Matt Smith/CFL.ca
The 2016 edition of the Calgary Stampeders put together one of the best seasons in CFL history, and it seemed hard to believe they’d be able to build on it one year later. Well, anyone doubting their ability to do just that, myself included, has been proven wrong.
The Stamps are once again the class of the country, and they might be even scarier than they were last year.
Raising the bar…again
On the statistical front, Calgary has a few things to accomplish to be on the same level as 2016. With their hard fought 15-9 win over the Saskatchewan Roughriders on Sunday afternoon, the Stampeders have rattled off nine straight wins to move to a league-best 11-1-1 record. That’s pretty darn impressive, but still more than a month off of last year’s epic run.
Calgary put together a record 14-game win streak between July and October of 2016, so this year’s group would need to win out to match that feat. If they were to do that, they’d be on pace to make history once again; for a second straight season, the Stamps are on pace to match the 1989 Eskimos for the most wins in a single season at 16. And, at this point, would anyone bet against them to do just that?
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Bo Levi Mitchell guided the Stampeders to their ninth straight win on Sunday in Regina (Matt Smith/CFL.ca)
While Calgary may not be as dominant offensively as they were one season ago, they really don’t have to be. The Stamps had a dominant defensive unit in 2016, but this year’s group is one of the most terrifying groups we’ve seen in a long, long time. They literally have All-Star playmakers all over the field.
Last week’s MMQB and Berg vs. Ferg focused on linebacker Alex Singleton, and for good reason. He and BC’s Solomon Elimimian are both on pace for record-scraping totals in defensive tackles, with Elimimian currently ahead 96-95. Singleton’s impact on the field goes beyond just tackles, though.
More than any other player in this league right now, Singleton is a threat on every single down at any point in a game, whether it be an interception, sack, or key tackle. As such, I truly believe he needs to be in the Most Outstanding Player conversation come November, and, for my money, should 100 per cent be Calgary’s nominee for the award.
It goes beyond just Singleton, though. Look at what Shaquille Richardson is doing in just his second CFL season. He leads the Stampeders with four interceptions as a strong side linebacker and is just as dangerous in coverage as he is in the run game.
Versatile players like Richardson and fellow linebacker Jameer Thurman allow defensive coordinator DeVone Claybrooks to throw so many different coverage looks at opposing quarterbacks. And those looks are even more difficult to read considering what’s happening at the point of attack.
Consider for a second that Calgary boasts two defensive linemen tied for the league lead with eight sacks, with another sitting tied for second at seven. Mainstays Charleston Hughes and Micah Johnson currently lead the way while Ja’Gared Davis sits one back in his second season in red and white. When you factor in rotational end James Vaughters and his four sacks, it becomes even clearer: the Stamps boast the most devastating front four in the league.
The Stamps’ smothering defence made life difficult for Riders pivot Kevin Glenn (Matt Smith/CFL.ca)
Don’t get me wrong, though: Calgary still has a very good offence. Playing through an injury, quarterback Bo Levi Mitchell may not be in unanimous MOP form like he was last year, but he’s still one of the league’s best. Jerome Messam, on the other hand, is going to win his second straight rushing title, giving the team a very well-rounded attack.
But it’s on the defensive side of the ball where the Stamps are doing their most damage. They sit top-three in virtually every defensive category and are just as smothering defending the pass as they are against the run. For a second straight season, Calgary is an overwhelming Grey Cup favorite and, somehow, they might be better than they were last year.
Where did this guy come from?
I ask the question above for effect more than anything else, but I also don’t have a definitive answer for it. Toronto tailback James Wilder Jr. has lit the league on fire over the last two weeks, and it really has come out of nowhere.
Wilder has racked up dominant performances in back-to-back weeks. Saturday saw him rack up 141 rushing yards and a touchdown to go along with 77 receiving yards to help the Argos to a 33-19 win over Montreal. That followed Wilder’s breakout performance the week before against Edmonton; that game saw him amass 190 yards rushing, 67 receiving yards and a touchdown. It doesn’t get much better than that.
The thing is, though, Wilder’s performances really have come out of the blue. Prior to the last two weeks, Wilder had touched the ball in nine games this season totaling 172 yards on 39 carries. So how does a guy go from averaging 4.4 yards per carry to 15.8 in the snap of a finger? Well, there are a couple different potential explanations.
First off, it’s fair to see we’re talking about a fairly motivated player. Prior to this season, Wilder hadn’t suited up in a regular season football game since 2013, his junior season at Florida State. After bouncing on and off the practice rosters of the Cincinnati Bengals and Buffalo Bills, Wilder signed with Toronto prior to this season and has finally been given a chance.
Buy Week 15 Tickets
» Friday, 7:00 p.m. ET: Saskatchewan at Ottawa
» Friday, 9:30 p.m. ET: Montreal at Calgary
» Saturday, 6:30 p.m. ET: Toronto at Hamilton
» Saturday, 9:30 p.m. ET: Winnipeg at Edmonton
And yet, as we’ve already highlighted statistically, even with a ton of pent up motivation, Wilder’s CFL career didn’t necessarily start with a bang. Perhaps, though, he just needed a little time get back into a rhythm.
Wilder got his first professional starts in July when injury forced incumbent number one Brandon Whitaker to the sidelines for a pair of games. While Wilder didn’t light the world on fire in those two games, he got some solid touches and was able to get the feel of being a feature back once again. When that opportunity came calling again, Wilder was ready to pounce.
Of course some of this is situational for Wilder, too. Toronto has caught its last two opponents in bad, bad spots. The Eskimos had lost four straight entering last weekend’s matchup and were averaging more than 105 yards against on the ground in those losses.
Montreal’s struggles were even worse: Saturday’s loss to the Argonauts was their sixth straight and they had been torched for more than 127 rushing yards against on average during that span. Wilder certainly put up his gaudy totals against a pair of run defences going in the wrong direction.
In saying that, though, Wilder’s emergence makes Toronto’s case for winning the East Division even stronger. We know Wilder has huge play ability and, upon his return, Whitaker remains a solid, reliable back in his own right. Now that the Argos know what type of weapon they have in Wilder, they’ve got some very interesting options in a tandem with him and Whitaker.
When you couple that with a healthy Ricky Ray playing some very good football, Toronto sure does seem like it’s in the driver’s seat to lock down the division. Will Wilder continue to dominate like he has the last two weeks? Probably not, but he sure does figure to be a big piece for the Argos down the stretch.
With James Wilder Jr. providing a high level of play, the Argos are becoming Grey Cup contenders (Johany Jutras/Argonauts.ca)
Quick hits
I thought Chris Jones was pretty darn honest following his team’s loss to the Stamps on Sunday. The Riders’ head coach didn’t pull any punches when talking about his team’s performance against the aforementioned Calgary defence. “They lined up and whipped our butt,” Jones said, and he wasn’t wrong. In saying that, though, give Saskatchewan’s defensive unit some credit, too, because they played a heck of a game.
If you had told me a month ago that this Saturday’s showdown between Toronto and Hamilton might be the most important game of the week, I would not have believed you. But, with the Argos moving into the East Division driver’s seat and the Tiger-Cats winning three of their last four, this week’s game at Tim Hortons Field shapes up to be extremely important.
Finally, the crowd at Investors Group Field deserves a little love. After their convincing 29-9 triumph on Friday night, the Winnipeg Blue Bombers have won five straight games and boast the league’s second-best home record at 5-1. With a firm grip on second in the West Division already, the Bombers have three of their last six games at home. At this point, it’ll be a slight surprise if they’re not hosting a playoff game in a couple months.
