CFL.ca
Mike Reilly put together a masterful performance in his first start back from a serious knee injury suffered in Week 1. No. 13 carved up Calgary’s veteran secondary for 352 yards and three touchdowns.
That was the fourth game in which Reilly threw three or more touchdowns without getting intercepted in his CFL career. And if you can believe it, Reilly eclipsed the 300-yard mark for the first time since Oct. 25, 2013. 184 of those yards came on four plays, a sure sign Reilly’s presence on the field has helped boost Edmonton’s vertical passing attack.
In essentially nine games with Reilly out of the lineup, the Eskimos recorded 12 completions that gained 30 or more yards, Matt Nichols had eight in as many starts and
James Franklin managed four in parts of seven games. Upon returning to the field, Reilly connected on four long-gainers, all of which went for over 40 yards. Three of those deep shots ultimately tilted the outcome in Edmonton’s favour.
Here we will break down two plays that surely altered the outcome of the game:
Play #1:
With less than 10 minutes on the clock in the third quarter and the Green and Gold down 10-9, Reilly hit Kenny Stafford down the seam for a 47-yard touchdown behind two Calgary defensive backs. That scoring hook up and a two point convert put Edmonton in front 17-10. And that strike seemed to get Reilly going.
On the final play of the third quarter, Edmonton’s franchise quarterback stood strong and did not flinch in the face of a free rusher. Reilly didn’t get happy feet and bail early from the pocket. Instead he kept his eyes up and downfield, allowed time for Stafford to shake free and stepped up and delivered a perfect ball while taking a shot from the Stampeders’ leading tackler, Deron Mayo.
Reilly’s arm is very strong, but it was more about his anticipation, touch and toughness that allowed this play to happen. The reception by Stafford went down as a 46-yard gain and led to a field goal that put Edmonton ahead by 10.
Play #2:
Midway through the fourth quarter, after the Stampeders got within four, Reilly delivered the knockout blow. Edmonton called a stutter-go pattern for Adarius Bowman on the right, short side of the field. Reilly executed a pump fake that made the defender on Bowman jump what he thought might be a hitch route and No. 4 gained a step. Then Reilly shuffled to the left and up into the pocket around a couple of bodies, squared up his shoulders and snapped off a dart – while he was about to get driven into the turf – to an in-stride Bowman who cruised in for a 50-yard touchdown.
If Reilly let the pass rush pressure bother him he would’ve scrambled and none of those three game-changing plays ever happen. Awareness, pocket movement skills, accuracy, toughness and most of all moxie were why Reilly delivered big time for Edmonton.
For those same reasons it’s clear Reilly has infused the Eskimos’ offence with a possible vertical passing threat on each snap. That was an area where Edmonton had been lacking in 2015. However, with Reilly behind centre and emerging young receivers like Stafford and Derel Walker to go with Bowman, and even Kendial Lawrence, an explosive aerial attack could be in the works in The Big E.
