The Canadian Press
Hello, Saskatchewan Roughriders. The Most Outstanding Player balloting doesn’t even need to be done now. It’s a tie. The award goes to each and every one of your players who took part in your brilliant “Never Gonna Give You Up” video celebrating the 80’s on Saturday night. Now go sign a player named Rick Astley. Or Huey Lewis, if Astley’s not a common enough name. Or Bryan Adams. There’s gotta be a football player named Bryan Adams somewhere.
Here are this week’s takeaways.
1. FIELD GOALS ARE SEXY
You do need a little drama to make them that way, it’s true. And maybe a little context as well. A 26-yard chip shot in the first quarter doesn’t cut it.
But two attempts in Week 14 prove it.
In Saskatchewan, Brett Lauther’s winner with less than a minute to go was chock full of attractive forces, considering he’d missed and extra point and a 33-yard attempt earlier in the game.
That it was a 39-yarder, making it just long enough to be a little hairy considering Lauther’s earlier misses, added to the drama. That the winning kick was a little flirty with the left upright gave it even more.
Meanwhile, in Calgary, Lirim Hajrullahu’s 42-yard attempt at a probable winner with less than a minute to go carried its own baggage, considering he’d missed a 48-yarder earlier in the quarter — and also considering Hamilton’s long victory drought in Calgary.
With the possibility of a miss and the Stampeders needing to run the thing out from deep in the end zone in order to protect a one-point lead, things were feeling pretty sexy.
But with Calgary’s Tre Roberson elevating so high that he could almost see eternity in order to block the ball on its way over the line of scrimmage, the attempt grew from tantalizing to sensational play-of-the-game status.
BONUS TAKEAWAY: Tre Roberson can see your house from up there.
2. BE GOOD TO YOUR KICKERS. YOU MAY NEED THEM
I want more ‘Live Mic’ Craig Dickenson in my life.
I love hearing him actively coaching as plays unfold, especially his beloved special-teamers.
And I think we caught a terrific glimpse of what makes Dickenson effective, respected and listened to as field boss of the Roughriders.
When placekicker Brett Lauther missed his 33-yard attempt on Saturday night, Dickenson could clearly be heard taking an approach that runs contrary to what we’ve gotten used to from hard-nosed, demanding taskmasters in the “failure is not an option” world of pro football.
“Don’t sweat it,” he could be heard telling Lauther. “Just be smooth. It’s gonna happen.” His upset kicker then apologized to the coach.
“It’s okay,” Dickenson said. “It happens.”
What?
That moment couldn’t have been more grandfatherly had Dickenson been wearing a cardigan and handing Lauther a toonie to go get some ice cream.
Dickenson doesn’t seem too nice to be a head coach, that’s not the takeaway at all. He seems nice enough to play hard for because you love him, not because you’re afraid of him.
3. CHECK YOUR WORK. CHECK IT AGAIN
How difficult have things become for the Ottawa REDBLACKS?
They pull off some brilliance on a punt fake against B.C., get 37 yards on the play and then have it called back because the line-up card they handed the officials before the game didn’t have the receiver in question listed as eligible.
Head Coach Rick Campbell, in a display of unbridled rage (for him), walked towards a ball laying on the sideline and dribbled it meekly towards a kicking net.
The REDBLACKS, at the current time, cannot get out of their own way, or as running back Mossis Madu put it, in speaking with Postmedia’s Tim Baines, “it’s the same bullshit out there.”
Far, far away is Ottawa’s early-season success, when a lot of us were apologizing for seemingly underrating these REDBLACKS.
They have time to reclaim that ground but they’d better figure out soon how to stop the elevator. It’s heading towards the basement and right now, it’s blowing past floors on the way.
Somebody’s gotta hit a button.
BONUS TAKEAWAY: Craig Dickenson was paying attention to the above takeaway, when late in the game, he asked an official if he could check the line-up card he’d given him, just to be sure. No doubt, he’d seen what had happened to the REDBLACKS the night before, and also had his own eligibility snafu from earlier this season on his mind.
4. DON’T MAKE MISTAKES AGAINST CALGARY
“Calgary loves to prey on the team that preys on (itself).”
Oh, I like that, Henry Burris. I like that a lot.
The TSN panellist summed up the Stampeders’ modus operandi – one that’s been in vogue for them for a number of seasons – succinctly, just after the team’s 19-18 win over the visiting Ticats.
The Stampeders, as a rule, don’t make a lot of mistakes out there and when you make yours – or are forced into them by the Stamps themselves, they take advantage.
Sometimes, they feed you that mistake, almost immediately, in the form of a touchdown.
Other times, like Saturday, your mistakes are enough on their own to allow them to find a forward gear at the right time to take the lead, with the potential points you left on the table coming back to haunt you.
Maybe that’s why Hamilton coach Orlondo Steinauer was smiling so broadly as he shook Dave Dickenson’s hand after the game. He knows his Cats coulda, shoulda and woulda, had they only been a tad bit tidier.
5. THIS GUY SHOULD BE ON EVERYONE’S ON RADAR
Nothing like a big television audience and a big brother who’s making a name for himself to introduce you to the casual football fan out there.
With Montreal’s Bo Lokombo quickly turning into one of the best, hardest-hitting safeties in the league, his little brother, Nelson, got some screen time during Saturday’s Als/Riders tilt.
Turns out that Nelson, a defensive back for the University of Saskatchewan, is having a banner start to the 2019 season and is a young player to keep an eye on.
The night before the Roughriders and Alouettes took the field at Mosaic, the younger Lokombo was out there putting on his own show.
Nelson Lokombo picked off two passes – one of them for a 98-yard touchdown – registered a knockdown, two tackles for a loss and a quarterback sack in the Huskies’ 44-9 ripper over the Regina Rams.
And he had a pick-6 the week previous, too, against UBC.
Wondering why he’s not on the list of top 20 prospects for next spring’s draft?
Because he isn’t draft-eligible until 2021.
Sharp-eyed recruiters already knew Lokombo was a player to look out for back when he was starring at W.J. Mouat Secondary School, in Abbotsford, B.C. Saskatchewan fans have been well aware for two seasons, too. And now, everybody everywhere knows Bo’s brother.
Because Nelson Lokombo has the goods. And he also, apparently, has something else that is crucial to a defensive back’s success: Timing.
AND FINALLY… The shortest distance between two points is whatever way Micah Johnson chooses to go.
