Johany Jutras/CFL.ca
If you are a fan of ‘Game of Thrones’ (and if you are not, I promise this is the only reference I will make!), then you are familiar with the show’s most commonly used phrase: “Winter is Coming.” That foreboding phrase is always uttered with a mixture of glum and fear and the message is a simple one: You better be prepared because dark times are coming.
Now that Labour Day has come and gone, we can once again use a slightly edited version of that warning but with the exact same meaning: “Calgary is Coming.”
Picking through the rubble of the Calgary Stampeders’ 39-18 victory over the Edmonton Eskimos, I think we can all agree that “Calgary is coming” will be the defining storyline for the second half of the season.
The biggest Labour Day shock for me was how quickly this game ceased to matter. I understand that Edmonton is in the middle of a nightmare of injuries (did I really hear the Eskimos have been forced to use 28 different starters on defence?!), but they were still 7-2 coming into the Labour Day Classic yet they were never in this game and trailed by 30 near the end of the third quarter.
Mike Reilly, sacked on his first play from scrimmage by Charleston Hughes’ replacement James Vaughters, never looked comfortable until the game was out of hand. Even the return of Adarius Bowman could not help an offence that was reduced to a constant stream of dump offs and check downs.
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Anthony Parker celebrates after running for a touchdown in the Labour Day Classic (The Canadian Press)
The Stamps’ secondary, led by Brandon Smith, Joshua Bell and Ciante Evans, chocked the life out of any semblance of a downfield passing attack. It was remarkable to watch 10-year veteran Smith successfully match up against Bowman and D’haquille Williams. Finally I’m not used to seeing Reilly throw not one but two ugly interceptions, both pilfered by Shaquille Richardson.
At this point, let me use a more familiar popular culture quote with only the name changed: “Help us Henry Burris, you’re our only hope.” Watching the 2017 Stampeders and remembering just how dominant the 2016 version was, I am still in shock that the Ottawa REDBLACKS shocked the world in last year’s Grey Cup. Seriously. With every double-digit win (Calgary has six of those already this year) I acquire another level of awe of what Burris and Ottawa did.
So my question to the rest of the league is the same one I asked multiple times last year: Can anyone stop the Stampeders?
The secondary that started in the Grey Cup was all on the field against Edmonton. The biggest loss for their defence was the season-ending injury to Cordarro Law in training camp, but that hasn’t stopped Calgary from once again leading the league in fewest points, yards and touchdowns given up. Coming into Labour Day, the Stamps’ defence had held the past seven opponents to under 300 yards passing, a streak that was snapped due to fourth quarter garbage yards by Edmonton.
You can certainly look at the departure of Derek Denis and injuries on the offensive line, notably Shane Bergman and Spence Wilson, and point out that the offence is not as potent as 2016. I will give you that, to anyone looking for hope. Unfortunately, for the rest of the league, consider how much better Bo Levi Mitchell will look once Kamar Jordan returns and the offensive line gets healthy. And until then, this is actually a great opportunity for younger players like Justin Renfrow, Brad Erdos and Ucambre Williams to prove they are every day starters in this league.
Roy Finch and Bo Levi Mitchell celebrate during the Stamps’ win over Edmonton on Monday (The Canadian Press)
At this point, it should be reminded that this current Calgary offence, led by the scariest QB/WR/RB combo in the CFL of Mitchell, Jerome Messam and DaVaris Daniels, is still first in yards and second in points scored, so you know they’re doing all right.
The second half of the season will be defined by Calgary’s greatness and the rest of the league’s journey to match what John Hufnagel and Dave Dickenson have created. Can Edmonton get healthy enough to compete? Just what is the ceiling for this suddenly-ascendant Saskatchewan Roughriders team? Will the real BC Lions please stand up? I’m not even going to comment on the Winnipeg Blue Bombers, it usually just gets people from Manitoba angry.
As for the East, well, Ottawa has a better scoring margin than three teams from the West and has more than enough weapons to keep up with any team. At this point, I won’t mention any other East Division teams (unless Victor Butler and Cleyon Laing come back healthy and Ricky Ray can stay healthy).
If we didn’t already know it, we all do now: Calgary has officially become the Goliath of the CFL. Without Henry Burris playing the role of David, I am wildly curious to see if any team is capable of playing the role of giant slayer.
So to the rest of the league, you have 12 weeks between now and the Grey Cup. Let’s see if any of you will be up for the ultimate challenge.
