Johany Jutras/CFL.ca
Hey there, Justin Medlock. This game is easy, ain’t it? Are you like me?
I think you should get four points for hitting an upright. As long as you call it.
Here are the takeaways:
1. Pressure isn’t everything, it’s the only thing.
Case in point, the Labour Day clash between the Argos and Ticats. The Argonauts clearly won the first half of that barn-burner of a game because they came at the Ticats full force on every play. A blocked punt by rookie Brian Jones and a sack and a fumble, returned for a touchdown, by Thomas Gordon. Big reasons the Argos took a lead into the locker room at halftime.
Hamilton’s pressure led to two huge second half interceptions, one that snuffed a promising Argos drive in the third quarter and another that gave them a pick-six in the fourth. On the first, defensive end Adrian Tracy hit Toronto quarterback Ricky Ray – hard – as he released the ball, blowing up the quarterback’s follow through and forcing a flutter ball. On the second, lineman John Chick caught Ray’s arm, causing another pop up. Two massive interceptions caused by up front harassment.
Pressure. It’ll never go out of style.
2. Calgary has the best offensive line in the CFL.
Spencer Wilson and the Stamps’ O-line has played an integral role in the team’s success (Johany Jutras/CFL.ca)
Just ask left tackle Derek Dennis, who bellowed that out as the camera swept past him during the waning moments of Calgary’s win over Edmonton. Tough to argue otherwise and Dennis is a big reason why that’s the case.
The Stamps’ line came into the week leading the CFL in pass protection – by a wide margin – allowing a sack for every 35 quarterback drop backs and allowed none against the Eskimos so that number will be even more impressive (closer to 37) when the midweek stats pack comes out. As well, Calgary entered the week with the league’s leading rushing average; a number that was boosted to over five yards per carry after the Labour Day win.
» RELATED: Trio of Stamps’ O-linemen named to CFL.ca Mid-Season All-Star Team
Although the injury troubles the line faced in 2015 have been largely forgotten, that group has still had adjusting to do and yet remains the league’s best. Tip of the ol’ Stetson to Spencer Wilson for that. He’s played guard and tackle this season and then stepped into the centre spot for this game after Pierre Lavertu suffered an injury.
3. Nik Lewis wants the ball all the time. ALL THE TIME.
Despite catching 10 of 12 targets, Nik Lewis felt he should have gotten the ball more (The Canadian Press)
The veteran receiver has always been outspoken and he has been used to winning. The losing thing? Not a fan. He may have chalked up his first year in Montreal as just one of those things and let it slide but after all those years of winning stuff in Calgary, this second year of ending up on the short end is not sitting well. So much so that after the Alouettes’ loss to Ottawa in Week 11 he lamented not getting the ball enough: “I didn’t get a chance to carry it like I wanted to,” he said.
Thing is, he was targeted twelve times by quarterback Kevin Glenn, catching 10 of those passes for 92 yards and a touchdown. That’s a pretty heavy workload by most anyone’s measure so Lewis can’t really complain about being ignored. Fiercely competitive, the vet feels he can do even more and has a firm belief – like most receivers – that he is open most every play. You get the feeling if Lewis caught 20 balls and the Als still lost, he’d feel he could have done more if they’d let him.
4. Some guy named Solomon Elimimian is heating up.
BC’s outstanding middle linebacker wasn’t playing poorly to start this season, it’s just that we’d become used to hearing about his ridiculously ostentatious exploits on a regular basis before he suffered an Achilles injury last season. So, when he started this season averaging about five tackles a game over the first six contests, you could be forgiven for stifling a yawn.
Elimimian kicked off Week 11 with a 14 tackle performance against Toronto, adding a sack and an interception. That’s no one-off. The week before, he had nine tackles against Ottawa and the week before that he had 11 against Calgary. All of a sudden, Elimimian is just four tackles back of the league leader, Montreal’s Bear Woods.
Elimimian’s dominant performance in Toronto shows that he is back to full steam. That’s the Sol we know.
5. Naaman Roosevelt is getting some help.
Caleb Holley is emerging as a solid No. 2 in the Riders’ receiving corps (Johany Jutras/CFL.ca)
The Saskatchewan Roughriders’ receiver has seemed like more than just a primary target at times this season. He’s seemed like the only target on occasions. Sunday’s loss to Winnipeg might have proved infuriating for a whole number of reasons for Saskatchewan fans but one thing that provided positive buzz was the play of a couple of Roosevelt’s receiving corps compatriots.
The re-emergence of Ricky Collins is a big help, but the real cause for prairie glee is the showing of newly added receiver Caleb Holley. With 10 catches on 13 targets for 121 yards and a touchdown against the Bombers, it seems apparent that quarterback Darian Durant has another go-to guy in the huddle, though we’ll have to wait and see how Holley does when the opposition gives him more defensive attention. At the very least, it’s not looking like just Naaman Roosevelt and the other fellers anymore.
And finally…
When Jerome Messam runs like that, he really deserves to have an exclamation point plunked down after his name every time it comes up. Jerome Messam! had a heck of a game on Monday. Jerome Messam! with some nifty moves. Jerome Messam! Jerome Messam! Jerome Messam!
