By Jack B. Bedell,
CFL.ca
One of the
major criteria boxing judges use to award points is the notion of
“effective aggression,” the principle that it’s not just the number of
shots a fighter delivers, but the cumulative effect of those shots.
Sometimes the fighter who lands three really nice power punches will
take a round from an opponent who lands two dozen jabs. Sometimes a
fighter is rewarded for sheer relentlessness from bell to bell. And
sometimes a fighter piles up enough damage in the early rounds to coast
home to victory.
Having had the chance to watch both the
Scotiabank East and West Championships several times during my long
train ride up from Louisiana to Winnipeg, I really believe both games
came down to effective aggression, with Montreal and B.C. making the
most of their shots.
The Als and the Lions refused to let
their opponents dictate what they would or wouldn’t do Sunday. Of
course, the Als ran Robert Edwards at Toronto’s porous run defence
(exactly what Toronto and the rest of us expected!), but Anthony
Calvillo also took his shots down the field to Kerry Watkins and Thyron
Anderson against the Argos’ vaunted pass defence. And Montreal found
creative ways, like quick screens, to get the ball in Edwards’ hands
and to give him the chance to punish Toronto’s secondary.
In
the Lions’ case, they ran their diverse offence with no fear of
Saskatchewan’s exceptional defence, and on the other side of the ball
the Lions brought pressure regardless of the dangers Kerry Joseph and
Kenton Keith posed to the rushing lanes created by that pressure. Dave
Dickenson was nearly perfect distributing the ball, letting Jason
Clermont and Paris Jackson get their work in receiving while Joe Smith
rumbled for 116 yards on 19 carries. It was all so relentlessly
successful, the †Riders had few chances to respond.
From the
second quarter on in both tilts, the Als and the Lions pushed the ball
up the field consistently, and they put points on the board when they
had chances. The Argos and †Riders did not, until it was too late in
both cases.
WHAT I LIKED IN SUNDAY’S FINALS
1)
Anthony Calvillo throwing with authority (the last six quarters
Calvillo has delivered the ball with velocity and accuracy; he must’ve
finally gotten used to the new stripes!)
2) The Als’ defence
bringing pressure from all angles (those delayed blitzes up the gut and
pressure from the outside guys really collapsed Toronto’s pocket)
3) Paris Jackson using his physical gifts in the end zone (prior to
Sunday’s game I caught myself wondering where Jackson had been all
year; he showed up, for real, in the second quarter)
4) The Lions’
pursuit speed on defence (even on short passes, B.C.’s front seven got
involved in tackling; spaces closed fast on Joseph and Co. all game)
5) Both the Als and Lions refusing to let momentum shift in the second
half (unlike Calgary and Winnipeg the week before, both clubs did what
they had to do to finish their work)
WHAT I DIDN’T LIKE IN SUNDAY’S FINALS
1) The notion that Toronto lost because they waited too long to replace
Damon Allen (Bishop excelled, in part, because Montreal shifted
defensive strategy employing more zone and less pressure, and besides
Damon Allen didn’t allow Robert Edwards to rush for 137 yards or
Anthony Calvillo to complete 66% of his passes for 252 yards and a
major)
2) Arland Bruce’s second-half tantrum (first, don’t quit on
a play; second, don’t quit on a play to turn around and yell at your
quarterback; third, produce like Mike O’Shea before you get in his
grill about anything)
3) Kenton Keith rushing six times in a game
(unless he’s hurting, Keith has to run the ball more than that, even if
you are behind)
4) Korey Banks’ incessant smack-talking (Brent
Johnson shouldn’t have to counsel a vet like Banks about the danger of
taking a major foul just to run your mouth between plays)
5) Luca
Congi’s punting (good place kicker, but a field-position liability
punting that the †Riders can’t afford to ignore this off-season)
GREY CUP PREDICTION DOOMED TO FAIL
You guys know how much I love the Alouettes, but I just don’t see how
they can take the Lions. My heart says go Montreal, but my head’s
supposed to write this column, and it says B.C. will take the Cup.
UP NEXT
I’m in Winnipeg all week enjoying the Grey Cup festivities. Check out my daily blog on CFL.ca to see what I’m up to.
And I’ll be back here after the Cup to give my take on all the action.
Until then, take care. Try to have a little more fun every day until
Sunday. You don’t want to shock your system come game time.
Jack
B. Bedell is a Professor of English at Southeastern Louisiana
University in Hammond, Louisiana and has followed the CFL for nearly
three decades.
(The opinions expressed are those of the author and not necessarily of the Canadian Football League)
