Not used to losing individual battles
Don Yanowsky used an episode from his family history — he swore it was true — to illustrate his point on the situation.
It seems young Donald had scored quite well on a college aptitude test and he proudly reported this to his mother.
His mother smacked him and, in exasperation, asked how a young man with such smarts could have such a middling (2.7 out of 4.0) grade-point average.
Ma Yanowsky believed her son was underachieving academically.
The point he has been making to members of Redblacks special-teams in recent weeks has been essentially the same.
“We are good enough that one guy can mess up, two guys can mess up, but four-five guys can’t lose (individual battles) on the same play, not when you play a good football team,” Yanowsky said.
“So we have to do our jobs, do what we’re supposed to do, and, when more of us win than more of them win, everything is good.
“A year ago, I’m not sure I could sit there and say, ‘If we go out and do out jobs, we’ll win.’ They’re going to win some plays. We just have to make sure those wins aren’t four-five of us getting beat at the same time.”
OK, so that’s the plan, but the problem remains what the problem has been all season.
It wasn’t just because of injuries that the Redblacks employed a halfdozen different punters, and it wasn’t because or injuries or using a halfdozen punters that they averaged a league-worst 30.8 net yards punting (punts minus opponents’ returns), and the ranked eighth in net kickoff average at 39.8.
“Did we win the game?” Milo asked rhetorically, referring to the contest that clinched first place.
“That’s all that matters.”
SUPER SEVEN
Justin Medlock’s 47-yarder lifting the Tiger-Cats to a 25-22 victory against the Argonauts on Sunday was, according to CFL statistician Steve Daniel, only the seventh time that a field goal had ended a divisional playoff game in league records dating back to 1936.
The others: Winnipeg’s Troy Westwood, 20 yards vs. Montreal in 2007 East semifinal; Hamilton’s Paul Osbaldiston, 54 yards vs. Montreal, 1998 East final; Edmonton’s Sean Fleming, 40 yards vs. Calgary, 1996 West final; Winnipeg’s Trevor Kennerd, 32 yards vs. Toronto, 1990 East final; Saskatchewan’s Jack Abendschan, 32 yards vs. Winnipeg, 1972 West final; and Calgary’s Larry Robinson, 32 yards vs. Saskatchewan, 1970 West final.