The Rookies

Hamilton wide receiver Marquay McDaniel (Hampton) makes a catch Friday against Toronto defensive back Jason Shivers. The Argonauts rebounded to win 25-22 in overtime and improve their record to 3-7.

The Week That Was: It was an interesting week in the CFL, complete with Saskatchewan’s 55-10 thumping of Winnipeg in the Banjo Bowl, the Stampeders pulling off a late comeback to knock off the Eskimos and Montreal getting revenge on the Lions at home. All three results were significant, and both the Calgary-Edmonton and B.C. – Montreal tilts were excellent games. Still, my vote for game of the week goes to the Toronto Argonauts’ improbable 25-22 overtime victory against the Hamilton TIger-Cats. It was the first home win for the Boatmen under head coach Bart Andrus, and their triumph snapped a five-game, 405-day home losing streak that predated Andrus, stretching back to last season.

Friday’s game was also the first win in seven NFL and CFL starts for quarterback Cody Pickett (Washington), who had a solid day, completing 20 of 31 pass attempts for 254 yards without being intercepted. Pickett has only thrown one pick in the four games since he took over the Argos’ starting job from Kerry Joseph (McNeese State); he hasn’t been overly flashy, but he’s done the job.

The key to victory came on the ground, though. For once, the Argos actually utilized running back Jamal Robertson (Ohio Northern), who only had nine carries in Toronto’s game last week against the Tiger-Cats. This week, Robertson rushed 18 times for 117 yards and two touchdowns, putting up a stellar 6.5 yards-per-carry average. He also added 18 receiving yards on three catches.

For Hamilton, quarterback Kevin Glenn (Illinois State) was reasonably effective. He completed 29 of 44 passes with one touchdown and no interceptions, and scrambled for a game-tying 18-yard touchdown late in the contest as well. Running back DeAndra Cobb (Michigan State) also had a nice night, picking up 93 yards on just 10 carries. The culprit in the loss turned out to be kicker Nick Setta (Notre Dame). Setta had a conversion attempt blocked in the first half by former Tiger-Cat Zeke Moreno (USC); if he had made that, the Tiger-Cats would have won in regulation. He did make three of five field goals on the night, including one in overtime, but missed a crucial 49-yarder on the second overtime sequence. That gave Toronto the chance to win it all, and they made it easy for kicker Justin Medlock (UCLA) with a drive that let him kick the game-winner from just 28 yards out. Curiously enough, Medlock is rooming with an old college buddy in town, Josh Roenicke, who just happens to pitch for the Toronto Blue Jays.

It was an important win for the Argonauts, but it certainly doesn’t answer all the questions about this team. Their record only improves to 3-7, and they’re still on the outside of the playoff picture looking in. The defence played well for the most part, but allowed Hamilton to put together that crucial late game-tying drive, something that’s happened far too often in Toronto, and they would have lost if not for a couple of blown kicks. Andrus continues to look out of place in the CFL, and many of the team’s supposed stars appear past their best-before date.

For Hamilton, the loss isn’t all that big. They fall to 5-5, but they still have second place in the East Division and the accompanying playoff spot locked up. Moreover, they played well enough to win a rivalry game on the road, and bad breaks do happen. The ineptitude of Toronto and Winnipeg makes it seem unlikely that they’ll challenge the Tiger-Cats for second place, so they should be sitting pretty barring a late-season implosion.

Picking those banjos: The “banjo-pickin’ inbreds” Regina had the last laugh this week, as their Saskatchewan Roughriders destroyed the Winnipeg Blue Bombers 55-10 on Sunday. In fact, the main picks came from those wearing blue and gold, as Winnipeg turned in one of the worst cumulative quarterback performances this year; starter Michael Bishop (Kansas State) only completed nine of his 21 pass attempts for 98 yards and was intercepted twice, while backup Bryan Randall (Virginia Tech) completed two of his nine passes for 26 yards and was intercepted twice. By comparison, Saskatchewan quarterback Darian Durant (North Carolina) looked like the second coming of Tom Brady despite only completing 18 of 36 passes for 225 yards and a touchdown and being intercepted once. The best quarterback of the night was actually Saskatchewan kick returner Jason Armstead (Ole Miss), who completed his only pass of the night to receiver Andy Fantuz (Western Ontario) on a trick play for 34 yards and a touchdown. Armstead had a nice night on returns as well, picking up 87 yards on eight punt returns and adding 27 more on two kick returns.

On offence, the Roughriders were led by running back Wes Cates (California University of Pennsylvania), who rushed 12 times for 83 yards and two touchdowns. Fullback Stu Foord (Regina) added 45 yards on seven carries, while wide receiver Gerran Walker (Lehigh) caught six passes for 85 yards. On defence, they forced eight turnovers; four interceptions, three fumbles and a turnover on downs. Cornerback Sean Lucas (Tulane) led the way defensively with four tackles, a sack and an interception. The win improves Saskatchewan’s record to 6-4 and puts them in a tie with Calgary for first place in the West Division. With the loss, Winnipeg falls to 3-7 and a tie for last. The magnitude of their defeat in such a significant game has also meant that the protests against head coach Mike Kelly have gained a considerable amount of support.

Stampeding back: The Calgary Stampeders again struggled early on Friday, but pulled it together late in the fourth quarter to rally from a 14-point deficit and defeat the Edmonton Eskimos 35-34 at home. Quarterback Henry Burris (Temple) rallied from throwing three early interceptions to complete 20 of 36 passes for 393 yards and three touchdowns. Star wide receiver Jermaine Copeland (Tennessee) hauled in two of those touchdown passes, including the winning one with just 22 seconds left. He finished the day with five catches for 117 yards. The Eskimos were able to contain running back Joffrey Reynolds (Houston), holding him to just 25 rushing yards on six carries, and their pass defence found success early, but they couldn’t shut down Calgary’s aerial attack when it counted, and that cost them.

There were several silver linings for the Eskimos, though, key amongst them the performance of running back Arkee Whitlock (Southern Illinois). Whitlock ran for 90 yards on 14 carries, putting up a solid 6.43 yards-per-carry average. He also caught a pass for another seven yards. The defence’s three interceptions were also impressive, as they hadn’t recorded a single pick through the first seven games of this campaign. They now have seven on the year. Still, the loss puts them in third place in the West with a 5-5 record. They’re only one game back of the 6-4 pairing of Calgary and Saskatchewan, but they’re also only game up on the last-place B.C. Lions. They’ll have to find a way to close out games if they want to improve their position in the playoff race.

Revenge of the Als:

The Montreal Alouettes’ protest of the referee’s decision in their bizarre loss in B.C. last week may have failed, but they got their revenge on the field with a 28-24 victory over the B.C. Lions Sunday. Montreal came from behind late in the game thanks to some blown coverage by the Lions, which led to quarterback Anthony Calvillo (Utah State) hitting wide receiver Kerry Watkins (Georgia Tech) for a 56-yard pass with 1:25 left that set up the winning touchdown.

Calvillo turned in a decent performance overall, completing 29 of his 41 pass attempts for 334 yards and a touchdown and scrambling eight times for 43 yards and a touchdown, but he was picked off once and fumbled once. The Montreal receiving corps had an even better day, with Watkins finishing with five catches for 133 yards and slotback Jamel Richardson (Victor Valley College) making 11 catches for 103 yards and a touchdown. Running back Avon Cobourne (West Virginia) proved to be a dual threat, rushing nine times for 42 yards and adding 59 yards on seven receptions. It was a pretty good showing from the Alouettes and a nice recovery from their loss in B.C., but they did struggle to move the ball against the B.C. defence at times and this one might have turned into a loss for them with a few different breaks, namely the blown coverage on Watkins’ catch and a disallowed single from B.C. that could have allowed them to kick a field goal at the end instead of taking a shot at the end zone. Still, they may not have been as dominant as usual, but they’re 8-2, and a good record covers a multitude of sins.

It was also a pretty good day for B.C., despite the loss. Slotback Geroy Simon (Maryland) had one of his best games of the year, hauling in seven passes for 128 yards and a touchdown. Martell Mallett (Arkansas – Pine Bluff) was reasonably effective on the ground, rushing 14 times for 66 yards, and the defence looked in top form for most of the afternoon, sacking Calvillo three times and intercepting him once. They may be last in the West with a 4-6 record, but they proved they can hang with the best in the league.

Player of the Week: Jim Davis, Calgary Davis, who played his college football at Virginia Tech, had a performance to make any Hokie proud Friday night against Edmonton. He sacked Eskimos quarterback Ricky Ray (Sacramento State) three times, including once just before the half where he forced him to fumble. Davis then recovered the fumble inside Edmonton territory, setting up a Calgary touchdown that gave them a 17-14 halftime lead. It’s ironic that Davis did so well in this game, as he played with the Eskimos last year and was cut by them this year before signing with Calgary as a free agent. The lineman they didn’t want came back to haunt them, proving the difference in this one-point game.

Former College Star of the Week: Luca Congi, Saskatchewan

Congi, who had a successful college career with the Simon Fraser University Clan, had quite a game Sunday in the Banjo Bowl, appropriate considering that the game got its name from the comments of another kicker, Troy Westwood. He hit all six of his field goals, two from forty yards, and was also perfect on his five extra points. He scored 23 of the Riders’ 55 points and was named the CFL’s special-teams player of the week. He’s one of only a few Canadian placekickers in the league.

Defunct CFL Franchise of the Week: The Birmingham Barracudas

Barracudas wide receiver Derrick Crawford (yes, this is the best picture I could find).

The Barracudas were an interesting team. They were founded in 1995 by billionaire Art Williams of Primerica fame, and their name was apparently chosen because Williams wanted to “scare the spit out of people,” (did he really say ’spit’?). They hired legendary coach Jack Pardee, a member of the College Football Hall of Fame who had coached in the NCAA, the World Football League, the United States Football League and the NFL. However, things didn’t go well for Birmingham. Williams constantly criticized the CFL and tried to change the rules to make it more like the NFL, and they struggled at the gate. They did reasonably well on the field though, thanks to players like quarterback Matt Dunigan (Lousiana Tech, now a TSN analyst) and finished the season 10-8. However, they were clobbered 52-9 by San Antonio in the first round of the playoffs (with Dunigan hurt) and folded before the next season. Williams estimated he lost $4-6 million on the team. That didn’t deter him from experimenting with other oddly-placed franchises, though; he owned the Tampa Bay Lightning from 1998 to 1999 and failed almost as miserably there.

Game of the Week: Edmonton at Saskatchewan (Sunday, 4 p.m. Eastern)

This should be a pretty good one. Saskatchewan’s 6-4 and coming off an emphatic clobbering of Winnipeg, while the 5-5 Eskimos will be looking to rebound after a tough single-point loss to Calgary. The questions here are if Darian Durant will overcome his inconsistency under centre for Saskatchewan, if Edmonton can shut down Wes Cates and what the Riders can do to stop Ricky Ray. It should be a close one, but the home-field advantage tips it towards the Riders in my mind.

Pick: Saskatchewan

Other games:

Calgary at Hamilton (Friday, 7:30 p.m. Eastern)

This also has potential. Over the past couple of weeks, 6-4 Calgary’s become closer to the form that saw them lift the Grey Cup last year than the form that saw them limp out of the gate this year. They still have issues, though, and barely managed to beat Edmonton last week. The Calgary air attack has generally been great, but Henry Burris will need to avoid turnovers and Joffrey Reynolds may need to get back into all-star rushing form if their roll is to continue. Hamilton’s slowed down in the past few weeks from a torrid start, and they sit at 5-5. Their recent losses have been close though, and they could pose a challenge for the Stampeders. I think the red tide will continue to roll this week, though.

Pick: Calgary

Toronto at B.C. (Saturday, 10 p.m. Eastern)

This one should be a walkover, but strange things do happen in the CFL. Still, the 4-6 Lions have rebounded from their appalling start to the year and look to be back in solid form. 3-7 Toronto barely escaped with a win last week, and I doubt they’ll be able to do the same on the West Coast, in a tough stadium where they have historically struggled.

Pick: B.C.

Winnipeg at Montreal (Sunday, 1 p.m. Eastern)

You might not want to watch this one unless you enjoy blowouts. 3-7 Winnipeg is locked in an ongoing battle with Toronto for the title of worst team in the league this year, but they gained a decisive victory on that front last week after getting destroyed 55-10 by their prairie rivals. On the road, against the CFL’s top team? I can’t see them pulling a rabbit out of their hat here.

Pick: Montreal

Last week: 3-1 (on Twitter)
Season: 12-4

Thanks for reading! I’m planning to live-blog Saturday night’s Argos – Lions game over at Sporting Madness, so feel free to stop by for that. Tune in Tuesday for the next installment of The Whole 110 Yards.