Music: {allcanada} TIGER-CATS, BLUE BOMBERS KICK-START FRIDAY DOUBLEHEADER ON TSN

Friday, July 1, 2011

{allcanada} TIGER-CATS, BLUE BOMBERS KICK-START FRIDAY DOUBLEHEADER ON TSN

It's Friday night and Canadian Football is back.

The CFL on TSN kicks off Friday Night Football with a special Canada Day doubleheader, as the Winnipeg Blue Bombers begin their season in Hamilton against the Tiger-Cats, while the Toronto Argonauts travel cross-country to meet the Calgary Stampeders.

Catch both games live on TSN and TSN Mobile TV, beginning at 6pm et/3pm pt. You can also watch live streaming on TSN.ca and paticipate in our live blog.

The action will start in Steeltown, where the Tiger-Cats are hoping to improve on their early exits from the post-season the last two campaigns.

Hamilton finished 9-9 and in second place in the East Division a year ago, earning homefield advantage in the first round of the playoffs. However, it was the Argonauts and not the Ticats who moved on to the East Division finals.

With QB Kevin Glenn and WR Arland Bruce III leading a potent passing attack, the Tabbies added a new weapon to their arsenal in the off-season by signing RB Avon Cobourne. The move bolsters Hamilton's backfield, while taking away an asset from the division's most dominant team, the Montreal Alouettes.

Across the field, the Blue Bombers will be trying to get back to the post-season conversation after a disappointing year which saw them fall to last place in the league.

New head coach Paul LaPolice has the pieces in place on offence with RB Fred Reid, the league leader in rushing last season, and QB Buck Pierce, who has the tools but has been unable to stay healthy.

Pierce's ability to stay on the field will be a major factor in whether the Blue Bombers can improve on their 4-14 record, which left them 16 points behind first place Montreal.

While the goal for both the Tiger-Cats and the Blue Bombers will be to unseat the Als and represent the East in the Grey Cup, it all begins with a victory on Friday night.

Later in the night, the focus shifts West as Henry Burris the Stampeders welcome the Argonauts to McMahon Stadium, at 9pm et/6pm pt on TSN.

The Stampeders reached last year's post-season as the favourite in the West, but came up short and failed to reach the Grey Cup. Burris, the reigning CFL Most Outstanding Player, will try to help his club shake off that disappointment early in the 2011 season.

Burris' new offensive coordinator is also a former Most Outstanding Player and long-time Stampeder, Dave Dickenson. Between Dickenson and head coach John Hufnagel, Burris will have a pair of former quarterbacks steering him through the season.

The main challenge facing Calgary will be finding a way to replace their cornerback tandem of Dwight Anderson and Brandon Browner. They acquired former Tiger-Cat DB Geoff Tisdale, but the secondary will be in a transition state to begin the year.

Meanwhile, the Argonauts will be out to prove their East Division final appearance in 2010 was no fluke.

Head coach Jim Barker got the most out of his troops last season and he won't back down in 2011.

QB Cleo Lemon will be back under centre for Toronto, but the Argos are hoping to get more from their offence this season after they ranked last in the league in almost every offensive category. Lemon will need to show his coaches that he can carry the offence, or his job may be in jeopardy once Steven Jyles and Dalton Bell recover from injury.

However, the Boatmen consistently delivered strong defensive and special teams play and it propelled them to the post-season and ultimately a berth in the semifinals.

The game will be a rematch of last year's opening game, where the Stampders came away with a 30-16 victory of the Argonauts on Canada Day.