Hello, Macho Harris. Keep picking off passes like that and we’ll ask you to change your name to Mucho Harass.
Here are this week’s takeaways.
1) Tori Gurley is capable of putting a team on his shoulders.
The first-year receiver woke up the Toronto Argonauts with two timely, sensational, plays in Ottawa. The Argos were leading, but had fallen into a late game sleep against the REDBLACKS. The fourth quarter had just begun when Gurley absolutely annihilated Ottawa defensive back Abdul Kenneh with a block that sprung teammate Diontae Spencer for a first down. To paraphrase Joe Flaherty and John Candy, in their alter ego disguises as Big Jim McBob and Billy Sol Hurok: He blowed him up. He blowed him up real good. You could hear the whoops of joy from the Argos’ sideline immediately after. Either Gurley’s hit had awakened the team or one of the coaches had just realized that their Lotto Max ticket had struck gold. Midway through the quarter, Gurley made a superb catch at the one to set the Argos up for a crucial, breathing-room touchdown. Pretty good game-changing there.
2) Week 14 saw some serious role reversing.
So, a receiver flattened a guy with a thunderous hit and a defensive lineman did a back flip? Edmonton’s Willie Jefferson, celebrated a sack against the B.C. Lions by going Gizmo. Jefferson is 6’6″, 245 pounds. So, that backflip was one of the more amazing athletic feats of the weekend. Imagine the lift-off power you need to generate in order to get that big, long body high enough to have time for a revolution. Wait a minute. Do we asterisk this? There WAS a supermoon in play, so he may have been lunar-aided. Do it again next week, Willie, just to remove all doubt. And by the way, somersaults are nice but I think Jefferson has changed the Edmonton sack celebration game in a big way. Over to you, Almondo Sewell.
3) Saskatchewan’s road to redemption is mapped out on highway 33.
So, that may not be one of those takeaways that has you nodding in “that’s a fresh take” fashion. It’s a key takeaway, nonetheless and one that sometimes gets lost in Saskatchewan game plans. Just give Jerome Messam the damn ball. Repeat. Repeat again. Do it until he begs for mercy, which might never happen. Messam’s performance in the Roughriders’ win over Montreal was at once astonishing and usual. Fifteen carries for 111 yards and a touchdown. Handing the ball to Messam is football’s equivalent of putting the top down on your ’67 Camaro, blasting some Springsteen and gunning it on the open highway. Give ‘er, Jerome. Give ‘er.
4) Ted Danson is one busy dude.
Save the oceans, juggle a back-breaking TV production schedule AND coordinate the Ottawa defence? As you’ll see by the image that I screen captured during Saturday night’s game, it is true. Listen, no offence, Mark Nelson. It’s just that I was struck by the similarities and… wait a second. Why am I apologizing to someone for saying they look like Ted Danson?
5) Answer to an age old question: The glass is both half empty AND half full.
The Winnipeg Blue Bombers lost in controversial, heartbreaking, fashion on Friday night. Their playoff hopes had a little more dirt thrown on them. A loss like that can really gut a team and colour the rest of its season. However, the Bombers remain right in the middle of the playoff race and their defence looks like it is getting better and better, with defensive lineman Jamaal Westerman showing he deserves Outstanding Defensive Player consideration. As well, they didn’t get blown out. In fact, they hung with the league’s top team and could easily have won.
QUICK SLANTS
Marquay McDaniel seems pretty insistent that he be considered an all-star once again. Done.
Tell me again. How was it that Lemar Durant fell to – almost – the third round of the CFL draft? That was such a steal, someone from the Stamps’ front office should get a senate appointment.
Hey, Thomas Miles: Happy first career start. Seven tackles for the second year Argo. The University of Manitoba grad was all over the field from his position at weak side linebacker.
More Messam appreciation: Camera zooms in on him towards the end of his dominating performance. He says “How about that Macho Harris, though?” THAT is quality teammating.
So much to like about Aaron Grymes. Not the least of which is his habit of making a tackle and then simply jogging back into position.
Finally: Let me get this straight. On the same, third-down play, quarterback Rakeem Cato throws an interception, forces a fumble, recovers the fumble and runs for a first down. Must’ve been a full moon, or something. Anyone know if there was a full moon over the weekend? Anyone? I don’t see anything in the news….
