BEST IN WEST — UNDENIABLY
The Labour Day Classic was a classic in name only. The Calgary Stampeders once again erased a lot of the intrigue with a dominant first quarter that saw the hosts build an 18-0 lead en route to a 45-24 victory. Here are five things we learned from Monday’
1. Bo Levi Mitchell is the undisputed MOP front-runner Heading into Labour Day, there may have been a debate as to who the front-runner for the most outstanding player award might be. Consider that debate over for now. It’s not that Esks quarterback Mike Reilly played particularly poorly. He threw for a touchdown and ran another one in. But Bo Levi Mitchell’s stats were better across the board. Reilly’s numbers are usually flashier from week to week, except for the big one. Mitchell has led his team to an 8-1-1 record. Reilly’s Esks are 5-5. That can’t be ignored.
2. This defence can bring the heat
Eskimos quarterback Mike Reilly has been ripping up CFL defences all season long. But it was a rather pedestrian afternoon, at best, for the Eskimos pivot, who was held to a seasonlow 219 yards passing. There’s plenty of credit to be spread around the entire Stamps defence. But let’s start with the pressure that stalled drives and contributed to a pair of picks. The big guys up front were disruptive as Micah Johnson and Frank Beltre recorded sacks. The linebackers were active, too, as Deron Mayo and Joe Burnett also blasted Reilly, the latter forcing a fumble that the Esks QB was somehow able to recover.
3. Jerome Messam is a fourth-quarter monster
It’s almost not fair. The Stamps usually head into the fourth quarter with a lead — that’s been the case in the last five outings and eight of 10 overall — and then they start to milk the clock. The best way to do that, of course, is with an effective running game. And this is when Jerome Messam has been at his best. The big man has plowed through many a defence, churning up yardage and precious seconds at the same time. The six-foot-three, 254-pounder rumbled for 64 of his 110 yards (and two TDs) in the final quarter on Labour Day. How frustrating is it for defenders to know who’s getting the ball but not be able to do anything to stop him? Probably very.
4. Those DB hands DO work
The Stamps secondary has not exactly been a bunch of ball hawks. Jamar Wall’s pair of crucial picks gave the Red & White just six on the season. By comparison, the surging Winnipeg Blue Bombers have 20. But that doesn’t mean they haven’t been air-tight. Wall and cornerback Ciante Evans are sitting one-two in the league in knock-downs and the team sits first as well (42). So, they’re clearly getting to the balls, they just need to hold onto a few more. But one stat, fewest points allowed, is even more important and the Stamps (209) are No. 1 there, too.
5. First-place lead
Much has been made in the aftermath of the Stamps dominant Labour Day win about how they are the top team in the country. They are. There’s not much doubt about that. But it’s not as if they can kick it into cruise control for the rest of the regular season. Despite their seven-game winning streak and an unbeaten run that has reached nine, the Red & White are just three points clear of the B.C. Lions in the West Division. It’s a comfortable lead going into the second half of the season, but it’s certainly not insurmountable — unless they keep playing like they have the past three weeks.