W3 Calgary Stampeders 19 E1 Winnipeg Blue Bombers 19 E3 Hamilton Tiger-Cats 3 W1 BC Lions 40 W2 Edmonton Eskimos 23 E1 Winnipeg Blue Bombers 23 W1 BC Lions 34 *-Team won in Overtime. CFL leaders CFL passing leaders CFL rushing leaders CFL receiving leaders 2011 CFL All-Stars 25em start Offence QB – Travis Lulay, BC Lions RB – Jerome Messam, Edmonton Eskimos RB – Brandon Whitaker, Montreal Alouettes R – Nik Lewis, Calgary Stampeders R – Jamel Richardson, Montreal Alouettes R – Geroy Simon, BC Lions R – Fred Stamps, Edmonton Eskimos OT – Josh Bourke, Montreal Alouettes OT – Jovan Olafioye, BC Lions OG – Brendon LaBatte, Winnipeg Blue Bombers OG – Dimitri Tsoumpas, Calgary Stampeders OC – Angus Reid, BC Lions 25em break Defence DT – Aaron Hunt, BC Lions DT – Khalif Mitchell, BC Lions DE – Justin Hickman, Hamilton Tiger-Cats DE – Odell Willis, Winnipeg Blue Bombers LB – Chip Cox, Montreal Alouettes LB – Solomon Elimimian, BC Lions LB – Jerrell Freeman, Saskatchewan Roughriders CB – Jovon Johnson, Winnipeg Blue Bombers CB – Byron Parker, Toronto Argonauts DB – Korey Banks, BC Lions DB – Jonathan Hefney, Winnipeg Blue Bombers S – Ian Logan, Winnipeg Blue Bombers end Special teams K – Paul McCallum, BC Lions P – Burke Dales, Calgary Stampeders ST – Chad Owens, Toronto Argonauts 2011 CFL Western All-Stars 25em start Offense QB – Travis Lulay, BC Lions RB – Jon Cornish, Calgary Stampeders RB – Jerome Messam, Edmonton Eskimos R – Weston Dressler, Saskatchewan Roughriders R – Nik Lewis, Calgary Stampeders R – Geroy Simon, BC Lions R – Fred Stamps, Edmonton Eskimos OT – Ben Archibald, BC Lions OT – Jovan Olafioye, BC Lions OG – Dimitri Tsoumpas, Calgary Stampeders OG – Greg Wojt, Edmonton Eskimos OC – Angus Reid, BC Lions 25em break Defence DT – Aaron Hunt, BC Lions DT – Khalif Mitchell, BC Lions DE – Marcus Howard, Edmonton Eskimos DE – Keron Williams, BC Lions LB – Rod Davis, Edmonton Eskimos LB – Solomon Elimimian, BC Lions LB – Jerrell Freeman, Saskatchewan Roughriders CB – Dante Marsh, BC Lions CB – Rod Williams, Edmonton Eskimos DB – Korey Banks, BC Lions DB – Keon Raymond, Calgary Stampeders S – Craig Butler, Saskatchewan Roughriders end Special teams K – Paul McCallum, BC Lions P – Burke Dales, Calgary Stampeders ST – Larry Taylor, Calgary Stampeders 2011 CFL Eastern All-Stars 25em start Offence QB – Anthony Calvillo, Montreal Alouettes RB – Cory Boyd, Toronto Argonauts RB – Brandon Whitaker, Montreal Alouettes R – Terrence Edwards, Winnipeg Blue Bombers R – S. J. Green, Montreal Alouettes R – Jamel Richardson, Montreal Alouettes R – Chris Williams, Hamilton Tiger-Cats OT – Josh Bourke, Montreal Alouettes OT – Glenn January, Winnipeg Blue Bombers OG – Scott Flory, Montreal Alouettes OG – Brendon LaBatte, Winnipeg Blue Bombers OC – Dominic Picard, Toronto Argonauts 25em break Defence DT – Doug Brown, Winnipeg Blue Bombers DT – Kevin Huntley, Toronto Argonauts DE – Justin Hickman, Hamilton Tiger-Cats DE – Odell Willis, Winnipeg Blue Bombers LB – Chip Cox, Montreal Alouettes LB – Jamall Johnson, Hamilton Tiger-Cats LB – Renauld Williams, Hamilton Tiger-Cats CB – Byron Parker, Toronto Argonauts CB – Jovon Johnson, Winnipeg Blue Bombers DB – Jonathan Hefney, Winnipeg Blue Bombers DB – Lin-J Shell, Toronto Argonauts S – Ian Logan, Winnipeg Blue Bombers end Special teams K – Justin Medlock, Hamilton Tiger-Cats P – Noel Prefontaine, Toronto Argonauts ST – Chad Owens, Toronto Argonauts 2011 Gibson's Finest CFL Awards CFL's Most Outstanding Player Award – Travis Lulay (QB), BC Lions CFL's Most Outstanding Canadian Award – Jerome Messam (RB), Edmonton Eskimos CFL's Most Outstanding Defensive Player Award – Jovon Johnson (CB), Winnipeg Blue Bombers CFL's Most Outstanding Offensive Lineman Award – Josh Bourke (OT), Montreal Alouettes CFL's Most Outstanding Rookie Award – Chris Williams (WR), Hamilton Tiger-Cats John Agro Special Teams Award – Paul McCallum (K), BC Lions Tom Pate Memorial Award – Kevin Glenn (QB), Hamilton Tiger-Cats Jake Gaudaur Veterans' Trophy – Andre Durie (RB/SB), Toronto Argonauts Annis Stukus Trophy – Wally Buono, BC Lions Commissioner's Award – Larry Reda Hugh Campbell Distinguished Leadership Award - no recipient References 30em Category:Canadian Football League seasons Cfl Season, 2011