Each week on the Canadian Football League schedule there is a matchup that stands out above the rest — a three-down showdown game, if you will.
So we’ll take a look at the main storylines heading into the CFL’s marquee matchup and individuals, groups, coaches, schemes or anything else that could affect the outcome.
Week 3 gives us Monday Night Football, CFL style, and that’s the contest we’ll focus on. Toronto travels to Cowtown riding a red-hot Trevor Harris to a 2-0 start. Meanwhile, Calgary looks to bounce back from losing 29-11 in a dud effort last time out against Montreal. Let’s get to the focal points in this juicy Argos-Stampeders tilt.
Harris humming
Toronto’s fourth-year quarterback has been the best player at his position league-wide through two weeks this season. Harris has completed over 83 per cent of his passes and thrown for seven touchdowns, both tops in the CFL. He’s been picking apart defences by getting the ball to Chad Owens and sprinkling it around to other targets in double blue. Harris has completed passes to eight different players and five of those have caught a touchdown.
It’s clear Harris is comfortable in Marcus Brady and Scott Milanovich’s offensive scheme. He progresses through reads calmly and finds the open man, whether it’s down the field or a simple dump off. If he gets to work from a clean pocket for the majority of the 60 minutes in Calgary, Harris could put on another aerial show.
Cummings along quickly
Euclid Cummings is essentially a CFL rookie because he played in just one game for Toronto in 2014. That extra time clearly give Cummings a head start on getting acclimated to the three-down game for the 2015 season.
Big No. 94 has been a force on the Argos’ defensive line, playing stout against the run and penetrating from the inside to pressure the opposing quarterback. Cummings has a sack in two straight games to open the season and he has helped make Toronto’s front four very formidable.
Halted horse
Jon Cornish has been reined in early this year. Calgary’s lead back is averaging 5.2 yards-per-carry to begin 2015, 1.6 yards fewer than his career per-carry average.
Part of the reason Cornish isn’t galloping into wide-open spaces is due to the fact the Stamps are starting two different offensive linemen than from their 2014 Grey Cup victory. Left tackle Edwin Harrison and centre Pierre Lavertu stepped into holes left by a pair of 2014 CFL all-stars, Stanley Bryant and Brett Jones.
It’s unfair to expect Harrison and Lavertu to play like all-stars immediately, but Calgary’s offensive line needs to be better and provide lanes — not small cracks — for Cornish to even have a chance to exploit.
As much as people around the league have anointed Bo Levi Mitchell as the man that is the leader of Calgary’s offence, the Stampeders’ offensive foundation is built around Cornish and running the football. And that’s why Calgary has to remain committed to getting Cornish going.
Fresh Fuller
Calgary’s dynamic 6-foot-4, 217 lbs. receiver is slated to be back in the lineup against the Argos.
Fuller made nine catches — two of the highlight-reel variety — for 148 yards in Week 1. The most important grab Fuller came up with that night was on a third-and-17 with less than 30 seconds left. He jumped and reached back over a defender to secure an improbable and sensational 28-yard reception that set up the game-winning field goal.
However, a nagging knee injury kept Fuller out of Calgary’s Week 2 loss in Montreal. You can bet Mitchell is happy to have the big, physical pass catcher back in action because he provides an option that No. 19 can go to even if he appears to be covered.
Mano a mano
On Monday night at McMahon Stadium, Fuller will mainly line up across from Argonauts cover man A.J. Jefferson on the short- or weak-side of the field when the lights come on. It’s likely to be the most entertaining individual matchup to watch. Jefferson was burned deep a couple times by the Riders in Week 2, but he also made a game-changing interception that he returned 100-yards for a touchdown.
It will be a tough assignment for Jefferson and he’ll have his hands full with Fuller.