The first of our two bye weeks this season is in the books and even though we only saw two games in Week 6, we still have lots to talk about. Have we identified the true heartbeat of a high octane offence? And have we seen a juggernaut defence re-emerge? Tuesday’s Monday Morning Quarterback explores that and more.
The driving force?
Look, we all know how integral Anthony Calvillo is to what the Montreal Alouettes do. The MMQB isn’t going to try and reinvent the wheel and tell you why he’s been the heartbeat of the Als offence for the last decade. While Calvillo is still a huge part of Montreal’s attack, it’s starting to become clearer just how important Brandon Whitaker is to what they do.
Thanks in large part to 179 all-purpose yards from Whitaker on Friday night, the returned home with a 36-26 win in Winnipeg. This column has long held the belief that he’s the best all round back in the Canadian Football League, and his outstanding performance against the Bombers did nothing to dispel that assertion. 
When Whitaker is at his best, he’s touching the ball more than 20 times a game, and he’s making gains in numerous different ways. Let’s take Montreal’s first quarter, 81-yard touchdown drive which ended in the first of Jamel Richardson’s two touchdown catches.
Whitaker officially touched the ball on three of the eight plays run, counting for more than half the yardage at 43 yards. He had the first two plays of the drive, getting solid first down yardage both times on an 18-yard reception and a five-yard run up the middle. Then, on a nice little counter play, Whitaker took the ball through the right guard-tackle gap for 20 yards, putting the Als in the redzone.
While it was Richardson finishing the drive with the major, it’s important to look at the play call on his 11-yard reception.
Montreal went with a no-brainer play fake to Whitaker, and the way he had torn up the Bombers defence already on the drive, why wouldn’t Winnipeg bite a little harder than normal? As such, it bought Calvillo more than enough time to find one of his favorite targets.
That drive was a perfect example of A) how versatile Whitaker is and B) how his presence can get his team firing on all cylinders offensively.
Because Whitaker affects the play in so many different ways (in between the tackles, cutting the ball outside, and catching the ball out of the backfield), he truly is a potential game-breaker on every play. When he’s on, Montreal doesn’t miss a lot of beats offensively. Yes, they have shown they can win when his presence is neutralized (week three against Calgary), but I really don’t think it’s the norm. More than any other runningback in the CFL, Whitaker truly is a driving force, and his offence can grind to a halt when opposing defenses find a way to put the brakes on him.
Coming out to play
After hiding in the shadows a little through the CFL’s first four weeks, the juggernaut BC Lions defensive unit has decided to reclaim the spot it held for most of last season: king of the playground. It’s not as if they had been bad, or anything close, in their 2-2 start. But BC hadn’t looked like the dominant force they were en route to a scorching finish to the 2011 season and the Grey Cup. The last two weeks have been a completely different story.
Last week, the Lions rolled into Calgary and comprehensively shut down the Stampeders attack. Monday, they allowed just nine points in a dominant 18-9 win over the Toronto Argonauts. They won that game by doing nothing but frustrate Ricky Ray and the Argos attack, giving them absolutely nothing in the process. The one thing that’s always been Ray has been the ability to rattle him a little with early pressure. That mission was accomplished at Rogers Centre.
Everything starts with the interior of BC’s defensive line, and it certainly started there Monday. Khalif Mitchell led the way, as per usual, and when he’s on, it turns so many other players into playmakers. It was no surprise, then, that the two guys who rotate in the tackle position beside him each picked up sacks in Toronto. Eric Taylor and Jabar Westerman had some open looks at the quarterback, and overall BC’s front four did their job and then some. As such, Ray threw two first quarter interceptions, setting the tone for the rest of the affair.
The Lions boast a number of playmakers that will absolutely feast on the opportunities presented by a strong pass rush. The most alarming thing for opposing offences, however, is the options presented to Defensive Coordinator Rich Stubler. He’s able to mix up his coverage packages in so many different ways because of his ability to rush just four. As a result, Adam Bighill is able to patrol the middle of the field like a rover and Anthony Reddick can be brought in on different blitz packages.
No wonder Ray was rattled. When BC’s defensive group clicks like they have their last two games (with 17 points allowed combined), they sure do resemble the group that won it all one year ago. As such, there’s no question in my mind the 2012 Grey Cup still runs through Vancouver.
Breaking down the Bombers
In terms of poise and decision making, quarterback Alex Brink had his best showing yet in his young CFL career on Friday night, and yet his team still fell two possessions short of a victory.
First, the good, as Brink made solid decisions all night long en route to a pair of touchdowns on 311 yards passing.
In the pocket, he looked more poised and showed more calmness than we’ve ever seen from him. Two negative things I’ve noticed from him in prior outings weren’t factors on this night. First, he was much less prone to forcing the ball into tight situations for the sake of throwing the ball. He took three sacks while also throwing the ball away a few times as opposed to making risky throws.
Second, Brink only ran with the ball three times. It’s not like he’s ever been a guy afraid to throw the football, but we have seen times where he has opted to scramble as opposed to finishing his progressions.
That wasn’t the case, as Brink spread the ball around to seven different receivers and completed numerous passes that weren’t to his first or second look. Finally, Brink utilized one of his best weapons the best we’ve seen, hooking up with Terrence Edwards eight times for 120 yards. As he continues to grow as a quarterback, Brink would be well served to continue counting on that connection.
Unfortunately, the overwhelming positives shown by Winnipeg’s quarterback, and offence as a whole, weren’t enough to make up for a really lackluster performance defensively. One year ago we were raving about Swaggerville and the high octane Bombers defence. This year, Head Coach Paul LaPolice is likely tossing and turning at night over shoddy tackling and missed assignments. The MMQB speculated earlier this season about how big an affect Doug Brown’s retirement had taken on Winnipeg’s defensive group.
There’s no doubt here it’s a big factor, but it certainly isn’t the only thing, because right now there seems to be a lack of focus at the most important moments of football games. The Bombers have a week to regroup, and hopefully they’ll be able to focus on just that: focus.
