Johany Jutras/The Canadian Press
We had another injury to a bright CFL quarterback this weekend as Week 2 played itself out. With Darian Durant, Mike Reilly, and Jonathan Crompton already hurt and on the sidelines, it was Winnipeg’s Drew Willy going down and not returning to open up the week. But with all these injuries to quarterback mainstays, we’ve seen something slightly more unexpected: Plenty of stellar performances from those pressed into action.
Capitol investment
The first name we’ll throw out in our first section, however, is the complete opposite of a newcomer. Henry Burris and the Ottawa REDBLACKS are an impressive and deserving 2-0, and the veteran quarterback has to be loving his new friends.
After a difficult fledgling season that saw them go 2-16, the REDBLACKS knew there was a lot of work to do. Well, knowing they had a veteran quarterback who could still make big plays, General Manager Marcel Desjardins went out and gave Burris some help. Enter Chris Williams, Brad Sinopoli, Greg Ellingson, Maurice Price, and Ernest Jackson, and all of a sudden this team has some formidable ammunition.
The impact those five new receivers have had in two weeks is likely immeasurable, other than to say “it’s pretty big”. They made up for 273 of the 296 passing yards Burris racked up in Saturday’s 27-16 win over the BC Lions, and they accounted for all three of Ottawa’s majors. Perhaps pretty big doesn’t begin to cover it.
Desjardins saw a need, and he didn’t waste any time in addressing it. He started by acquiring Price in a big trade with Calgary and followed it up a month later by his massive free agent splashes. Do the REDBLACKS boast the best receiving corps in the CFL? Perhaps that’s a little early, but I’m also not being looked at strangely by suggesting it as topic of conversation.
The REDBLACKS have two other really important things going for them right now, too. First, they’ve got a healthy Chevon Walker leading the way at running back. Not only has he racked up 155 yards on the ground in the first two games of the season, but he’s also been huge for Ottawa on the blocking side of things. Walker didn’t play the final eight games of last season, and he was definitely missed.
And let’s give a little credit to the defensive side of things as well, because that might be the biggest area Ottawa has shown improvement. First off, this unit has grown together and gotten to know one another, with returnees like Keith Shologan, Damaso Munoz and Marlon Smith all back for year two. Second, and also very important, is the addition of another league vet.
After sitting out the entire 2014 campaign with knee issues, Malik Jackson is finally back on the field. I loved watching him play his five seasons in Calgary, and he looked like that same big, quick, menacing linebacker Saturday at TD Place. Having him run things from his mike position could end up being huge for the already massively improved REDBLACKS.
Bridging the gap
Friday’s 29-11 Montreal win over the Stampeders was fun for two reasons. On the one hand, you had 23-year-old Rakeem Cato shoot the lights out in his professional debut. With the aforementioned Crompton on the sidelines, Head Coach Tom Higgins tipped Cato to get the start in Week 2 and he sure did make the right call.
I loved watching Cato play, because he gets the ball away so darn quick. What was really impressive was how he did that in the face of repeated Calgary blitzes. Numerous times, Cato stayed in the pocket and delivered passes on the money in the face of solid pressure from one of the league’s best defensive groups. And when he did decide to scramble, he was even more exciting.
Let’s not forget that Cato was a standout for four years at Marshall. His 2012 Conference USA MVP trophy is probably a nice reminder for him if he ever forgets matching Chad Pennington’s single-season school record for touchdowns. Or if he forgets setting a new college football record for consecutive games with a touchdown pass, breaking Russell Wilson’s previous mark of 38. The guy has a pretty impressive pedigree.
Now, as we well know, one game can sometimes be just one game. Tendencies can be found and exploited, and that first game adrenalin can sometimes be tough to ever find again. I’ll say this about Cato, however: He was fun to watch and I’m really looking forward to game two.
Now for the other side of things. As the Als were being led by a 23-year-old pivot, they were also getting huge contributions from a pair of veteran, accomplished receivers. I can tell you beyond a shadow of a doubt that Nik Lewis’s second quarter touchdown was one of the most satisfying of his outstanding career. In just his second game with Montreal, Lewis caught his first major with his new team against the team that said goodbye to him during the offseason after 11 years.
Right there with Lewis was his old Alberta nemesis Fred Stamps. The former Eskimos receiver said goodbye to his old team after eight years to join the Als, and reached an impressive milestone in the fourth quarter. Catch number 500 for Stamps was vintage, too. One of the best possession receivers we’ve seen in recent years, Stamps caught a pass in the flat, made a couple defenders miss, and moved the chains for Montreal. Congratulations to Stamps on the milestone catch.
WATCH: Lewis breaks a tackle then scores on his former team
