Matthew Cauz
CFL.ca
I am a big fan of small sample sizes. When it comes to dealing with people, it is very possible to learn a lot about them in a matter of seconds.
For example, if someone were to mention that their favourite movie is ‘High Fidelity’ or ‘Juwanna Mann’ you pretty much know about 33 per cent of what kind of person you are dealing within about 14 seconds.
Give me:
-Their favourite TV shows.
-What they routinely order for dinner.
-What book is on their night stand table?
-Do they tuck their shirt into a pair of jeans without a belt?
And I can safely colour in about 85 per cent of that person’s picture.
Sports, on the other hand, are far more difficult, but equally as fun. A couple of bad games don’t tell the story, but it can give you some clues about what to expect from your team.
Now I know I am trending on taboo ground. If there is anything you learn in sports media it’s that you can’t jump to conclusions and that you must not judge too soon. Well as I have said before we’re not curing polio, we’re merely enjoying watching 24 individual battles going on in seven second bursts.
What harm am I really going to do by watching the Edmonton Eskimos dismantle the Winnipeg Blue Bombers and come up with a whole slew of conclusions?
Will some of my points be off-base in a of couple weeks? Of course they will. But I believe you can learn some valuable tidbits of information just by combing through one single game.
I was curious about this game because of the significance of the last time they met. Back in Week 6, Edmonton was the hottest team in the league. Sitting at a spotless 5-0, the Ricky Ray to Fred Stamps connection was the most devastating weapon in the league; they had a relentless three headed monster at running back and also featured an underrated defence that was really getting after people.
On the flip side you had a Winnipeg team that was in their Swaggerville Honeymoon phase. Little did either team know that the growing power that was about to come from Vancouver was simply biding its time.
I was planning on doing a 1,500 word breakdown of the game dissecting about 14 plays and going all game-log on you but I figured I would save that gimmick for the playoffs. Instead here are my six knee-jerk reactions from that game.
1) I’m no longer sure Ricky Ray can take the Eskimos to the Grey Cup. His two touchdown passes were as much the result of excellent pass protection and well run routes than his own abilities.
When the pass protection broke down Ray often looked lost. Of course this happens to most quarterbacks, however his interceptions were unacceptable. Yes, Jonathan Hefney made a great jump on the ball for the first pick, but Ricky never should have let that ball go.
Ray’s fourth quarter interception was just a masterpiece, it looked like something out of Nintendo’s Duck Hunt. I was waiting for that stupid dog to pop up from the grass and start laughing(For anyone under 30 this is what I am talking about). Ray just lofted one across the field into double coverage, just a dumb decision all around.
2) That being said, I would still rather have Ray than Buck Pierce. I’m starting to wonder just how good Buck is. As a leader and a warrior, there are few people able to match Pierce.
Buck has taken a beating over the past five years and he just keeps coming back for more. No one will question his heart. But you can certainly question his ability to generate the sort of offence needed to win a Grey Cup.
His fourth quarter interception in the end zone has to be especially galling to all Blue Bomber fans. Terrence Edwards had turned around Weldon Brown and was WIDE OPEN for an easy touchdown that would have cut the lead to 21-17 with six minutes to go.
Instead Buck hesitated and floated a lazy pass allowing Brown to recover and pick him off. I’m starting to think we spend too much time focusing on the “Will Pierce stay healthy” storyline and not enough time focusing on whether or not Buck is the man to bring Winnipeg the Grey Cup.
3) I am going to enjoy every Jerome Messam carry for the rest of the season because I have no idea how many more I’ll get to see. I’m not trying to imply that Messam is injury prone, just that his running style does not lend itself to a lengthy career. He’s Just a battering ram on the field!
If baseball can have the “five tool player” then so can running backs.
Here are my five tools:
• Run with speed
• Run with power
• Ability to break tackles
• Ability to make people miss
• Ability to be a threat in the passing game
Beyond speed, although he is certainly not slow by any stretch, Messam excels in all other skills. He made Odell Willis look silly, hurdled over Ian Logan and generally did what he wanted to do. He was the stabilizing force for an Eskimos offence that looked out of synch for long stretches at a time.
4) Even when he doesn’t produce gaudy statistics; Stamps is still fun to watch. Beating Alex Suber is no easy task, even for the best wideouts in the game. Stamps made it look easy by setting him up and beating him on a strong move to the inside. It was a great job of avoiding any jams and getting to his spot in time.
5) I will not allow myself to use clichés like “motor never stops” when describing Greg Peach. It’s just code for “I’m slow and not very athletic.” So let’s just go with that his interception on a tipped ball was the result of Peach possessing a combustible engine that requires no breaks. I enjoyed his ability to track down the ball almost as much as his brazen lateral.
6) Finally, don’t you feel just a little bit ripped off by the production of the Blue Bombers receivers? Most notably Greg Carr and Terrence Edwards? Maybe it’s just because I have been touting these guys all season, but I just don’t feel like I am getting my money’s worth.
It’s like watching ‘Ocean’s 13, the cast features the greatest of stars Hollywood has to offer, yet I couldn’t shake the notion they were sleep walking through most of the film. That’s kind of how I feel about Carr and Edwards. Just three receptions for Carr on seven targets while Edwards didn’t get a decent look until two minutes left in the first half. I’m greedy; I want more from that duo.
Of course by Saturday night I could be wrong with many of my thoughts. For the most part I hope that I am. The game is way more fun when my small sample size analysis leads me to knee jerk reaction that we are witnessing dominance on the field. Isn’t that the kind of entertaining conclusion we all like to jump to?
