Geoff Robins/CFL.ca
The week of the blowout. Winners collectively outscored losers 179-58. I wonder who’s stinging more; Ottawa, BC, Toronto or Saskatchewan? Who’s strutting most confidently? Montreal, Calgary, Edmonton or Hamilton?
Here are the Week 9 takeaways:
1. It’s Calgary. Calgary is strutting most confidently.
In the marquee match up of the week, the Stampeders outclassed the Lions by a wide margin and so it is they who earn the right to righteously and funkily (I believe you can make an adverb out of most any word) stride to practice with the song “Stayin’ Alive” in their heads.
This was a clash of what were, heading into the week, the two best teams in the CFL and one of them was clearly superior. Who in red and white didn’t dominate at their position?
Outside of a certain quintet’s sizzling final show in Kingston, this was the most outstanding performance by a group on Canadian soil all weekend.
2. No, the Montreal Alouettes do not need a change at quarterback.
When this notion got floated during the week I thought it was a silly one, unless there was a trade in the works and Travis Lulay or someone else was moving on to Montreal. Kevin Glenn’s five touchdown passes against the Ottawa REDBLACKS can put that idea to rest. Glenn carved the Ottawa defence like a chainsaw artist on a log and left a beautiful sculpture that looked an awful lot like Anthony Calvillo.
His completion percentage was 83.3 and he piled up 382 yards through the air, with a quarterback efficiency rating of 180.1 so, yeah, what was the question again?
3. The Ottawa REDBLACKS need a kick in the pants.
The REDBLACKS have lost three of their last four contests and hope the return of Trevor Harris will help turn things around (CFL.ca)
Judging by the announcement they’ve made that Trevor Harris will start at quarterback this week against BC, that’s Head Coach Rick Campbell’s assessment of the situation.
A struggling team, thought to be a powerhouse in the early portion of the season by some (guilty) needs a little jolt. Henry Burris didn’t have a terrible game against Montreal, going 21-for-31 and 322 yards, with two TD’s (okay one was of the rather fortunate kind) and an interception.
It was the defence that was most vulnerable (see the takeaway above) but when your team is wobbling on the edge, you look for an injection of confidence anywhere you can get it.
4. The Edmonton Eskimos offence can make you sick.
In my preview piece for the Eskimos vs Argos game I wrote how the terrorizing trio of Mike Reilly, Adarius Bowman and Derel Walker can have a defence feeling like it had spent an entire hour on a Tilt-A-Whirl.
On Saturday, with the Canadian National Exhibition midway spinning its calliope-infused carnival soundtrack in the background, the Argos defence was made to feel like they’d not only spent that afternoon in a spin, but that they’d eaten a deep-fried cheeseburger, a couple of corn dogs and a candy apple right before boarding.
When Keon Raymond picked off Reilly’s first pass of the game and hiked it back for a score, you got the feeling that maybe the Argos were going to enjoy their day at the fair.
But in the end, it was the Eskimos who trundled out the exit gate with an armful of plush toys. Reilly has the Eskimo offence in such a comfortable place right now that they barely take time to huddle. It’s almost as though they loosely gather and he shoos them away, saying “just go and do.”
5. Jason Arakgi is the most impatient, yet patient man.
He got it out of the way immediately. No fooling around. On the opening kick off of the game, the BC Lions’ special teams ace flew down the field, turned right, turned right again and hauled Stampeders’ returner Tory Harrison to the turf at the Calgary 40 yard line. It was textbook downfield kick coverage and gave Arakgi the CFL record in career special teams tackles with 185. That was the impatient portion of the equation. Get ‘er done.
The patient part? The 31-year-old vet has never had more defensive tackles in a season than special teams ones. Not even close. In his ninth season, all with the Lions, Arakgi has mostly stood on the sidelines while the defence does its thing and you know that is not where a star university linebacker wants to be.
Say it with me like “Rudy.” Jason, Jason, Jason….
And finally… After that late first half Hail Mary Touchdown, Ottawa’s Greg Ellingson and Ernest Jackson might look into beach volleyball as a thing. Ellingson sets, Jackson spikes.
