John Sokolowski/Argonauts.ca
Hello, Winnipeg. That was awesome. The Banjo Bowl was something to behold. The energy just blasted through my television. But I got to thinking; the Bombers should hand out banjos to the first 10,000 fans through the gates, eh? Imagine the sound that would make.
Here are the Week 12 takeaways:
1. Reports of the Argos demise may have been premature.
Many (myself included) underestimated the team after their Labour Day, come-from-ahead loss in Hamilton, especially in the wake of the loss of quarterback Ricky Ray to injury and a performance by the defence that made you wonder if they could stop this sentence.
Toronto’s win, although upstaged in the aftermath by the big trade (see below), was absolutely crucial to keeping their hopes alive in the East and has to make you wonder whether a West team crossover for a playoff spot is the cinch it seemed to be heading into this game.
There are some “ifs” hanging around Toronto, the biggest one being whether the defence is really what it showed itself to be; a blitzing, sure-tackling, confusing force that somehow managed to make Hamilton’s high-powered offence and its quarterback, Zach Collaros, look unsteady. Did the Argos’ defence really do that? Or did the Ticats just take them lightly, as most did, in the week leading up to this game and never recover from that?
2. Timing is… well, you know what timing is.
The big, big deal that was announced just after Toronto’s win was apparently in the works for days, maybe even weeks, finalized before the Argos and ‘Cats kicked off. You just knew that Argos’ general manager Jim Barker did not smile as the clock drained, pat everyone on the back and say to himself “Dan LeFevour’s great game just proved we need another quarterback and no one will notice I’ve traded today’s defensive star. I’m calling Winnipeg right now.”
Goes to show that you can be the two biggest stars of the game and still get surprising roster news. Toronto defensive back T.J. Heath grabbed two interceptions on tipped balls, had two knockdowns and recorded seven tackles in the Argos’ win (I’m sure the game ball the team presented to him made for a nifty little carry-on for the flight to Winnipeg) while quarterback Dan LeFevour showed he is pro ready with a mostly terrific performance, completing 27 of 36 pass attempts, amassing 329 yards while throwing a touchdown strike (and two interceptions).
Could finalizing this deal have been put off until after this game was complete, so that the Argos could have gotten a really good look at LeFevour? I’m sure that’s a question Barker will be getting today. It’s one he would not be getting had LeFevour looked unimpressive and had the Argos defence been once again ripped apart by Hamilton. Because timing is… you know.
3. A change is as good as a rest. He’s had both.
Drew Willy was announced he was traded to the Toronto Argonauts right after the Argos finished their game on Sunday night (CFL.ca)
It’s funny how some have decided that Drew Willy is a failure as a number one quarterback where I believe the only concrete takeaway we can distill from his time in Manitoba is that it is over after he struggled to begin this season. Whether he is not capable of becoming a top-flight starter in the CFL is still to be determined and he’ll get as good a chance to prove himself in Toronto as you can get, one would assume.
That’s because Argos’ head coach Scott Milanovich has a track record for getting good things out of quarterbacks, mostly, and in Willy he has just the kind of pivot he likes. Willy’s been touted as having the tools needed to be elite. What he doesn’t have is a stretch of healthy, winning football on his resume.
I honestly thought he would get that – despite this season’s setback – in Winnipeg. Whether Willy emerges in Toronto is questionable, that is true. But it’s no bigger an assumption than the one that he is kaput. Guess we’ll put this one to bed in a future takeaway….
4. You need to pick your spots. That probably was not the spot.
With the Roughriders trailing Winnipeg by seven and just over five minutes left in the fourth quarter, Saskatchewan lined up for what appeared to be a 56-ish yard field goal attempt, on third and two. I wondered why. A very difficult kick to make, that, and it was one that would have meant Saskatchewan still needed a touchdown to erase the deficit, although admittedly a late touchdown coupled with that field goal would have given them a win.
Still, a punt and pin kind of thing was what crossed my mind and I wondered if something was on. The Blue Bombers, it seemed, did NOT wonder about that. It was like they KNEW a fake was coming. When the ‘Riders shifted out of field goal formation, the Bombers casually adjusted their players, with a kind of “sure, you can try that” attitude. When Brandon Bridge was sacked for a one yard loss on the keeper, the Bombers took over and flipped the field.
Roughriders’ coach Chris Jones gambles so much, he may have conditioned his opponents to take for granted that it’s gonna happen.
5. Bakari Grant is staking his claim in Calgary
Bakari Grant is fitting in nicely with the Calgary Stampeders in 2016 (The Canadian Press)
With 6 catches for 89 yards in the Stampeders’ overtime win against Edmonton, Grant is continuing to emerge as a force in the Calgary air corps. That’s 12 catches for 184 yards in his last two games. 18 grabs for 230 yards in his last three, with a couple of touchdowns in back to back victories over the Eskimos. That includes a beauty of an OT winner, on Saturday.
“Meh,” was the response of more than a few when the Stampeders grabbed Grant as a free agent this past off-season, partly due to Grant’s injury troubles of the previous two years and the lower totals that went along with that. On the CFL’s best team and in an offence that has plenty of weapons, Grant is getting more and more targets these days and is winning the trust and admiration of his quarterback, Bo Levi Mitchell. A thousand yard season is now a real possibility.
And Finally… Are you serious, Naaman Roosevelt? ARE YOU SERIOUS? Did you fail physics in high school or just choose to ignore its laws on a football field? Goes for you too, Tori Gurley. Amazing stuff.
