By Jim Lang

SPORTSNET.CA

Far be it from me to disagree with a CFL writer of Perry Lefko's pedigree, but the theme in the East this year is not the coaches, it's the quarterbacks. The CFL is a quarterback's league. In the East, the quarterbacks hold the key to success for each of the four respective teams.

Consider the evidence.

In the Hammer, Casey Printers is coming off his first full training camp with the Ticats is poised to put up some big numbers.

In Winnipeg, Kevin Glenn is healthy and Ryan Dinwiddie is champing at the bit to prove he's a much quarterback than the one we saw in the 2007 Grey Cup.

In Montreal, Anthony Calvillo is back. Considering Calvillo left the Als at the end of last season to be with his wife during her battle with cancer; his return is welcome sight for CFL fans across the country.

Then there is Toronto. Is it Kerry Joseph or is it Michael Bishop? Until Rich Stubler comes out and declares one or the other is his number one pivot, there will be an ongoing quarterback controversy in Toronto.

Winnipeg

Hands down, the class of the East. Doug Berry is an intense, no nonsense head coach. His offensive and defensive lines operate with the same mind set. Doug Brown and Bombers front seven love nothing better than buckling up the chin strap and laying the smack down on opposing teams. Brown might be the most interior defensive lineman in the CFL.

Leading the charge for the big hogs in the 'Peg is their mammoth offensive tackle, Dan Goodspeed. Goodspeed and the lads up front have enjoyed many a meal at Earl's Tin Palace courtesy of Kevin Glenn and Charles Roberts.

Milt Stegall isn't 100 per cent healthy to start the season. That shouldn't affect the Bombers too much because they're so deep in almost every position.

I do agree with Perry on the state of the Bombers kicking game. With Troy Westwood gone, Berry needs to find someone he can trust to get the job done before November rolls around.

The other x-factor in Winnipeg this year will be the sense that this is a team on a mission. Unless the Bombers are in Montreal come late November, Berry and the Bombers will view this season as a total failure.

Toronto

Rich Stubler is one of the most interesting men I have ever met in football. I don't think I have ever heard him yelling at his players. Yet, he has their total and unwavering respect. While a very nice man, Stubler isn't running around the Argos facility hugging anything that moves, a la Pinball.

Stubler was brutally honest when he said that he didn't feel there was any kind of camaraderie between the Argos defence and offence the last few years. Getting the Argos offence to approach the game with the same "Fi-Fo" philosophy as the defence. Without being crude, "Fi-Fo" means Fit In or &*@# Off. With the likes of Mike O'Shea, Kenny Wheaton, Jonathon Brown and Orlondo Steinauer, the Argos defence leave it all on the field every snap of the ball.

The big challenge for Stubler and offensive co-ordinator Steve Burratto is to get the Argos to match the intensity and the productivity of the offence. The team went a long way to fixing their offensive problems when they made the deal with the Riders to pick up MVP quarterback Kerry Joseph. Stubler refuses to say whether or not Joseph or Michael Bishop will be the starting quarterback this year. Whomever gets the call, they will have an outstanding group of receivers to throw to. One of the great additions has been former New England Patriot receiver Bethel Johnson. You can't appreciate how fast he is until you see him in person.

	Lang predicts that the Als' East dominance might be coming to an end this year. (CP)

While I agree with Perry that the Argos offensive line could be an issue. The hiring of long-time and highly respected offensive line coach Bill MacDermott was a great addition.

Maybe the biggest story line on the eve of training camp was the Argos decision to trade fan favourite and perennial all-star kicker Noel Prefontaine to Edmonton. At the same time, the Argos brought Mike Vanderjagt back to Toronto. The most accurate kicker in the history of the NFL, Vanderjagt will have to do something that he hasn't done since 1997: punt.

Stubler doesn't mince words when he said he plans on winning the Grey Cup this year; and the only obstacle in the way of the Argos and booking their trip to Montreal is the Blue Bombers.

Hamilton

No where to go but up in the Hammer. As a sportscaster in all seriousness, the Ticats made a quantum leap in the off-season to solidify the foundation of the franchise.

President Scott Mitchell went out and hired Bob O'Billovich to be the teams new GM. Obie is a master at finding talent and building winners. His sterling resume speaks for itself.

It pains me to say this, but Perry is right again. The hiring of Denny Creehan and Marcel Bellefeuille as their defensive and offensive co-ordinators were moves that were crying out to be made.

With all due respect to Casey Printers and Jesse Lumsden, I really feel the face of this years Ticats squad will be middle linebacker Zeke Moreno. I remember this human cruise missile from his bad boy days at USC. Any man who taught how to play football by his mom can lead my team anytime. As good as "Zeke and Destroy" was last year, he is now playing under an experienced CFL co-ordinator and will have a huge season.

Teams around the league didn't show the Ticats a lot of respect last year. Moreno and the new and improved Ticats might not win 10 games; but they will sure as hell make every team in the CFL pay a heavy price every time they strap it up.

The fact that Casey Printers is coming into the season after an entire training camp with the Ticats will make a big difference. Taffe, Bellefeuile and the Ticats offensive line have to find a way to keep Jesse Lumsden healthy.

The Ticats basically flew under the radar in training camp, quietly going about their business. This is a transition year for the Ticats. Having said that, there are some pieces in place in Hamilton that will surprise a lot of teams around the league.

Montreal

Of all the teams in the CFL, this is the toughest one to figure out. Now that he's back to doing what he does best: being a GM. Jim Popp is back in his comfort zone. Popp surprised a lot of people when he hired Marc Trestman to be his the Als new head coach. After years coaching in the States, Trestman is making his CFL debut this year.

Making the transition to being a head coach in the CFL even tougher for Trestman is all the injuries that have plagued the Als during training camp. Montreal will start the season with Ben Cahoon, Jarrett Payton and Marcus Brady battling injuries.

Once again, Anthony Calvillo will be asked to lead the way for the Als. The offensive line is good, but it's also getting old. Either the team has to alter its blocking schemes or they will have to utilize a blocking back on passing downs. Either way, the Als have to do a better job at protecting the quarterback.

Trestman needs to squeeze out another productive year out of Calvillo is the Als want to be competitive. Once he gets healthy, Marcus Brady should get plenty of work this year.

Anwar Stewart and Chip Cox will lead a defence that had issues in 2007. Defensive co-ordinator Tim Burke has a big challenge ahead of him and not a lot of time to get things right. The addition of linebacker Reggie Hunt will help bring some stability to the Als defence.

There are a lot of young players in Montreal. After getting their collective hands slapped by Mark Cohon for violating the CFL's Salary Management System, what you see in Montreal is what you get. Popp can't exactly go out and spend his brains out trying to pick up talent during the season. Trestman might be in for tough first year in the CFL.

The battle to see who wins the East will come down to the Argos and the Bombers. These are two experienced, well-coached and battle tested football teams. Home field advantage for the East final will be huge. The two teams will play four times in the regular season. Expect each game between the Argos and Bombers to be so intense that it borders on violent. It will be fascinating to see if the lack of a reliable kicking game comes back to haunt the Bombers. Mike Vanderjagt told me he expects to have a huge year. He better, because there will be no margin for error when you play the Bombers this year. If the Bombers can sort out their kicking game, I think they will win the East. If they don't, the Argos will be heading to Montreal.