Linebacker Love has big impact at the right time
It was midway through the third quarter and the B.C. Lions still had reason to believe they had a chance to make a game out of the West Final.
Then Glenn Love stepped up and squashed whatever hope Travis Lulay & Co. had left. First, he came up with an end zone interception. Then, a bone-crunching, openfield special-teams tackle.
Two big defensive plays from Love suddenly had the CFL talking and the Calgary Stampeders celebrating on the sideline as it became increasingly clear there was no miracle comeback coming from the Lions.
The Stampeders were headed to this weekend’s Grey Cup.
“No disrespect to Taylor Reed but Stamps got better after cutting him,” Montreal Alouettes receiver Nik Lewis wrote on Twitter.
“Love is better on special teams and has filled in well for Mayo.”
While Love has been around the Stampeders organization since 2013, he’s never been more important to the than he has been in the past couple weeks.
When Deron Mayo went down with a knee injury, it might have derailed the Stampeders defence.
Mayo was a potential defensiveplayer-of-the-year candidate, after all, and brings the experience, explosiveness and intelligence that can anchor an entire defensive unit.
In Sunday’s West Final, though, Love proved that while Mayo is certainly missed by the Stampeders, the team has the depth to survive his absence.
The interception, in particular, was highlight-reel stuff.
The Lions had come out of halftime with Lulay replacing Jonathon Jennings and had immediately ended the Stampeders’ shutout bid with a touchdown.
A couple plays later, Anthony Parker fumbled the ball and suddenly doubt began to crawl into the minds of Stampeders fans at McMahon Stadium.
If the Lions scored, what had once been a 32-0 halftime lead would have very quickly been reduced to an 18-point differential in a matter of minutes.
Then, Lulay lofted a ball into the end zone and Love went up ... and up before coming down with the ball and a highlight-reel interception.
“I saw it was a great play and he looked like Tommie Campbell or a receiver,” said Stampeders head coach Dave Dickenson.
“(Love) is very versatile, I think he told me when he started out he played running back or receiver and I think when he came into the league he was a corner.
“He showed what he can do, he’s really helped us as far as when we lost Mayo. Glenn has stepped in there and he’s still kept that same game on special teams.”
One play after his interception, Love showed his value on special teams.
After the Stamps kicked off, the Lions tried to pull a reverse on their return, handing the ball to Chris Rainey who promptly took a step or two and saw his life flash before his eyes as Love came barrelling in.
If Rainey had been hoping for a big return that would get momentum back in the Lions court, he didn’t get it. Instead, he got absolutely rocked by Love.
“I was just trying to do my job, that’s all it is,” Love said. “Everybody’s playing good and if you’re at the right spot at the right time, just make some plays.” While Mayo can’t contribute on the field for the Stampeders, he’s been a consistent presence in and around the locker-room in the month since he injured his knee in a game against the Montreal Alouettes.
Speaking with reporters after the Calgary team landed in Toronto on Tuesday night, linebacker Charleston Hughes explained that Mayo has been just as visible around McMahon Stadium in the time since his injury as he was before he got hurt.
“Deron Mayo has contributed,” Hughes said of the team’s defensive captain. “He gave our game speech in the last game and he’s been around the stadium every day. He’s trying to get healthy, rehabbing and sometimes I see him too much and I tell him to go home.”
“He’s still involved and it’s a great thing to have somebody like that who can be injured and still be part of the team.”