Cauz: How 2016 is becoming the year of the horse

Matthew Cauz

CFL.ca

@mcauz56

During any CFL season there will always be a couple storylines that will define that particular year. From special moments to records broken to the unexpected rise of a dormant franchise, any year can be encapsulated in these events that galvanize a fan base.

In 2010 I remember the Saskatchewan Air Force (Chris Getzlaf, Rob Bagg and Andy Fantuz!). 2011 was the peak of Swaggerville, Anthony Calvillo breaking just about every important passing record and we got to see peak Travis Lulay. Forgive my bias but 2012 was all about the 100th Grey Cup in Toronto, the ridiculous Ricky Ray trade to the Argonauts and Chris Williams going nuts in the return game. 2013 saw Jon Cornish destroying defences, the return of Kent Austin to the CFL and the Roughriders’ remarkable playoff run to Grey Cup glory (collective record of their three playoff opponents: 35-19).

Ottawa finally came back into the fold in 2014, the same year that saw offences stymied by either inexperienced quarterback play or a slew of injuries at the quarterback position. Also 2014 may have been the worst year for the power imbalance between the West and the lowly East, which didn’t field even one team with a winning record. Last season we bore witness to the rise and fall of Zach Collaros, the introduction of rule changes to breathe new life in both the passing and return game and somehow a 40-year-old quarterback leading the league in passing and not missing a single start! (See Henry Burris, TSN folks ain’t all mean).

Jerome Messam ran wild in the Stamps’ Labour Day win over Edmonton (The Canadian Press)

So early last week with the Labour Day games coming I started to wonder what would be the defining story for 2016. Well, by the end of Labour Day, I think we had our answer: the juggernauts that are the Calgary Stampeders. It didn’t take long for Calgary to wipe out any notion that Edmonton, winners of three straight, would be able to compete with the best in the West. First play from scrimmage Bo Levi Mitchell hit Marquay McDaniel on a 53-yard strike as the best offensive line in the game gave Mitchell the kind of pocket you find in training camp when the quarterback is not allowed to be touched. Now, that drive ended with Rene Paredes kicking his 9,474th consecutive field goal, which I believe is a CFL record, but two drives later Mitchell found Anthony Parker for a 17-yard touchdown and the rout was on.

Calgary’s defence held Mike Reilly, the league’s leading passer in yards and co-leader in touchdowns, off the scoreboard until 2:42 left in the half when Derel Walker hauled in a picture perfect 36-yard touchdown pass from Reilly. Kenny Ladler’s interception return touchdown near the end of the half created the illusion of a close game, but Bakari Grant’s wide open touchdown catch late in the third quarter dashed any chances of an Edmonton comeback.

I know that technically this was a one-score game for most of the third quarter, but at no point did it feel like Calgary would lose. The Stampeders outgained Edmonton 502-320, dominating both lines of scrimmage, sacking Reilly four times while limiting him to a season-low 219 yards passing. Offensively Jerome Messam consistently was given room to attack the second level of Edmonton’s defence while Mitchell completed nearly 80 per cent of his passes.

Big picture, Calgary is heads and tails above the rest of the league. Its plus-114 scoring differential dwarfs the next highest total of plus-43 held by the Hamilton Tiger-Cats. Their only loss was by two points in Vancouver on the strength of Chris Rainey’s brilliant day. The only other “blemish” on their season was that bizarre 26-26 tie in Week 3. Since then Calgary has been perfect, winning by an average of just under 15 points per game including a 37-9 trouncing over the only team to beat them this year.

» RELATED: Stamps win seventh straight on Labour Day

So it’s official, CFL: we have a legitimate Goliath which can be a great thing going forward. Every week the Stampeders collect yet another impressive win it will be a story and more importantly any week where they improbably lose will instantly become a much bigger story. Teams will use Calgary to test how ready they are for the playoffs. The Stampeders now find themselves as the measuring stick by which the rest of the league will use to assess just where they rank in the league. Hey, if can beat Dave Dickenson’s team then you can go far in the post-season. Calgary becomes the villain that every league needs and that massive obstacle for the rest of the CFL to strive to defeat.

Anyone else excited to see if the defending champs can prove they can hang with Calgary? Anyone else excited to watch Edmonton, also are brimming with talent, do everything possible to exact some revenge against the league’s new behemoth? They play this Saturday in Edmonton; no matter who wins it will be a story.

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