JULY HAS NOT BEEN TOO KIND TO JUNE
Thematically, the latest LeaderPost-mortem is most applicable to the Hamilton Tiger-Cats, considering the funereal atmosphere in Steeltown after back-to-back losses to the Saskatchewan Roughriders.
After falling 18-13 at Mosaic Stadium on July 5, the TigerCats gassed leads of 14-3 and 17-7 on Thursday en route to losing 31-20 to the visiting Roughriders.
The Tiger-Cats’ brass must be wondering what became of its team’s offence, which was purring along until running into a stubborn Saskatchewan side. Hamilton has but one touchdown to show for two games.
The Roughriders, meanwhile, have more than atoned for a June 30 stinker — a 23-17 loss to the visiting Montreal Alouettes — by twice taming the Tabbies.
Saskatchewan has also won its past two games at Tim Hortons Field. In both contests, the strategy of Tiger-Cats head coach June Jones has been questionable.
Jones, a pioneer of the runand-shoot, has adopted a runand-shoot-yourself-in-the-foot mentality during each of the Roughriders’ past two visits.
JUNE’S SWOON
Rewind to Sept. 15, when Saskatchewan won 27-19 in Hamilton.
On the final play from scrimmage, with the ball on Saskatchewan’s one-yard line, Jones opted to have Jeremiah Masoli throw into the end zone instead of calling for a running play. The pass fell incomplete. Game over.
On Thursday, Jones ordered up a quick kick by Masoli on third-and-13 with the ball on Saskatchewan’s 53-yard line. Willie Jefferson blew up the play, as he is wont to do, and the Tiger-Cats’ implosion continued.
Three plays later, Brandon Bridge found a wide-open Naaman Roosevelt for a 24-yard touchdown and Saskatchewan was ahead for the duration.
Uttered by several cantankerous callers to the post-game show on Hamilton radio station CHML: “We were outcoached.” Twice in a row, in fact. Take a bow, Chris Jones.
DEEP DIVERSIONS
Bridge threw only two passes that travelled more than 15 yards beyond the line of scrimmage. However, both of the deeper throws were completions.
In the second quarter, Bridge threw to Caleb Holley, who caught the ball 32 yards downfield and gained five more.
The payoff pitch to Roosevelt, who caught the ball 10 yards deep in the end zone, covered 34 yards. Nineteen of the Roughriders’ 25 passes travelled nine or fewer yards. From that range, Saskatchewan was 16-for-19, with eight of those passes being caught behind the line of scrimmage (see: hitch-screen mania).
The steady diet of short, short, short passes did lull the TigerCats to sleep. On Roosevelt’s touchdown, Bridge faked a handoff to Marcus Thigpen, pumpfaked toward Shaq Evans, and went over the top to No. 82. The nearest defender was somewhere in Burlington.
It was a terrific call by offensive co-ordinator Stephen McAdoo, and the execution was unerring.
HAPPY HOLLEY DAY
Bridge’s pass to Holley for the 37-yard gain was timely, considering that David Watford had quarterbacked Saskatchewan on its previous two possessions.
The toss to Holley put Saskatchewan in field-goal range. Although Brett Lauther ended up missing from 40 yards, thereby settling for a rouge, that possession enlivened Bridge and the Saskatchewan offence.
On their next possession, the Roughriders moved 48 yards on eight plays before Lauther kicked a 36-yard field goal.
Saskatchewan next possessed the football with 38 seconds remaining in the first half. Three consecutive runs by Jerome Messam ran out the clock.
On the opening play from scrimmage of the third quarter, Thigpen ran 80 yards for a touchdown. Roosevelt scored on Saskatchewan’s next possession.
In other words, the Roughriders hit the scoreboard four of their first five series after Bridge was reinserted — and the one pointless possession was one on which the primary objective was to exhaust the clock.
SHORT-CIRCUITS
Hamilton gifted Saskatchewan the first three points of the game after squandering a third-andinches gamble.
Instead of simply surging ahead behind centre for the minimal yardage that was required, Masoli ran laterally to his right and was summarily stopped by (who else?) Jefferson.
Just wondering: Was any member of the Tiger-Cats’ brass watching Saturday’s game between the Winnipeg Blue Bombers and the host B.C. Lions?
In that game, the Bombers asked short-yardage quarterback Chris Streveler to run laterally in an attempt to pick up a yard. Squelch. Turnover on downs.
GUTSY GUARD
Roughriders guard Brendon LaBatte left Thursday’s game in the first quarter after suffering an apparent injury to his left knee. Before too long, however, he was back in action.
LaBatte bailed out Riders boss Chris Jones, whose only backup offensive lineman was Eddie Steele — a defensive tackle who moonlights on the other side of the ball. Takoby Cofield, an international offensive lineman, was one of the two game-day scratches as the Roughriders pared the roster from 46 to 44.
Two days before the game, LaBatte had called out some of his teammates for poor practice habits. He proceeded to exhibit leadership by playing with pain and helping the Roughriders win.
In many cases, the triumphant signal-caller is labelled a “victorious quarterback.” If there ever was a victorious guard, it was LaBatte on Thursday.
BLOCK PARTY
Key blocks on the Thigpen touchdown: Right tackle Thaddeus Coleman stood up defensive end Justin Capicciotti; right guard Dariusz Bladek bulldozed Ted Laurent, one of the CFL’s elite defensive tackles; centre Dan Clark helped out with Laurent before neutralizing linebacker Larry Dean; LaBatte, at left guard, took care of defensive tackle Jason Neill; and, left tackle Terran Vaughn handled defensive end Julian Howsare.
The aforementioned offensive linemen also created a perfect pocket for Bridge on the TD toss to Roosevelt.
Not to be outdone, Roosevelt later chipped in with a key block as Tre Mason ran for 30 yards on a third-and-two gamble to set up a Lauther field goal.
And let’s not forget the 61-yard punt-return touchdown by Christion Jones, whose path to pay dirt was paved by blocks from Marc- Olivier Brouillette (on the well-named Terrell Davis), Jovon Johnson (Jackson Bennett), Devon Bailey (Jay Langa), Spencer Moore (Courtney Stephen) and Cameron Judge (Nicholas Shortill).
SHORT SNORTS
Messam led the Riders’ tailback troika with 23 repetitions, followed by Mason (20) and Thigpen (11).
Lauther missed a convert and a field-goal attempt, but made amends by tackling Sean Thomas Erlington and limiting him to a 38-yard kickoff return.