Perry Lefko

Perry Lefko keeps you connected to all the news in the CFL on Sportsnet.ca.

Amazing. Unbelievable.

Use any adjective you want to describe the opening game of the 2010 Canadian Football League schedule.

My Sportsnet.ca buddy Jim Lang would call it, "sick".

The game between the Saskatchewan Roughriders and the Montreal Alouettes may have been one of the most exciting regular-season tilts in years.

It neared the excitement level of the 2009 Grey Cup, albeit without the same prize at stake.

To be sure, the Als are probably happy to give up two points instead of the Cup.

For the Roughriders and their fans, this is some consolation for what happened back in November. Nothing can change the outcome, but this is something to build on, and would have been disastrous if the Roughriders had lost the game by another penalty of two-many-men on the field.

Two-point converts in overtime: It only took two plays - a do-over after a penalty against Saskatchewan and a highlight-reel catch by Montreal's S.J. Green - to prove the rule change is way better than the old one-point convert.

Curious plays: Montreal running the ball on third down, thinking it was second down and blowing a chance for an easy field goal, which would have been the necessary points at the end to stave off overtime. You could tell Als quarterback Anthony Calvillo thought it was second down when he fell to the turf to preserve five ticks on the clock, only to realize it was third down…Edmonton opting to run the ball back after field goals instead of taking it on the 35-yard line. How often do runbacks go beyond the 35-yard line? Percentage-wise, it's best to take the ball at the 35-yard line, which was why the rule was switched back to what it was two years ago because the thought process of having kickoffs after field goals did not produce the necessary returns, so the competition committee went back to the old system.

Offensive player of the week: Darian Durant, Saskatchewan. 30 of 44 passes completed, five touchdowns and 478 passing yards. Runner-up: Terrence Edwards, Winnipeg. Five catches, 192 yards, two touchdowns.

Defensive player of the week: Kevin Eiben, Toronto. 11 tackles. Runner-up: Aaron Hunt, B.C. Six tackles, one sack.

Special teams player of the week: Marcus Thigpen, Hamilton: two touchdown returns, Runner-up: Paul McCallum, B.C. Six field goals, 19 points.

This and that: Toronto defensive lineman Ronald Flemons may have the most muscle mass in his upper arms of any player in the league, though Edmonton defensive lineman Kai Ellis is a close second…Someone should teach the Hamilton Tiger-Cats' special teams player that kicking the ball out of the end zone is far better than trying to bat it away. This is an example of an American player not knowing the rules… As long as Winnipeg quarterback Buck Pierce continues to slide instead of taking hits, he's sure to make the Blue Bombers happy they signed him…Who looked more frustrated in week one: Calgary quarterback Henry Burris or B.C. pivot Casey Printers?...Subtract Kelly Campbell from Edmonton's receiving corps and it looks plainfully ordinary. Then again, if quarterback Ricky Ray can't go vertical, the opposition can cheat…Wonder if the new fake turf at Commonwealth Stadium is going to take some time to break in and cost the Eskimos the home-field advantage they enjoyed playing on real grass?