Jack B. Bedell
CFL.ca
In last week’s column, I listed a handful of questions I thought would dog the remainder of the season. Turns out I was overly optimistic about the complexity of the issues. Week 13 knocked them out for me in one fell swoop.
Calgary’s 34-4 thumping of the Toronto Argonauts answered two of my five questions.
Clearly, the Stamps are more than capable of consistent excellence. Hosting the Argos, Calgary had every excuse to play down to the level of its opponent or to look ahead to a more competitive tilt. Henry Burris and company did neither.
In all three phases of the game, the Stamps put the hammer down on Toronto, taking them out of the game by halftime with solid offence, aggressive defence, and positive field position generated by the kicking game.
Some might call Calgary’s performance workmanlike. I’d say it was thorough, and could have been worse if Coach Hufnagel had decided to pile on points at the end rather than taking his foot off the throttle.
The real flipside of the issue, however, is whether or not the Argonauts are capable of making the adjustments they need to make in order to reshape their schemes and roster before the playoffs. That one would be a resounding “no” after see how a QB change and scheme adjustments on both sides of the ball played out against the Stamps.
Oftentimes the kind of progress Toronto’s reaching for comes only after a period of regress. Unfortunately, with one playoff spot available in the East and Winnipeg surging, the Argos have no time for regression.
On the bigger question of whether or not an East Division team can compete with any of the West squads, I’d say Montreal’s 40-4 beat down of the Edmonton Eskimos qualifies as a “yes.”
Make no mistake; the Esks have a quality roster with serious play-making talent. The fact that the Als were able to take them completely out of their game with effective schemes and relentless production in all three phases of the game shows without a doubt that Montreal is capable of putting anyone away when on the mark.
The way Anthony Calvillo and Montreal’s receiving corps operated, the Esks might as well have been pylons. Calvillo got the ball out consistently in less than two seconds. No pass rush would have had time to get to him regularly at that pace. With Ben Cahoon, Jamel Richardson, and Kerry Watkins running crisp, on-time routes like they did on Sunday, no degree of coverage could short circuit the Als’ air attack either. West, East, North, or South.
That’s not to say I’m letting the Eskimos off the hook for their performance. After a sketchy game against the Ticats in week 12, the fact that Edmonton barely got off the plane in Montreal answers another of my questions pretty decisively. For whatever reason, they are NOT ready to play consistently up to the level of their ability as a team, and that single issue will put them in tough to finish on top of the West Division.
And finally, after watching Saskatchewan fight back gamely in their battle with B.C. only to fall short at home, I really have to admit injuries have stolen too much of the Riders’ firepower at this point in the season for them to hold on to the top spot in the division.
WEEK 13 QUICK HITS
Anthony Calvillo put a stranglehold on the East’s MOP race with his phenomenal game last weekend. His numbers were simply obscene: 31-38 passing for 414 yards and a couple of majors. He’s on pace for a career year, and shows no sign of slowing down. On a personal level, I’d be hard-pressed to find a player I’m happier for than Calvillo, and I really wish him continued success after the year he had last year.
It might just be my opinion, but Hamilton looked like it had a chance to win under Quinton Porter. His numbers weren’t mind-boggling, 11-17 for 183 yards and a TD, but the team seemed to have some bounce when he entered the game. It’s going to be interesting to see if he can keep it up down the stretch.
I got whiplash when Coach Miller pulled Michael Bishop after an ill-advised pick thrown into coverage near the redzone. Granted, Bishop had made a few errors before being pulled, but he’d also made a few nice plays. It almost felt watching from the couch like he had been PRE-pulled on the assumption things were about to get even worse.
Is there a player in the league putting out more effort right now than Dominique Dorsey? On a day where nothing else seemed to be going right, a whole season in fact, Dorsey picked up every yard he could possibly pick up last week. Kid’s got heart, if you ask me.
Late news has Kenton Keith signing with the Ticats. That’s quite a stable of running backs they’re building in Steeltown. I wonder if they’ll be running the triple wing soon.
RWB’S PRIMETIME PERFORMERS
1) Kevin Glenn
2) Cam Hall
3) Paul McCallum
4) Javier Glatt
5) Joffrey Reynolds
6) Brandon Browner
7) Anthony Calvillo
8) Jermaine McElveen
9) Prechae Rodriguez
10) Wes Dressler
WEEK 14 PREDICTIONS DOOMED TO GO WRONG
No need for a coin this week. Aside from Saskatchewan’s near miss, the gut had a good read on week 13’s games.
This week, I’m not letting myself overanalyze the possibilities. I’m going with momentum, relative health, and overall records—Edmonton, Calgary, B.C., and Montreal.
RWB’S PREMATURE PLAYOFF PICKS
Just in case my game picks don’t make me look ridiculous enough, I thought I’d take a look at the remaining schedule and throw out a playoff scenario for argument’s sake.
East: 1) Montreal, 2) Winnipeg, 3) Saskatchewan
West: 1) Calgary, 2) B.C., 3) Edmonton
Let the argument begin…
UP NEXT
Check back next week to get my takes on all of Week 14’s action. I may be recanting some of those playoff predictions, too.
Until then, take care. And be sure to stretch before jumping on or off any bandwagons. They’re higher off the ground than they appear.
Jack B. Bedell is a Professor of English at Southeastern Louisiana University in Hammond, Louisiana and has followed the CFL for nearly three decades.
