Some surprises laid waste to our sage prognostications of week 13, a gulf between success and failure that is almost on par with the beating that bookmakers have taken on the weight of their NFL endeavours in the first three weeks.
A weekend of woe from our perspective that saw the Cats, Argos and Stamps all fail to meet up to our expectations.
Add on to the misery some injuries through the weekend (in particular a player absence in Toronto that may very well change their course this season) and all that is left is to review the games of the weekend that was.
Hamilton at Winnipeg
So much for the theory that the Tiger Cats had turned the corner. Hamilton who had convincingly handled the Edmonton Eskimos but a week earlier returned to some familiar patterns on Friday night.
Incapable of finishing drives, suddenly stymied at the prospect of offence from the other side.
Henry Burris, who looked very good in the Edmonton game, looked very average against Winnipeg, his receiving corps a collective that appeared to have turned a corner last weekend, made a u turn and disappeared down inconsistent avenue.
On the Winnipeg side of things, the return of Buck Pierce proved to be the rallying point of the season for a struggling team.
Pierce was more than just the inspiration for the Bombers, he was the General on the field who wasn't afraid to get into battle himself.
The Bombers appeared to have renewed confidence with Pierce behind the centre, it was only one game but for the home side fans who braved a miserable Manitoba night the 34 to 12 victory over Hamilton provided the chance to find something to cheer in a season of woe.
One wonders how Paul LaPolice is feeling these days, wondering how things may have gone oh so different if Pierce had not been sidelined for more than half the season.
It's still a long road ahead for the Blue and reality would suggest that there isn't much of a shot for a playoff spot, but in a league where winning and losing streaks come up at the most important times, the Bombers are feeling as though finally their stars have realigned again.
Not so much so in Hamilton we imagine.
The previews and reviews of the Cats and Bombers can be found here
British Columbia at Edmonton
The red hot BC Lions were heading into Edmonton on Saturday, a game against a very ice cold Eskimo squad that no doubt had those that watch trends in the CFL expecting an offensive showtime from the team from the coast.
However, the Eskimos having been embarrassed just last weekend in Hamilton were apparently in no mind to have the same thing happen on their own turf in front of their own crowd.
The Esks defensive unit rose to the challenge of Travis Lulay and his high flying offensive unit, shutting down the Lions to just 19 points, true in the end that is all that the Lions would require for an 19-18 victory, but keeping the Leos under 20 is at least a partial victory for the Defensive squad.
In fact, it took a late game field goal for the Lions to secure victory, trailing the Eskimos late into the final quarter, the consensus being that the Lions were lucky to come out of Edmonton with the victory and the grip they still have on first place in the West.
For the Eskimos the short comings this time were wholly on the offensive unit, which struggled to put any kind of points on the board in the second half.
With only five first downs and three points to show for their second thirty minutes of football, the game as one can see was completely dependent on the defensive unit, they more than held up their own end of the bargain, shutting down the Lions for the most part, though not quite enough.
They could have used just a little bit of assistance from the folks on the other side of the dressing room, just a few extra yards, a couple of extra first downs and hey, if you could manage just a few more points.
On a day where the Eskimo defence held one of the best offences in the league to just 19 points, their offence couldn't find twenty.
Until the Eskimos fix up that ratio, disappointment will no doubt continue on in Edmonton.
The look back at the Lions and Esks can be found here.
Toronto at Montreal
It was a showdown for first place in the CFL East, the team that seems to dominate the CFL year in a year out taking on a squad that finally seems to be showing some life in the largest market in the league.
It was a match up that the CFL must have been quite hopeful about when they cobbled together their schedule earlier this year, a measuring stick for both teams in their bid to return the east to at least a semblance of competence in the Canadian game.
The Als who have been almost a normal squad this year, in that they no longer are considered the favourite in every game they play have had their struggles this year. A defensive unit that at times was still very much a work in progress, a special teams unit that must surely leave the coaching staff scratching their heads at times, wondering if everyone was on the same page, or even reading the same book.
Only on offence could be found that calm, professional approach to the game that has been the hallmark of the Als over the last decade or so, led by Anthony Calvillo, the Als never seem to panic, always bide their time and more likely than not pull off the victory.
In Toronto, their weekend guests a similar picture was starting to be painted in double blue colours, Ricky Ray had finally been showing just how valuable an acquisition he had been over the off season.
His leadership has provided a stable environment at the key QB position and while it has taken some time for he and the rest of the offence to get on the same page, success was very much in the wind this year, a new confidence that when the Argos take to the field a victory may not be far behind.
So we imagine that when Ricky Ray went down to injury on Sunday the collective call back in Toronto was oh why now...
The injury proved to be turning point for the Als 31 to 10 victory over the Argos, the ball may as well have been deflated at that point, as the Argos appeared to be so once their QB left the field.
Montreal which was already doing fairly well in the game, took full control once Ray was done for the day, there would be no rallying point as injury sometimes provides for, instead dropped passes, fumbles and sloppy coverage provided the Als with an opening to seal the game up, which they wasted no time taking advantage of.
The Argos lost the opportunity to stake a claim on first place in the east, but may have lost much more, as Ray may be gone for much of the immediate future, leaving the offence in the hands of Jarious Jackson, who spent most of his time in the CFL watching from the Lions sidelines, he has the ball now, but he'll need some help from a team that didn't look all that confident by the time Sunday's game came to an end.
The look back at the Argos and Als can be found here
Calgary at Saskatchewan
The wrap to the weekend came at Mosaic Field, a game that saw the Riders showed flashes of offence that suggest they still have designs towards the top of the CFL West, while Jon Cornish flashed his own particular theme to the fan base on the Stamps side of the field.
Cornish was reprimanded for his breech of his britches, a distraction for head coach John Hufnagel who clearly would post game rather be discussing his defensive units inability to contain the Riders, who took advantage of their defensive squads field placement to make life miserable for the Stamps all game long.
Prior to kick off the Riders coach had vowed that the Riders D would hold Cornish to less than 100 yards, a task they took to with relish, shutting down the Stamps running back much to the delight of the Riders fans and as events would provide for, not to the delight of the Stamps running back.
Mistakes, missed assignments and mental miscues played a key part in the Stampeders troubles, a team which had been riding high over the last few months quickly provided with a reminder that you take no opponent lightly at any time in the CFL.
The game a step back for a squad that had gone on a nice little 4 game unbeaten streak prior to its arrival at Mosaic.
Saskatchewan on the other hand, exorcised a few demons with the victory, keeping their eye on the prospect of a second place finish in the West, while adding some insurance of at least a playoff spot through a third place finish or crossover to the East.
Defensively the Riders were strong, harassing Kevin Glenn through the day, delivering punishing hits and rushing the Stampeder game plan quite nicely. There were some lapses in the latter stages of the game however that allowed the Stamps to launch the comeback that almost secured another win.
Offensively the Riders were solid through the game, capitalizing on the Stamp errors, gaining field position and scoring points when opportunity provided, that in the end was the key to the 30-25 victory for Saskatchewan.
The reviews and previews of the Riders and Stamps can be found here.
No comments:
Post a Comment