Be quick, but don’t hurry.
John Wooden was a legendary basketball coach with some epic quotes, a lasting legacy, and some simple rules to remember inside and outside of the arena.
Quickness is prepared speed.
Hurry is speed without a plan.
He said, “be quick, but don’t hurry” because mistakes live in the space where the clock starts coaching you.
The NFL will make all 32 teams hurry this week.
We’re exactly 15 days away from the start of the NFL regular season.
The final preseason games go Thursday through Saturday.
53-man rosters are due this Sunday at 6 PM ET.
No added time to review tape or negotiate trades.
It’s decision time and you better get it right the first time because you won’t get a second chance.
That clock is the reason the New England Patriots traded Kayshon Boutte to the Houston Texans on Monday.
Houston lost Jayden Higgins to a torn ACL last week.
Tank Dell is not a lock to be ready for Week 1.
Meanwhile, the Patriots wide receiver room went from a weakness to a strength in a calendar year following the additions of A.J. Brown and Romeo Doubs to a stable that already featured Boutte, Kyle Williams, Pop Douglas, and Mack Hollins.
The Texans filled a hole with the addition of Boutte.
New England addressed a need and cleared a logjam at receiver before cutdowns with the addition of safety Jaylen Reed, as well as a 2028 seventh round pick.
Boutte’s fantasy relevance climbs as a potential starter opposite Nico Collins in a contract year in Houston.
Fantasy managers should expect similar moves in the coming days as NFL teams maneuver ahead of Sunday’s 53-man roster deadline.
Meanwhile, this week’s cuts will have a much different impact than in previous years thanks to some notable rule changes at the NCAA football level.
Dae’Quan Wright already has a path back to LSU after he was cut by the Cleveland Browns this week.
Week 0 of the college football season is here, and players cut from NFL rosters have an opportunity to head back to campus instead of potentially heading north to Canada.
TCU is a 7.5-point favourite for Saturday’s opener versus North Carolina in Ireland.
August cuts were once considered midseason inventory for CFL teams looking to address key areas of need, but that choice no longer defaults north.
The Ottawa Redblacks are a team that could use some help entering Week 12 of the CFL regular season.
10 straight losses to start the season, 16 straight losses dating back to last season, and several players on the injured list as they brace for a showdown with one of the league’s hottest teams entering Week 12.
The BC Lions were one of the biggest disappointments out of gates with a 1-5 record through six games.
Since then, the Lions have turned the corner with four straight victories to improve to 5-5, just in time for a date with the winless Redblacks on Sunday night.
Fortunately, some of you were quick to tail me when I gave out Lions -4.5 at FanDuel in Friday’s column.
That number reopened BC -6.5 on Monday morning.
FanDuel also went live with a market to bet on when Ottawa will secure its first regular season win.
Of course, that market includes an option for the Redblacks to become the first team in CFL history to finish with an 0-18 record.
Is it worth betting Ottawa to go 0-18 at FanDuel?
Let’s slow it down and take the time to review the Redblacks remaining schedule in this Morning Coffee column for Tuesday August 25th, 2026.
What Are The Odds The Redblacks Go 0-18 This Season?
The clock is ticking for the CFL’s lone winless team.
For about four minutes it looked like the Redblacks were prepared to put up a fight against the Grey Cup favourite in Week 11.
Then Nate Beauchemin stepped up with an interception in the end zone to deny Ottawa a 14-0 lead, and the Montreal Alouettes defence stepped up with three first-half takeaways that sparked a 25-3 run before the break.
The Alouettes finished the night with five takeaways.
The MOP favourite Davis Alexander was nearly perfect in the pocket, going 20-of-23 for 260 yards and two scores.
Montreal cruised to a 46-16 victory to improve to 9-1.
The Redblacks have hit a wall with four straight double-digit losses dating back to Week 9.
Ottawa has gone 0-4 against the spread in that span.
Meanwhile, the Lions have caught fire in recent weeks, going 4-0 straight up and 3-1 against the spread.
BC went from -4.5 on the lookahead line to -6.5 versus the Redblacks this week.
Ottawa to win outright is +220 at FanDuel.
With the Lions heating up and the Redblacks hitting a wall, this week will be another tough test for Ottawa.
A win on Sunday would put BC over .500 for the first time this season.
The West Division standings are extremely tight, and the Lions can’t afford to drop a scheduled win in Week 12.
As for the potential for the Redblacks to go 0-18, the +1500 odds represent a 6.3 per cent implied chance.
If they lose to BC this week, Ottawa will fall to 0-11 ahead of a couple of road games against the Toronto Argonauts and the Calgary Stampeders.
The Stampeders are dealing with some key injuries right now, but if they are healthy in early September, they’ll be the favourite in both legs of a home-and-home versus the Redblacks in Week 16 and Week 17.
Ottawa’s best opportunity to get in the win column might be a Week 18 home game against the Hamilton Tiger-Cats on Thursday Night Football.
Then again, the TiCats are still in the hunt for a playoff spot at 4-7 and could be desperate for a win over the Redblacks by the time we get to Week 18.
Perhaps Ottawa finds the resolve to upset one of the four opponents they will play twice in their final eight games.
At the very least, I preferred to lock in the +1500 odds they go 0-18, with the opportunity to hedge against that number betting the Redblacks live at FanDuel if need be.
For now, I’ll continue to fade Ottawa as the easiest trend in the CFL this season.
Have a great day, everyone!
