July 1 means a lot of different things to different people.
For some, July 1 is Canada Day, a time to celebrate the greatest country in the world.
For most of us, July 1, 2010 was a day of apocalyptic flood waters that put a significant damper on a long weekend.
However, one other thing happened on Canada Day - the start of the 2010 Canadian Football League season.
For those who had a chance to watch, the Roughriders overtime thriller against the Alouettes was the perfect way to kick off the return of football and summertime.
So without further ado, let's get to the Cole's Notes official list of Winners and Losers for Week One of the CFL season.
Winners
The Saskatchewan Ro-u--g-h--riders Offence: Scoring 54 points is impressive. Recording that many points against the defending Grey Cup champions is almost unheard of.
The Roughriders, lead by QB Darian Durant's five-touchdown day, were able to roast a Montreal defence that lead in most, if not all, categories last season. ?
With a receiving core of Weston Dressler, Rob Bagg and Andy Fantuz, the Riders have nowhere to go but up. Not great news for the rest of the CFL's defences.
Buck Pierce: The Winnipeg quarterback headed into opening day as the starter. He finished the 49-29 triumph as a leader.
Pierce was a dual threat against the Tiger-Cats, throwing for 291 yards while also gaining 89 on the ground.
With the revolving door of mediocrity that Winnipeg had at quarterback last season, the addition of Pierce was a sight for sore eyes for long-suffering Bombers fans.
A minor disclaimer, however. The issue with Pierce has never been that he can't play, it's been his durability. Unfortunately, one game will not silence the doubters on that front.
The Calgary Stampeders linebacking core:?The inexperienced trio of Malik Jackson-Juwan Simpson-Keon Raymond looked very good on Canada Day, stabilizing a position that was one of the major question marks heading into the year.
With a fumble recovery for a touchdown, an interception and key open-field tackles, the Stamps linebacking core showed speed and efficiency. Both of which were missing from last year's squad.
Skeptics will claim that the accomplishments of this group are diminished by the sheer fact that they were playing the hapless Argos. It's a valid point.
However, new Argo QB Cleo Lemon won the job based on his mobility and quickness, traits that were kept in check by the Stampeders 'backers.
Losers
The Edmonton Eskimos offensive line:?It wasn't Ricky Ray's finest day, to be sure. However, 19 hurries and 11 hits on the quarterback usually does not equate to success. These were the totals allowed by the maligned Eskimos o-line in addition to five sacks. The Calgary Stamp-eders were supposed to be the?Alberta team with a woeful offensive line. The Eskimos grabbed the distinction and ran with it, however, during their 25-10 home loss to the B.C. Lions.
The Eskimos have a lofty goal this season - to play in and host the Grey Cup. If they don't fix their offensive line soon, the only way that they'll get in is to buy tickets.
The Hamilton Tiger-Cats:?Everyone's pick to finally wrestle the crown of the CFL?East away from Montreal looked all kinds of awful in their loss to Winnipeg.
The Ti-Cats gave up seven sacks to the new-look Bombers and couldn't even muster up 200 yards passing.
In fact, the score would have looked even less forgiving for the Steeltown squad if not for the special team's efforts of former Rider Marcus Thigpen. Thigpen returned the opening kickoff for a touchdown and later followed it up with yet another TD?on a missed field goal return.
If the Tiger-Cats hope to challenge Montreal in the East, they'll need to record far more than the paltry 206 total yards on offence that they had on Friday.
Arithmetic: Somehow, the Riders have yet to learn their lesson.
Yet another "too many men" penalty as the game hung in the balance sent shockwaves throughout Mosaic Stadium and the entire league.
Why can't Ken Miller hire one person, pay them $30 a game and give them the sole responsibility of making sure that 13 men aren't on the field at one time?
Taking a penalty of that nature isn't actually that rare in the CFL. Taking that very penalty twice in a row when the game should have been over, unfortunately, is.
The Roughriders went a long way towards affirming their status as contenders, possibly even frontrunners, for the 2010 Grey Cup with their dramatic victory on Canada Day.
Only one hurdle remains, the ability to count to twelve.
