As Geroy Simon goes, so goes the B.C. Lions.
Simon has been on a tear in the Lions’ past two games, and he clearly made the play of the week catching a pass in between two defenders and slithering through to turn the play into a 62-yard catch-and-run touchdown that stood up as the winning points with only 12 seconds to go in a stunning win over Edmonton.
Simon had nine catches for 170 yards, which was remarkable given that the Lions were missing their other key receiver, Paris Jackson, who was sidelined with an injury.
The Eskimos clearly double-teamed Simon for most of the second half, and appeared to have the right defence called on the play in which he recorded the remarkable touchdown.
Then again, sloppy tackling clearly allowed Simon to bounce off the two Eskimo defenders.
Simon has 15 catches for 304 yards and two touchdowns in the past two games.
With four games to go he is 464 yards shy of tying last year’s total of 1,418 receiving yards and he is only 19 catches shy of equaling his total of a year ago.
If Simon continues his current pace and quarterback Buck Pierce stays physically sound, the Lions could be the surprise team in the West.
A BUNCH OF FAKERS: Great execution by Calgary on a fake punt in the first half against the Alouettes. Perhaps no one designs fake punts better than Stamps’ special teams co-ordinator Craig Dickenson. That said, I was somewhat surprised the Stamps tried the fake again in the fourth quarter with the game still well within reach, but well inside their own side of the 55. To the Als’ credit, they smoked out the fake.
What’s that they say, "Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me." Well…
SPEAKING OF THE ALS: What is becoming increasingly clear is that the Als are not interested in merely winning; from an offensive standpoint they want to step on the opposition’s throats, particularly in the first half. They did it to Hamilton and did it again against Calgary, electing not to try for a short field goal on third-and-goal from the three, going for a touchdown and making good on it.
DECISIONS, DECISIONS: The Ticats can elect to continue to develop young quarterback Quinton Porter or bite the bullet and go with veteran Kevin Glenn. The Ticats are slipping with three consecutive losses and are risking a playoff spot by sticking with the status quo.
RAY BOUNCES BACK: Edmonton quarterback Ricky Ray is clearly frustrated in the system created by new offensive co-ordinator Kevin Strasser, but to his credit he bounced back in the loss to B.C. What is evident, however, is that Ray is waiting far too long for the plays to come in from the sidelines and by using a wristband. It’s valuable time he could be using to make reads at the line of scrimmage. For a cerebral quarterback such as Ray, Strasser should quit messing with his head.
THE ARGOS WOES: Forget about the fact they only dress two quarterbacks and were exposed for that tactic in their loss to Saskatchewan when starting quarterback Kerry Joseph had to come back into the game despite suffering a first-half injury, but will the Argos try to sign a pivot for the future?
They tried to make do without Joseph, but now are stuck with him because backup Cody Pickett, who flopped as the starter, is finished for the season with an injury. If quarterback-turned-receiver Reggie McNeal is healthy, the time is now to give him some quality reps as a starter. As for Joseph, unless head coach Bart Andrus allows the quarterback to move, he is useless throwing from the pocket.
One other thing: The Argos clearly made a mistake not going after Casey Printers. He has moved up to third on the Lions’ depth chart. The Lions, meanwhile, have three proven starting quarterbacks and one who is developing. One big reason Wally Buono is the winningest head coach in CFL history is because he understands the importance of depth at the position.
PERRY’S POWER RANKINGS:
(1) Montreal: Even without Avon Cobourne, Als absolutely dominated Calgary. It will be interesting to see if the Als go undefeated the rest of the season.
(2) Saskatchewan: Didn’t dominate the Argos – even winning by 10 points – but a win is a win.
(3) B.C: Lions are slowly moving up in the standings. Quarterback Buck Pierce is doing great things and Simon is flashing his brilliance.
(4) Edmonton: Tough defeat against the Lions.
(5) Winnipeg: Don’t look now, but the Bombers are coming to life on offence.
(6) Calgary: This team is just too unpredictable.
(7) Hamilton: Three losses in a row and major issues with quarterback Quinton Porter. Ticats need to start Kevin Glenn,
(8) Toronto: Total lousy. Don’t know if Argos will win another game this season.
