As a CFL fan first and
foremost, and as an Als' fan second, let me start by saying that was one
terrific football game.
After a season or two of
rather uninspiring football, the 2008 CFL season has been a delight to watch
from an entertainment aspect. Every game it seems has one or two real
highlight reel catches, and one or two real solid hits. Each game I have
watched this season has been highly entertaining, something I have not been
able to say the past few seasons.
As for this game, it had
just about everything that makes CFL football such a joy to watch. In the
first half, we were treated to some terrific defensive play; in the second half
we had both offences getting it in gear. Numerous great catches, some
exciting hits, frequent lead changes, controversial referee calls.....this game
practically had it all.
So, what can we say from
an Als' perspective?
Well, considering we were
up against the defending Grey Cup champions who are, at this point in the
season, the top team in the league, we sure showed that we can play with them.
But for a break here and there, we could have (should have) won this one.
Offensively, the star was
Anthony Calvillo, who seems rejuvenated under Trestman's new offence. He
was spreading the ball around marvelously among various receivers, so that no
one receiver can be keyed on. But for one big mistake at the end of the game,
when a called QB draw just wasn't there and AC seemed to panic and ended up
throwing an ill advised pass that was tipped and then intercepted, he played
nearly a flawless game. The O-line provided very good protection, a far
cry from what we saw last year. We had little in the way of a running
game, but against a Richie Hall defence I don't criticize the choice to go with
a fast attack passing game plan; that is one tough defence to run against.
Defensively, Reggie Hunt
made his debut as an Alouette, and it was a case of Jekyll and Hyde. He
gave us two key interceptions, both of which led directly to touchdowns; but as
a run-stopping MLB, he leaves something to be desired. Hill, Ferri, and
Hunt are all OLBs, our lack of a run-stopping behemoth in the middle may be
something that comes back to haunt us over the course of this season.
But that said, both the
offences and defences played well enough for us to get a win, overall.
The negative in this game
was our special teams play. Kizer took a dreadful penalty to keep a Rider
drive alive. Armstead gave up a fumble on a kick return, and on the
previous return he and our ST coordinator both seem to have suffered brain
cramps at the same, and worst possible, time. Over two minutes to go and
the Als line up as if convinced the Riders are going to try an onside kick?
With a Richie Hall defence? No way! Then, when Armstead gets back
to the ball, he takes a knee at the 10?? What in the world was he
thinking??? Sure he had no blocking set up in front of him, but for
heaven's sake at least run straight forward, he could have gotten to at least
the 15 if not the 20 before the Riders' cover team got there. Boneheaded
move to gratuitously put us in a deep hole.
So there we were, blowing
a lead in the dying minutes of the game; it marred an otherwise entertaining
spectacle. But we can take comfort in knowing that we can play with the
best team in the league.
On the two controversial
calls.........Sanchez' touchdown was reversed, which means the referee must
have seen conclusive evidence that Cates never had possession hence incomplete
pass and not a fumble. I did not see such evidence from the replays shown
on TSN, as in both cases an on-field official blocked the view. The
referee must have had access to a replay not shown on TV to find conclusive
proof, so I will grant him the benefit of the doubt.
I also don't criticize the
call on the Dominguez~Estelle completion in the end zone. That was as
close to a simultaneous catch as one will ever see, and as we all know, the tie
goes to the receiver. So it was touchdown Saskatchewan at that point. What happened afterwards, the rolling on the ground, maybe in-bounds maybe
out of bounds, Estelle ending up with sole possession, is all irrelevant, the
TD counted and the play was effectively dead when they caught the ball.
Same as a QB jumping over the line to get a TD on a first and goal play from
the one yard line. Once he crosses the plane with the ball in his
possession, it's TD and whatever happens after, such as him dropping the ball
and the defence recovering, matters not at all. Tough pill to swallow as
an Als' fan, but it's the truth.
The referees therefore did
not cost us the game. We have to admit that the (slightly) better team on
the day won. We (Kizer, Armstead, Calvillo) made key mistakes at crucial
times, and the Rider players didn't. Simple as that.
So I am not hanging my
head today. We went into the defending champs' and league leader's home
park, and darn near came out with a win. Nothing to be embarrassed about
there. We also provided a particularly entertaining spectacle.
What we need to look at as
this season progresses, are two problem areas (not the lines; I am quite happy
now with what I have seen from both the O-line and the D-line; AC is getting
good protection, and the D-line is getting sacks). Run stopping
capability from the MLB spot, and improved special teams play. That may
likely involve cutting our ties with Mr. Armstead, who has shown little on
returns so far, and in this game was downright atrocious. We sure don't
need him at receiver, where we are deep (and SJ Green, Elijah Thurmon, and
Larry Taylor haven't even gotten into a game yet), and he has not provided us
with quality returns. Let's give Green or Taylor a shot at it, or let
Bratton handle it, he did have a TD return for us last year.
Now it's on to BC, a
locale where we haven't had a lot of success over the years, to put it mildly.