RickMoffat
CFL.ca
For some Als fans, the score in the Steeltown Showdown loss was 126-30, not 34-26.
Brandon Whitaker was reduced to the role of blocking back while Avon Cobourne proved swagger is not just trash-tweets.
True, Whitaker again proved he’s a capable blocker, picking up his blitz assignments to give Anthony Calvillo time to find Slotback Jamel Richardson at the back of the endzone late in the second quarter.
But Cobourne ran hard and racked up four-times the amount of yards-from-scrimmage with ferocious play that included an unnecessary-roughness penalty in the final seconds.
Sore winner?
Whereas Whitaker, the CFL yards from scrimmage leader after four weeks was reduced to only seven touches, Cobourne got the rock 19 times
Hamilton’s tailback also received his new Grey Cup ring, however, he ordered a size to fit his wife, but she deferred, insisting he have it resized for himself.
Good call, Mrs.C.
In the team’s back-to-back losses, the Als have struggled to generate any form of pass rush and anything remotely special on special teams.
My breakdown of the numbers reveals the Als are more than twice as bad as anyone else in the CFL in the return game.
The “anything but special” teams were at a -8.2 yard deficit when you combine average punt and kickoff returns versus opponents’ gains heading into Week 5.
Weak. Next worst was Saskatchewan at -3.3.
Tim Maypray and Diamond Ferri have yet to break loose and they seemingly struggled in a steamy wind and setting sun at Ivor Wynne.
They may as well have been trying to catch kicks in a Stelco blast furnace.
It may be time to experiment with Rashaud Slaughter who showed flashes of quickness and ability during the pre-season and who some in this league believe can be a “difference-maker”.
This week in Hamilton, more foolish penalties eradicated big plays, including a John Bowman fumble recovery and lengthy return.
After struggling through a case of blurred vision as a result of a hit he took two weeks ago, Calvillo seemingly didn’t even blink in the face of a nasty pass rush, completing 23 passes for 358 yards.
He looks primed to surpass Damon Allen in the house of the ex-Argo on Thursday for the CFL’s all-time completion mark. AC is on-pace to blow by the all-time passing yardage mark before an adoring crowd at Molson Stadium on Thanksgiving.
But some Als fans are thinking less is more, that is, less passing, more running.
“Balance” has never been a Trestman trademark. Results are. I don’t expect Montreal to slip under .500 for the first time since the first five games of the Trestman Era.
But a loss to the Argos could raise concern, especially with the Als’ home next coming against the suddenly unbeatable Edmonton Eskimos.
Hang onto your hats, especially that “Life is good” cap, Coach T!
On the lookout
Scout Uzooma Okeke will be spying at St. Louis Rams’ training camp in the days ahead. He’ll be looking to see how former Alouette, Andrew Hawkins is faring south of the border.
But my CFL sources suggest that if Hawkins does indeed return to the CFL as a free agent, he’s more likely to be reunited with his cousin Geroy Simon in BC than with his former Alouette teammates.
The Steeltown Meltdown also came in a week when the Als lost the future of their D-line, though perhaps only for a short time.
Lost in the post-lockout NFL mayhem of big deals, the Detroit Lions plucked Daunte’ Akra off the practise roster and the Steelers signed Erik Clanton.
Hardly household names in Montreal, those two defensive ends were hurt at Als’ training camp in June, and never suited up in a pre-season game.
