Matt Smith/CFL.ca
Hello, Jon Ryan. Welcome back to the CFL. When the wind is blowing at Tim Hortons Field (when isn’t it), I’ll enjoy seeing your punts being fished out of Hamilton Harbour by collectibles nuts who are furiously paddling their kayaks toward all those bobbing footballs.
Here are the Week 5 takeaways.
VANILLA ICE CREAM IS THE NEW “GLORIA”
The St. Louis Blues, mired in a half-season of under-performance back in 2018-19, stumbled into a 1980’s tune as their good luck charm. They rode Laura Branigan’s “Gloria” all the way to a Stanley Cup championship.
They were in a different situation than the Winnipeg Blue Bombers, who are the two-time defending Grey Cup champs, but that’s not the point. The point is: The themes and memes that get real traction in the zeitgeist are the organic ones. The ones that legitimately, naturally, vibe with players and fans. And that is why I do believe the Blue Bombers will aim to defend their title in a blizzard of vanilla ice cream cone emojis.
They were everywhere after Winnipeg’s 43-22 win over the BC Lions, born of a remark made by Lions’ DB Marcus Sayles, who said this about the Winnipeg offence prior to the game: “Right now they look like they’re a little vanilla.”
Bombers’ DE Willie Jefferson talked, post-game, about the Winnipeg offence showing that it was actually a sundae with chocolate sauce, sprinkles, whipped cream and a cherry on top. And the tram’s Twitter account had fun with the idea when it posted the final score with the comment “post game vanilla cones anyone?”
Hey, now. that cone was dipped in caramel. Salted caramel.
Vanilla ice cream cones will be everywhere, I do predict, as this season marches on and the Bombers set their sights on a three-peat.
CALL IT A ‘GLUE’ GAME
The Winnipeg offence came into the marquee tussle in Vancouver with some doubts hanging over top and for one night, at least, erased them.
Quarterback Zach Collaros was at his flamboyant best (swashbuckly Zach Collaros is my favourite Zach Collaros) and the run game finally found its ignition sequence, rolling up 148 yards on the night. But it wasn’t just the offence that performed in top-shelf fashion.
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Janarion Grant took the opening kick-off all the way back and was so dangerous on the night, the Lions resorted to a squib kick when they still had designs on a comeback, in order to ensure that number 80 didn’t break their hearts yet again. The defence created four turnovers, and held the league’s leading offence to about 180 yards less than it had been averaging, while rebounding from a dismal run defence performance against the Argos by limiting BC’s ground attack to just 33 yards.
Everybody had a hand in this one, and it all came together.
The Blue Bombers entered this game with lots of people wondering about their status as THE team to beat (guilty as charged) and they dispelled the doubt. Turned out all they needed was a challenge to really glue things together.
BONUS TAKEAWAY: Now that the ‘biggest game of the season’ has already been played, we can now look forward to the ‘biggest game of the season’ coming up on Friday night.
BONUS BONUS TAKEAWAY: Dominique Rhymes, you magnificent creature.
BONUS BONUS BONUS TAKEAWAY: Play number 138. His team up by 21. Under two minutes to go. A 10-year defensive line veteran. Hustling downfield on the teams, covering a missed field goal. Making the tackle on the opponents’ one-yard line. Jake Thomas, you are also a magnificent creature.
THE NATION’S BEST GROUND GAME RESIDES WHERE?
I’m not entirely sure of the answer, right now, but we do have a top candidate in Saskatchewan.
Jamal Morrow’s emergence in his first year as a feature back has been impressive, and Frankie Hickson had been quietly showing his value behind Morrow on the depth chart. Until Friday night.
Then he got all loud and stuff, ripping off a 63-yard touchdown run as part of a five carry, 92 yard game. Coupled with Morrow’s 78 yards on 16 carries, and you get a spicy one-two punch. And Morrow is showing he’s a great catch and run back as well, with 17 receptions for 182 yards so far this season. Can Hickson turn up that part of his game as well? If so, egads.
If anybody’s game plan against the ‘Riders was simply to gum up the passing attack as much as possible because they weren’t likely to beat you on the ground, well, that assumption is starting to evaporate. Between them, Morrow and Hickson have rushed 88 times this season for 551 yards, and that’s an average of almost 6.3 yards per carry.
BONUS TAKEAWAY: If someone had left a door open near the end zone at Mosaic, Hickson would still be going, running free across the prairie, Forrest Gumping the heck outta that touchdown run of his.
OH, WERE YOU TALKING ABOUT THE NATION’S BEST GROUND GAME?
Calm down, Calgary, I gotcha.
Overshadowed by quarterback Bo Levi Mitchell’s return to grace, and the veteran quarterback’s building chemistry with receiver Malik Henry, is the performance of the ever-smiling Ka’Deem Carey, who has 269 rushing yards in 2022, after adding 104 more against Edmonton. And that was on just 12 carries. Imagine if they’d run him even more.
With rookie Peyton Logan emerging (5 rushes for 45 yards and a touchdown against the Elks) as a very nice relief pitcher (and, hey, not bad as a returner), the Stamps might be building their own zesty backfield combo, just like Saskatchewan is. Carey and Logan have teamed up for 60 carries in 2022, for 359 yards. An average of juuuuust shy of 6 yards per carry.
THAT ONE’S REALLY GONNA LEAVE A MARK
Pity the Edmonton Elks after they got squashed by Calgary, 49-6, on a stormy night at Commonwealth. I mean, the floodgates did LITERALLY open, not just figuratively.
After a stunning and stirring win in Hamilton the week before, it looked like the Elks were trending upwards, with a defence that was growing stronger and a new quarterback that stoked the optimism around this team.
But a beatdown like this, and an injury to said quarterback, Tre Ford, sends the Elks back to the gloomier outlook they had pre-Hamilton. The job now is to ensure that that outlook does get traction, and that they shake it off.
The fickle fates of football (hey, that’d be a great title for an autobiography for somebody. I’d better trademark that) were in play once again, as we have seen so many times before. Do not ever make the mistake of thinking that you’ve got this game figured out, folks.
AND FINALLY… Nice interception return, Tre Roberson. A 66-yarder, they say, but it sure looked like you Clark Griswolded that thing and went four hours outta your way just to see the second largest ball of twine on the face of the earth. I like the scenic route too, buddy.
