2013 CFL Season
- Thread starter Mowich
- Start date
:lol: This was a great week for CFL fans and the league alike, Kreskin............seeing all these young guys at pivot do so well.......it bodes well for the future. What makes it even better is that no one saw this coming. None of these guys got any real coverage until they stepped on the field and changed history. Marcel Desjardins is indeed a happy man.
Two of my favorite 'plays of the week' are both times Zach out-deked Adam Bighill - thing of beauty that - poor Adam, I can imagine the ribbing he took after that.
It may be bye-week in the CFL but things have been happening just the same - though just not on the field.
Montreal HC, Dan Hawkins was fired today. The news will be greeted with cheers from all the fans who have been calling for his head yeah these many games. When you have the Panel questioning your coaching abilities - you know you are in trouble. I was one of those in favor of dumping Hawkins even after the team's win over Edmonton - which is still being disputed in football forums. I still saw Hawkins trying to stick a round peg into a square hole with the plays he drew up for Anthony. What a waste of talent. Montreal Alouette GM, Jim Popp will be taking over HC duties.
Players of the Month Awards were handed out this week.
Kory Sheets has been named Offensive Player of the Month with a 5-game total of 712 yards, rushing for at least 130 yards per game. He also scored 4 TDs.
Kyries Hebert of the Alouettes, leading in sacks so far , got Defensive Player of the Month.
Rene Paredes got Special Teams Player of the Month for his perfect 16 – 16 record thus far and he leads with 62 overall points.
Jon Cornish got the nod as Canadian Player of the Month. Jon’s been good for 501 rushing yards and 3 TDs as well as 137 receiving and a TD.
ROCK ON GUYS........WELL DESERVED IN ALL CATEGORIES
Winnipeg revealed today that Justin Goltz will be their starter for the rest of the season. Lucky for us fans who think Justin can elevate his game - giving him this responsibility will hopefully give him the confidence he needs to settle down and live up to those fab stats of his. The team will benefit as they can go ahead and build an offense around Justin without having to keep an eye out for Buck coming back. Their game against the Lions will be a big one for both teams but just a bit more so for the Bombers. Meanwhile Buck is moving into more of a coaching position with the team and will be mentoring the young bucks. He will still be listed as a back-up along with Max Hall a newcomer to the team. Some might see this as an early move by the Bombers to protect the guy they see as their future QB. ;-);-)
In addition to the Player Awards, the latest Power Rankings were also published today.
For the second straight week the Saskatchewan Roughriders rank #1 - ROCK ON GUYS.......but don't let it go to your heads.
The Calgary Stampeders, ranked #3 last week, moved up into second position.
The Argos also improved taking over #3 spot, after sitting at #4 last week.
The Lions dropped from 2nd last week to 4th this week.
Montreal, Edmonton, and Hamilton all improved by one ranking and sit at 5th, 6th, and 7th respectively.
Winnipeg sits in the basement having dropped from 5th to 8th.
The news was not all good as the CFL handed out fines to the Al's Brandon London and Sask's Levi Steinhauer. London was fined for publicly criticizing officials after last week's game. Steinhauer's vicious, illegal and dangerous hit on Lindsey Lamarr was by far the more egregious of the two actions. I would not have been unhappy to see a game suspension. It will be interesting to see how Corey Chamberlain deals with this which is a far more serious offence than that of Dwight Anderson's. This deserves a little more than some mea culpas with the community - though that in itself is a good thing as Rider folks are not known for keeping their opinions to themselves.
Oh and some late-breaking news. It seems we may not be seeing Justin Goltz in pivot on Monday after all, the Bombers announced that Max Hall may start for the team. Oh goodie - another young guy we get to evaluate. All the team would say is that Goltz is questionable for Monday.
As usual, I am of mixed minds about it, petros. Part of me wants to see the guys rewarded with time off for good behavior :smile: while the other gets all antsy when they aren't out on the field practicing their little butts off.
I imagine there are stats somewhere about teams riding high into the bye only to crash and burn coming out. That's what worries me - the bye can be a momentum changer. Still, nothing can be done, so best to wish the guys a nice holiday - they most certainly do deserve one.
Only two games are scheduled in the CFL this week. Tonight, Hamilton will be in Edmonton to take on the Eskimos. Monday will see the Lions welcoming the Bombers into their den.
Both teams have shown signs of improvement game by game. Edmonton is hoping that Mike Reilly will settle into his spot and show maturity in his decisions. As Kavis Reed mentioned - you aren't going to get a TD on every drive - what's important is that you move the ball downfield consistenly to get in position to possibly score. The odd 60-yarders such as Mike threw in his last game are great but getting consistent 1rst downs wins games. Hope to see that Mike has reigned it in a bit.
The Hamilton Ti-Cats, again w/o Andy Fantuz, and still working with rookies in key positions will be relying heavily on Henry Burris tonight. Smilin' Hank has shown not only his phenom arm strength lately, he's also taken off for good gains on several occasions.
Sorry, Cats.................I'm going with the Eskimos tonight. I like to see a team win at home.
Next time I will stick with the Cats.........shame on me for turning my back on them. I did switch sides at half-time as I listened to 'fans' in Commonwealth Stadium loudly booing their guys off the field - all 30 some odd thousand of them - poor turn-out - poor support. IMHO.
It was a squeaker for sure.......another one coming down to the final seconds in the game and there but for a missed FG, the Esks might have had a win.
What impressed me;
The ability of the injury-plagued rookie D of the Cats to preform so well - they took too many penalties again but they worked hard and for the most part as a solid unit. Webb was the only vet on the D and still they shut down the Esks - way to go Cats.
Kent Austin planning to bring in Lefevour on several plays - obviously well-thought out before hand and nicely handled. Hank was just a grinnin' on the sidelines so you knew he was okay with it.
Establishment of a ground game for the Cats giving the O 2nd and short on many plays. Well done.
On the Esks side - I surely hope that Kavis has a few words with Mike about his determination to win at all costs - he took far too many hits last night. That he showed his ability to come back after being slammed to the turf time and again is to his credit but you gotta stay healthy Mike. That said, I was very impressed with Reilly's game last night. They guy has the arm and the legs - he just needs the O-line to step up a bit more.
Edmonton has shown that they may be down but not out on a few occasions now but it would be nice to see them build a decent lead and maintain it instead of having to dig deep and fight from behind so much.
What didn't impress me was the way Kavis yanked Mike and put Crompton in w/o so much as a by-your-leave to his starter. If you are going to pull your stater, Kavis, have the bloody decency to let him know or make it a part of your game plan. Maybe you could take lessons from Kent on how to handle the situation. Big kudos to Reilly for not letting it get to him.
Nice to see the Cats improve their record. Enjoy the bye guys.
It was a squeaker for sure.......another one coming down to the final seconds in the game and there but for a missed FG, the Esks might have had a win.
What impressed me;
The ability of the injury-plagued rookie D of the Cats to preform so well - they took too many penalties again but they worked hard and for the most part as a solid unit. Webb was the only vet on the D and still they shut down the Esks - way to go Cats.
Kent Austin planning to bring in Lefevour on several plays - obviously well-thought out before hand and nicely handled. Hank was just a grinnin' on the sidelines so you knew he was okay with it.
Establishment of a ground game for the Cats giving the O 2nd and short on many plays. Well done.
On the Esks side - I surely hope that Kavis has a few words with Mike about his determination to win at all costs - he took far too many hits last night. That he showed his ability to come back after being slammed to the turf time and again is to his credit but you gotta stay healthy Mike. That said, I was very impressed with Reilly's game last night. They guy has the arm and the legs - he just needs the O-line to step up a bit more.
Edmonton has shown that they may be down but not out on a few occasions now but it would be nice to see them build a decent lead and maintain it instead of having to dig deep and fight from behind so much.
What didn't impress me was the way Kavis yanked Mike and put Crompton in w/o so much as a by-your-leave to his starter. If you are going to pull your stater, Kavis, have the bloody decency to let him know or make it a part of your game plan. Maybe you could take lessons from Kent on how to handle the situation. Big kudos to Reilly for not letting it get to him.
Nice to see the Cats improve their record. Enjoy the bye guys.
I saw a lot of improvement on the Bombers defence over their last outing but they needed help from their offence and though Justin Goltz managed to lead the team for a pair of TDs it wasn't enough to beat the Lions who won the game 27 to 20. The Lions managed to overcome the red zone hex by scoring a TD on their 2nd possession of the 2nd Q - mind you it was helped along by a really iffy call from the refs of a horse-collar tackle penalty by the Bombers. Replay showed that the Bomber defender actually had Lulay around the waist and over his shoulder - not on his collar. One TD made the difference for both teams so that call played a big role in the outcome - but such is football and the Lions were happy to take the win.
Not at all impressed with Bomber HC Tim Burke. The team was forced to burn a time-out midway through the 2nd when the Bomber offence was a mass of confusion on the field. Burke went postal on the sidelines and long after the play was done and the game had progressed, he was still seen whining to other coaches on the sidelines. Hey Timmie - suck it up. Yeah it was a mess out there but you need to say your piece, put it behind you and get on with the game. Your sideline antics were churlish.
The Lions also showed improvement but a 1 TD win over the worst team in the league is not what I was expecting from BC.
Not at all impressed with Bomber HC Tim Burke. The team was forced to burn a time-out midway through the 2nd when the Bomber offence was a mass of confusion on the field. Burke went postal on the sidelines and long after the play was done and the game had progressed, he was still seen whining to other coaches on the sidelines. Hey Timmie - suck it up. Yeah it was a mess out there but you need to say your piece, put it behind you and get on with the game. Your sideline antics were churlish.
The Lions also showed improvement but a 1 TD win over the worst team in the league is not what I was expecting from BC.
yeah, that is what they were saying on team 1040 this morning too, BUT when they interviewed julio caravetta,
he said that the winnipeg defense is tough and efficient, and should be given credit for their efforts.
Right you are, talloola..........Winnipeg's D did a good solid job which should give them some hope for the future.......now if they can just get Justin to settle down into his role, they may yet have a chance though I have to say, I am not all that impressed with some of their coaching decisions.........time will tell.
I never, ever count the Lions out.......too many times they have shown their ability to come back and I have no doubt they will again this year.
The second half of the season is going to excellent in the West division. I'd love to see EDM take a round out of CGY in their back to backs in early Sept to give BC an edge. EDM has incredible potential but they are just unorganized.
Yeah, was reading this on the CFL site yesterday, petros.
These are the current stats for the QBs.
Burris – 131 completions off 199 passes; 65.8% passing percentage for 1,803 yards; longest pass – 64 yards; 10 TDs; 4 interceptions; and a rating of 103.1
Tate – 38 completions off 52 attempts; 73.1 passing percentage for 468 yards; longest pass – 64 yards; 1 interception; and a rating of 124.5
Durant – 74 completions of 107 attempts; 69.2 passing percentage for 1,021 yards; longest pass – 70 yards; 0 interceptions and an overall rating of 136.9
Even though Drew hasn't played in many games, his stats are still better overall than Kevin's but neither of them are as good as Darian's and he missed a game so they could have been that much better. TSN is reporting that Kevin is still bothered by his elbow injury.
I was hoping to see Drew start because I would really like to see the Riders tested by a good strong team.........I think we have had it a bit easy so far and need to play a team that will show us (the fans) that the Riders really are for real. :smile:
Agree with you about the Western Division, petros. With the Bombers still bombing - bad coaching and an iffy QB; Montreal coming off firing their coach and w/o Richardson for the season; Ham still struggling to get wins on the board; - I see TO as the only real contender so far in the East. Still there are a lot of games ahead and as with BC, I never count the Als out - they could mount a miracle come-back.
I like what I see in Mike Reilly, petros...........what I have a problem with this season are some of the questionable coaching decisions by Edmonton. Yet at times they have reminded me of the Riders in past years with their ability to come from behind. Those last two games the Esks played could so easily have gone their way.
The Boo Birds are out in full force in Montreal tonight as their team trails by 28 points heading into the half. Montreal turned the ball over 4 times in the game so far and the Argos capitalized on all but one of them.
When Tony isn't missing his receivers, they -the receivers are dropping the ball or fumbling it. Tony was intercepted by Argo Watkins on one of the Montreal TOs leading to the 4th TD for the Argos - their other points came off a Noel Prefontaine 42 yard FG.
Just before the 3-minute warning, Rickie went to the sidelines and Zach Collaros came in to replace him and finish up the first half.
I did call TO for this one but had no idea that Montreal would implode like they did in the first 2 quarters. The first TO of the game came when Devine fumbled the opening KO return and the Argos took the ball downfield to score their first TD at 13:42. Rickie Ray has been exceptional so far in the game. Curtis Steele has been his go-to guy for most of the game - filling in well for the injured Chad Kackert. Chad Owens returned a blocked Sean Whyte FG all the way to the Montreal end zone for his 1rst TD of the game. He also returned a punt to the end zone but the ball was called back on an Argo holding penalty.
Rock on Toronto - go guys go!
Hmmm..........well the good news is that the Argos managed to hold off the Als to win the game 38 to 13 but the not so good news is that they didn't score a single TD in the second half. Mind you Ricky sat out the second half giving Zach Collaros some reps but Zach did not have a stellar night. Montreal tried to mount a tiny bit of a comeback managing to put 3 points on the board in the 3rd and 10 in the fourth. I might add that on every TO by Montreal in the first half, Toronto ended up with excellent field position making it that much easier to reach the end zone. Montreal would turn the ball over a total of 7 times in the game. All things considered though it was a good night for Toronto and they deserved the win. Rickie was good on 15 of 18 for 152 yards, 3 TDs and 0 interceptions.
The Argos improve to 4 and 2 - Montreal fell to 2 and 4. I would say Popp has his work cut out for him.
When Tony isn't missing his receivers, they -the receivers are dropping the ball or fumbling it. Tony was intercepted by Argo Watkins on one of the Montreal TOs leading to the 4th TD for the Argos - their other points came off a Noel Prefontaine 42 yard FG.
Just before the 3-minute warning, Rickie went to the sidelines and Zach Collaros came in to replace him and finish up the first half.
I did call TO for this one but had no idea that Montreal would implode like they did in the first 2 quarters. The first TO of the game came when Devine fumbled the opening KO return and the Argos took the ball downfield to score their first TD at 13:42. Rickie Ray has been exceptional so far in the game. Curtis Steele has been his go-to guy for most of the game - filling in well for the injured Chad Kackert. Chad Owens returned a blocked Sean Whyte FG all the way to the Montreal end zone for his 1rst TD of the game. He also returned a punt to the end zone but the ball was called back on an Argo holding penalty.
Rock on Toronto - go guys go!
Hmmm..........well the good news is that the Argos managed to hold off the Als to win the game 38 to 13 but the not so good news is that they didn't score a single TD in the second half. Mind you Ricky sat out the second half giving Zach Collaros some reps but Zach did not have a stellar night. Montreal tried to mount a tiny bit of a comeback managing to put 3 points on the board in the 3rd and 10 in the fourth. I might add that on every TO by Montreal in the first half, Toronto ended up with excellent field position making it that much easier to reach the end zone. Montreal would turn the ball over a total of 7 times in the game. All things considered though it was a good night for Toronto and they deserved the win. Rickie was good on 15 of 18 for 152 yards, 3 TDs and 0 interceptions.
The Argos improve to 4 and 2 - Montreal fell to 2 and 4. I would say Popp has his work cut out for him.
WINNIPEG -- The last-place Winnipeg Blue Bombers cleaned house in the front office on Friday by firing general manager Joe Mack and president and CEO Garth Buchko.
Former Bomber Wade Miller will replace Buchko on an interim basis. It wasn't immediately clear who would take on GM duties.
Miller appeared in 167 career games over 11 seasons with Winnipeg after being selected in the fourth round of the 1995 CFL draft by the club. Twice an East Division all-star, Miller is the franchise leader in special-teams tackles with 184 and twice led the league in that category.
Miller wasted no time making hard decisions in his new role as it was his decision to fire Mack.
"I'm not afraid to prove myself and let my results speak for myself," Miller told reporters. "I know the challenges that lie ahead, but I'm comfortable in growing a business and tackling everything that comes at me."
Winnipeg has struggled this year, sitting last in the East Division with a 1-5 record.
Mack joined the Bombers in 2010 as GM and vice-president of football operations. The club reached the Grey Cup in 2011 but missed the playoffs last year with a 6-12 record.
The Bombers were 21-39 during Mack's tenure. Buchko has only been with the team since March 2012.
Mack's dismissal during a news conference Friday wasn't a surprise as reports surfaced Thursday that Buchko had advised the team's board of directors to make the move. However, Buchko's departure was not expected.
Mack fired Bombers head coach Paul LaPolice following the club's 2-6 start last year. But the general consensus following that move was if the club continued to struggle, Mack would be the next to go.
Mack's most questionable decision was to stick with veteran Buck Pierce at quarterback.
When healthy, Pierce has shown he can lead the offence. But he has been plagued by injuries since joining the Bombers in 2010.
Pierce is now the club's No. 3 quarterback behind new starter Justin Goltz and first-year CFL player Max Hall. Goltz is 0-2 in his first two CFL starts.
Mack had rejoined the Bombers with a solid football resume. He was the player-personnel director of Winnipeg's '84 Grey Cup-winning team and also has a Super Bowl ring earned with the 1992 Washington Redskins.
Mack left Winnipeg in '87 to become a scout with the NFL's Atlanta Falcons before becoming Washington's personnel director. He also spent time with the Carolina Panthers and Cleveland Browns.
Mack didn't enjoy immediate success in his return to Winnipeg. The Bombers were a dismal 4-14 in his first year at the helm although the club finished atop the East Division in 2011 with a 10-8 record.
Winnipeg dropped a 34-23 decision to the B.C. Lions in the championship game, then started the 2012 campaign by losing its first four games.
Bombers give GM Mack, CEO Buchko their walking papers
Not sure if this move will see an improvement in Winnipeg's bottom of the league record but it will temporarily satisfy many fans who have not been at all reticent in voicing their displeasure with Joe Mack. As Montreal fan's witnessed last night, changing horses close to midstream can be very challenging and fixes do not happen overnight. I still believe that coaching changes will be needed before the team starts back on a consistently winning track. That said, I would love to be proved wrong.
Former Bomber Wade Miller will replace Buchko on an interim basis. It wasn't immediately clear who would take on GM duties.
Miller appeared in 167 career games over 11 seasons with Winnipeg after being selected in the fourth round of the 1995 CFL draft by the club. Twice an East Division all-star, Miller is the franchise leader in special-teams tackles with 184 and twice led the league in that category.
Miller wasted no time making hard decisions in his new role as it was his decision to fire Mack.
"I'm not afraid to prove myself and let my results speak for myself," Miller told reporters. "I know the challenges that lie ahead, but I'm comfortable in growing a business and tackling everything that comes at me."
Winnipeg has struggled this year, sitting last in the East Division with a 1-5 record.
Mack joined the Bombers in 2010 as GM and vice-president of football operations. The club reached the Grey Cup in 2011 but missed the playoffs last year with a 6-12 record.
The Bombers were 21-39 during Mack's tenure. Buchko has only been with the team since March 2012.
Mack's dismissal during a news conference Friday wasn't a surprise as reports surfaced Thursday that Buchko had advised the team's board of directors to make the move. However, Buchko's departure was not expected.
Mack fired Bombers head coach Paul LaPolice following the club's 2-6 start last year. But the general consensus following that move was if the club continued to struggle, Mack would be the next to go.
Mack's most questionable decision was to stick with veteran Buck Pierce at quarterback.
When healthy, Pierce has shown he can lead the offence. But he has been plagued by injuries since joining the Bombers in 2010.
Pierce is now the club's No. 3 quarterback behind new starter Justin Goltz and first-year CFL player Max Hall. Goltz is 0-2 in his first two CFL starts.
Mack had rejoined the Bombers with a solid football resume. He was the player-personnel director of Winnipeg's '84 Grey Cup-winning team and also has a Super Bowl ring earned with the 1992 Washington Redskins.
Mack left Winnipeg in '87 to become a scout with the NFL's Atlanta Falcons before becoming Washington's personnel director. He also spent time with the Carolina Panthers and Cleveland Browns.
Mack didn't enjoy immediate success in his return to Winnipeg. The Bombers were a dismal 4-14 in his first year at the helm although the club finished atop the East Division in 2011 with a 10-8 record.
Winnipeg dropped a 34-23 decision to the B.C. Lions in the championship game, then started the 2012 campaign by losing its first four games.
Bombers give GM Mack, CEO Buchko their walking papers
Not sure if this move will see an improvement in Winnipeg's bottom of the league record but it will temporarily satisfy many fans who have not been at all reticent in voicing their displeasure with Joe Mack. As Montreal fan's witnessed last night, changing horses close to midstream can be very challenging and fixes do not happen overnight. I still believe that coaching changes will be needed before the team starts back on a consistently winning track. That said, I would love to be proved wrong.
With the CFL's marquee game set for tonight at McMahon Stadium in Calgary, Rider fans have been flooding into Calgary hoping to see their #1 Riders extend the streak to 6. Expect to see a lot of green at the game tonight – go Rider Nation.
Chris Getzlaf celebrated the bye-week by getting married while Keith Shologan welcomed a baby boy to the family. Congrats to both.
I have butterflies already and game time is hours away.
This is the test I’ve been waiting for when the Riders really need to step up and show they can beat the 2nd best team in the league with a good solid convincing win. I expect the score to be close having great respect for Hufnagel and the Stamps. Will also be watching the battle between Kory and Jon for top receiver position.
Pre-game start @ 5:30 PST/8:30 EST
STEADY AS SHE GOES, GUYS
Liked this quote from Scott Milanovich after the game last night - “you never expect to get a start like that” – no frickin’ kidding, Scott - pure serendipity.
Chris Getzlaf celebrated the bye-week by getting married while Keith Shologan welcomed a baby boy to the family. Congrats to both.
I have butterflies already and game time is hours away.
This is the test I’ve been waiting for when the Riders really need to step up and show they can beat the 2nd best team in the league with a good solid convincing win. I expect the score to be close having great respect for Hufnagel and the Stamps. Will also be watching the battle between Kory and Jon for top receiver position.
Pre-game start @ 5:30 PST/8:30 EST
STEADY AS SHE GOES, GUYS
Liked this quote from Scott Milanovich after the game last night - “you never expect to get a start like that” – no frickin’ kidding, Scott - pure serendipity.
42 to 27 Calgary
Jon Cornish ran for well over 100 yards and scored 4 TDs for the Stamps tonight proving once again how capable he is of finding holes and eating up the yards. Kudos to Rene for extending his streak to 36 consecutive FGs.
Calgary owned the first half - Sask could not stop their offence and they couldn't mount one of their own. Sask improved in the 2nd but not enough to overcome Calgary's lead. Calgary deserved the win but they did get a bit of help from the Riders.
Sask looked almost hesitant at times in the first half and DD had more pressure than in past games and was sacked twice. The D was almost completely unable to contain Jon nor could they get to Kevin Glenn.
One thing I do give them credit for is George Cortez' ability to make adjustments at the half. Sask played a much better game in the 3rd and 4th quarters. The D was able to limit Jon Cornish until late in the 4th when the game was already in Calgary's hands. The offense came alive and Darian completed some beauty passes to Taj, Geroy, Getz and others.
Another deciding factor in the game was Sanders decision to run the ball out instead of taking a knee in the end zone for a single point. That decison alone led to Sask giving up 2 when DD was sacked in the end zone. Mind you, Jock came back in the 4th to score a TD off a beaut sideline pass albeit in a losing cause. He needs to be told exactly what he is to do on those deep punts and he has been guilty of making the same decision in at least one other game.
Though Kory was very effectively shut down in the first half as is his wont he came back in the 2nd and once again ran for over 100 yards - his 6th consecutive 100+ game. Nice going Kory but the Riders have to get you going earlier in the game.
Chris Getzlaf was good for 2 TDs. Taj Smith caught a couple of beaut passes. Geroy got us an important 1rst D. Weston got some touches. John Chick got a sack on Kevin. Dwight Anderson made Jon's life hard in the 2nd half. Rob Baggs set us up in TD territory. Chris Milo is 14 for 14 on the season adding 2 more FGs to his record tonight.
If DD's ankle was bothering him, it didn't slow him down much when he took off on a few plays - one for a 14 yard gain putting them well inside the red zone. I didn't think he was as precise on some of his passes - he definitely overthrew his receivers on a few occasions tonight. DD was 20 of 32 for 279, 2 TDs and 0 interceptions. We also had our first offensive fumble of the season leading to a Calgary major when Kory fumbled the ball deep in Rider territory, a Calgary player was the last to touch the ball before it went out-of-bounds.
I am not as upset about losing the game as I am about the reasons behind the loss. Total break-down in discipline was, IMO, a major factor in the loss. However, losing to Calgary, as good as they were tonight is far better than losing to a much lesser team.
Sask and Calgary are now tied in the standings at top spot in the West.
Calgary owned the first half - Sask could not stop their offence and they couldn't mount one of their own. Sask improved in the 2nd but not enough to overcome Calgary's lead. Calgary deserved the win but they did get a bit of help from the Riders.
Sask looked almost hesitant at times in the first half and DD had more pressure than in past games and was sacked twice. The D was almost completely unable to contain Jon nor could they get to Kevin Glenn.
One thing I do give them credit for is George Cortez' ability to make adjustments at the half. Sask played a much better game in the 3rd and 4th quarters. The D was able to limit Jon Cornish until late in the 4th when the game was already in Calgary's hands. The offense came alive and Darian completed some beauty passes to Taj, Geroy, Getz and others.
Another deciding factor in the game was Sanders decision to run the ball out instead of taking a knee in the end zone for a single point. That decison alone led to Sask giving up 2 when DD was sacked in the end zone. Mind you, Jock came back in the 4th to score a TD off a beaut sideline pass albeit in a losing cause. He needs to be told exactly what he is to do on those deep punts and he has been guilty of making the same decision in at least one other game.
Though Kory was very effectively shut down in the first half as is his wont he came back in the 2nd and once again ran for over 100 yards - his 6th consecutive 100+ game. Nice going Kory but the Riders have to get you going earlier in the game.
Chris Getzlaf was good for 2 TDs. Taj Smith caught a couple of beaut passes. Geroy got us an important 1rst D. Weston got some touches. John Chick got a sack on Kevin. Dwight Anderson made Jon's life hard in the 2nd half. Rob Baggs set us up in TD territory. Chris Milo is 14 for 14 on the season adding 2 more FGs to his record tonight.
If DD's ankle was bothering him, it didn't slow him down much when he took off on a few plays - one for a 14 yard gain putting them well inside the red zone. I didn't think he was as precise on some of his passes - he definitely overthrew his receivers on a few occasions tonight. DD was 20 of 32 for 279, 2 TDs and 0 interceptions. We also had our first offensive fumble of the season leading to a Calgary major when Kory fumbled the ball deep in Rider territory, a Calgary player was the last to touch the ball before it went out-of-bounds.
I am not as upset about losing the game as I am about the reasons behind the loss. Total break-down in discipline was, IMO, a major factor in the loss. However, losing to Calgary, as good as they were tonight is far better than losing to a much lesser team.
Sask and Calgary are now tied in the standings at top spot in the West.
Troy Smith Signs With Montreal Alouettes
Troy Smith hasn’t given up on his football career.
The former Ravens backup quarterback and 2007 fifth-round draft pick signed a two-year contract with the Montreal Alouettes in the Canadian Football League.
Smith’s NFL career lasted four seasons: three in Baltimore and brief stints with the San Francisco 49ers and Pittsburgh Steelers.
The former Heisman Trophy winner threw for 1,734 yards, eight touchdowns and five interceptions for a 78.5 passer rating during his NFL career. He’s also played for the Omaha Nighthawks in the UFL.
His new team indicated he may be one of the backups.
“We’ve been in discussions together for well over three months and have been patiently waiting for Troy to finish his commitments at Ohio State,” Alouettes General Manager Jim Popp said. “We’ll have to fast track Troy in order to get him over the learning curve of the CFL and caught up to speed over the next several weeks. He’s here to learn and grasp the game for future competition.”
Troy won't be a backup for long. He is an excellent QB. I'm not sure he can't fix all the Alouettes' problems by himself, but this is a HUGE acquisition for Montreal.
Troy Smith hasn’t given up on his football career.
The former Ravens backup quarterback and 2007 fifth-round draft pick signed a two-year contract with the Montreal Alouettes in the Canadian Football League.
Smith’s NFL career lasted four seasons: three in Baltimore and brief stints with the San Francisco 49ers and Pittsburgh Steelers.
The former Heisman Trophy winner threw for 1,734 yards, eight touchdowns and five interceptions for a 78.5 passer rating during his NFL career. He’s also played for the Omaha Nighthawks in the UFL.
His new team indicated he may be one of the backups.
“We’ve been in discussions together for well over three months and have been patiently waiting for Troy to finish his commitments at Ohio State,” Alouettes General Manager Jim Popp said. “We’ll have to fast track Troy in order to get him over the learning curve of the CFL and caught up to speed over the next several weeks. He’s here to learn and grasp the game for future competition.”
Troy won't be a backup for long. He is an excellent QB. I'm not sure he can't fix all the Alouettes' problems by himself, but this is a HUGE acquisition for Montreal.
Not a chance, petros...........it will take awhile for the coaches to bring him up to speed on playing in the CFL - they've already seen what can happen when someone doesn't realize the two leagues are very different.
Should have checked here before I double posted on this, Tec.......sorry about that. I agree totally that this move is a great one for Montreal.