The Alouettes found a bit of revenge and and things are still a mess in the 'Peg as we look at the week that was in the CFL.
Sometimes the football gods can be funny.
Nine days after the Alouettes lost to the Lions on a controversial call, Montreal gained a measure of revenge. Could it possibly be any crazier than Als' running back Avon Cobourne scoring the game-winning touchdown inside the final minute against B.C. after having a touchdown called back in the previous game between the two teams played. With that in mind, for Week 11 observations, we provide the great, the good, the bad and the ugly:
Great
- The ending of the Calgary-Edmonton game. That's why every second matters in the Canadian Football League. Receiver Jeremaine Copeland, who caught the game-winning touchdown, is having a great year and is easily one of the leading contenders at this point to be a Most Outstanding Player representative for his team, along with quarterback Henry Burris.
- The perfectly-executed reverse from Weston Dressler to Jason Armstead, who heaves a 34-yard pass to Andy Fantuz wrapped in double coverage. Textbook all the way.
- The hit by Winnipeg linebacker Joe Lobendahn on Saskatchewan running back Wes Cates, whose helmet flies off because of the collision.
- The dialogue between Cobourne and B.C. linebacker JoJuan Armour. Not only did they trash-talk one another via the newspaper, they carry it on to the field. This was something right out of wrestling.
- The call by Argo head coach Bart Andrus, who has been bashed all too often by this critic, to go for a 28-yard field goal on second down in the final series of overtime. It was subtle in its understanding, knowing all he needed was a field goal and didn't feel the need to run one more play to get the ball closer for the field goal.
- The catch by Edmonton rush end Kai Ellis, who easily has the most massive upper arms of anybody in the league, to catch a loose ball following a botched punt return by Calgary's Titus Ryan and ramble in a for touchdown.
- Als' quarterback Anthony Calvillo, who led his team with 43 yards rushing. Yes, Old Anthony still has legs and he did some nice running on one play, in which he plowed straight into a defender. But the best part was the stadium music of Born To Run that accompanied the scamper. Bruce Springsteen would be proud.
- Whoever gave Winnipeg running back Fred Reid the nickname FredEx. Absolutely brilliant.
- The 18-yard sneak by Hamilton quarterback Kevin Glenn with 25 seconds to go to tie the game in regulation time.
- Argo rush end Jonathan Brown returning to action after missing the first nine games and registering a sack, followed by his patented celebration. Brown's leadership could be the key to the Argos if they make any kind of recovery in the second half.
Good
- The deft pass by Saskatchewan quarterback Darian Durant to stave off a defender and flick a pass to running back Wes Cates for a touchdown. It was downright Flutiesque.
- The promotion by the Als to honour Tony Proudfoot, who is battling Lou Gehrig's disease. Everything the Als have done to promote the cause and Proudfoot, one of the true legends of the Canadian Football League and a first-class guy, is to admired and saluted.
- Everything the Als did to protest the officials' mistake that cost them a touchdown - and the game - against B.C. The Als did it methodically and handled the decision by the CFL with class.
- The quick decision by the CFL to address the time-clock mess that cost the Als the touchdown. While I found the reasons provided for leaving the game to be extremely long-winded, the reality is the decision was handed down quickly. The wording of the CFL constitution is fairly straightforward.
- The Eskimos' retro uniforms. The colour scheme is absolutely elegant.
- The sunglasses worn by ALS spokesperson Alana Damphousse. Very Gucci.
- The persistence by Sportsnet's Barry Davis to get a reply out of Arland Bruce after Hamilton's loss to Toronto. Ask anyone in the media, Davis asks the tough questions time and time again.
Bad
- Bruce's "no comment." Look, it's understandable if a player doesn't want to talk after a loss, but coming off his comments following the Labour Day win against his former team, it just seemed a little petulant.
- Bruce's touchdown celebration? What was that?
- The majority of the game between the Argos and Ticats. The overtime saved what had been a painful game to watch for the most part.
- The way Winnipeg head coach Mike Kelly handled the whole benching of linebacker Barrin Simpson. He totally embarrassed the proud veteran, who asked to be traded following his demotion. Simpson's thoughts likely echoed many of his teammates.
- The drop ball by surehanded Eskimo receiver Kamau Peterson.
- The numerous dropped balls by B.C.'s receivers.
- The decision by Hamilton to try a fake on their own side of the field and leading 3-0. That's the type of thing you don't do early in the game, and especially fairly deep in your territory. The fact Lawrence Gordon dropped the ball while wide open only underlined the bad timing of this play. That said, Gordon should look the ball into his hands before running. Then again, he's a defensive player.
- The decision by Hamilton to throw the ball in the second series of overtime and give up a sack. Yes, Nick Setta should have made the field goal, but team should have stuck with a ground game and, at the very least, stay in position to give Setta a shorter distance. And as an aside, the blocked extra point following the Bruce touchdown. That one point essentially cost the Ticats the game.
Ugly
- Everything about the Winnipeg Blue Bombers, beginning with head coach Mike Kelly - and, no, I'm not talking about his bald head. He has butchered this team in every which way, on and off the field. The measly 10 points his team accumulated in the loss to Saskatchewan will surely make it hard for his players to continue to believe in what he is preaching. Eight turnovers in a game at home is sad.
- Montreal special teams player Joel Wright jumping up after making a big play and injuring himself. This was almost as ugly as teammate Eric Deslauriers' run to the goal line in which he took a recovered an errant snap and started galloping toward the opposition's end zone, only to take a bad step and fall over the goal line. The weird landing was caused by a torn hamstring that has him sidelined four to six weeks.
- The skirmish between linebackers Winnipeg's Siddeeq Shabazz and Saskatchewan's Aaron Wagner. There were no flags on the play despite the punches that were clearly thrown. By the way, my nickname for Shabazz is Shazam (that's courtesy of Gomer Pyle - and I bet you thought you'd never see that name in a CFL story).
- The collision between B.C. returner Ian Smart and teammate Terna Nande, a linebacker. Stopped Smart in his tracks.
- Winnipeg offensive linemen wearing wristbands with the offensive plays written on a card. This is truly a first.
Guy In Slap Chop Offer: What's the deal with this guy? That commercial is somewhere between extremely funny and extremely annoying. The interesting line, "You're going to love my nuts," is hilarious, but only because of the double entendre. But when he says, "We're going to make America skinny one chop at a time," you have to wonder why is this commercial being aired on a Canadian channel promoting Canadian football. I may follow this up, if only because I want to find out who the guy is in the commercial. As they say, stay tuned.
Perry's Power Rankings: (1) Montreal. Still on top, but it appears this team has some issues, notably the decimated offensive line, which has yielded considerable sacks of late. (2) Saskatchewan: On a great roll, even if it was against Winnipeg. Durant is really emerging as a front-line quarterback and potential star. (3) Calgary: Excellent determination to fight back for the win against Edmonton. (4) B.C. Tough loss to Montreal, but showing signs of getting it together. (5) Edmonton: Finally frittered away a win after their numerous Houdini victories. (6) Hamilton: Offence continues to leave too many points on the field. (7) Toronto: Finally won at home, albeit with a somewhat boring effort. But a win is a win. (8) Winnipeg: A total embarrassment.
