Loyalty will be the word around Toronto for the off season, loyalty to a long time veteran, which while honourable in the best of intentions, may have been the one intangible that separated the Argonauts from the Alouettes on Sunday afternoon.
The Montreal Alouettes crafted a good game plan, shutting down a CFL icon and in the end held on for an 33-24 Eastern Division win and a trip to the Grey Cup this Sunday.
Montreal put together a winning combination of plays handled well by Anthony Calvillo who, seemed to regain the form he has been know for in seasons past. He offered up a good mix of the pass and the run, allowing his key players to take the Als back to the game they’ve been to five times since 2000. From timely receptions by Ben Cahoon and Thyron Anderson, to rambles by Robert Edwards the Montreal offense seemed to take the game to the Toronto defence with little difficulty through the first two quarters of play.
Toronto’s offense while engaged, never seemed to break the big play needed to regain momentum in the first half and break the cycle of Montreal appearances on Grey Cup Sunday. Damon Allen while not struggling seemed limited in his approach on the day, his passes would go for short yardage, the utilization of the twin backs of Ricky Williams and John Avery ineffective for the most part.
With his mobility not what it once was, Allen couldn’t scramble as he once could, which would have served to have spread out the Alouette defence more. As it was, they could key on a triangle of turf on each play and control most of the flow of the action.
An untimely interception return (for Argonaut fans any wars) for a touchdown didn’t help the cause as Mark Estelle picked off an Allen pass early in the second half and ran it back 78 yards for a touchdown and a 23-3 lead. Allen would be given one more set of downs to try and move his team before Michael Clemons turned to Michael Bishop for the second time in two weeks.
Bishop entered the game six minutes into the second half and provided another spark similar to last weeks Eastern semi final against the Bombers. His appearance would change the dynamic of the on field situation, his arm would launch missiles to Arland Bruce III and Michael Palmer deep into the Alouette end of the field, he set up the field position to allow Ricky Williams to score his final CFL touchdown in his brief but interesting career in double blue and before an Alouette fan knew it the Argos were but a touchdown away from yet another story book finish.
But, in the end, the team that had controlled the bulk of the game would win out, a Damon Duval field goal late in the game capping the victory and bringing to an end the Argos season and perhaps an era or two as well.
The debate in Toronto in the off season will be all about the Quarterback position, Allen realizing that time is marching on now, would like to return but even he is aware that the Argos will be looking hard at all positions heading into a year in which they host the Grey Cup. Michael Bishop laid a stake to the claim of Allen’s heir apparent in the last two weeks, It will be up to the Argonaut management team to decide where they want the ship to go before training camp arrives next May.
Michael Clemons was loyal to his man, Allen of course had led the Argos on to many victories over his years in Double Blue, who is to say that he didn’t have one or two more miracles left in his bag of tricks.
In the end Clemons made some hard decisions, taking his veteran out as his offense stalled, Sunday perhaps he waited a few plays too long to see if magic was going to arrive one more time. It will be the topic of debate for the next six months for all that follow the Double Blue .
Showing posts with label CFL Playoffs. Show all posts
Showing posts with label CFL Playoffs. Show all posts
Monday, November 13, 2006
Domination at the Dome
Sunday’s Western Final was an event that was for all intents and purposes, over by the half time mark, a fragile looking and stumbling Saskatchewan squad never seemed to recover from its nervous start and before you could say Eagle Keys, the proud sons of the land of Gainer were done for the year.
All that would remain would be a second quarter of face saving, no real danger to claiming a Spot in the Grey Cup this week, but enough of an effort to at least send the notice that they were there for the day.
Sunday was Dave Dickenson’s day, the Lions quarterback who has seen more than his fair share of chances for a title slip through his (and a few receivers) fingers, played with the zeal of someone with a mission, his passes were laser beams, his play execution flawless. The Lions looking every bit as good as the fans of the league expected.
With Dickenson distributing the ball among his receiving corps, the Riders would be forced to not only worry about CFL All Star Geroy Simon but Paris Jackson and Jason Clermont as well, as the Lions receivers executed their routes to perfection, racking up yardage and points seemingly at will.
When Dickenson needed a change of pace Joe Smith would take the ball and collect some more yardage, blasting through a Rider line and schooling the once invincible Rider front four a bit..
When the drives would stall, Paul McCallum would deliver the message that the kicking game was fine in his hands, accounting for 19 points on the day for the Lions.
The 45-18 was the largest Lion victory in its Playoff history and the vast majority of the credit goes to Dickenson, who pretty well put the stamp on the season with his performance, confirming that when healthy and when protected by his offensive line, he is the best Quarterback in the CFL these days.
For Saskatchewan an inability to get their plays off in the first quarter sealed their fate, unaccustomed to the noise of a throng number over 50,000, Kerry Joseph repeatedly had problems getting his plays under way, let alone moving the team down the field. By the time the Riders could get on the same page the Lions would already have had three touchdowns on the board and were set to plan their trip to Winnipeg.
The Lions dominated the league for most of the season; the only troublesome team all year were these same Riders, who looked anything but troublesome on Sunday. The Lions were controlled every phase of the game, from offense to defense, special teams to coaching; there is not one spot on the checklist that would have been given to the Riders on Sunday.
Montreal will examine the film and develop their plan of attack for Sunday’s finale to the CFL season; the key will be how they approach Dickenson’s style of play and his patient ability to make the key play at the key time.
Their chances of denying the Lions what many believe is deservedly theirs this year hinges on an ability to shut down the pass, control the run and score some points of their own against a very tough defence, perhaps the best in the league.
Now that doesn’t sound like too much of a challenge, does it?
All that would remain would be a second quarter of face saving, no real danger to claiming a Spot in the Grey Cup this week, but enough of an effort to at least send the notice that they were there for the day.
Sunday was Dave Dickenson’s day, the Lions quarterback who has seen more than his fair share of chances for a title slip through his (and a few receivers) fingers, played with the zeal of someone with a mission, his passes were laser beams, his play execution flawless. The Lions looking every bit as good as the fans of the league expected.
With Dickenson distributing the ball among his receiving corps, the Riders would be forced to not only worry about CFL All Star Geroy Simon but Paris Jackson and Jason Clermont as well, as the Lions receivers executed their routes to perfection, racking up yardage and points seemingly at will.
When Dickenson needed a change of pace Joe Smith would take the ball and collect some more yardage, blasting through a Rider line and schooling the once invincible Rider front four a bit..
When the drives would stall, Paul McCallum would deliver the message that the kicking game was fine in his hands, accounting for 19 points on the day for the Lions.
The 45-18 was the largest Lion victory in its Playoff history and the vast majority of the credit goes to Dickenson, who pretty well put the stamp on the season with his performance, confirming that when healthy and when protected by his offensive line, he is the best Quarterback in the CFL these days.
For Saskatchewan an inability to get their plays off in the first quarter sealed their fate, unaccustomed to the noise of a throng number over 50,000, Kerry Joseph repeatedly had problems getting his plays under way, let alone moving the team down the field. By the time the Riders could get on the same page the Lions would already have had three touchdowns on the board and were set to plan their trip to Winnipeg.
The Lions dominated the league for most of the season; the only troublesome team all year were these same Riders, who looked anything but troublesome on Sunday. The Lions were controlled every phase of the game, from offense to defense, special teams to coaching; there is not one spot on the checklist that would have been given to the Riders on Sunday.
Montreal will examine the film and develop their plan of attack for Sunday’s finale to the CFL season; the key will be how they approach Dickenson’s style of play and his patient ability to make the key play at the key time.
Their chances of denying the Lions what many believe is deservedly theirs this year hinges on an ability to shut down the pass, control the run and score some points of their own against a very tough defence, perhaps the best in the league.
Now that doesn’t sound like too much of a challenge, does it?
Monday, November 06, 2006
Don’t annoy the Gopher!
The Headlines and front page of the Regina Leader-Post and Saskatoon Star-Phoenix tells you all you need to know about Sunday’s semi final victory by the pride of Saskatchewan.
Danny Barrett’s Roughriders once again overcame the odds and will be heading for a CFL Western Final match up with the BC Lions.
Taking charge of a second half of football built on the legs of Kenton Keith and the arm of Kerry Joseph, the Riders knocked the Stampeders off their game completely. Silencing two thirds of the thirty five thousand six hundred and fifty fans and letting the remaining 10,000 shower their neighours with giddy glee as the Riders dominated play for the final two halves of football.
Calgary once again stumbled and fumbled, on the way to where they were supposed to go. Henry Burris frustrated beyond his belief as passes were gobbled up by Rider defenders and Joffrey Reynolds left to bemoan a plan of attack that seemed to forget he was in the line up.
Last year it was a loss to their bitter rivals to the north that sent the Stamps packing early on in the playoff season, this year it’s those stubble jumping, gopher loving rubes of the flatland that have sent the Cowtown slickers to their winter homes early.
Saskatchewan which had more than its fair share of turmoil at mid season, looked as though they were a team possessed in the second half, as they charged out of the dressing room and just took the game away from a Calgary team that by games end appeared shell shocked on the side lines.
In Calgary this morning, they now have something in common with their northern relations in Edmonton, a case of wonderment as to how things went so wrong, so fast. The post mortem in Southern Alberta will ask a number of questions about preparation for the game, a game plan that seemed to deviate from that which put them in the semi final in the first place and the inevitable question about whether Henry Burris will ever be the one to lead this team past a semi final match.
For Saskatchewan, the delicious irony of smiting the QB who spurned them a few years ago could only have been topped by the way this team pulled together to overcome the odds of success. For Barrett, a coach who is on the hot seat in the football mad province, the victory was particularly sweet. His team, which has always been a closed knit group, seemed even more unified than ever as they stood on the sidelines and saluted their traveling band on fanatics who made McMahon stadium sound like a suburb of Mosaic Stadium at Taylor Field.
For Barrett and the Riders there’s little time to savour the victory, it’s back to work and plans for a trip to Vancouver for a much anticipated game with the Lions. The Riders have been the victors twice in three regular season games the past year, and won’t be traveling to Vancouver in any awe of the Lions. Factor in the devotion of their fans, many of home have re-settled in BC and Sunday should be a wild day at the False Creek football emporium.
A victory in Vancouver on Sunday will set up a Saskatchewan travel agents dream weekend and a horror show for Winnipeg. Those crazy Rider fans may just invade their long time rivals hometown and make Winnipeg Rider friendly.
Only the Lions stand in the way the plans to avoid a similar surprise already underway and with the Riders coming off such an emotional win, a betting fan wouldn’t necessarily make the Lions the favourite as the weekend final approaches!
Calgary once again stumbled and fumbled, on the way to where they were supposed to go. Henry Burris frustrated beyond his belief as passes were gobbled up by Rider defenders and Joffrey Reynolds left to bemoan a plan of attack that seemed to forget he was in the line up.
Last year it was a loss to their bitter rivals to the north that sent the Stamps packing early on in the playoff season, this year it’s those stubble jumping, gopher loving rubes of the flatland that have sent the Cowtown slickers to their winter homes early.
Saskatchewan which had more than its fair share of turmoil at mid season, looked as though they were a team possessed in the second half, as they charged out of the dressing room and just took the game away from a Calgary team that by games end appeared shell shocked on the side lines.
In Calgary this morning, they now have something in common with their northern relations in Edmonton, a case of wonderment as to how things went so wrong, so fast. The post mortem in Southern Alberta will ask a number of questions about preparation for the game, a game plan that seemed to deviate from that which put them in the semi final in the first place and the inevitable question about whether Henry Burris will ever be the one to lead this team past a semi final match.
For Saskatchewan, the delicious irony of smiting the QB who spurned them a few years ago could only have been topped by the way this team pulled together to overcome the odds of success. For Barrett, a coach who is on the hot seat in the football mad province, the victory was particularly sweet. His team, which has always been a closed knit group, seemed even more unified than ever as they stood on the sidelines and saluted their traveling band on fanatics who made McMahon stadium sound like a suburb of Mosaic Stadium at Taylor Field.
For Barrett and the Riders there’s little time to savour the victory, it’s back to work and plans for a trip to Vancouver for a much anticipated game with the Lions. The Riders have been the victors twice in three regular season games the past year, and won’t be traveling to Vancouver in any awe of the Lions. Factor in the devotion of their fans, many of home have re-settled in BC and Sunday should be a wild day at the False Creek football emporium.
A victory in Vancouver on Sunday will set up a Saskatchewan travel agents dream weekend and a horror show for Winnipeg. Those crazy Rider fans may just invade their long time rivals hometown and make Winnipeg Rider friendly.
Only the Lions stand in the way the plans to avoid a similar surprise already underway and with the Riders coming off such an emotional win, a betting fan wouldn’t necessarily make the Lions the favourite as the weekend final approaches!
Tuesday, October 31, 2006
Two games from their destiny
By far the dominant team in the CFL over the last couple of years has been the BC Lions, with perhaps the strongest line up, the most reliable quarterbacking collection and the one of the most knowledgeable and well prepared coaches in the league.
Last year the blue print called for a Lions victory at home, the Party on the Pacific sidetracked a bit by the Edmonton Eskimos, who dispatched the Lions in the Western final, in their very own home. It was not a happy day for a program that had worked hard to make a bid for the Cup on their own turf, at their own party. A lesson learned, of which they try to remember as the their playoff destiny unfolds.
With that opportunity lost, Buono and his coaches got to work on the job at hand retooling the Lions for the 2006 season. And for the most part they improved the squad in every category. They control the defensive play game in and game out, offensively they can rattle off the points regardless of who takes the snaps. While they lost four games on the year, they are still considered the favourites to be standing on a cold field in Winnipeg in three weeks time.
The Lions have given the team a week off, while the coaching staff are taking the week to prepare for either Saskatchewan or Calgary and if they are looking at the year in review they may wish to cheer on the Stamps this Sunday. Of the four losses on the year, two were at the hands of Saskatchewan, one to Calgary and one to the recently eliminated Eskimos.
Past history has also given the Riders a bit of a push when they play BC at BC Place, so when they pull out the pom poms on Sunday, Buono and the gang might want to look for the Red and White Ones.
However, if they take the counsel of Stephen Brunt of the Globe and Mail they’ll be wondering how many pairs of long johns to pack for the eventual trip to Winnipeg. Brunt wrote over the weekend that the Grey Cup is the Lions to lose.
Considering the caliber of the talent and the preparation they receive, it’s hard to argue with Mr. Brunt. He reviews the season for us and contemplates the future, the Lions and their fans are no doubt hoping he's on track.
Brunt: Grey Cup is B.C.'s to lose
STEPHEN BRUNT
Globe and Mail Update
October 29, 2006
This is what we know at the conclusion of the 2006 Canadian Football League regular season:
There is one very good, very well-coached team in Vancouver that this morning is the odds-on favourite to win the Grey Cup in Winnipeg three weeks hence. It's been the favourite all year, really.
There are five other teams in the playoffs, all of them with question marks, all of them obviously flawed.
The dispersal of the talent from the deceased Ottawa franchise at the beginning of the season, which was supposed to enhance the quality of play across the board, apparently did no such thing. A new interpretation of the blocking rules on kick returns, which no one bothered to adjust as the season progressed, all but mandated a flag on every play, eliminating the happy possibility of a return touchdown.
And a league that has always lived and died by the quality of its quarterbacking suddenly found itself thin at the position - only one quarterback as a most valuable player nominee, no realistic candidates - a turn of events that nobody saw coming.
Put it all together, and you wind up with some idea why this season has seemed so lacklustre, why so many games seemed to drag, why the three-down sport's one unassailable strength over the years - its entertainment value - was for the first time in living memory called into question.
The CFL has been called all kinds of things, some more valid than others, by those who liked to run it down, but until this season you didn't often hear it labelled "boring."
That, rather than the usual back room shenanigans, is the story heading into the playoffs, even with a lame duck commissioner and no replacement in sight, even with a return to Ottawa looking less likely by the moment.
If the post-season is going to redeem the year, some team other than the B.C. Lions is going to have to step up and mount a credible challenge. In the west, there's at least the possibility that one of Calgary, who at times have looked close, and Saskatchewan, now playing out the final days of the Roy Shivers(already departed)-Danny Barrett(soon to follow) era of unfulfilled potential, with give the Leos a tussle in the final.
It's an awful lot harder to find encouragement in the east, with the weekend games only confirming what's been obvious since the Montreal Alouettes began their long slide downward, that there wasn't a decent team among the four.
Winnipeg has Charles Roberts, the second best player in the league this season behind Geroy Simon, and that gives them hope of making a longshot run and winning two playoff games on the road. But with Kevin Glenn hurt in the final game against the Lions, that task becomes considerably more difficult.
The Bombers' first opponent, the Toronto Argonauts, proved on Saturday what's been obvious for some time, that they just can't stop the run - which could be good news for Roberts. Still, their pass defence is tough, and if they ever managed to make proper use of their resources on offence (John Avery, Ricky Williams, Arland Bruce..) they'd score plenty. Problem is, in the season in which he became professional football's all-time leader in passing yardage, Damon Allen seems to have finally grown old.
Anthony Calvillo is a young pup by comparison, but his slow fade this season has been a big part of the dysfunctional Montreal story. The Alouettes somehow slipped by Toronto for first place, winning a game they should have been out of by halftime, and maybe that will finally snap them out of a half-eason-long malaise. They'll be playing in front of a big home crowd for the Eastern Final, and know that Robert Edwards is running at full steam, but they're nothing like a lock against whichever team emerges from the semi-final.
There's still time to put everyone on the edge of their seats. There's still the chance to recreate dramatics like those in last November's spectacular Grey Cup game
It's getting late, though, and it's taken plenty of patience even for the hard core to remain committed thus far.
Time for the CFL to put on a show. It's long overdue.
Last year the blue print called for a Lions victory at home, the Party on the Pacific sidetracked a bit by the Edmonton Eskimos, who dispatched the Lions in the Western final, in their very own home. It was not a happy day for a program that had worked hard to make a bid for the Cup on their own turf, at their own party. A lesson learned, of which they try to remember as the their playoff destiny unfolds.
With that opportunity lost, Buono and his coaches got to work on the job at hand retooling the Lions for the 2006 season. And for the most part they improved the squad in every category. They control the defensive play game in and game out, offensively they can rattle off the points regardless of who takes the snaps. While they lost four games on the year, they are still considered the favourites to be standing on a cold field in Winnipeg in three weeks time.
The Lions have given the team a week off, while the coaching staff are taking the week to prepare for either Saskatchewan or Calgary and if they are looking at the year in review they may wish to cheer on the Stamps this Sunday. Of the four losses on the year, two were at the hands of Saskatchewan, one to Calgary and one to the recently eliminated Eskimos.
Past history has also given the Riders a bit of a push when they play BC at BC Place, so when they pull out the pom poms on Sunday, Buono and the gang might want to look for the Red and White Ones.
However, if they take the counsel of Stephen Brunt of the Globe and Mail they’ll be wondering how many pairs of long johns to pack for the eventual trip to Winnipeg. Brunt wrote over the weekend that the Grey Cup is the Lions to lose.
Considering the caliber of the talent and the preparation they receive, it’s hard to argue with Mr. Brunt. He reviews the season for us and contemplates the future, the Lions and their fans are no doubt hoping he's on track.
Brunt: Grey Cup is B.C.'s to lose
STEPHEN BRUNT
Globe and Mail Update
October 29, 2006
This is what we know at the conclusion of the 2006 Canadian Football League regular season:
There is one very good, very well-coached team in Vancouver that this morning is the odds-on favourite to win the Grey Cup in Winnipeg three weeks hence. It's been the favourite all year, really.
There are five other teams in the playoffs, all of them with question marks, all of them obviously flawed.
The dispersal of the talent from the deceased Ottawa franchise at the beginning of the season, which was supposed to enhance the quality of play across the board, apparently did no such thing. A new interpretation of the blocking rules on kick returns, which no one bothered to adjust as the season progressed, all but mandated a flag on every play, eliminating the happy possibility of a return touchdown.
And a league that has always lived and died by the quality of its quarterbacking suddenly found itself thin at the position - only one quarterback as a most valuable player nominee, no realistic candidates - a turn of events that nobody saw coming.
Put it all together, and you wind up with some idea why this season has seemed so lacklustre, why so many games seemed to drag, why the three-down sport's one unassailable strength over the years - its entertainment value - was for the first time in living memory called into question.
The CFL has been called all kinds of things, some more valid than others, by those who liked to run it down, but until this season you didn't often hear it labelled "boring."
That, rather than the usual back room shenanigans, is the story heading into the playoffs, even with a lame duck commissioner and no replacement in sight, even with a return to Ottawa looking less likely by the moment.
If the post-season is going to redeem the year, some team other than the B.C. Lions is going to have to step up and mount a credible challenge. In the west, there's at least the possibility that one of Calgary, who at times have looked close, and Saskatchewan, now playing out the final days of the Roy Shivers(already departed)-Danny Barrett(soon to follow) era of unfulfilled potential, with give the Leos a tussle in the final.
It's an awful lot harder to find encouragement in the east, with the weekend games only confirming what's been obvious since the Montreal Alouettes began their long slide downward, that there wasn't a decent team among the four.
Winnipeg has Charles Roberts, the second best player in the league this season behind Geroy Simon, and that gives them hope of making a longshot run and winning two playoff games on the road. But with Kevin Glenn hurt in the final game against the Lions, that task becomes considerably more difficult.
The Bombers' first opponent, the Toronto Argonauts, proved on Saturday what's been obvious for some time, that they just can't stop the run - which could be good news for Roberts. Still, their pass defence is tough, and if they ever managed to make proper use of their resources on offence (John Avery, Ricky Williams, Arland Bruce..) they'd score plenty. Problem is, in the season in which he became professional football's all-time leader in passing yardage, Damon Allen seems to have finally grown old.
Anthony Calvillo is a young pup by comparison, but his slow fade this season has been a big part of the dysfunctional Montreal story. The Alouettes somehow slipped by Toronto for first place, winning a game they should have been out of by halftime, and maybe that will finally snap them out of a half-eason-long malaise. They'll be playing in front of a big home crowd for the Eastern Final, and know that Robert Edwards is running at full steam, but they're nothing like a lock against whichever team emerges from the semi-final.
There's still time to put everyone on the edge of their seats. There's still the chance to recreate dramatics like those in last November's spectacular Grey Cup game
It's getting late, though, and it's taken plenty of patience even for the hard core to remain committed thus far.
Time for the CFL to put on a show. It's long overdue.
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