A looong weekend for a couple of quarterbacks and the Brandon Trio caused all kinds of havoc.
Reflections on Week 10 in the Canadian Football League, otherwise known as Labour Day festival, which included Calgary schooling Edmonton.
We're not sure we've ever seen this, but three defensive backs with the Stamps, each of whom has Brandon as their given names, collectively produced five turnovers.
According to the website www.babyhold.com, the name Brandon is 27th overall on the list of popular boy names in the U.S., but in Calgary it's currently No. 1.
So if Brandon starts becoming a popular name in Calgary, it's all because of Brandon Browner, Brandon Smith and Brandon Issac.
THE NATURAL HAT TRICK: There were interceptions on three consecutive plays in the Calgary-Edmonton game. That might be some kind of record.
BIG MAN TATE: Calgary backup quarterback Drew Tate has recorded at least one touchdown pass in four consecutive games. Think some other team might want him? Will be interesting to see what happens in the off-season. Then again, is it the player or the scheme?
PITY THE QUARTERBACKS: You have to feel sorry for Buck Pierce and Ricky Ray. Pierce has taken numerous beatings in his first year with Winnipeg and is now out indefinitely with a dislocated elbow. He started off the season so strongly in the first three games, but it's been all downhill since. Remember, Winnipeg was the only team that opted to take a flyer on the oft-injured pivot.
Meanwhile, Ray looks like a sitting duck in Edmonton. This is a guy who was once one of the elite quarterbacks in the CFL, but he's aging quickly because of Edmonton's woeful play in recent seasons. This season, it's been ugly.
Ray didn't just become bad. You wonder how he'd do if he had better protection and receivers who didn't frequently drop balls.
In Hamilton, Kevin Glenn has taken some nasty hits but manages to play through them.
STRANGE PLAY (1): For most of their first eight games of the season, the Toronto Argonauts have designed some interesting gadget plays that have worked, albeit with some risk. Their luck finally turned when they had offensive tackle Chris Van Zyl catch a pass and land heavily with an injured backside. Van Zyl was lumbering with the ball, so you wonder if it was such a great play anyway. With backup running back Jeff Johnson perfect in this situation, the Argos may have lost a key player indefinitely because of a questionable employment of a player.
STRANGE PLAY (2): Near the end of the first half between the Argo-Ticats, Toronto lined up for a punt inside the 20-yard line and punted the ball rather than let the clock wind down and take a penalty for delay of game. It would have meant they'd still have to punt, but probably could have exhausted the time by having Jamie Boreham run around, possibly give up a point in the end zone. Boreham's punt was blocked by Markeith Knowlton, who recovered the ball in the end zone for a touchdown. It turned out to be the key play of the game in terms of momentum.
STRANGE PLAY (3): We've seen some interesting touchdown celebrations courtesy of Hamilton receiver Dave Stala, but his latest isn't one of them. Following a pass for a TD, Stala had two of his teammates simulate a field-goal attempt. Trouble was the centre, who happened to be receiver Maurice Mann, snapped the ball before the holder, Marquay McDaniel, was ready and it hit him in the helmet.
THE M*A*S*H UNIT: The Argos and Ticats lost two offensive linemen apiece in their game. It was so dicey for Hamilton, they had to use Matt Kirk, a backup defensive lineman, to fill the void…Edmonton lost starting running back Arkee Whitlock and backup Chris Ciezki early in the loss to Calgary. Rookie Pascal Fils appears to be the healthiest running back still on the roster. We wonder if oft-injured Calvin McCarty will be pressed into action.
STRANGE BUT TRUE: Hamilton safety Sandy Beveridge retired early this season to take a job with the Hamilton fire department. He was honoured before the game by the team. During the game, the stadium camera focused on him and he was drinking a “beveridge” which we deciphered to be some kind of ale.
PUNTERS SHOW THEY'RE ATHLETES: On one play, B.C.'s Paul McCallum chugged it on the run to make a first down. He may have the record for the most rushing yards for a punter. On another play, Toronto's Jamie Boreham booted the ball on the run and then scrambled downfield to try and recover it. And Calgary's Burke Dales ran downfield to try and recover his punt, but tackled the Edmonton returner and was flagged for illegal interference. Had Dales simply gone after the ball, it would have been a brilliant, heads-up play.
THIS AND THAT: Hamilton ran a contest during its game to determine whether running back Troy Davis or defensive lineman Angelo Mosca was the toughest player in Ticat history. Not surprisingly, the fans chose Mosca, and once again we witnessed his controversial hit on B.C.'s Willie Fleming…Speaking of late hits, why isn't it called more often? We won't even get on the topic of offside by the offence. Some teams, notably Saskatchewan and Hamilton, seem to have players routinely cross the line before the ball is snapped…Given the popularity of Saskatchewan's commemorative 100th anniversary loonie sales, we wonder if there is anything the franchise hasn't marketed yet to make a buck? Wonder if condoms with the Rider logo would sell? Just a thought…How bold are the Argos? They had Hamilton native Bryan Crawford lead the team on to the field…Speaking of bold, the Toronto Sun had wacky columnist Steve Buffery, whom I used to work beside and always considered him funny and off the wall, wear an Argo jersey and hat and walk around the crowd at Ivor Wynne Stadium to see if the partisan Ticats fans would confront and possibly combat him. At worst, he received some minor abuse with an F bomb…One other thing, the Ticats game attracted a sold-out stadium crowd of 30,319. So why exactly does Hamilton need a new stadium anyway? If it's to hold a Grey Cup there -- the last one being in 1996 -- we understand. But if the city council and Ticats owner Bob Young can't reach a consensus, why not maintain the status quo? Young has said the Ticats will play at Ivor Wynne to the end of the 2011 season, but he has never publicly said the team will never play there again if the stadium issue cannot be resolved. However, Ticats’ tough-talking team president Scott Mitchell has been less diplomatic and has said the team will be gone if city council decides to build a stadium that is not to Young's satisfaction. Young is right in saying there is little room for parking near the stadium and the team isn't making much money from it. I parked near the stadium at a car wash for $10. Good value…Not only did B.C. cornerback Davis Sanchez donate his game cheque to charity to honour his one-time position coach Tony Proudfoot who is ailing with ALS, he showed his class by leveling former teammate Ben Cahoon with a jarring tackle and walked away without celebrating…When was the last time Montreal booed the Als?...B.C. quarterback Casey Printers has his helmet on one moment and the next it's off after a tackle by Ramon Guzman, but no penalty is called. Did the helmet simply fly off? Just wondering…In this year's plays of the year, add Winnpeg's double reverse and pitch to quarterback Pierce, who throws it deep to receiver Adarius Bowman…Fellow Bombers receiver made a hell of a one-handed catch…Is Saskatchewan's James Patrick the early pick at the mid-season point for defensive player of the year in the West? Calgary has a variety of players, who collectively present the best defence…Hell of a block by Roughriders' Chris Getzlaf to spring fellow receiver Prechae Rodrigues for a long reception…And lastly, congratulations to Perry's Peerless Predictions on going 4-for-4 against the spread. Perry was told he could be cocky, but only for this time.
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