Steinberg’s MMQB: It all comes down to Week 20

The penultimate week of the 2014 Canadian Football League season helped decide a few more things. The best news, though, is the fact that week 19 didn’t decide everything. Going into the final week of the season, we still don’t know what West Division team will be crossing over and we also don’t know whom they’re going to play. Once again, we’ve got a season going down to the wire, and we wouldn’t have it any other way.

What more is there to say?

I think it’s only fair to lead this week’s column off with the Montreal Alouettes. The only problem is, I don’t know what else there is to say about this group that hasn’t already been written in this very column the last number of weeks. So instead of rehashing the same stuff we’ve been talking about, let’s just make it short and sweet with Montreal.

With a 17-14 win over the Argos on Sunday afternoon, the Als have clinched a playoff spot and will now look to secure a home playoff date. Jonathan Crompton has transformed this team, Duron Carter is a stud, Tom Higgins is a good Head Coach, and this group deserves to be where it is. Not very many people saw it coming, but good on ya Montreal.

False accusations

I don’t think it’s fair to criticize John Hufnagel and the Calgary Stampeders for Saturday’s unfortunate injury situation regarding Jon Cornish. Calgary’s Head Coach decided to start Cornish in his team’s 18-13 setback to Winnipeg, and the star runningback had to leave the game in the second quarter with a head injury. It’s some really bad luck for the Stampeders, but in this case, that’s all it is, because there was no negligence if you ask me.

I get it, hindsight is 20/20, and it’s easy to say Hufnagel should have benched Cornish to keep him healthy. But, in reality, that is rather ludicrous when you think about it. Before we get into the specifics of this situation, let’s look at it from a broader standpoint.

I don’t know ANY football team that would be resting starters in its second last game of the season, regardless of whether or not it had clinched. If this was the final game of the season, it’s a different story, but it wasn’t. If this happened in the fourth quarter of a blowout, it’s a different story, but it didn’t. Regardless of any of the specifics, playing Cornish and the rest of the starters was what the Stamps should have done, and is what any other team would have done in their situation.

But the specifics of the situation exonerate Calgary from any “blame” even further. Cornish is the team’s most important player, bar none, and they need him to be in a groove heading into the playoffs. Knowing they already have a bye week, and knowing he was held out of last week’s win over Saskatchewan, you simply couldn’t rest him for the rest of the season. That would be five weeks without a touch for the guy!

To me, any finger pointing at the Stampeders is short sighted. Cornish should have been in the football game, and should have been used as he usually is, especially in the first half of a close game. It is really unfortunate that Cornish got hurt, and I really hope injury doesn’t keep him out of the West Division Final on November 23rd. But Calgary couldn’t have done anything in their right mind to prevent this, and I really do believe that.

Playoff preview(s)

There is a strong chance the Edmonton Eskimos and the BC Lions will meet one another in the West Semifinal later on this month. If that’s the case, the Esks delivered quite the message with their 37-3 win on Saturday evening. In fact, the final two games of Edmonton’s season are possible playoff previews. Their finale this weekend sees them visit the other team they might host, the Saskatchewan Roughriders.

Let’s start with the game that is already in the books. Many people in Edmonton were talking about how formidable the BC defence is heading into this game. While it wasn’t the main reason they lost this game as lopsided as they did, it wasn’t necessarily very scary either.

The Eskimos racked up 241 rushing yards led by John White’s 122 and added another 318 through the air. That’s 559 total offensive yards at the end of the day, which should give Edmonton confidence it can move the ball effectively if and when it hooks up with the Lions again.

It was BC’s defensive unit getting all the hype heading into the game, but it was Edmonton’s group that stole the show. The Eskimos allowed next to nothing all night long, holding the Lions to just 95 passing yards and just 161 total yards. As they’ve done all year long, they mixed up their coverage and made life extremely difficult on both Kevin Glenn and John Beck at quarterback. If the Eskimos plays like this in the West Division Semifinal, they’re going to be a tall task to beat.

With their win over BC, the Eskimos clinched second in the division. So what is there to play for on Saturday night in Regina? Plain and simple, the goal is to make sure that game isn’t a playoff preview. I say that because an Edmonton win will push the Riders to the East Division in the crossover, as the Lions hold the tiebreaker over Saskatchewan. If the Eskimos win, they’ll play BC in the semis. If they don’t, Edmonton could be playing a Riders team a week after losing to them.

Deserving accolades

Thanks to the Lions being blown out like they were this weekend, Solomon Elimimian’s record-breaking performance didn’t necessarily get the due it deserved. The BC linebacker’s third quarter tackle gave him a brand new single season record for tackles, breaking J.C. Sherritt’s mark set back in 2012. Sherritt’s prior record of 130 has now been shattered, because Elimimian finished with 12 tackles on the night and now sits at 137 with one game remaining.

The feat is amazing, and in its own right, deserves a tonne of press. But when you take into consideration Elimimian’s journey to get to this mark, it becomes even more impressive. Remember, we’re not that far removed from him not having his natural spot on the roster. He’s regained his status this year in emphatic fashion.

When Elimimian returned from the NFL midway through the 2012 season, Adam Bighill had taken over at middle linebacker and was doing the job extremely well. Remember, Bighill finished second that season in tackles during Sherritt’s record-breaking campaign. The Lions had to find a spot for Elimimian to play, and he finished with just 12 tackles in six games playing on the outside.

But things all changed in 2013. Elimimian was back in the middle to start the season, and despite Bighill finishing with more tackles than he, it was clear he was back where he belonged. This is no knock on Bighill, by the way, because that guy has solidified himself as one of the league’s top linebackers himself; he did finish fourth in tackles this season!

Elimimian just belongs at middle linebacker though. He took it to a whole new level this season, though. He’s always been a very rangy player, and that was evident this season, but it’s the ferocity in Elimimian’s play that is most impressive right now. His strength and power is terrifying, and it’s extremely rare to see him not complete a tackle, regardless of his opponent.

Elimimian deserves all the accolades he’s getting right now, and his record-breaking season isn’t done. It’s just too bad the Lions had to lose as bad as they did on the night he set a new CFL mark.