Calgary 55, Hamilton 24

Not good. Not good at all. The Cats came out and laid an absolute egg in Calgary. It was an ugly one.

Positives
It is pretty hard to find any positives in a game where the Cats lose by 31 points, but a couple of good things did occur in this game.

First, congrats to Kevin Glenn on breaking Danny McManus's records for TD passes in a season and pass completions in a season.

Secondly, the running game looked very good. Both Cobb and Thigpen had some great runs.

Thirdly, Markeith Knowlton continues to show why he is the best Defensive player in the CFL. He now has tied the Tiger-Cat record for fumble recoveries in a season, with six. He already had my vote for Most Outstanding Defensive Player.

Finally, and maybe most importantly, the Cats will host the East Division Semi-Final on November 14th.

Negatives
Oh boy, where to begin?

That Defense that was harder to solve than a Rubik's cube was solved like it was a two-piece puzzle. The line couldn't get a pass rush going at all, the Secondary got beat constantly and the whole Defense just couldn't stop anything that Calgary did offensively.

Anyone who reads me consistently knows how much I like Ryan Hinds, but he looked like a rookie against the Stamps. It is a game to forget, but it is a game that Hinds should always remember. He has all the tools to be a great player in the CFL, but he needs to make note of the mistakes he made in this game and make sure they don't happen again.

So much for Chris Bauman having found "it." After a career game, he goes receptionless against the Stamps. He had a few passes thrown his way and he dropped them all. Bauman continues to show no consistency.

Kevin Glenn may have broken some of Danny Mac's records, but that was about the only thing he did that was worthy of praise in this game. Glenn was just off against the Stamps.

Final Thoughts
I said it more than a few times tonight: it is better that the Cats had this happen on October 29th as opposed to November 14th (or 21st or 28th). You never want to see your team get pasted like this, but better for it to happen when the game is basically meaningless than when the game really matters. The meaninglessness is not an excuse for the poor performance, but better now than later.

Have I made my point clear for everyone?

So the game was so U-G-L-Y that they ain't got no alibi. But it's over and there is a lot that can be learned from a beatdown like this. Let's hope the team learns said lesson.

But even with the loss, the Cats will host the East Division Semi-Final for the second straight year. On November 14, 2010, it will be the Tiger-Cats and the Argonauts. I don't know about you, but I can't wait. It's going to be INSANE at Ivor Wynne on the 14th. It's going to be great.