You know those recurring dreams you have where you’re at work and, for the life of you, you just cannot do the simplest things? The things you do on a daily basis with considerable ease and without even thinking? Calamity ensues no matter what you try? You know those dreams? Well, Lirim Hajrullahu lived out one of those dreams on Saturday. I’m thankful I’ve never had one of ’em play out in real life. Remember: Sympathy don’t cost a thing.
Now, the takeaways.
1) You can throw for over 500 yards in a game and still have stiff competition for best performance by a quarterback.
That’s because somebody else throws for 364 yards and four touchdowns. And catches a touchdown pass, too. B.C.’s Jonathon Jennings was simply superb in Saturday’s romp over Saskatchewan. The 23-year-old showed it all in that game. Frozen ropes, touch passes, launching from anywhere on the field. “Pocket?! I don’t need no stinking pocket!” When he got tired of simply throwing touchdown passes, he ran a route and nabbed one himself. Pretty decent catch too, though I’m not wild about running your quarterback into traffic when you’re already up by a score of 33-5. Hey! Wally Buono finally recruited a quarterback. About time he was able to find and develop a young arm, eh? Outside of Jeff Garcia, Dave Dickinson, Travis Lulay, Mike Reilly, and Buck Pierce… you know, what’s he really done in that area?
2) Oh, yeah. He discovered Henry Burris, too.
If you subscribe to the notion that there is Good Hank and Bad Hank, what do we call Week 15’s Hank? Great Hank? Sublime Hank? Sir Henry? In setting a CFL record for completions (45) in Thursday’s 39-17 win over Montreal, and racking up a total of 504 yards, Burris continued to press for MOP consideration in a year where he turned 40 years old. Oh! There’s a nickname we can hang on him: “The 40-Year-Old Surgeon.” Burris spread the ball around to seven different receivers and made it look so, so easy. The only way his reading of the Montreal defence could’ve been smoother is if it had been narrated by Morgan Freeman.
3) Reports of the death of the B.C. Lions have been greatly exaggerated.
Not just because their young quarterback looks sensational and their proven veteran at the position, Travis Lulay, is set to return. It goes beyond that, this possible late-season rise of the Leos. Many think of effective running leads to effective passing but I believe the same holds true for the corollary and Andrew Harris should continue to benefit from that. On the other side of the ball, the Lions are getting it together after the loss of Solomon Elimimian and are starting to play a more stingy brand of defence. Five sacks for the Lions, on Saturday, all by defensive linemen. You might argue that sacking a Saskatchewan quarterback, this season, might have the degree of difficulty of eating an entire chocolate cupcake in one sitting but I’d then point to the Lions’ three interceptions as another indication that the unit is feelin’ it.
4) Sometimes it should be called “Windy’s” Friday Night Football.
Usually most of the howling at The Tim comes from the Box J Boys when the visitors are on offence, but on Friday night it was the never-ceasing gales that stole the show and had the greatest effect on the outcome in Calgary’s 23-20 win. Stampeders’ running back Jon Cornish called the nearly 60 km/h winds “chaotic,” while Calgary punter Rob Maver called it the “worst I’ve ever experienced in my life and it’s not even close.” You have to give a huge amount of credit to Stamps’ placekicker Rene Paredes for nailing two field goals in the final minute to win it. It’s not that he was booting into the wind, but that he was able to put ’em through when those goal posts were flailing like a couple of auto dealer inflatable tube men.
5) Brandon McDonald ain’t done yet.
The veteran corner was released by the Ottawa REDBLACKS on his 30th birthday, back in late August. This despite the fact that he led the team in tackles and was tied for the club lead in interceptions with two. Bad penalties were the problem and a conduct call against the Argos – a penalty that kept a key Toronto drive alive in a game Ottawa would lose – was the last straw. Could’ve been over for McDonald and might well have been had Calgary’s Joe Burnett not suffered a season-ending injury in Week 14. Plucked off the scrap heap, McDonald jumped into action and had an interception and a knockdown in Friday’s win.
QUICK SLANTS
It’s not that Sean Whyte likes to spoil stories of redemption. It’s just that he had his own to write, on Saturday.
Screen passes to Jon Cornish: The energy drink of Calgary’s offence.
Who leads the CFL in YAC? Former quarterback Brad Sinopoli, that’s who. So, don’t get too full of yourself, Jonathon Jennings.
Receiver Austin Collie has a touchdown throw to his credit. So, don’t get too full of yourself, Sinopoli.
