MATT CAUZ
CFL.CA
Matt Cauz is a producer and football analyst for SUN TV. He appears regularly on the “Casino Rama Grill Room” and “Canoe Live”. Prior to joining Sun TV, he spent seven years working for TSN’s “Off The Record”. Follow Matt on Twitter @mcauz56.
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I think the best way to summarize the Argonauts 16-13 victory over the Hamilton Tiger-Cats is that it was an ugly game, it was quite often a tedious game, yet despite all of that it was really entertaining. It is kind of like the movie Face Off – both had so many flaws, both made you wonder why you were watching it, yet you stuck around to the end, and secretly you kind of enjoyed it.
Oh sure you can say the first half set back offensive football about five decades, but if you are a fan of big hits and form tackles well the first 30 minutes wasn’t all bad. And if a punting battle is your thing, the first half was like The Godfather meets Citizen Kane.
A couple mini highlights before we move on to the second half:
(1) The impact/non-impact of Chad Owens. Yes statistically Owens wasn’t much of a factor, but that’s only because there isn’t a statistic for most bad punts or short kick-offs executed because the opposing team is scarred like hell to put the ball into that guys hands.
(2) Kevin Eiben’s tackle on DeAndra’ Cobb on the Tiger-Cats’ second possession. Eiben squared up and stopped Cobb short of the first down, an impressive tackle considering all of the open field. Markeith Knowlton had a similar tackle on Chad Owens in the second quarter.
(3) Speaking of Tiger-Cats linebackers, I can always watch those guys. From Otis Floyd smacking around Cleo Lemon to Jamall Johnson’s constant battles with Corey Boyd you can see how these guys are the heart and soul of the Tiger-Cat defence.
(4) Ricky Foley was all over the field. Forget about his hit injuring Kevin Glenn. I want to talk about his tackle on Cobb early in the second quarter. On a second and 20 Foley was part of a three man rush on Glenn, who had dumped it off to Cobb. With plenty of real estate and no Argonauts in sight it looked like Cobb had a chance for a first down when he was suddenly tackled from behind by Foley. Classic case of a hustle play from a defensive lineman who went from the Tiger-Cat backfield to the secondary to prevent a first down conversion. Of course his taunting of Kevin Glenn, calling him a sucky baby while making the rubbing the eyes motion may have been even more entertaining. Big fan of the old school taunts!
(5) Rob Black’s use of the term “pressurized”.
(6) Learning that Paul Osbaldiston believes Hamilton is the toughest venue to kick field goals. Considering Paul spent about 17 seasons in Hamilton, I think his opinions may be a bit biased.
(7) Rod Black’s use of the term “The Score Zone” … sounds almost dirty.
The second half was all about Toronto’s defence and Cory Boyd. Hamilton managed just 35 yards in the third quarter while turning the ball over twice. They improved their yardage total in the final quarter but only scored seven points as Kevin Glenn threw two interceptions.
What made Toronto’s defensive performance so impressive was they had so little support from their offence. It’s easy to hold teams down when you are playing with a lead or get plenty of time to rest, but for all of Boyd’s brilliance, the Argonauts punted 12 times and were held to 270 yards.
Toronto won because they shut down DeAndra’ Cobb, they forced Hamilton into multiple second down and longs and most importantly they didn’t panic. This was a team filled with guys making their first playoff start yet they didn’t get down even when Cleo Lemon threw up yet another classic endzone interception with just under six minutes left in the third quarter. That could have been a momentum changer, but Hamilton couldn’t capitalize.
And now for a bit of praise for Toronto’s offence.
Toronto’s best offensive drive of the season didn’t result in a touchdown. It ended with Noel Prefontaine’s 12th punt of the game. Go back to just under five minutes left after Eric Wilbur’s picture perfect coffin corner kick had Toronto pinned back at their own three yard line barely holding on to a three point lead. I’m guessing most people were expecting Toronto to concede a safety, especially when it was second and eight. But then a funny thing happened. Lemon twice found Jeremaine Copeland to convert second and longs. Mixed in with those passes, Boyd ran for the hardest 36 yards you’ll ever see as Toronto gained four first downs and chewed up about three minutes of clock.
The runs by Boyd were certainly not a thing of beauty, but there is something just so impressive about watching a team run the ball when everyone in the stadium knows what you are going to do yet you still manage to churn out first downs.
Throw in Kevin Glenn’s surgical final drive that was one tipped pass away from at least a Sandro DeAngelis field goal attempt to tie the game and I think it’s fair to say it was an entertaining playoff upset game.
So what’s next for Hamilton this off-season?
They are set at the skill positions. You can win a Grey Cup with Kevin Glenn and the offensive line was the best at keeping their quarterbacks safe in 2010. Where they need help is clearly in the secondary. Despite ranking third in QB sacks, the team was dead last against the pass giving up a league high 302 yards per game. Even with their second straight home playoff loses I hope the front office doesn’t make too many changes. The team feels really close to being a legitimate Grey Cup contender.
Going into next week’s game, Toronto knows they have played Montreal tough this season. They are one Mark Estelle endzone interception away from going into this game with a three game winning streak against Montreal. Of course, I think we all learned that winning three straight versus an opponent does not exactly guarantee a victory.