Okay, it wasn’t as poignant as the finish at the British Open, but the victory by the Hamilton Tiger-Cats over the Winnipeg Blue Bombers cobbled together a hell of a story.
It was delicious irony.
Kevin Glenn, run out of Winnipeg by new head coach Mike Kelly, comes on in relief and leads the Tiger-Cats to a win.
He didn’t dominate the game, but he did enough to give the Tiger-Cats their first back-to-back win in three years.
Conversely, Kelly’s designated starting quarterback, Stefan LeFors, acquired in a trade from Edmonton, did little of consequence and had to be replaced in the second half because of a shoulder injury.
Was Glenn really that awful in Winnipeg?
If he was good enough to be voted the Most Outstanding Player in the East two years ago before coming apart last year, what is to be made of that? Well, the coach during that period, Doug Berry, never truly embraced Glenn in the three years they worked together and was fired after last season.
How hard must it be for a quarterback when the head coach is never truly backing you?
Look at how Kelly has embraced LeFors.
In his post-game comments following the loss to Hamilton, Kelly was asked if LeFors is still his starter.
His response: "Stef is the quarterback here. I’ll take one Stefan LeFors before I take anybody else. Period."
Imagine if during his time in Winnipeg Glenn had that kind of support from his coach.
LeFors’ starting status for Friday’s game at home against Toronto is uncertain because of the shoulder injury, which would move backup Brian Randall one notch and elevate third-stringer Richie Williams.
And one more thing: Kelly, who is also the offensive co-ordinator, put the Ticat defeat on his shoulders for not putting in enough schemes together in order to make the team successful.
Is coaching for a team that has already played twice really that difficult?
If it all comes down to film study and preparation, then you have to admire Montreal head coach Marc Trestman, who is his team’s offensive co-ordinator. He had to prepare his team for Saskatchewan’s defence, which is infinitely more complex than Hamilton’s because of the various formations, looks and schemes devised by crafty co-ordinator Gary Etcheverry. Trestman proved again, as he did last year in his first season in the Canadian Football League, that he is truly a student of the game.
It also proved the value of having a veteran quarterback such as Anthony Calvillo and good coaching.
And one more thing: Isn’t it time Kelly scrapped his decision to start his quarterback almost exclusively and implement a shotgun formation, which he claims is for "flag football, and guys that haven't coached quarterbacks."
Seems a fellow named Flutie did quite well with the shotgun.
It might give LeFors, or whoever quarterbacks the team, more time to see the play develop.
Right now the Bombers’ receivers are not even involved. Add in the Bombers’ rebuilt offensive line and this whole Winnipeg offence is a work in progress.
THIS AND THAT: How come the officials are quick to throw a flag when a defensive player hits a quarterback after his release, even if it’s a gentle bump, but they don’t flag Edmonton Eskimos’ safety Elliott Richardson for his hit on B.C. quarterback Buck Pierce?...Why was Toronto quarterback Kerry Joseph left in the game until the end in a blowout loss to Calgary? Seems this is something rookie head coach Bart Andrus might want to address in the future…The catch by Montreal’s Ben Cahoon may have been one of the best ever. You knew it meant something to the normally-stoic receiver because of his jubilant reaction afterward. And then on the next play, he fumbles after making a catch, something he rarely does because pound-for-pound he is the toughest receiver in the league…Incredible that Graeme Harrell, a highly-decorated college quarterback who has never played pro football, is suddenly being discussed among some football folks as Saskatchewan’s possible starter at some point this season. Give the guy some time to get adjusted to the CFL and professional ball…Is it me or do Tiger Woods and Henry Burris bear a similar resemblance?
PERRY’S POWER RANKINGS:
1. Montreal: Dominant in all phases of the game.
2. Saskatchewan: A humbling defeat, to be sure. Let’s see how they rebound.
3. Hamilton: Back-to-back victories and with a solid defensive showing.
4. B.C: After losing the first two games by a combined seven points, the Lions rebounded with a thorough victory, and with backup Jarious Jackson leading the attack going vertical.
5. Calgary: Finally played like a defending Grey Cup champion.
6. Edmonton: Sputtering one-dimensional offence and now a porous defensive.
7. Toronto: Losing to Calgary was not a great shock, but offence self-destructed.
8. Winnipeg: Hard to win if your starting quarterback has completed only 44.2 per cent of his passes.