Matt Cauz
CFL.ca
If you’re a fan of the Montreal Alouettes be forewarned this is not exactly going to be a 1400 word column in praise of the best team in the Eastern Conference. I’ve just never seen Montreal so dominated in one game; I watched it with a mixture of perverse curiosity and confusion.
Even though the game was a blow-out there was a lot we can take out of it.
(1) Once again it’s always fun watching the Calgary front seven. They rushed only three men more times than I expected but for the most part it worked. My favourite formation is what I like to call the “Crazy Rush” where they employ just one down lineman lined up at tackle and send anywhere from three to five men at the quarterback.
(2) Speaking of pass rush this was a game where the stats did lie. If you just looked at the final box score you would think Montreal had the edge pressuring the quarterback. Oh sure they ended the day with four sacks compared to just two by Calgary. You have to trust me on this one, those sacks by the Alouettes had little impact on the game. When they needed to get to Burris they couldn’t. Meanwhile Calgary’s rush forced Calvillo into a number of bad throws.
(3) Obvious Point #1: I think it is safe to say that Henry Burris is out of his mini funk he suffered last week versus BC. What a wild two week swing going from 136 yards and two picks vs. BC to Friday’s four-touchdown, 412 yard masterpiece. Burris reminds me of 1987 Michael Caine who for some unexplainable reason (Money I’m assuming, gobs and gobs of money) starred in ‘Jaws: The Revenge’. This came a year after he had won the Best Supporting Oscar for ‘Hannah And Her Sisters’ in 1986 and would dominate as Lawrence Jamieson in Dirty Rotten Scoundrels in 1988. Hey, every now and then you just lay a terrific stink bomb. That’s what Burris did last week. But on Friday he was in complete command. Henry’s long touchdown pass to Romby Bryant could not have been placed any better. And while most of the credit for Ken-Yon Rambo’s 100 yard catch and run should go to Rambo remember in the face of a blitz Burris hit his man right in stride on the quick slant that helped spring Ken-Yon free.
(4) I usually comment on the stupid music being played during the game but good on McMahon Stadium for playing the A-Team theme song!
(5) Let’s stay positive for another moment. Loved TSN for showing old clips of Gayle Sayers. I just can’t turn the channel whenever those grainy highlights of Sayers come on.
(6) This is going to be an easy week to bash Billy Parker and rightfully it should be. But if I may, for a second, defend him. The already mentioned “century” TD by Rambo was just as much about Chip Cox playing too tight to the line of scrimmage as it was a bad angle by Parker. Great job by Glenn Suitor and Chris Cuthbert for pointing that out.
(7) Are any of Anthony Calvillo’s interceptions this year his fault? His first one against Saskatchewan in Week One went off a receiver and his pick this week went off the hands of Ben Cahoon. I’m betting only two of his meager total of five could actually be blamed on Calvillo.
(8) Speaking of Cahoon I think it is time that someone brought this up. There’s a giant elephant in the room that no one wants to mention about Cahoon. The guy is practically irrelevant. There, I said it. Listen, this goes beyond his below average yardage total or the fact that he has more converts (two) than touchdowns (a big fat whopping zero). Let me ask … just how many big plays has he made this season? I’ve watched most of their games and I can’t remember any. I know he is just a couple catches away from breaking Terry Vaughn’s record; but right now he feels like the CFL’s version of Cal Ripken, he’s so close to setting a once in a lifetime record and in the process he’s not exactly helping his team win many games. Seriously how do you only have 548 yards in 13 games with Calvillo under centre? That yardage total places him 22nd in the league! The guy is an absolute class act, plays the game the right way and is a first ballot Hall of Famer but he’s also a guy who just disappears for quarters at a time. And to both Glenn Suitor and Chris Cuthbert can you please refrain from saying that Cahoon made a “big catch” with just over seven minutes to go and Calgary leading by 25 points. It was only his second reception and the game was over at that point. I hope he proves me wrong but put it this way if you had him on your fantasy team there is no way you would be starting him.
(9) The touchdown of the year award, if there was one, may have to go to Nik Lewis who steam rolled over Mark Estelle and then ran past the rest of the Alouettes secondary. Hey Mark could you do me a favour and just go ahead and hand in your man card? But don’t worry we have a DVD set of Season Three of “Gilmore Girls”, some lovely scented candles and an autographed copy of ‘Eat, Pray, Love’ for you.
(10) I felt bad for Brandon Browner having to be matched up one-on-one for much of the game against Jamel Richardson. That’s as tough a defensive assignment as you are going to find in this league. I thought he acquitted himself quite nicely under the circumstances.
(11) So many dumb penalties by Montreal. You’re just not going to win in Calgary with all those ridiculous roughing the passer penalties keeping Stampede drives alive or special teams penalties that kill any chances of consistently winning field position battles. By the way, yes I am still a bit confused how Montreal got burned by the no yards penalty after Calgary had been caught with too many men on the field with two minutes to go in the third.
(12) Speaking of too many men … hang your heads in shame Calgary!
(13) For next week could everyone please leave Damon Duval alone? That just looked painful out there.
(14) Calvillo was solid. That 15 yard touchdown pass to Andrew Hawkins was a thing of beauty as was Hawkins’ pass route. Not only did he beat the jam at the line of scrimmage but he also broke free from double coverage to give Calvillo a target to throw to.
(15) Maybe the most shocking part of the game, beyond the score, was Marc Trestman’s decision to pull Anthony Calvillo. He never comes out the game. Back in July Montreal was beating Toronto 34-10 with less than four minutes to play and Calvillo was still chucking the ball around! Hey I think this is a smart move by Trestman to pull Calvillo … it’s just they’ve never done it before. Weird to see.
(16) In the end this game came down to the fact that Montreal’s secondary just did not have an answer for the athleticism of Calgary’s wide receivers. Whether it was missed tackles, bad angles or big cushions they got beat for big play after big play.
(17) Now I know this sounds like a complete Montreal Alouettes rip job, well the best compliment I can pay the team is I never thought the game was over until Romby Bryant’s 4th quarter touchdown. They’re were outplayed for most of the game yet are still so talented that you can never really count them out.
(18) Yes right now you have to say that Calgary is the best team in the CFL, you beat Montreal by 25 points you get to wear that crown. Of course that can all change in a week.
(19) Speaking of that I can’t wait for next week. Listening to the referee utter this hilarious line “There are several fouls on the last play” soon after a melee broke out after Milt Collins fourth quarter interception … well you just know the rematch is going to be a lot of fun.
