THE CANADIAN PRESS
“Tuck Lue Finley!”
No, it’s not a crude Pig Latin taunt from Als’ fans on the fan train after beating the Argos.
It’s the trifecta from the CFL Draft that paid a whopping dividend Week 15 for GM Jim Popp and the self-proclaimed “ultimate Mr. Positive,” Tom Higgins.
The trio of rookies show up on the stat sheet with only 1 special teams tackle between them, Lue adding to his team lead at 19, but they filled the gaps left by injuries to defensive ends Aaron Lavarias and Gabriel Knapton.
That helped the Als frustrate Ricky Ray and ground the “The Flyin’ Hawaiian,” Chad Owens.
Finley was a fraction of a second away from his first CFL sack on the final Argos possession. That’s a polite way of saying he fit right into the “hit first, suffer the flag later” habits of Montreal defense.
Finley was called for roughing the passer on a flag-filled play that moved Ricky Ray 40-yards up field for one last play, Jerald Brown snuffed out the threat with a pick. It was the 11th time – worst in the CFL – a Montreal player has been flagged for hitting a QB after the ball has been thrown.
The 3rd Round 2014 draft pick out of Guelph has come a long way in a year. Last November he was sitting in the stands – brace for it – cheering for the Tiger-Cats versus Montreal in the East Semi-Final even though another Guelph grad Ryan Bomben was slogging it out in the trenches.
Finley, a St. Catharines, Ontario native, had wondered if the Cats or Argos would select him. The Als and Riders had also shown serious interest.
“I’d always been a ‘Cats fan, always been to games at Ivor Wynne as a kid,” Finley told me on Draft Day. He’d even met some Hamilton players last year, including Henry Burris, who he hopes to chase down this Friday night in Ottawa.
Finley is loyal to a fault. He admitted to me he’d happily pay any fine, the CFL would not issue a fine, related to a dress code violation for inscribing the letters “RIP” on his wrist bands last Saturday.
Just days before the game Finley found out his former college roommate Walter Lumsden died after the struggle of 3 years in a coma.
“They said I might be fined for that, but I’ll take the fine because it meant a lot to play for him. It’s crazy because he was such a lively guy and then to see him in that condition was tough, on life-support for so long.”
“It felt amazing to shut down that offense and to have Ricky Ray not throw 1 touchdown was huge,” enthused Finley in the visitors’ clubhouse at Rogers Centre.
Lue, the Als’ 2nd round pick this spring, was rushing back and forth between locker room and his own fan section behind the Als’ bench. Though born in Jamaica, Andrew was raised in Scarborough and Markham and also admits to being an Argos fan in his youth.
He’s been a tremendous contributor on special teams, vitally so with Kyries Hebert and Daryl Townsend out with injuries against the Argonauts.
Yet another former Argos fan wearing “bleu blanc rouge” had a hand in Montreal’s second road win of the season. James Tuck, the 4th round selection in this year’s draft, also threw his body around.
Tuck is a former training partner and admirer of James Yurichuk, who would block a punt to keep Toronto’s hopes alive in last weekend’s game.
“I look up to him, he’s got such a high motor and I like to think I have one as well,” Tuck told me before the start of the season.
Tuck played at York where he won the Nobby Wirkowski Defensive MVP trophy each of his last 2 years with the Lions. Wirkowski, a former Argos’ Grey Cup champ and longtime York coach, was paid tribute on the scoreboard in Toronto just days after his passing.
“I wanted to be the first York player to be drafted after Ricky Foley,” Tuck admitted to me after the Draft. “He’s helped me at spring ball…took me aside. He’s been pretty inspirational, a nice guy…pretty cool.”
Tuck, Lue, Finley. Another way of saying you’re only as good as your Canadian depth.
Honourable mention in the unsung hero department goes to second year linebacker Nicolas Boulay, who filled in for Knapton beside Bear Woods when the Als went to 3-4 fronts against the Milanovich-Brady offensive scheme.
He didn’t get credit for a defensive tackle, but his torpedo blew up the left side of the Argos offensive line allowing a critical third-and-one stop on Ricky Ray. Boulay ended up flat out on his stomach in the backfield while Ray was swarmed, not even able to see his teammates come up with a vital takeaway on downs.
Boulay, a Sherbrooke Vert et Or product, has already surpassed his specials teams tackle total from his rookie year tied for third on the Als with 11.
Just another character Canadian youngster Defensive Coordinator Noel Thorpe loves to “plug and play.”
