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Third Down Gamble

thirddowngamble

Join us for lively debates and interesting guest interviews on the topic of Canadian Football. Audio... worth watching!

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  • 20 episodes
  • weekly
  • Avg 55 min
  • English

Episodes 20

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  • S7 · E371
    Thursday · 47 min

    Before you even get a chance.

    Ottawa RedBlacks bring in Jim Popp to help the team find a new President of the football Club. Saskatchewan loses their second straight on the road, but sign former Tiger-Cats receiver Shemar Bridges to help and injured and ailing offence. Winnipeg's Zach Collaros after a hit looks like a beaten man; can his offensive line find a way to protect him? BC continues to surge, Edmonton is alone in first in the West, and Montreal has the best record in the league. (CFl on CBC theme music used with express permission; podcast recorded Agust 24, 2026).

  • S7 · E369
    August 20 · 1 hr

    Care and concern.

    Ottawa RedBlacks still searching for their first win, re-organise their front office; Head Coach Ryan Dinwiddie wants his team to focus on the game ahead. Can grass fields be brought back into CFL stadiums? Buffalo's new stadium gets roughly 500 complaints from ticket holders over sight-lines. Renderings of the new 2027 CFL field configuration have some season-ticket holders concerned as well. (CFLon CBC theme music used with express permission; podcast recorded August 18, 2026).

  • S7 · E368
    August 13 · 53 min

    Feeling of invincibility.

    Winnipeg welcomes back Zach Collaros; Ottawa releases two more veteran defensive players; Chad Kelly throws four interceptions and Toronto wins... again. Do 'points shown in the standings' matter anymore given there likely will be no more draws? Commissioner Stewart Johnston has been barely visible as of late, but the CFL season moves forward with record scoring. (CFL on CBC theme music used with express permission; podcast recorded August 11, 2026).

  • S7 · E367
    August 5 · 58 min

    Square peg in a round hole.

    Can Winnipeg's running back Brady Oliviera and Offensive Coordinator Tommy Condell get on the same page? Will Winnipeg's defence get on track? Ottawa fires Defensive Coordinator William Fields and release receiver Eugene Lewis, what is next for the RedBlacks? Has quarterback Tre Ford played himself out of a starting role with Hamilton? Think about it... if this were 2027, given the current standing, winless Ottawa would need just two wins to be tied for the final playoff spot. (CFL on CBC theme music used with express permission; podcast recorded August 4, 2026).

  • S7 · E366
    July 30 · 1 hr 1 min

    Don't insult my intelligence.

    One linebacker (Hamilton's Winton McManus) gets ejected from a CFL game, while another (BC's Darnell Sankey) is penalized but allowed to continue; what was the difference? For the second time this year, Calgary scores over 50 points against an opponent. With backup quarterbacks in charge, teams are struggling to score and, more importantly, win. Can rookie quarterback Kaidon Salter defy this recent trend with his first start for the Lions? Elks vs Roughriders round two goes Saturday, will it be another classic? (CFL on CBC theme music used with express permission; podcast recorded July 28, 2026).

  • S7 · E365
    July 23 · 1 hr 14 min

    Toonie-toss: with Andrew Hoskins (Turf District Podcast).

    Andrew Hoskins (Turf District Podcast) joins to discuss the issues facing the RedBlacks as they enter their bye week at 0-6. BC's Nathan Rourke goes down with a shoulder injury; Trey Ford wins in, and for, Hamilton. Two new implented rules changes were evident last weekend: Toronto's Lirim Hajrullahu's last play missed field goal sails through the endzone with no point being scored; also, the new overtime format makes its first appearance as Ottawa and Winnipeg go to the two-point shootout to decide a winner. (CFL on TSN, CFL on CBC opening theme used with express permission; podcast recorded July 20, 2026).

  • S7 · E364
    July 16 · 49 min

    Take notice.

    Winnipeg trades for quarterback Dru Brown to fill in for Zach Collaros while Hamilton struggles to score a touchdown since Bo Levi Mitchell was injured. Winnipeg's Trey Vaval returns a missed field goal the maximum 129 yards to flip the game versus Toronto, are we witness to an end of an era or can some alteration to the proposed field changes in 2027 be found? Toronto's Damonte Coxie gets ejected for slapping the facemask of Winnipeg's Major Wiliams, why such a severe punishment? (CFL on CBC theme music used with express permission; podcast recorded July 14, 2026).

  • S7 · E363
    July 9 · 56 min

    Fans for Life: with Howie Mooney (The Sports Lunatics Show).

    Howie Mooney guest-hosts and discusses how Hamilton proceeds with a new quarterback and how Ottawa proceeds with their new quarterback. Is (or just a hypthetical-what-if) the CFL considering modifying the field-change plan and relent on eliminating the 55 yard line or the reduction in the depth of the endzones in 2027? (CFL on CBC theme music used with express permission; podcast recorded July 6, 2026).

  • S5 · E362
    July 5 · 53 min

    Quick Kicks 159: with Steve Daniel (CFL Associate VP, Football and Team Analytics).

    Steve Daniel (CFL) brings his expertise and insight to help explain why scoring is way up in the 2026 CFL season and why that is defying some typical early-season trends, why veteran quarterback play is improving game quality, and how the Game Quality Index informs the CFL Board of Governors, member teams, and stakeholders about the game and where it is heading. (CFL on CBC theme music used with express permission; podcast recorded July 3, 2026).

  • S7 · E361
    July 2 · 55 min

    Games matter.

    Edmonton is 3-0, BC is 0-3, who called that? BC fires their special team coordinator, is that all that may happen with the Lions? When a receiver and a quarterback are not on the same page, what happens? The replay booth steps up and overturns a call on the field of a fumble... because it was created by penalty. Canadian receiver Ajou Ajou is reinstated by the CFL and signs immediatedly a contract with Calgary, what does that mean? Who will get their first win first, Ottawa or BC? (CFL on CBC theme music used with express permission; podcast recorded June 30, 2026).

  • S7 · E360
    June 25 · 55 min

    Fix what you can.

    Ottawa RedBlacks trade quarterback Dru Brown back to Winnipeg. Ottawa signs free agent quarterback McLeod Bethel-Thompson. Elks President Chris Morris blames the name change for the lack of current attendance in Edmonton? Is defensive coordinator Mike Benevides in trouble in BC? Can the Lions get past the injury woes to their receivers? Toronto hosts Saskatchewan in Regina on Friday, Roughriders will bring out their Prairie Blizzard kits. (CFL on CBC theme used with express permission, podcast recorded June 23, 2026).

  • S7 · E359
    June 18 · 43 min

    A little counter-intuitive.

    The 35 second clock still struggles to be what it claims, upwards of 10 seconds elapse after the end of a play before the 35 second clock starts. Teams are scoring touchdowns on over 24% of their offensive possessions, can they keep up this staggering pace? Quarterbacks went-off last weekend, four of them throwing for over 400 yards, not since 1995 has that happened. Davis Alexander had his helmet slammed on the turf, yet Alexander stayed on the field. Road teams have won four of six games this season, will this trend continue? (CFL on CBC theme music used with express permission; podcast recorded June 16, 2026).

  • S7 · E358
    June 11 · 57 min

    Extra intensity.

    The CFL's new 35 second clock seems to be getting closer to an actual 35 seconds between the end of the previous play and when next the football must be put back in play. The single point (rouge) underwent changes to its application; were the modifications too many and too far? Ottawa Head Coach Ryan Dinwiddie opts to punt at the opposition 42, would not a field goal attempt been more optimal? Quarterback Chad Kelly finally returns to lead the Argonauts onto the same field that put him on the shelf in the third quarter of the 2024 East Final. Can Elks' running back Justin Rankin become the league's first 1000 yard rusher and 1000 yard receiver in the same season? Rankin is off to a great start. Is Saturday's Saskatchewan versus BC a statement game or is it about revenge? (TSN game audio, CFL on CBC theme music used with express permission; podcast recorded June 9, 2026).

  • S7 · E357
    June 4 · 57 min

    Let’s build this together.

    CFL Commissioner Stewart Johnston comes through on a promise and lands a six-year broadcasting deal sarting in 2027. Jake Maier is given the role of starting quarterback in Ottawa. Can the B.C. Lions be stopped in 2026, or will injuries (specifically to starting veteran-quarterbacks) play a key role in determining who wins each division? (CFL on CBC theme music used with express permission; podcast recorded June 2, 2026).

  • S7 · E356
    June 3 · 50 min

    Quick Kicks 158: with Steve Daniel (CFL Associate VP, Football and Team Analytics).

    Special Guest Steve Daniel discusses the importance of analytics in terms of assessing game quailty, the importance of understanding the mean and the median, the value of knowing how impactful turnovers, two-and-outs, and third down stalls are to a team's chances at winning, and he relates how working for the CFL has helped maintain his life-long love of analytics. (CFL on CBC theme music used with express permission; podcast recorded Monday, June 1, 2026).

  • S7 · E355
    May 31 · 44 min

    Quick Kicks 157: with Luc Mullinder (Harvard Media Roughriders Radio Network).

    Special Guest Luc Mullinder (colour analyst for Saskatchewan Roughriders radio game-broadcasts) discusses the 2026 Roughriders training camp in Saskatoon, how new quarterback Brayden Schager turned heads, what is required of the defensive line given all its changes, and who is expected to step up to replace departed (to Ottawa) A.J. Allen and C.J. Reavis. Luc also illustrates the importance of leadership in training camp and recounts his first training camp as a rookie with the Roughriders, and life after football. (CFL on CBC theme music used with express permission; podcast recorded May 28. 2026).

  • S4 · E354
    May 27 · 41 min

    Quick Kicks 156: with Jeff Krever (CFL Senior Director, Player & Game Statistics).

    Special guest Jeff Krever (CFL Senior Director, Player & Game Statistics) joins to discuss which players are the ones to watch nearing records or milestones. Jeff also discusses the definition of tackling used by stats crews to be recorded in the game statistics; the efforts in the off-season to help prepare stats crews for the new season; his day in Saskatoon preparing for the Roughriders vs Blue Bombers, and his excitement now that a new 2026 CFL season is upon us. (CFL on CBC theme music used with express permission; podcast recorded May 22, 2026).

  • S7 · E353
    May 20 · 55 min

    Consider this.

    CFL training camps see some players get injured, others released, and other signing with another team. Edmonton quarterback Cody Fajardo believes the Elks can be in the 2026 Grey Cup. Calgary vs Saskatchewan on CFL+ May 18 (2026) gave the first taste of some of the new rules coming to the CFL, the 35 second clock was a hit! Ironically, next season in 2027, not pre-season but regular-season play starts on Victoria Day Weekend. While many starting quartback jobs are secure, who amng the backups will step-up? (CFl on CBC theme used with express permission; podcast recorded May 18, 2026).

  • S7 · E352
    May 13 · 1 hr 9 min

    A lot of different changes: with Andrew Hoskins (Turf District Podcast)

    Andrew Hoskins (Turf District Podcast) co-hosts to help discuss the opening of CFL training camps, what the expectations are for players at camp, the importance of pre-season games, and the new Head Coaches that are trying to mold teams in Ottawa and Toronto. April 28, 2026 the CFL announced new playoff-participation rules and we try to make more sense of them. (CFL on CBC theme used with express permission; podcast recorded May 11, 2026).

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