Montreal 43, Hamilton 13

If Labour Day was the day when the Cats could do no wrong, Sunday was the day when the Cats could do no right. In a complete reversal of fortunes, the Alouettes pounded the Tabbies into submission. This was Montreal's game for the opening whistle. It was a good, old-fashioned butt whooping.

Positives

Not many positives to take away from a 30-point defeat, but there are two.

Justin Medlock continued his excellent season. He went four for five and nailed a 57-yard – yes FIFTY-SEVEN YARD! – field goal. It is small consolation, but you can't take away a great afternoon from Medlock.

It was nice to Marcus Thigpen finally break one. No, he didn't take it to the house, but he did have a very nice 46-yard return. Thigpen has not been the weapon he was last season – and in all honesty, no kick returner has really had a great year – so perhaps this one return could be a harbinger of things to come.

Negatives

I could probably say, "Everything else," and leave it at that.

Kevin Glenn had a bad day; Avon Cobourne had perhaps his worst day as a professional; the leading Receiver was Bakari Grant, and his day was less than stellar. The Offensive Line – missing their stalwart Marwan Hage – didn't allow Glenn any time or provide Cobourne with any holes. The Offense as a whole was as bad as they have ever been.

On Defense, the team was a bunch of sieves. The D-Line barely pressured Calvillo, the Linebackers were complete non-factors, and the entire Secondary was torched. It was probably the worst Ti-Cat defensive effort since Marcel Bellefeuille became Head Coach.

I could spend 1,000 words talking about how bad everyone on both sides of the ball played, but it would be a waste of my time to write it and a waste of your time to read it. Let's just leave it at the above and move on.

Final Thoughts

What did today prove? It proved that Montreal and Hamilton have a really hard time winning in each other's house. It proved that Montreal is still an elite team (if anyone really questioned that, they're a buffoon). It proved that winning back-to-back games is one of the most difficult things to do.

Montreal came out and did what they had to do. Hamilton looked lost out there, and Montreal looked like the polished machine we've seen over most of the last decade.

Hamilton still has work to do, but it would be wise for people not to forget what happened six days ago. Before people start writing the Cats off, remember that even the best of teams (in this case, Montreal) throws up a stinker every now and then.

Was this a terrible loss? You bet. Does this mean that the Cats are a terrible team? Not at all. So before I see all the "fire the coaches" or "bench Glenn" comments, keep everything in perspective.

The Cats were beaten in every aspect of this game. Sometimes being humbled isn't the worst thing in the world. We'll see how the Tabbies respond on Friday, when they host the equally confounding Edmonton Eskimos.