October 11, 2016

Landry: 5 takeaways from Week 16

THE CANADIAN PRESS

Hello, Bryan Burnham. Look, I did a whole thing on you after Week 7 about how you were the new over-the-middle-monster, so that’s why nine catches for 208 yards doesn’t get you your own section this week. Say, didn’t your parents ever tell you not to play in traffic?

Here are the Week 16 takeaways:

1. The Calgary Stampeders do Thanksgiving right.

Adam Gagnon/CFL.ca

Kamar Jorden makes a lunging grab vs. the Argos on Thanksgiving (Adam Gagnon/CFL.ca)

In fact, they over-do it. Their beat down in Toronto was a completely dominating performance, right from the get go. They walked in the door, barely said “hi” to anyone as they headed right for the snack table and scarfed all the sausage rolls, with Bo levi Mitchell completing a 42-yard pass to DaVaris Daniels on the first play. Then they all ate a full meal, went back for seconds and then had the temerity to ask “you got enough for thirds?”

Mitchell and Ja’Gared Davis each ate a whole pumpkin pie for dessert. Jerome Messam kept turning empty wine bottles upside down and hollering “More grape! More grape!” The Calgary Stampeders will not be at practice today. They’re all lying on couches at home, belts loosened, patting their stomachs.

2. Wally Buono knows what you’re up to.

Jimmy Jeong/CFL.ca

Lions head coach Wally Buono looks on from the sidelines (Jimmy Jeong/CFL.ca)

In what was one of the more entertaining of the #CFLWired experiences, the Bombers-Lions game provided us with a terrific splash of colour, just like a Thanksgiving weekend drive in the country. We got to know just how much energy Mike O’Shea expends to make sure his players DO NOT LINE UP OFFSIDE. We also got to see that, at least occasionally, Lions’
legendary head coach Wally Buono knows what’s about to happen before it does.

During the second quarter, with his defence on the field, Buono yelled at his players to watch out for play action, even though there was no one in the backfield behind Winnipeg quarterback Matt Nichols. Even commentator Duane Forde pointed out that the backfield was empty. On cue, Timothy Flanders moved from a spot outside left tackle Stanley Bryant and in behind Nichols and lo and behold, a play action pass play unfolded. Wally Buono knows all. Wally Buono knew I was going to write this before I did. I don’t wanna creep you out, but I think Wally Buono knows what you’re doing right now.

3. Willie Jefferson’s back, y’all. Deal with it. If you can.

WillyJefferson_2016_1

Willie Jefferson recorded a sack in his first game as a Rider (Riderville.com)

The former Edmonton Eskimo played his first game for the Saskatchewan Roughriders on Friday night and his return to the CFL was impressive. Yes, he totalled just two tackles and a quarterback sack and those aren’t super impressive numbers, merely good ones. He did have two knockdowns and that IS impressive. But the numbers don’t tell the entire story. The play near the end of the Riders’ win in Ottawa does.

When Jefferson lined up on the left side, swung wide and bluffed a rush, two REDBLACKS offensive linemen went with him, showing just how serious a problem he was posing and what they felt they needed to do about it.  Chris Jones’ defence was already rising in recent weeks. Now it’s got a game-changing demolition artist as part of the crew.

4. Trickery will get you everywhere.

 

Paul LaPolice, you dirty devil. Mike O’Shea, you cad. The Winnipeg coaching brain trust treated us to consecutive plays of deliciously underhanded misdirection in their win over the BC Lions, leading to a first quarter touchdown. A flawlessly executed fake field goal to get a first down. Then, one of the best trick plays I’ve seen in years, with QB Matt Nichols walking to his right, pretending to give earnest, last second instructions to his offensive line. Boom. Direct snap to Andrew Harris. Tricky enough. Then, the really good stuff, the kind that would have Criss Angel sitting up in his chair and saying “whoa, dude.” A pitch to receiver Rory Kohlert who then tosses to Nichols, who’d snuck into the end zone. Magnifique. I half expected to see Nichols reach under his jersey, pull out the king of hearts, look straight into the camera and say “is THIS your card?”

5. Fred Bennett’s toughness: no longer underrated.

Johany Jutras/CFL.ca

Fred Bennett came up with a drive-ending interception vs. Ottawa (Johany Jutras/CFL.ca)

The Saskatchewan defensive back, acquired in a deal with Calgary in mid-August, has always impressed me as a guy who’ll never give up on a play and who has been capable of dishing out a pretty good lick. The five-year vet showed he can really take it, too, just after he intercepted a Trevor Harris pass at the Saskatchewan one-yard line. A split second later, Ottawa’s big, bruising receiver, Ernest Jackson, pulled his arms close to his chest and barreled into Bennett, sending them both flying, and quite likely knocking all the china out of the cabinets down at Rideau Hall.

Jackson is 6-foot-2, 220 pounds and fast, so there was a lot of science at play here. A lot of hurtful, hurtful science. Yet, somehow, Bennett held on to the ball (no, it was not embedded in his body but that’s not really an unreasonable assumption to make based on the force of the hit) and got up before Jackson did. He might continue vibrating for most of this week, but Fred Bennett showed us he’s got a little Kevlar in his DNA.

And finally…

I heard a lot of “former Grey Cup Champion” talk over the weekend whenever players who’ve won it in previous years were mentioned. To me, you’re never a FORMER Grey Cup Champion unless, you know, they actually took the championship away from you for some reason. Win a Grey Cup and you ARE a Grey Cup Champion and should be called that for the rest for your life.