Steinberg’s MMQB: Hufnagel joins the century club

The playoff race is in full swing and we’ve got no shortage of topics to touch on this week. We saw statements made in Week 17 and also are left with one resounding question we’ll tackle later on. To not start this week’s column with John Hufnagel’s accomplishment on Saturday, though, would be criminal.

Mr. Century

Thanks to Calgary’s 27-15 win over the Argos on Saturday afternoon, Head Coach John Hufnagel becomes the 10th coach in CFL history to reach 100 wins. In typical Hufnagel fashion, the coach didn’t want any of the personal accolades that go along with a milestone of this fashion. Well, for the next few paragraphs he’s going to get them, like it or not.

Hufnagel didn’t need a century mark to cement his status as one of the league’s most successful coaches. But it’s a nice milestone that allows us to recognize and appreciate just how impressive Hufnagel’s reign in Calgary has been.

Hufnagel reached 100 wins in just 142 games, which makes him the second fasted to the mark in league history. The only person to get to that mark faster was his mentor and former boss Wally Buono who did it in 139 tries. The fact is, only one man has had a more successful first decade as a head coach in this league than Hufnagel. That man also happens to be the most successful coach in CFL history.

100 victories in 142 tries (with one tie in there) equates to winning 70.9 per cent of the time. Not surprisingly, that mark also puts Hufnagel in rather rarified air. Only Pop Ivy (at 78.1 per cent) and Hugh Campbell (at 75.5 per cent) have higher winning percentage than Hufnagel among those who have coached in more than 50 CFL games.

Hufnagel is handing over the reins to a very deserving Dave Dickenson next year, so he’s not going to track down Buono’s all time record of 254 wins. Hufnagel also won’t be able to equal Campbell’s five Grey Cup’s. But make no mistake, Hufnagel is one of the best coaches this league has ever seen.

Statement made

I’m sure the Hamilton Tiger-Cats are tired of people telling them how tough things are going to be without Zach Collaros at the helm. I can guarantee you there’s no one feeling sorry for themselves in that locker room, and for good reason. The Ticats are no longer the East Division favorite, but they’ve still got as good a shot as anyone to play for the 2015 Grey Cup.

Hamilton’s 23-11 win over the Montreal Alouettes on Sunday afternoon was a picture perfect way to win as a cohesive unit. There was nothing outstanding or incredible about the Ticats’ win over the Als. Instead, they played solid, fundamental football and never let Montreal threaten them on the scoreboard.

I liked the way the Tiger-Cats ran the football on Sunday. They didn’t have a dominant feature back do the work, instead relying on a committee approach to move the ball on the ground. That’s going to have to be the way they do things for the next little while. I like their offensive line, especially in how far they’ve come from the start of last season, so I think they’ll be able to.

I also like one of the most underappreciated players in the league: Justin Medlock. Accounting for 15 of Hamilton’s 23 points on Sunday, Medlock has been money all year long. He’s the highest scoring kicker in the CFL and is also the league’s most accurate among regulars this season. They’re going to need him to be just as good into the post-season.

The East is extremely close right now. You don’t have to squint to see a scenario where Hamilton, Toronto, or Ottawa would move on to the Grey Cup game. Hamilton was an overwhelming favorite at one time, and it’s true, that has changed. But to write this team off would be foolhardy, because with the team the Ticats still possess is as capable of anyone of playing for all the marbles in just over a month.

Who wants it?

Remember last week when we talked about this race between BC, Winnipeg and Montreal for the league’s final playoff spot? Well, one week later, those three teams are still fighting it out. Except the fight was rather punchless over the weekend.

The opportunity is there for one of these teams to grab the ball and run with it. But no one has shown the ability to do that, at least not yet. How many times have we seen a strong finish to a season carry a team to a semifinal upset? It can happen any year in this league, but I don’t think it’s happening if one of these teams backs in.

Maybe Winnipeg’s fourth quarter will give the Bombers a little momentum this weekend against Ottawa. That would be the hope, because the Bombers certainly didn’t look like a team ready to grab its playoff chances by the scruff against the REDBLACKS on Friday.

Montreal certainly doesn’t seem poised to get the job done, that’s for sure. My biggest hope for a late surge from the Als is Kevin Glenn getting a little more comfortable with the offence. Remember, he had about five days to cram the playbook and learn a new attack before playing against Hamilton on Sunday.

I still think BC is the group that has the best shot at getting this done. The Lions performed valiantly for a good chunk of their 26-23 overtime loss to Edmonton and were in a position to win. Unfortunately, if they’re going to want to be a playoff team, the Lions are going to have to close football games out better than that.

One of these teams is going to have to pick it up and win at least one game down the stretch. I’m hoping one of the Lions, Als or Bombers gets on a roll so we can make a case that momentum will play a factor in the Western Semi-Final. Who’s it going to be, though? Now’s the time to put your hand up.

Quick hits

Sean Whyte sure does look like a good pickup so far in Edmonton. He’s been crucial for the Eskimos as they continue to win football games, many with a very close margin of victory. In their win over BC on Saturday, Whyte accounted for 19 points and is clicking on 90 per cent of his field goals since being acquired a few months ago. Knowing they’ll likely have to face a pretty staunch Calgary defence in the Western Final, having Whyte hitting the way he is right now has to be an added comfort.

We started this week’s column with an accomplishment, and that’s how we’ll end it. Congratulations to the Ottawa REDBLACKS and their first playoff berth. General Manager Marcel Desjardins had an outstanding off-season, and Head Coach Rick Campbell has done a superb job with the team assembled. With a re-energized Henry Burris at the helm, a formidable group of receivers and a much improved defensive group, Ottawa’s first trip to the playoffs could also be a successful one.