The Canadian Press
Hello, BMO Field patrons. Way to jump the joint. From picking up the anthem when the P.A. system failed, to the explosion in the frenzied final moments, the place was so electric that the message on my iPhone changed from “Battery is sufficiently charged” to “FOR GOD’S SAKE UNPLUG ME NOW I’M BEGGING YOU.”
Here are this week’s takeaways.
1. THE CALGARY STAMPEDERS: RATHER SAUCY, AREN’T THEY?
Who can blame them? Did you count them out after a dismal season-ending stretch that saw them lose three in a row, a streak that might very well have been four had the Hamilton Ticats forced them to overtime in Week 17? Yeah, well, they just stuck their tongues out at you (and me – the Western Final pick is on the record, after all) and spittled a nice big raspberry in your (and my) direction.
Perhaps we’ve stumbled upon the powerhouse team’s secret weapon: telling them they’re not a powerhouse anymore. But really we know their secret weapon is actually Dan Federkeil on a tackle-eligible play.
2. HUH. YOU CAN STOP JAMES WILDER JR.
All you need is a solid plan and some seek-and-destroy weaponry, also known as Henoc Muamba.
James Wilder Jr. had run around and through a number of CFL defences recently, ending the regular season with an average of over seven yards per carry. It was an oddity, then, to see the big bruiser held to just 3.7 yards per carry against Saskatchewan. A lot of those stops came courtesy of middle linebacker Muamba, who can henceforth be called the Canadian Cruise Missile. Not that he did it alone.
It’ll be interesting to see if the Calgary Stampeders – who saw Wilder primarily as a special teams player in two previous meetings – can bottle him up too. Perhaps Alex Singleton can wrestle the moniker Canadian Cruise Missile away from Muamba, although he’d be more accurately known as the Dual-Citizenship Cruise Missile. Bonus takeaway:
Even when you’ve stopped James Wilder Jr., you haven’t stopped James Wilder Jr. His seam route catch on third and five with a minute remaining is proof of that.
3. JEROME MESSAM’S STILL GOTTA EARN IT
He’s an accomplished veteran and a battering ram extraordinaire but that doesn’t mean the Calgary tailback gets to show up and start no matter what. “I told Jerome ‘I’m gonna make you compete for the starting job and he earned it this week,” head coach Dave Dickenson said after the Western Final.
“But I had good faith in him, I knew he was ready to play and he rewarded me.” Yes, he did. Messam, it seems, doesn’t mind earning it, and doesn’t mind continuing to earn it. With thirteen rushes for a 5.5 yard average and a touchdown, Messam was at his door-busting best on Sunday, prompting ex-teammate Nik Lewis to tweet at him: “Tonight u ran hard and with a purpose.”
When the Stamps decided to get it to him through the air, instead, he pulled in four passes for 44 yards. Grey Cup Sunday will come complete with two running backs who have no interest in finishing their “knock-knock” jokes. Before you can say “who’s there?” they’re already standing behind you in the foyer.
4. YOU GO FOR IT ON 3RD AND 4 WITH A TWO MINUTES LEFT WHEN DOWN BY 7
Not sure there’s much more to add to that, really. Except to say that in “My Way,” Frank Sinatra sang: “Regrets, I’ve had a few. But then again, to few too mention.” I believe that had Frank been a football coach, that line would have been: “Regrets, I’ve had a few. But then again, too few to – oh, there’s the time I opted for a field goal on third and four with a couple minutes left when we were down by seven.” I know that doesn’t really fit the music very well but I’m not a songwriter.
Besides, Frank could have made it work. At least “seven” does kinda sound like “mention.”
5. HERE’S A MATCH-UP WE CAN LOOK FORWARD TO
The 105th Grey Cup presented by Shaw will bring us chapter 1,000,004 of the ongoing saga of the irresistible force vs. the immovable object. The force being Toronto’s healthy and ferocious defensive line, a unit that is the most complete it has been all season, and not coincidentally the most healthy it has been all season. The unit was relentless against Saskatchewan in the Eastern Final, with ends Shawn Lemon and Victor Butler jumping into the backfield all day while tackles Cleyon Laing and Dylan Wynn ate up the double teams and interior space, with Justin Tuggle and Cameron Walker providing impressive rotational depth.
The immovable object is Calgary’s offensive line, which ranked second in both sacks and QB pressures allowed during the regular season, very nearly number one in both those categories. They were at it again on Sunday, allowing just one sack and a paltry two QB pressures against Edmonton, another team with what you’d call a stout and active defensive line. That the Argos’ O-line would have its hands full with Calgary’s D-line was a given. Now the other side of that coin comes into play as a real factor on Sunday.
AND FINALLY…
This column is finished unless I’ve left Ricky Ray just enough space to jump in here with the last word.
