The Canadian Press
If you like big name quarterbacks playing well, overtime games, or last second pressure kicks, week 15 in the CFL was for you. As always I’m here to break down my favourite moments as seen on the CFL on TSN for you.
We begin in Montreal where Johnny Manziel reappeared to a toque-worthy Winnipeg stadium full of blue, gold and noise. Bombers fans brought it like they always seem to Friday night and Manziel had to battle threw it all night long.
I was excited to see something new from the Montreal offensive package. Head Coach Mike Sherman and Offensive Coordinator Khari Jones sprinkled in some backfield-heavy formations, including this diamond set which had mixed results. First, a speed option play which looked fun in theory..
But in reality was completely overwhelmed by the defensive flow of the Bombers, including Adam Bighill knifing around multiple wannabe-blockers.
Later in the game, the Alouettes came back to this formation and decided to throw out of it after a play-action fake and eight man protection for Johnny with just three routes available. He threw a strike. I wonder if Montreal continues to run more of this with him.
The play calling got even more creative for Mike Sherman when he decided to let Manziel CATCH a pass. You read that right. Nice design on this one and respect to Manziel for not running out of bounds to avoid contact.
When Johnny was throwing the ball there were mixed results including this ball which he for someone left way inside after staring down that side of the defence pre-snap.
I mean.. It was a gimme, but the football gods smiled on Manziel to make the stat line look a little bit friendlier heading into week 16.
While everyone was talking about Manziel, Andrew Harris was putting in work as he always does. On this play, Harris reached the 1,000 yard rushing mark yet again, but it’s the design of the play by Paul LaPolice that I loved.
He has quarterback Matt Nichols show a zone read posture, which forces Montreal defensive end Gabriel Knapton to reduce down the line of scrimmage with the tackle who is blocking down to his right. When Knapton shimmies left, Harris has the edge and with a quick flick of the wrist Nichols sends Harris outside to hit the 1k mark in 2018.
After the Bombers pulled away it was time for a quick nap before ‘Super Saturday’ struck with a triple header of CFL action.
Edmonton and Ottawa started the day off in a 2015 Grey Cup rematch that saw two highly efficient quarterbacks in Ottawa’s Trevor Harris and Edmonton’s Mike Reilly refuse to throw an incompletion.
Thankfully when Reilly finally did the ref cam was there to give us a crazy view of what quarterbacks are being chased by every play.
This game featured all kinds of fun back and forth plays. First, there was the sack fumble – until overturned by automatic review – which saw Diontae Spencer make one of the great effort plays of the year, only to get planted like a flower in Byward Market for his attempt to help Ottawa avoid giving up a defensive touchdown.
Then there was Diontae doing something he’s much more capable of — making great catches.
And finally, Diontae making a strange field position decision on a field goal which was completely stonewalled by the Ottawa wind.
While everyone was watching the kick flutter and lose steam, or Diontae play around with the return, my eyes caught two Ottawa defensive backs dominating a double team on Eskimos linebacker Korey Jones at the top of the screen.
Getting double-teamed on a special teams block: Not fun.
After Diontae brought the ball out to trap Trevor Harris and the offence the Redblacks quarterback dropped this elite dime.
You likely don’t realize how hard this is until you’ve done it in a game, but calculating the lift required on a pass to be above the cross bar with the angle of the receiver, proximity of the defender and location of the uprights is all crazy. Now add wind and several thousand people screaming and you get a special throw from Harris who – as seen in the clip below – actually made the throw flat footed with his hips not even facing his target. All just crazy good.
When Harris and the Ottawa offence couldn’t finish it was time for the kicking game to add points. Let me tell you about this kid named Lewis Ward..
NOBODY, celebrates field goals like Ottawa Redblacks fans in 2018. They love Lewis and I couldn’t be happier for him. What he’s doing is crazy and whenever it ends – if it does? – I hope it happens at home so he can get a crazy standing ovation.
The Ottawa kicking game showed off in all phases Saturday, including this moonshot of a punt from Richie Leone that I genuinely questioned if, or when it would ever return to the earth. Punting highlights, they’re a real thing.
When newly acquired Eskimos return man Martese Jackson did get his hands on the ball he created some real magic. I love the end cut of this highlight because it gives you a very real sense of just how much flow speed can create when moving horizontally.
In the middle game of the Saturday’s trifecta The Argos and Riders met at BMO Field in Toronto for a rematch of the 2017 East Final which saw Ricky Ray lead a late comeback drive for the Argos win. This time around it was the Riders playing last second hero when Brett Lauther hit a 56 YARD FIELD GOAL to take the lead.
Before we got there Marcus Thigpen made yet another claim to get more touches by turning this average running play into his second 80-plus yard rushing touchdown of the season.
Oh, and James Franklin casually army crawled through Tobi Antigha’s legs. Does anybody in the CFL enjoy their role right now more than James Franklin?!
For the night cap we all headed West for the Ticats and Lions which turned into arguably the game of the year.
First off, it was great to see John White back being productive in a CFL uniform after his ACL tear in Edmonton last year. He’s dropped 30-pounds since signing in Hamilton and showed amazing quickness in this game. This play was his best, three jump cuts in short succession before finding the end zone.
That grand game was complemented by Hamilton’s vertical passing attack which saw Mike Jones burn the Lions a couple times down the sideline.
The end cut look at this play shows just how nasty the stutter-go move was that freed up Jones.
The real hero on this play was Jeremiah Masoli though, watch how he worked his eyes and hips right, then back hard to left before snapping back to his original location right to move the free safety and open a massive throwing window on the wide Canadian field.
Ticats free safety Mike Daly arguably had the best hit of the weekend when he crushed this crosser from Ricky Collins Jr. What I love most about this one is how Daly angled himself at a high speed perfectly to take the helmet out of the play for both players and was still able to make the old John Madden de-cleater look good.
Fooball is evolving. If more players learn how to do this everybody can happily co-exist. If players don’t learn and evolve we will forever have head shots and penalties. Put this one on the coaching tape for all your high school and university defenders.
The Hamilton defence did everything they could down the stretch to slow down BC but on the final drive of the fourth-quarter, quarterback Jonathon Jennings had an out-of-body experience and threw this beyond perfect pass as time expired.
Look at Ticats’ defensive back Josh Johnson lurking. He’s waiting for that exact throw and still Jennings arm talent and optical precision gets the best of him. What an amazing ball!
The Lions of course needed the two-point convert to send us to overtime, and the play they got it on was nothing short of incredible.
I do not envy the guys who had to make that call in the command centre. That’s as tough as it gets, but a decision had to be made.
So we went to overtime, then double overtime and he rest is history.
I spent 14 hours at BC Place Saturday, then took a red eye flight home and I couldn’t have enjoyed it any more than I did. What a great day of football with twists and turns we couldn’t script even if we tried. Thankfully we’re just three days from opening that gift again in week 16.
