PARITY MAKES FOR GOOD RACE
Yes, coaching challenges are a drag, but getting calls right is critical, writes Kirk Penton
Despite all of the soul-sucking coaching challenges and the eight blowouts that have taken place over the last 12 games, there is good news for the beleaguered CFL fan.
All nine teams have played eight games, and the CFL standings could not be any tighter than they are a week before the season’s unofficial halfway point on Labour Day weekend. A mere three points separate first place from last in the East Division, while the Stampeders are only five points ahead of fourth spot in the West.
The stretch run is going to be a good one.
BIG MOVE
The Redblacks made the switch at quarterback sooner than they likely anticipated.
Trevor Harris returns from injury and will take over from last year’s CFL most outstanding player, Henry Burris. Harris hasn’t lost a start yet this season and he has an impressive nine touchdown passes against just one interception.
Harris was brought in to serve as insurance for Burris and then likely take over next season, but that process has been put on the fast track.
The poor performance Burris put in against the Alouettes on Friday night no doubt helped speed it up.
WHAT COULD HAVE BEEN
Speaking of Harris, think the Argos are wishing they had done more to keep him around after watching Logan Kilgore go 7-for14 for 41 yards and two interceptions in Saturday’s blowout loss to the Eskimos?
The good news for the Boatmen is Ricky Ray is expected to return this week, but for how long will he remain at the controls? Ray has missed 40 per cent of his starts in Toronto due to injury, including the knee sprain that forced him to miss the last three games.
This is the rare quarterback decision that Scott Milanovich and the Argos brass got wrong. Imagine how good the Argos would be right now if they had kept Harris ahead of all others.
FEELING PICKED ON
Just as The Blitz was being filed last week, Roughriders quarterback Darian Durant was telling the Regina media how the CFL is “after them a little bit” when it comes to scrutiny.
That told you how ugly the situation is with the Green and White. When even the team leader hints that others are to blame for the squad’s woes, it’s not headed in a good direction.
The Tiger-Cats then smoked them 53-7 on Saturday at Tim Hortons Field to sink the Riders even deeper into the depths of despair. Chris Jones should be slinking back to Edmonton this week with his tail between his legs, but everyone knows he is incapable of feeling that way.
He’ll return to the City of Champions with that swagger we’ve all come to know and love. Or, in some cases, loathe.
PATIENCE, PEOPLE
There’s been quite a bit of grumbling lately about all the coaches’ challenges. Well, stop it. It’s there for a reason: to make sure the calls are correct. The most complained about call over the weekend was the Kacy Rodgers illegal contact call on Brandon Banks in the Riders-Ticats contest. Hamilton quarterback Zach Collaros threw an interception on the other side of the field, but it was wiped off the board after Kent Austin’s challenge.
Some thought challenging an incident away from the play doesn’t adhere to the spirit of the rule, but that’s not the case.
If Rodgers hadn’t grabbed Banks’ shoulder, Banks would have been wide open in the corner of the end zone. Collaros was even looking that way when Rodgers yanked on Banks’ jersey. It was an example of a veteran taking advantage of a rookie cornerback. Why shouldn’t the Ticats be rewarded with the correct call?
That being said, they’re still taking too long to review the challenges. If you can’t see enough evidence to overturn the play the first two times you see it, it’s inconclusive.
LATE HITS
Supreme Court cases have come and gone in less time it’s taking to figure out if Duron Carter should be suspended for one game. What a mess . ... Speaking of Alouettes receivers, Nik Lewis caught eight passes against the Redblacks to move past Don Narcisse and into sixth place on the CFL career list with 926. Lewis is on pace to have his first 1,000-yard receiving season since 2012. Next up on Lewis’s hit list is Allen Pitts, who is 40 catches ahead . ... Was I just hearing things, or did Henry Burris yell “Nissan!” as part of a call at the line of scrimmage last week? If so, that’s going above and beyond for one of your league sponsors . ... We haven’t brought this up yet this year, so here we go again: Why don’t coaches go for two points after every touchdown? Teams have been successful 58 per cent of the time on two point converts this season and 88 per cent on one point converts. Numbers don’t lie.