Jul
Winds blowing in CFL East’s favour
Courtesy Montreal Gazette:
In a league where the only certainty is that nothing will transpire as expected, it’s hard to know what’s more surprising – the East Division’s four victories in six interlocking games against its division rivals, or Hamilton’s stunning come-from-behind victory last Friday, at British Columbia.
“For the long-term viability, it’s good to see some form of balance,” said Alouettes president Larry Smith, a former CFL commissioner. “The caveat, of course, is that it’s still early and we shouldn’t get ahead of ourselves. But it’s evident the eastern clubs have done their homework.
“Injuries will determine a lot of success. And, until the season’s over, we really don’t know. The winds change quickly in the CFL. But this is a nice indicator.”
The East Division went 3-1 last weekend and would have swept all four games against the west had the Toronto Argonauts not squandered an early lead, imploding in the process against Saskat-chewan. The Roughriders broke the game open with 30 unanswered second-quarter points en route to a 46-36 victory. Eastern clubs won only six games all last season against the west.
The week began with Montreal’s 50-16 pasting of Edmonton; the Als’ second consecutive victory this season against a West Division team after going 3-5 overall last season, including four straight road defeats.
“Looking back on last year, we wanted to make improvements,” Montreal guard Paul Lambert said. “One area was our record against the west. We paid particular attention to that. I didn’t know what to expect or the team we had. You go to training camp and know there are going to be new players.
“I think we’ve just opened up the playbook more,” he added. “The offence has added some things. We’ve got lots of tools and are utilizing our players. The key is to keep protecting (quarterback Anthony Calvillo). Allow him to sit in the pocket and he’ll be successful.”
If a Montreal victory over the Eskimos at Molson Stadium wasn’t a great surprise, the Tiger-Cats’ incredible
31-28 victory at Vancouver was mind-boggling. Not only were the Lions ahead 13-4 at the end of the first quarter, B.C. had enjoyed a 14-game home winning streak against teams from Eastern time zones, dating back to 2004.
“This feels like a dream,” Lions slotback Geroy Simon said after the game. “I never thought in a million years we’d lose to Hamilton.”
Lions general manager and head coach Wally Buono said that attitude is dangerous and leads to failure. “It isn’t a divine right for any team to win or be better,” Buono said.
“There are 55 plays in a game. Fifty are fairly balanced. It’s the other five plays you don’t make or give up. It’s that simple.
“You’ve got to say the East Division has improved. I don’t know if there was a huge discrepancy. But with better coaching and, with one or two new players, that can make a huge difference.”
Both the Lions and Calgary Stampeders, the defending Grey Cup champions, have started the season 0-2. B.C. was 0-2 last season and completed the year 11-7. Similarly, the Roughriders started the season with six consecutive wins, but ended 12-6. Neither team advanced to the Cup.
Hamilton head coach Marcel Bellefeuille, attempting to eradicate years of losing in an organization that hasn’t made the playoffs since 2004, hopes the upset will provide his players with some confidence and a feeling of belief.
“We won’t gain respect until we win some more,” he admitted. “But as a coach, you think you can win every game. I have belief in our players. I think a win like that can create confidence, no question. You’re on the road and overcome adversity.
“You can always win a game people don’t think you’re capable of. When you do, it creates confidence you can do it again.”
Bellefeuille didn’t allow the time change or long flight to pervade his players’ psyche.
“We figured our most important sleep was two nights before the game,” Bellefeuille explained.
“We felt our rest at home was most important. We didn’t make a big deal about the time change. We took things one play at a time, and my message to the players was win that play.”
