Continuing with the CFL Talking Points series, Last Word On Sports CFL writers Thomas Gunther and Kelly Bale address several pressing questions after the Hamilton Tiger-Cats 31-7 win over the Montreal Alouettes, as well as their overall impression of the game. For last week’s recap, you can click here. Here are the key takeaways in CFL Week 4 Talking Points.
CFL Week 4 Talking Points
Montreal Alouettes
1) Assuming he is healthy, Is Kevin Glenn the best answer going forward?
Kelly Bale: Kevin Glenn appears to be the quarterback that can best execute offensive coordinator Anthony Calvillo‘s offense and, therefore, gives the Alouettes the best chance to win games. Granted, we have not seen what Brandon Bridge or Vernon Adams Jr. can do in the new scheme. We did, however, see Rakeem Cato fail to grasp the offence, read the defense, or use his running ability to avoid the pass rush and extend drives.
2) Despite the disappointing performance, what were the bright spots for the Als?
KB: B.J. Cunningham really stepped up in the Als receiving group and with him figuring in prominently, they’ll survive the loss of S.J. Green. Linebacker Bear Woods had his best game of the season and made some key plays that may signal him getting hot. The best part of this loss for the Alouettes is that they can re-focus their attention to next week where they play the Toronto Argonauts who have struggled mighty so far at BMO Field.
TG: Cunningham truly was one of the few bright spots the Als can han,g their hats on after this game. It was also nice to see Winston Venable getting into the mix with six tackles while John Bowman notched another sack on his ever increasing career total.
3) Going forward what is the best strategy for the Als to stay competitive?
KB: It may sound cliche’ and could apply to all teams but you have to win the battle in the trenches – the turnover and field position game – and remain disciplined. A deficiency in all these categories will cost you games and for the Als it’s a glaring weakness going forward. If the team can get it right in these areas, I can see a turn-around coming.
TG: The Als have a great mix of young players and veteran leadership yet cannot seem to put it all together on the field. Head coach Jim Popp has got to get his team clicking on the most basic aspects of football before the season slips away. In addition, it would help to find another offensive strategy than “throw it deep to Duron Carter“ or the scramble drill, neither of which will work over an 18 game season.
Who were the Alouette’s “Top Performers?”
KB: It would be silly to pick an individual from such an ugly team loss. My top performers are the CFL and the Montreal Alouettes organization who arranged for the singing of the French national anthem at the start of this contest. With Boris Bede, a Frenchman playing in the game, it truly was a Nice touch.
TG: If I had to pick a top performer on the field, I would give it to the Alouette defense who played well enough to win until the bottom fell out later in the game. Highly touted national Vaughn Martin made his biggest impact of the season while the unit as a whole remains competitive and a strength of the team.
Hamilton Tiger-Cats
1) Was Jeremiah Masoli able to bounce back after back-to-back sub-par outings?
TG: It certainly seemed like Jeremiah Masoli was more confident entering this game but I cannot say he was the reason the Ti-Cats won, rather he didn’t prevent them from winning (unlike his Montreal counterpart). With a moderate completion percentage of 70%, Masoli acted as a game manager and counted on special teams and defense to bail him out when the offense sputtered. In the end, Masoli was good enough to keep the ‘Cats in the game and took some of the pressure off Kent Austin to get Zach Collaros back to the field sooner rather than later.
KB: I saw him manage the game as well but Masoli’s numbers were still at poor or worse levels for a starting quarterback. He’s got to get on the right side of the touchdown to interception ratio soon. It’s not always his fault but his completion percentage and low scoring numbers are not flattering or showing off any synergy with his receivers.
2) Where has the all-star form Simoni Lawrence displayed early this season gone?
TG: I may be one of the few who don’t think Simoni Lawrence has tailed off, rather I think he is playing quite well. His torrid start to the CFL season was unsustainable by any defender and it was folly to think he had morphed into a “Lawrence Taylor” type defender in one off-season. Overall Lawrence is third in the league in both tackles and sacks, that seems like an All-Star pace to me.
KB: Lawrence’s opening night performance at BMO in Toronto is a big reason for those numbers. Perhaps the spat with B.C. Lions runner Shaq Murray-Lawrence has distracted Lawrence from really committing to his game as his performances have not been as stellar as they could. With average games against the Winnipeg Blue Bombers and now Montreal, Lawrence needs to amp it up going forward.
3) What could the Tiger Cats do to break out of the offensive funk they are in?
TG: It blows my mind that the Tiger-Cats have not given C.J. Gable more than 12 carries before this game. For all that’s been printed in the past about Gable’s game-breaking ability, the Ti-Cats have shied away from committing to one of their most dynamic players. With uneven quarterback play and one of the league’s best deep threats (Brandon Banks), the run game should be first and foremost in the Ti-Cat arsenal to take pressure off Masoli and set-up the play-action for deep strikes. If the ‘Cats can adhere to this strategy going forward, they may need less miracles on defense and special teams to rack up wins.
KB: Football is a game of situations and the playbook becomes expanded or limited depending on how you fare on first down. The Ti-Cats haven’t had great production on first down so far this season and that has seen them passing on second down and giving Gable fewer carries. It’s a big part of their lack of success thus far.
Who were the Tiger-Cat’s “Top Performers?”
TG: Adrian Tracy made life a living nightmare for whomever the Als rolled out behind center. Its rare to see one player so completely dismantle an offensive game plan but Tracy snuffed out any hope the ‘Larks had of getting back in the game. With fellow behemoth Ted Laurent and Drake Nevis as well as stellar edge rusher John Chick on hand, this defensive front is now the envy of the CFL going forward.
KB: Don’t forget the linebackers! The entire defensive front seven deserves credit for mostly shutting down opposing offences through four weeks. Larry Dean had a monster game in particular with three tackles and a huge fumble recovery at a critical juncture.
