THE CANADIAN PRESS
The funny thing about records being broken is you rarely ever see it coming. You’re watching a game and suddenly a flicker of recognition will pass by and an announcer will mention that you’re watching something special. Now don’t get me wrong, I understand that the record for most consecutive completed passes is not exactly on the pinnacle of football achievements. It ain’t hanging out in the Anthony Calvillo Penthouse Suite of aerial milestones. But when you consider what Jeremiah Masoli and the Hamilton Tiger-Cats did on Saturday night you have to be impressed.
It’s easy to complete a whole mess of passes when you have the defence guessing, but what about when they know it’s coming? Yes, playing from behind means you’ll face softer zones with nice big cushions given by defensive backs, but it also means the defensive line doesn’t have to worry about stopping the run and can pass rush at will. When you find yourself trailing by 25 points early in the third quarter it certainly takes the element of surprise from your offensive arsenal. That is exactly what Masoli was facing when he completed his first of a record-breaking 23 passes in a row on the road against the defending Grey Cup champion Edmonton Eskimos.
Masoli’s remarkable run started with an incompletion from Masoli to Andy Fantuz near the end of the half and it ended in the fourth quarter with a Masoli pass to Fantuz. Masoli’s last incompletion before he went on his hot streak was actually a drop by Fantuz near the goal line with 10 seconds left. I’ll be honest, that was the point where I believed Hamilton had no chance of coming back. Edmonton’s offence had been a machine in the first half; the Tiger-Cats needed a touchdown to cut the lead to 14. Instead, Kent Austin’s squad was forced to kick a field and trudge back to the visiting locker rooms trailing by 18. That lead would grow to 25 with yet another Adarius Bowman touchdown. No one watching this game could have predicted that Masoli would not miss a target until four minutes left in the game.
During Hamilton’s first touchdown drive the streak never should have gotten past one. Masoli was flushed out to his left and somehow dropped a rainbow pass right into the arms of Luke Tasker. When you watch that play you assume Masoli is just trying to avoid being sacked by throwing the ball away. Three plays later he spots a wide open Terrence Toliver, who had gotten behind Patrick Watkins for the touchdown and the Hamilton come back had begun.
The next drive was not as dramatic but it also led to a touchdown. This drive was mix of short passes with one curious deep pass. On second-and-one, instead of electing for the gimmie run up the middle for a predictable first down, Hamilton’s offence, starting to feel confident, goes deep to Chad Owens. Oh no, the pass is incomplete, the streak is over! But wait; Marcell Young is called for interference and after a review the play is upheld and the chase for the record is still alive. This was a close call but Young never looked back for the ball and he does slightly grab Owens. This play could have gone either way … hey, any time you set a record, luck is going to play a small role. Hamilton would score on the next play and suddenly we have a game!
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Jeremiah Masoli caught everyone’s attention in Saturday’s road win in Edmonton (The Canadian Press)
Hamilton’s third offensive possession of the second half also ended with a touchdown, this time a 23-yarder to Fantuz who, like Toliver, was several steps in front of his defender and Masoli put the ball in the perfect spot. What will go unnoticed was five completions earlier when Toliver made a diving grab on a simple four-yard catch. At the time, this individual play was not really a big deal as an incompletion would simply have meant a second-and-10, but in the bigger picture plays like these are necessary for such a record to get broken. Again, a little bit of luck always helps.
By the fourth drive everyone is FULLY aware that Masoli can’t miss as Hamilton’s offence is just rolling with yet another touchdown connection to Fantuz as the Tiger-Cats have their first lead of the evening, 34-31. The highlights of this drive include Masoli barely avoiding the grasp of Deon Lacy while somehow flicking a four-yarder to Toliver; a great over the shoulder touchdown grab by Fantuz; and a ridiculous “how the hell did Chad Owens just do that” catch against a far bigger defender on the two point conversion. Masoli benefited from some circus catches but he also put the ball in spots where only his receivers could make big plays and just as importantly where defensive backs didn’t have a chance at an interception.
It is on the fifth drive that Masoli got the record and I will not stand here and allow anyone to say that he weaseled his way into the record books. Oh sure, the 21st completion was a simple swing pattern to C.J. Gable, but his next pass, Masoli, while on the run, did attempt to go deep to Tasker who was clearly interfered by Cord Parks. If Masoli wanted to play it safe he could have taken a sack instead of risking an incompletion.
Yes, the record tying pass was to a wide open Brandon Banks, but am I really going to deduct style points just because Edmonton screwed up its coverage? Besides, that pass converted a second-and-eight and kept Edmonton’s offence on the sidelines — it was a good football play. The record-breaking play was a simple pass over the middle to Tasker. But again it should be noted this wasn’t a cowardly check down. The ball travelled about 15 yards in the air as the two managed to convert first-and-15 into second-and-inches. This play ensured a couple more minutes would drain off the clock and would help put Hamilton into field position. No one will look back at that 15-yard catch and say it was a brilliant feat of athleticism, but it was the sort of play that wins football games.
This new record deserves our attention because it was the catalyst for such a dramatic win. This was the greatest comeback in Tiger-Cats history; it was the sixth-biggest comeback in CFL history. It wasn’t like Hamilton was dominating throughout — if that had been the case this achievement would be more of a footnote. Hamilton needed every one of Masoli’s completions to beat Edmonton.
This new record allows Hamilton to go on its bye week 3-2 and more importantly gives confidence to a quarterback who has had some promising moments this year but also has turned the ball over more times than any other quarterback. With Zach Collaros’ comeback getting closer and closer, Masoli needed a game like this to show that he can be the type of quarterback a team can win with.
