Sunday 1 August 2010

Morning-After Thoughts (Week 5)

A lot of news, both on and off the field. Many things to talk about, from firings to record-breaking nights to players returning from lengthy injuries. All in all, a pretty eventful weekend for the Canadian Football League.
  1. The threat was put out that if the Esks didn't win, changes would come. Well, the Esks did win... and changes still came. Danny Maciocia was fired as General Manager. This tells me that no matter what occurred on the field on Friday night, Maciocia was gone. Why even put up the charade that Friday's game would decide anyone's fate?
  2. Congratulations to Ben Cahoon for moving into third place on the all-time receptions list. I'd be surprised if he wasn't in first by the end of the season.
  3. A lightning delay in Edmonton. Not something you see very often.
  4. Reports of Montreal's demise were greatly exaggerated. Two home games, two blowouts. Looks like the road to the Grey Cup will once again go through the province of Quebec.
  5. If Deon Murphy was Henry Burris, Ike Charlton would have been called for a penalty when Murphy scored a TD. For those that didn't see it, Charlton hit Murphy at the knees after Murphy was already two yards into the end zone. Dirty, dirty play by Charlton, even if he didn't mean to do it.
  6. It's time for the league to look very seriously at Receivers who are over the line of scrimmage before the snap of the ball. Saskatchewan got away with it way too much. It seems like Andy Fantuz is two yards offside on every play.
  7. The penalty for screening that went against the Ti-Cats was stupid, not because it wasn't screening, but because screening is a stupid penalty. From my seat, it looked like damn good defense.
  8. Can we please stop talking about how bad Arkee Whitlock's first game was... IN 2009! His body of work since then speaks for itself. We no longer need to rehash ancient history.
  9. Welcome back, metaphorically, to the CFL, Avon Cobourne. I know he didn't go anywhere, but it sure did feel like he had disappeared.
  10. Welcome back, literally, to Ken-Yon Rambo. It is always great to watch great players, and Ken-Yon Rambo (who missed most of 2009 with a torn ACL) is a great player. Nice to have him back in the league, and not a bad first game back. 80+ yards and a TD. That's a good game for anyone, let alone a guy who hasn't played in over a year.
  11. Jamal Lee looks like he is going to be a star in the CFL. He runs hard and he has elusiveness, two qualities that make up a good CFL player.
  12. If Cory Boyd misses any time, the Argos will have no offense. The passing game did look better during spells against Montreal, but if they don't have their bell-cow back playing, the Argos will be in trouble.
  13. Never has a Roughing the Kicker call been more detrimental to a team. Toronto went from receiving a punt to giving up a TD within a matter of minutes. After that, the Als took control and walked away with the game.
  14. Someone needs to teach Maurice Mann how to hold a football. He didn't fumble today, but he holds the ball like a bloody loaf of bread. It's a football, Maurice, not a Ming vase. Squeeze the damn ball!
  15. Speaking of Mann, is there any way to rescind the trade that sent Chris Thompson to Edmonton? The Cats need playmakers in the Secondary, and Chris Thompson has five picks in five games for the Eskimos. Why did Obie make that deal?
  16. I love when Linemen scoop up a fumble. Nothing is funnier than watching a 300-lb man run, as happened in the Argos-Als game when Eric Wilson snatched up a Chad Owens fumble in the 3rd Quarter.
  17. As good as Travis Lulay has looked in his two starts, he has made two very big mistakes in the final minutes that have cost BC two wins. Last week it was the interception to Byron Parker; this week it was the fumble against Edmonton. These are the types of growing pains that one is to expect when dealing with an inexperienced Quarterback.
  18. Steven Jyles showed on his last throw that he is a young, inexperienced QB. He went for it all instead of trying to get the first down.
  19. Jyles's pass wouldn't have been necessary if Brock Ralph could catch a pass. But then Brock Ralph wouldn't be Brock Ralph if he could catch.
  20. After posting an appalling 0-4 record last week, I posted a little more respectable 2-2. That's by no means a great record, but coming off an 0-4 week, I'll take it. That puts my overall record at 7-13, which also isn't great. Maybe I need to stop picking the Cats... Naw, that's not going to happen.

1 comment:

  1. Good to have a receiver of Rambo's talent back in the game, but he's going to have to accept being hit. The angry p*ssy act was pathetic. Unless someone specifically goes for the knee, he has no reason to get upset.

    I didn't like the Thompson for Mann trade when it was made, let alone now. But I think Moe can be a valuable receiver - it seems obvious his training camp injury may have affected his game. Heads up play by him to get up and run last night by the way - lost it on a challenge that *technically* may have been the correct call, but the touch was incidental and no way was he down by contact in my homer eyes.

    Edmonton had better enjoy Thompson's play. Because the team is in deep trouble the way Lelacheur is handling things. How can your coaches have any confidence in themselves when the voice at the top lies like that? (and obviously Hall has none in himself, saying that he should have been the one axed). How can the players have any confidence in their own play wondering whether it will get someone else fired? They are the Ticats of 2006-2007.

    Was anyone else totally sick of the Fantuz Flakes schtick by about the middle of the second quarter last night? Or was it just me. I'd like to order a box just to throw them up and maybe that would make me feel better.

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