Well, all that scoring just had to stop, along with some sanity – for the most part.
The Canadian Football League command centre took a touchdown off the board on what appeared to be a score following a fumble recovery and dash to the end zone by Montreal’s Kyries Hebert. He was ruled downed by contact.
A strange call/gift, indeed.
The men in the video room certainly got it right when they ruled that Edmonton quarterback Mike Reilly scored without being touched after the on-field officials ruled he had been downed before the goal line as he slid. But it was a head-first slide, not a hook slide, so the call was reversed.
The CFL Command Centre taketh and giveth.
But of everything that happened, both good and bad – no, we’re not talking about the behaviour of Toronto Argonaut defensive tackle Khalif Mitchell in his first game against his former B.C. team – the one moment that stands out is seeing Calgary quarterback Drew Tate with his right arm wrapped in ice.
Next to Winnipeg quarterback Buck Pierce, Tate may be the most unlucky player in the CFL when it comes to injuries. Similar to last season, he suffered an injury in the second game of the season. Last year it was a shoulder, this year it’s an elbow. That doesn’t even take into account the fractured forearm in the playoffs.
1. Saskatchewan (2-0): Similar to opening week, the Riders made use of running back Kory Sheets, who continues to rip it up on the ground, in an early battle with Calgary for first in the West. The Riders owned the clock in the second half and utilized great shutdown defence to limit the Stamps’ ground game.
2. Calgary (1-1): With running back Jon Cornish limited to only eight carries for 42 yards and no catches, that’s far too few touches. Pending the status of Tate, it looks like it’s back to quarterback Kevin Glenn to lead the offence. Rush end Charleston Hughes was rendered ineffective. The defence and special teams also took far too many penalties.
3. B.C. (1-1): If the Lions played all their games at B.C. Place, they’d be undefeated. They rise to the occasion at home, especially against Toronto. Running back Andrew Harris had 21 touches for 152 total yards. Get him involved and the Lions are tough. Nice strip by the defence to prevent Toronto from making a late rally. The interior of the line was much better.
4. Winnipeg (1-1): The Blue Bombers pulled off the upset of the week by defeating the Als at home, where they rarely lose. A tremendous job by the defence – is it too early to bring back Swaggerville? – to neuter Montreal’s offence with seven sacks. However, the Bombers need to stop turning over the ball.
5. Toronto (1-1): The Argos looked sluggish, as usual, in B.C. Toronto needs to get the ground game going. They also need to address giving up yardage on the ground. Defensive coordinator Chris Jones has tightened up his defence in the second half of both games so far, but he was also fortunate on the penultimate play in the opener. Emergency replacement kicker/punter Noel Prefontaine did well, especially on field goals, which were an issue for him last year.
6. Edmonton (1-1): After a lackluster opener at home, the Eskimos showed some backbone on the road in rainy conditions, beating Hamilton in its temporary home. When you can get your two key offensive weapons going – running back Hugh Charles and receiver Fred Stamps – it takes the load off of Reilly.
7. Montreal (1-1): It’s evident by his body language on the field and his post-game comments that quarterback Anthony Calvillo is frustrated. He had only 16 completions in 28 attempts for 121 yards with two picks and only one TD. What’s happened to receiver Jamel Richardson? What’s happened to the offensive line? At least running back Brandon Whitaker appears to have recovered from his off-season knee surgery.
8. Hamilton (0-2): Okay, where we have seen this before? Mental mistakes have killed the Cats so far. If it isn’t apparent already, Hamilton really misses the overall production of holdout Chris Williams. Take Chad Owens out of Toronto’s lineup and see if it matters. That said, first-year general manager/head coach Kent Austin has to do a better job with this overall group and his coaching staff.