Drew Tate's Night Spoiled
There's something about crappy CFL teams that gets the best of the Stampeders. They lose big to Hamilton in the Maritimes, and they've lost twice to the worse team in the CFL. Why can such a talented team put up such a crappy show?
Let's break down this game teams....
Calgary may have dominated the play-clock, but turnovers and penalties were the two elements that lead to their demise which was practically sealed before the first half concluded. Some promising early drives that lead to the red-zone suffered from stupid play calling and two mere field goals.
The problems started to get worse in the second half with Henry Burris giving up the ball three times. One 'fumble' from a lateral pass, and two interceptions, both of which lead to 14 points. Burris threw two interceptions before his night ended before the second quarter ended--only 65 yards total.
Were the throws Burris' fault? Yes. Why he continues to turn up a stinker of a game every three games? Anybody's guess. The Stampeders continue to insist on the throw, only rushing the ball 14 times from the line. Think about this, a normal team runs the ball around 20 and usually more. The Stamps struggle to exceed 12, imagine if you ran 8-10 more times a game, that's 8-10 less throws Burris has to make and likely means fewer mistakes.
You live and die by the Burris sword in Cowtown, but that could all change very quickly.
Drew Tate took immediate command of the offence after Burris threw his second interception and never looked back. Tate lead the Stamps for 23 points and almost the come from behind win.....
Special team were yet again not very special. No big runs and a complete inability to contain league leading returner Chad Owens.
Despite a shoddy offence in the first half, poor special teams, Calgary still had a chance to take the win by capitalizing on Steven Jyles FOUR interceptions. But they couldn't. In fact, when push really came to shove in the final minutes when the Stamps could've sealed the game the secondary completely fell apart.
The run game for Toronto was stopped short in the second half, but the secondary lost the game in the final minutes. The defence was called for penalties on the final four plays putting the Argos well into field goal range and sealing the victory.
Where do the Stamps go from here? Another unceremonious dump of a veteran (this time Henry Burris)? Will Reynolds get back into the fold? Where is Romby Bryant? Why can't Dickenson call a complete game? Will the defence turn up for a full 60 minutes? What happened to special teams?
This would be the time for the Stamps to figure out their game and pull away with some wins, but they are regressing. Albeit this is the CFL where only 3 games matter and the Stamps are slotted to make the playoffs regardless of their final games. However, one has to think it's going to be another early exit for the Stamps with the pathetic play they've been putting together as of late.
Notes: J'Michael Deane left the game in the third quarter after one of the worst ankle dislocations/broken legs I've ever seen. Gross.
