Jack B. Bedell
CFL.ca
I’ve heard enough coach-speak over the years to know there are no “moral victories,” no points in the standings for teams that fought hard enough to win but came up short on the scoreboard. Only winning teams get permanent credit for their efforts. But maybe it’s time we invented a special asterisk in the books for “moral losses.”
Heading into week 17, the Hamilton Ticats were officially eliminated from the post-season, and the Toronto Argonauts were hanging by the slimmest of threads. Both squads went into their tilts disappointed with how the 2008 season went down, and both had reason to go into the tank.
In the proverbial world where there are no moral victories, the Ticats and Argos were playing week 17 for two reasons – pride and 2009 employment.
And both squads brought it, for real.
Behind a career day by Kerry Joseph, who threw for 400 yards and three majors, and some promising performances by young receivers P.K. Sam and Reggie McNeal, the Argos gave the Montreal Alouettes all they could handle. And they gave fans of the Double Blue reasons to believe the 2009 season will have a different outcome for the team.
Down 36-20 after three frames, the Argos battled back to within two points in the fourth quarter and had more than a shot to take a game off the Als. It was the kind of effort that defines teamwork and professionalism, and it was a joy to watch.
The Ticats put on a similar show in Regina against a Roughriders team that was fighting hard to keep pace in the West. With seconds to go, Hamilton’s Nick Setta had a chance to steal the win with a long field goal, but the winds carried the kick wide and let the Riders off the hook.
Points in the standings or not, there was plenty to be proud of in the Ticats’ loss, though. For one, Quinton Porter’s 300 yards and two TDs were more than enough to establish the rookie as a viable candidate for the Ticats’ starting job next season.
In the face of the Riders’ aggressive D, Porter exhibited the same kind of poise and accuracy he showed a few weeks ago against Montreal, and he consistently put the Ticats in a position to win with his ability to push the ball downfield.
The Ticats’ defence also showed plenty of life picking off Riders’ QBs four times and holding Wes Cates under 100 yards. And if it weren’t for a couple of clutch kicks by Luca Congi, that would’ve been enough to get the W.
Of course, none of that will show in the standings.
In my book, the Argos and Ticats may have lost, but they were definitely not losers last week. And if I had asterisks to give for those moral losses, I’d give them in a heartbeat.
WEEK 17 QUICK HITS
My hat’s definitely off to Buck Pierce for his gutsy performance in Edmonton last week. Watching him hobbling around on a bad ankle and throwing for 378 yards and three majors with a sore shoulder really made me appreciate Pierce’s will to win.
The same could be said of Kamau Peterson’s performance in the Eskimos’ loss. All 117 of his yards against the Lions were big-time yards that moved chains and kept his team in the game. Peterson has really grabbed the mantle of leadership and taken off with it this season. Whenever Edmonton’s needed a clutch catch to keep a drive live, Kamau’s been there to provide it.
Speaking of clutch grabs, I have to give some credit to Calgary’s Nik Lewis for doing a little heavy lifting last week, too. Lewis piled up 10 catches for an even 100 yards against the Blue Bombers. On half those catches, Lewis took some big pops, but it didn’t keep him from bouncing up to do it again. He’s earned every one of his 1000 yards this season with superb physical play, and the results of those efforts are showing up in the wins column every week.
And last, but not least, it was nice to see Wes Cates back in action for the Roughriders in Week 17. Cates nearly hit the century mark himself with 97 yards on 17 carries. It didn’t look like he had any rust to shake off after missing a few weeks due to injury, and with the race for the West Division going down to the wire that’s got to be good news for fans of Gang Green.
RWB’S PRIMETIME PERFORMERS
1) Buck Pierce
2) Charles Roberts
3) Anthony Calvillo
4) Damon Duval
5) Henry Burris
6) Jojuan Armour
7) Wes Cates
8) Renauld Williams
9) Quinton Porter
10) P.K. Sam
A FEW THOUGHTS ON COACH OF THE YEAR
There are three first-time head coaches in the CFL this season—John Hufnagel, Ken Miller, and Marc Trestman. All three deserve to be mentioned as Coach of the Year candidates, and, in my book, all three are deserving of the award (for completely different reasons).
Hufnagel took over a Stampeders team virtually cursed with potential and underachievement and found a way to make the club play up to its potential with consistent excellence. Miller inherited a championship Saskatchewan club that was simply beset by injuries and managed to guide them through all the line up changes and substitutions toward a shot at the West crown. And Trestman led what many pundits thought was an Alouettes club in decline to a runaway East Division championship in his first year in the league.
And while my money’s on Marc Trestman for exceeding all expectations rather than simply living up to them, any of these coaches would make an excellent choice for the award.
WEEK 18 PREDICTIONS DOOMED TO GO WRONG
Luca Congi’s leg kept me over .500 again last week, bringing my season tally to 37-27.
The picks don’t get any easier this week with the West Division still fighting it out for first place and the East teams looking to finish strong both heading into the playoffs and into next year.
Gut says: Calgary, Edmonton, B.C., and Montreal.
UP NEXT
Check back next week to get my take on all of Week 18’s action. I’ll also take a look at a couple of CFL records that might fall by season’s end.
Until then, take care. And enjoy the regular season while it lasts. It’s hard to believe the Grey Cup kicks off in a month!
Jack B. Bedell is a Professor of English at Southeastern Louisiana University in Hammond, Louisiana and has followed the CFL for nearly three decades.
