Mark Masters
CFL.ca
After all the hubbub surrounding Spy Gate in Hamilton the storyline on the field ended up being even juicier than any claims of espionage: Kevin Glenn coming back to burn his old squad.
The lead up to the Tiger-Cats vs. Blue Bombers tilt was dominated by the situation surrounding the Winnipeg Blue Bombers staff member caught keeping too keen an eye on a Ticats practice.
The whole thing had more of a Naked Gun comedic feel to it than any Mission Impossible stuff.
One wonders if the whole Spy Gate story hadn’t broken last Wednesday – the one day on the sports calendar where there are no football, Major League Baseball, National Hockey League or National Basketball Association games scheduled – then maybe some attention would have found its way to Glenn.
Then again, maybe that just added fuel to Glenn’s fire.
After both offences struggled in the first half at Ivor Wynne Stadium it was Tabbies head coach Marcel Bellefeuille who had the guts to make a change to start the third quarter. That decision helped turn the tide and get Hamilton to the happy side of .500 for the first time in 1,823 days.
So surprising was the quarterback switch that TSN sideline reporter Katherine Dolan was called upon to clarify the status of starter Quinton Porter. She confirmed Porter was not injured.
Bellefeuille, starting his first full year as head coach of the Ticats, had to know Glenn would be inspired to play against the club that released him. He was right.
What was most impressive about Glenn’s play was his ability to battle through some mistakes, including throwing an interception that was returned for the game’s first major and throwing another interception when Hamilton was scrimmaging deep in Bombers territory.
What chutzpah for Bellefeuille to stick with Glenn even after that.
Glenn’s energy on the field seemed to be contagious. The two touchdown passes he tossed, one to Chris Davis, the other to Dave Stala, were great plays.
After the game Bellefeuille seemed to say all the right things. He didn’t name a starter for Week 4 against Montreal, but boosted the confidence of Porter by calling him the future of the team.
With a date at first place Montreal looming this week don’t be surprised if the veteran Glenn gets the nod to play in a very hostile environment. Either way Bellefeuille seems to have two serviceable options at quarterback and that means he’s in a fairly decent position.
You wonder if Winnipeg wishes they had a Kevin Glenn on their bench right now.
A NOD TO THUMPER
Wayne Harris has been voted the Calgary Stampeders player of the 1960s. I had a chance to interview Harris for a feature story about him to be posted on CFL.ca as part of the Retro celebration.
Harris appeared on the TSN broadcast of the Argos/Stamps game on Friday night, which was nice to see because he told me he doesn’t get out to the games as often as he’d like to. The hits he took on the field have started to catch up with him, which he spoke about candidly in my interview with him. Stay tuned.
ARGOS GO BELLI UP
I had a chance to cover the Toronto Argonauts last summer as a reporter for the National Post and I have to say defensive lineman Adriano Belli was among the – if not THE – best quote out there. He gave it to you straight even if it wasn’t pretty.
As a journalist you treasure players like Belli and if you have to suffer through having a big kiss planted on your cheek to get the quote, so be it. Belli is a personality and in sport personalities inspire the fans and make things exciting.
The Argos and Belli have suffered through a tough two-week string, but here’s hoping Belli can get on the right side of rookie head coach Bart Andrus.
TWEETS OF THE WEEK
Here are my favourite CFL-themed Twitter posts from Week 3.
From the Edmonton Eskimos account:
@cfl_esks – Richie Hall just brought dilly bars & ice cream sandwiches for the entire front office staff! (July 14)
I don’t think Eskimos coach Richie Hall will be buying anyone treats this week.
TSN analyst Glen Suitor reported that Henry Burris is back to his old pre-game meal ritual.
@GlenSuitor – Just ran into Henry Burris at dinner, he said he is back to his 2008 pre-game meal and rituals, he has his game face on already. (July 16)
Suitor foreshadowed Burris’ big night with that Tweet. Stamps fans hope Burris sticks to his pre-game diet for the rest of the season.
Finally, here’s BC Lions receiver Geroy Simon following Thursday’s win vs. Edmonton.
@geroysimon – This feels great. Getting back to BC Lions football. This win gets the ball rolling for us. Big one next week vs Calgary. Revenge! (July 17)
Sets things up very nicely for the Week 4 clash, don’t you think.
