Landry’s 5 takeaways from Thanksgiving Weekend

Hello, Shawn Lemon. One hundred sacks, eh? In celebration, I will now put 100 hundred Lemon drops in my morning tea and take a sip.

*Entire body puckers*

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Well, I just inadvertently sucked two fillings out of teeth, so that wasn’t the best idea.

Here are this week’s takeaways.

YOU GOTTA KNOW WHEN TO HOLD ‘EM. KNOW WHEN TO FOLD ‘EM

The trajectory of the West division playoff narrative took a sharp, sharp turn on Friday night, on one single play. One play.

It does appear all but certain that the road to the Grey Cup passes through Winnipeg, now, with the Blue Bombers taking control of first place with a huge comeback win in Vancouver.

Had Dominique Rhymes gotten down on his pass reception with seconds left in the fourth quarter, BC kicker Sean Whyte would have had a very much make-able kick on the last play of the game, a kick that would have given the Lions the win and the hammer when it came to the race for top spot. Instead, in a split-second decision, Rhymes aimed to get to the end zone, and was tackled well short. The extra effort meant there were zeroes on the clock and overtime was assured.

“He wasn’t too happy with himself,” said BC quarterback Vernon Adams Jr. of Rhymes, after the game. “But we didn’t lose the game because of that play.”

Maybe not. But they didn’t win because of it.

It’s amazing to see, as it always is, just how big an effect a single decision can have on a season’s pendulum.

If Rhymes gets down, the Lions are looking like a team that gets a playoff bye and a chance to aim for a Grey Cup berth in the comfy confines of home game Western Final. Instead, it’s looking like they’ll have to use those comfy confines to try and earn another shot at the Bombers, packing the winter gear for Winnipeg.

THEY ARE IN NEED OF SOMETHING BIG, PRONTO

The Saskatchewan Roughriders had all the reason in the world to come up with a big effort against the Hamilton Ticats on Saturday night.

Even if you remove the extra trappings of welcoming back the 2013 Grey Cup champion team and, of course, paying tribute to the late George Reed, the Riders had plenty to play for in that game considering the slide they’d been on and that their hold on the third and final playoff spot in the West was growing a bit slippery.

That they did not come up with a performance that matched the importance of the evening is concerning.

“I did not see that coming at all,” said an obviously disappointed head coach Craig Dickenson after his team fell, rather easily, to the Ticats.

“Very disappointed,” added Dickenson. “I’m embarrassed.”

“Probably the low point in my time here.”

Dickenson and his crew need to find a high point, stat. Because the Calgary Stampeders must truly be feeling thankful to still have a shot at the playoffs and they just happen to be Saskatchewan’s opponent in Week 19.

A REMINDER: MARATHON, NOT A SPRINT

On the other side of the coin we find the Hamilton Ticats who are starting to look like that team.

You know the one. The team that lollygags around the lower end of the standings but then starts to play a little bit better and a little bit better until you wonder if they might not be peaking at just the right time.

Recall, if you will, a time not that long ago when so many voices in Hamilton were calling for wholesale, mid-season changes, beginning with the sacking of head coach Orlondo Steinauer.

Lo and behold, though.

Turns out Steinauer is a pretty decent coach after all and while the ‘keep on keeping on’ quotes repeated often during the dark days of the early to mid-season period were getting under the skin of frustrated Hamilton fans, they have to admit it now; keeping on with the keeping on is sometimes the valid way out of the funk.

The Ticats look much better.

There are still questions to be answered, though, and they are big, important ones.

Can they beat Montreal, finally? And can they beat Toronto? Between those two opponents, the Ticats are oh and six this season.

IT’S SIMPLE WHEN YOU REALLY THINK ABOUT IT

The Montreal Alouettes remain in control of second place in the East, hoping to hold off the charging Ticats so that they can host the Eastern Semi-Final when the two meet, rather than travelling to Hamilton on November 4.

Monday’s big win over Ottawa came with the Montreal defence absolutely throttling the REDBLACKS offence and in that the Als have the formula they can use going forward into the playoffs.

Montreal quarterback Cody Fajardo has such great confidence in his team’s defence that he knows he can make it simple on offence.

“If you really wanna understand this offence it’s about being efficient,” said Fajardo, post-game. I watched Ricky Ray do it in this (type of) offence for multiple years.”

“That’s what my mindset is. Let your playmakers, one, get hit, not you,” he said, smirking. “And let them go have all the fun and score touchdowns.”

Letting your defence score some touchdowns helps out too.

YOUR’ E A WIZARD, HARRY! SORRY, THAT WAS MEANT FOR TRE FORD

Another week, another ridoncudiculous play by Edmonton quarterback Tre Ford.

What can we possibly say about that incredible scramble and throw for a touchdown against Toronto?

Not much. Just roll the videotape. Again and again.

And again.

And then watch it again. Not to see the play, really, but to see if you can answer a question for me: Where does Tre Ford keep his magic wand? In a sock?

AND FINALLY… Heck of a party, Toronto Argonauts. You met the moment very well.