David Chidley/CFL.ca
Hello, Winnipeg Blue Bombers. How’d you manage that?
Just a few short weeks ago, you were stuck in the West Division trunk. And now you’re in the driver’s seat? That’s some Indiana Jones stuff right there, I’ll tell ya.
Here are this week’s takeaways.
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YOU CAN’T GIVE GOOD TEAMS FREE CHEESE
The Calgary Stampeders were driving deep into Montreal territory, late in the fourth quarter, with a chance to put the Alouettes away and come away with a stunner of an upset.
A play later, they were asking themselves a question that almost never ever gets asked: “What’ve we got in the playbook for second and thirty-nine?”
In a game that was totally there for the taking, the Stampeders let the Alouettes off the hook too many times, just like they did by taking two 15-yard penalties on a drive that saw them reach the Montreal 15-yard line before those penalties pushed them back to midfield.
Afterwards, Stampeders’ linebacker Micah Awe gave reporters the quote that constitutes the header for this takeaway.
“That’s what we did,” added Awe. “We gave ‘em free cheese.”
Awe went on to say that despite not earning a win, the Stampeders’ effort gave him hope for what lies ahead as the team gets prepared for a massive Week 16 game against the Saskatchewan Roughriders.
But he did have a warning for his mates.
“We better learn,” said Awe. “Quick.”
RE-IGNITED AND IT FEELS SO GOOD
Even with the regrets the Stampeders have over their tie with Montreal, it was a surprise to see them hang with the CFL’s top team.
In an arguably bigger surprise, the Toronto Argonauts walked into Vancouver and blasted the BC Lions, who were fresh off a conquest in Montreal and winners of two in a row, with all their arrows pointing up.
After a couple of duds in Hamilton and then in Ottawa – and considering the team’s traditional troubles in winning on the West Coast – Toronto’s own arrows were aimed decidedly downward.
“It’s very encouraging,” said Argos’ head coach Ryan Dinwiddie after his team’s 33-17 victory, one that saw the Boatmen dominate on both sides of the line of scrimmage.
After their lacklustre performances in Weeks 13 and 14, you had to wonder about the Toronto Argonauts. After their triumphant effort in a place where they’ve had, historically, a very tough time winning, you have to wonder about them again. But in a good way this time.
BONUS TAKEAWAY: You have our attention, Makai Polk.
HE HAS A CONCEPT OF A PLAN
After BC coach Rick Campbell pulled starting quarterback Nathan Rourke in favour of Vernon Adams Jr. at halftime on Friday night, inevitably he was going to be quizzed about his pivot plans going forward.
With his Lions heading into a bye week, Campbell didn’t feel compelled to name a starter for BC’s Week 17 game against Hamilton, but he also made it clear he would not be playing any psychological games on that front moving forward.
Specifics? That’s for another day. But Campbell did offer a glimpse into how he’ll try to handle the juggling act going forward.
“It’s not going to be a competition,” said Campbell. “It’s a unique situation where we have two excellent quarterbacks.”
“I just don’t wanna mess with these guys,” Campbell said. “I need to make sure I do a good job of always communicating with them, which I always try to do.”
While Campbell noodles an arrangement, his quarterbacks say they’ll be okay with whatever that might ultimately be.
“VA’s been great to me,” said Rourke. “It’s only right that I reciprocate. Not only for him but for the sake of the team.”
“I’m a team player,” offered Adams. “If they wanna go with Nate, Nate’s one of the best QBs in this league. I got his back.”
A REST IS AS GOOD AS A CHANGE
After being relegated to QB2 for Calgary’s Week 14 game against Edmonton, Jake Maier was back in the saddle for the Stamps against Montreal, and it appeared as though the reset worked just fine.
“I thought Jake had a really good comeback game,” said Calgary head coach Dave Dickenson, post-game. “I was impressed. I thought he threw the ball well, I thought he handled their blitz well. I thought he was confident in the pocket. He played winning football.”
Maier finished the game going 29-for-37 for 236 yards and one touchdown pass. Maybe most importantly, he did not throw an interception.
Sometimes you just need to unplug a quarterback and then plug him back in.
IT’S SURELY TO HIS CREDIT. AND HIS AS WELL
Nick Usher recovers the ball… Cats back to the offence 🟡⚫️#CFLGameDay📷
📺: RDS2 / @CTV
📷: CFL+ pic.twitter.com/HdFu6pdxSt— CFL (@CFL) September 14, 2024
Hamilton’s senior defensive Assistant Chris Jones has certainly made a difference since taking over the unit three games ago, and the changes in scheme and philosophy have been of particular benefit to Ticats’ defensive lineman Nick Usher, who forced a fumble and recovered two during Hamilton’s win against Ottawa.
Jones has been known over the years to single out a lineman for a different kind of duty than what they’ve been used to by dropping them off the line and into shallow coverage and this time around Usher – who’s been a pass rusher by trade – is that guy.
“It’s all good,” the six-year vet told reporters after Saturday’s game against the REDBLACKS. “I’m definitely enjoying it. Learning how to see the field in a different light. I’m definitely thankful for Chris Jones for giving me the opportunity to do that.”
A reminder: Chris Jones is pretty good at designing a defence when he is concentrating fully on that task.
“Chris Jones (has) definitely put some defences together,” said Usher. “I’ve been in this league for a long time. I know his defence works. I like his philosophy. We’re just gonna make everything simple and fast.”
AND FINALLY… What, exactly, have you got against that BC Place scoreboard, Stefan Flintoft?
