Jim Lang
CFL.ca
Eastern Semi-Final
Toronto Argonauts vs. Hamilton Tiger-Cats at Ivor Wynne Stadium
After going 9-9 in the 2009 season, much was expected of the Ticats this year. So the fact they went 9-9 again in 2010 is a bit of a disappointment. Even though more was expected of them, you have to give the Cats credit for doing what it takes to make sure they hosted the Eastern Semi-Final. Marcel Bellefeuille can never complain about a lack of talent to work with. Four of his players, Dave Stala, Marwin Hage, Markeith Knowlton and Marcus Thigpen were all Eastern nominees for the CFL’s player awards.
The Argos on the other hand tripled their win total in 2009 so 9-9 in Toronto is viewed as a significant accomplishment. Jim Barker deserves to receive a significant number of votes for coach of the year after what he did this season. Bart Andrus nearly ran the Argos into the ground in 2009 and in one season Barker has been able to restore pride in the double blue. The big worry for Barker going into this game is the same worry he’s had all season long, his quarterback Cleo Lemon.
Key Match-up 1 – Argos OT Rob Murphy versus Tiger-Cats DE Stevie Baggs. – Cleo Lemon is not the top quarterback in the CFL, so giving him some time to view his check downs and survey the Ticats defence is key. Now Baggs and the Ticats front seven will have other ideas. Baggs and the bad boys from the Hammer will be hell bent on hitting Lemon every chance they get. Baggs by the way was just named the CFL’s defensive player of the month for October. This is what Baggs has done in the last six games of the regular season, 20 tackles, four sacks, one interception, three fumble recoveries and he scored two touchdowns. Despite all of Baggs’ accolades, Jim Barker told me that he sleeps well at night having an all-star like Murphy along the offensive line: “I like having Rob Murphy, one of the best O-Linemen in the league, protecting Cleo’s back. It takes more than one guy to be aware of where Stevie Baggs is at all times.” The bottom line is that if Murphy and the Argos O-line can not contain Baggs, Jim Barker’s offensive game plan will quickly cease to exist.
Key Match-up 2 – Argos CB Byron Parker versus Ticats receiver Arland Bruce – Ticat fans thank former Argos coach Bart Andrus every day they see Bruce tearing it up in the back and gold. One of the most dynamic playmakers in the CFL, Bruce enjoyed one of the most productive seasons in his career. Parker and the Argos secondary are in a bit of a quandary when dealing with Bruce. If they constantly double team Bruce, that means dangerous receivers like Dave Stala, Maurice Mann and Marquay McDaniel will end up in single coverage. The other key member of the Argos secondary is defensive back Lin-J Shell. It should be noted that even though the Ticats were 3-0 against the Argos in the regular season, the Argos defence was still able to pick off four Kevin Glenn passes in those games.
Key Match-up 3 – Argos RB Cory Boyd versus Ticats linebacker Otis Floyd – It is not very often in the CFL you find a team that the undisputed star of their offence is a running back and not a quarterback. Even if Lemon struggles, Barker still might be able to score enough points to win if they can get another big game out Boyd. In only 15 games Boyd ran for 1,359 yards and six touchdowns. More importantly for Barker and the Argos is his six yards per carry average. That means most times Boyd touches the ball there is a solid gain, so Lemon rarely ends up in second and long situations. Floyd and the bad boys from the Hammer will have to have air tight gap discipline and flawless tackling technique. Arm tackles just aren’t going to cut it against a stud like Boyd.
Intangibles – Can the Ticats beat the Argos one more time? The Argos were unable to beat the Cats in the regular season, but none of that will matter if the Argos are able to win the Semi-Final. Beating a team four times in the same season is not an easy feat. If there is one X factor the Argos have in their favour it is kick returner Chad Owens. If wasn’t for Cory Boyd, Owens would be hands down the Argos most valuable player. Both the Argos and the Ticats know that Owens is capable of taking it to the house every time he returns a punt, kick off or missed field goal. As good as Owens is, Hamilton has a pretty dynamic kick returner of its own in Marcus Thigpen.
Who wins – The Argos have a sound defence and excellent special teams. But if they only had a more consistent quarterback than Cleo Lemon, I would be more bullish on their chances in this one. I really feel the combination of home field advantage, Kevin Glenn, Arland Bruce and Stevie Baggs and will be the difference as the Tabbies move one step closer to the Grey Cup.
Western Semi-Final
B.C. Lions vs. Saskatchewan Roughriders at Mosaic Stadium
Think about this for a moment, the BC Lions went from 1-7, to 8-10 and a berth in the playoffs. If there was any doubt about the legendary status of Lions Coach Wally Buono, they were erased in the final eight weeks of the regular season. The Riders win over the Eskimos was significant for a number of reasons. Not the least of which is that it put a halt to the Riders four game losing streak. There is no way Ken Miller or any of the Riders wanted to go into the Western Semi-Final riding a five game losing streak. Now the Riders have a win to build on as they prepare to host the Lions.
Key Match-up 1 – Andy Fantuz and Chris Getzlaf versus Dante Marsh and Ryan Phillips. They don’t call Fantuz, Getlaz et al the “Canadian Air Force” for nothing. If the Lions are going to keep their Cinderella season going, they will need Marsh and Phillips to have a great game. The last thing Wally Buono and the Lions want is the Riders to score early and often and get the crowd working against them. Marsh and Phillips are well aware that Fantuz and the Riders receivers will make their share of catches. What they can’t afford is Fantuz and the Riders receivers turning a 10-yard pass into a 50-yard touchdown.
Key Match-up 2 – The Lions offensive line versus the Riders defensive line. He who wins the line of scrimmage Sunday will be headed to Calgary for the Western Final. Travis Lulay is a relatively young and experienced quarterback making his first career playoff start. It is crucial for the Lions offensive line to give him time and give him a level of comfort early in the game as he gets over the inevitable butterflies he will be experiencing.
Key Match-up 3 – Lions defensive coordinator Mike Benevides versus Riders offensive coordinator Doug Berry. This will be a fascinating chess match between two seasoned coaches. The Riders are blessed with some solid talent on offence and Berry’s challenge is to spread the ball around and not allow the Lions defence to key on one player. Stubler’s defence has a real dilemma in their game preparation. If they go all out to put pressure on Durant, that will leave his secondary in a lot of one-on-one coverage against a dangerous group of receivers. If he drops too many men into coverage, Durant can pick you apart with the underneath stuff to Jason Clermont and Wes Cates.
Intangibles – The pressure factor. The Lions come into this game playing with house money. If they don’t win, the fact that they overcame the odds and made it into the post season will still be seen as an accomplishment. If the Riders don’t win, the 2010 season will be viewed as a colossal failure. No matter what happens Sunday, Buono feels this 2010 Lions team
has made him proud: “They have worked hard from training camp on. They are a tremendous group of individual personalities that all recognize the collective goal of becoming champions. They don’t get down on themselves or each other and our veterans have been true leaders,” he said. Here is something else that will no doubt worry Ken Miller and the Riders, only one coach has led an 8-10 team to a Grey Cup victory, Wally Buono. One more thing that might play a factor is special teams. With Paul McCallum, the Lions have a distinct advantage in the kicking game over the Riders with Warren Kean.
Who wins – This is the kind of game that must scare the wits out of the Rider nation. The Lions are team with nothing to lose being led by a hall of fame coach. In a game like this, the team with the better quarterback should and will win though. Darian Durant is a better quarterback than Travis Lulay. With Durant, the Riders amazing receivers and home field advantage; there is no logical reason that the Riders won’t win this game. I believe that the Riders will win the game, but it sure as heck won’t be easy.
