Landry's five takeaways from Week 9

Don Landry

CFL.ca

Hello, Jovan Santos-Knox.

While I though the new word I invented, earlier this season, was meant only for spectacular catches, I was wrong about that. It can be used for mind-bending tackles too.

That stop you put on Saskatchewan’s Jamal Morrow to keep him short of the first down line, late in the fourth quarter? Ridonkudiculous.

Here are the Week 9 takeaways.

HE PROVIDED THE CITRIC ACID. THE ZINC AND COPPER WERE ALREADY THERE

Did you know you can power a battery using a lemon?

The citric acid reacts with the zinc, loosening electrons which are then attracted to the copper, causing a current to flow. Yeah, sure, I knew that off the top of my head and did not look that up.

What does this have to do with Week 9 in the CFL?

The Montreal Alouettes looked gawd awful during the first half of their game in Hamilton on Saturday night.

A couple of turnovers. Two missed field goals. Listless, lifeless and lucky to be just eight points back at halftime. There was a moment where the camera caught head coach Jason Maas staring towards the field with an unblinking “what the hell?” kind of look on his face. We’ve seen Maas angry and frustrated before. Lots of times. This time he seemed just perplexed by what he was seeing.

The second half was a different story altogether. A powerful running game, a gutsy performance from a quarterback with a sore shoulder, a flea-flicker and then a tight end on a fly pattern for a touchdown were all highlights of an impressive Alouettes’ comeback.

What led to their back-to-life second half? Their reanimation domination?

A squeeze of Lemon.

“At halftime, I spoke to the team and challenged everyone to forget the first thirty minutes of the game,” said defensive end Shawn Lemon, in just his second game with the Als. “Just come out and play the way we play football. Play fast, have fun. And everybody responded.”

Including Lemon himself. In the second half, he intercepted a batted pass and racked up a sack to go with the sack and forced fumble he had in the first half.

A lemon battery is said to produce a very weak current only. A Lemon battery though? That’s a powerful flow that might just be the jolt the Alouettes have been needing.

DON’T YOU TWO SEE THAT YOU’RE IN LOVE WITH EACH OTHER?

Sooooo many romance movies, soooo many men and women not noticing the love of their life has been standing right there in front of them, all along.

For the Calgary Stampeders, the run game has been standing right in front of them all along. Yeah, once in awhile, they flirted a bit with it, but it was like they felt guilty about that. Locked in the “friend zone,” they were, with the rushing game. Friday night, it dawned on them. Perhaps they should commit to it. Really commit to it.

36 rushing attempts for 168 yards. A mere 24 pass attempts for 149 yards. 27 of those rushes in the hands of running back Dedrick Mills, who piled up 137 yards against what had previously been a stout Toronto Argonauts run defence.

The run game has been just a girl, standing in front of the Calgary Stampeders, asking them to love her. They did that on Friday night. And voila.

Will they now live happily ever after?

REGRETS? HE MAY HAVE A FEW. BUT THEN AGAIN, JUST ONE TO MENTION

Ottawa head coach Bob Dyce met the media after his team’s 26-24 loss in Regina on Sunday night and was asked about decisions.

But if you think he has regrets about taking a field goal instead of going for a touchdown on third and goal from the one and less than ninety seconds to play in the fourth quarter, he claims you’d be wrong about that.

You can disagree with the decision if you like, of course. I, myself, was thinking “meh, I’d probably send out the plunge team here” but I have to admit, I wasn’t feeling strongly about it on a night where third and short was far from a given.

Taking the lead late in a game ain’t never a bad thing especially when you have a good defence playing well, and that’s exactly how Dyce says he felt.

So what did he regret?

“Where we placed the kick-off,” he said, referring to the play that followed Lewis Ward’s eight-yard, go-ahead field goal.

Ward pounded the ball 67 yards deep, but he kicked it to Roughriders’ return ace Mario Alford who fielded at the intersection of “(you-know-what) and Find Out.” Alford lugged it back 37 yards to the Saskatchewan 50-yard line. In hindsight, Dyce was wondering why he didn’t have Ward kick to the other side of the field.

“I’ll take a hundred per cent of that,” Dyce said. “Kinda let the guys down a little bit today.”

Just maybe not in the way you think he ought to think he did. I think.

BONUS TAKEAWAY: Those who were worried about Brett Lauther earlier this season? You can stop that now.

BONUS BONUS TAKEAWAY: Right now, Shawn Bane Jr. may be the most evil receiver there is, a villain extraordinaire to opposing defences. But to the Roughriders and their fans, he’s Bruce Wayne, baby.

BONUS BONUS BONUS TAKEAWAY: I think I’ll name Saskatchewan’s halftime show escapee “Ramuel Emilus.” Such great speed. Excellent YAAAAAAAAAC capabilities.

AS THEY SOMETIMES SAY AT NASA, GUIDANCE IS INTERNAL

The Winnipeg Blue Bombers are back. All the way back. I’m not surprised at all to see them at the top of this week’s power rankings.

But if you think their “I drink your milkshake” thumping of the BC Lions had anything at all to do with getting back at the Lions for the Week 3 beating the Bombers suffered at the hands of that same team, that’s just not so.

Not according to the head coach, anyway.

“I don’t believe we think that way,” said Mike O’Shea after his team’s 50-14 romp on Thursday night.

“The majority of the group are wired (in a way) they get back quickly – if the pendulum swings one way or another – they get back, quickly to that pretty level-headed (spot) where what’s most important to them is showing their teammates. Not showin’ somebody else.”

Revenge, then, to the Winnipeg Blue Bombers, is a dish best served not at all.

WELCOME TO THE CLUB. NOW WHAT?

Ottawa, Saskatchewan, Hamilton. Hamilton again. And again. BC and BC once more.

The list of teams that have suffered through losing their starting quarterbacks this season – and in some cases their capable back-ups as well – is a long one.

Now, the Toronto Argonauts get a taste in the wake of Chad Kelly’s injury during Friday night’s loss to the Calgary Stampeders. Just how long will Kelly be out? Are they lucky enough to have him back in the line-up this Sunday against Ottawa, or will they need to ride with the inexperienced Cameron Dukes and Bryan Scott for one or more weeks?

There’s the intrigue of this situation. If Kelly is out for a longer stretch, do the Argos have what they need at the position to at least muddle through, riding their defence through the choppy seas?

Until we know the extent of Kelly’s injury, that is a question that will burn brightly this week.

AND FINALLY… Cody Fajardo versus the sack-happy Saskatchewan defence? Come on over, Week 10.

Landry’s five takeaways from Week 9

Arthur Ward/CFL.ca