CFL NOTEBOOK: TICATS, STAMPS, ALOUETTES NOTES

HAMILTON – Orlondo Steinauer knows full well what Trevor Harris did in the East Division semifinal but isn’t going to spend the week focusing on the Edmonton Eskimos quarterback.

The Hamilton Tiger-Cats head coach will prepare for the East Division final against Edmonton on Sunday like he has for every other game this season: concentrating on his team.

“As people have heard from Day 1 at McMaster (start of Ticats training camp), we’re going to focus on ourselves,” Steinauer said. “We’re definitely going to put a gameplan together that we feel gives us the best chance to beat Edmonton and we’re aware of their strengths and where we think we can attack them in all three phases.

“But the majority of our focus will remain on ourselves, our execution and our mindset.”

It’s an approach that’s certainly worked as Hamilton (15-3) posted the CFL’s top regular-season record. The Ticats were also a stellar 9-0 at Tim Hortons Field and swept the season series with Edmonton 2-0.

The Eskimos advanced to the East final with a 37-29 road win over the Montreal Alouettes on Sunday. Harris finished 36-of-39 passing for 421 yards with a TD and interception as Edmonton had the ball for over 36 minutes.

Harris was especially sharp in the first half, completing 22 straight passes – one short of the league record held by Hamilton’s Jeremiah Masoli – before finishing 23-of-24 passing for 257 yards and a TD as Edmonton rolled up 306 offensive yards.

With Harris under centre, Edmonton was very methodical in taking its 25-19 half-time lead. The Eskimos had the ball for 21 minutes while mounting touchdown drives of 88, 80 and 83 yards.

But the Ticats should be very well rested come the opening kickoff. They had last week off and will play on their home field.

The Eskimos, who secured the crossover after finishing fourth in the West Division with an 8-10 record, are the proverbial road warriors. After travelling to Montreal, Edmonton returned home following the win then must return East to visit the Ticats.

And history isn’t on Edmonton’s side as no crossover team has ever reached the Grey Cup.

“I think there is a little advantage in that our body clocks are going to be what they are,” said Steinauer, who’ll make his playoff debut as a CFL head coach Sunday. “Does that matter once the ball is kicked off? I’m not so sure.

“Playing on the road, everybody understands that anything can happen and this league has proven that there’s a lot of parity and if you’re not prepared and don’t execute you can get beat. While I do think it’s an advantage to having the bye week and playing at home, it’s only going to prove to be an advantage if you come out with the win.”

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CALGARY – The Calgary Stampeders’ season was short by their own standards.

After playing in five of the last seven Grey Cup games and winning two of them, their exit in the CFL’s West Division semifinal Sunday at the hands of the Winnipeg Blue Bombers felt sudden.

Calgary fell short of a club-record eighth straight appearance in the division final.

So any satisfaction that could be drawn from a dozen wins to finish second in the division was overshadowed by the knowledge the team won’t be in a position to achieve a rare feat – repeating as Grey Cup champions on their home turf in Calgary on Nov. 24.

“A good year, but not a successful year,” head coach Dave Dickenson said Monday. “We’re disappointed.

“Feels very abrupt, but it’s the reality of sports. Really no excuses. We didn’t play a good enough game and we got beat.”

Calgary was a victim of its 2018 success losing big name players on both sides of the ball to CFL free agency and the NFL.

Unlike previous seasons, the Stampeders didn’t have the same depth to withstand the loss of players to injury.

Half of Calgary’s 12 wins were by five points or less.

“We were really scratching, clawing and fighting for the last six to eight weeks to the point where everything was just so difficult,” Dickenson said.

“I do think we ran out of gas. You could see in their faces they wanted to keep playing, they want to keep going, but everybody, it’s been a tough year on us.”

An offence that relied heavily on passing was minus star receiver and playoff performer Eric Rogers (high ankle sprain) in a 35-14 loss to the Bombers.

Calgary’s offence couldn’t match, nor could the defence defend against Winnipeg’s rushers who exploited the absence of Stampeder defensive end and sack leader Cordarro Law (separated shoulder).

How much credit the Bomber defence deserves for halftime adjustments that held Calgary to zero points in the second half, and how much blame quarterback Bo Levi Mitchell should assume for not overcoming that is a matter of debate.

“I think you should take criticism when it comes to performances like that,” Mitchell said. “It was literally the worst game of my entire career statistics-wise.

“Playoffs is where I’ve always stepped up and become a different player. With success comes failure. It’s going to happen. Hopefully throughout a long career it doesn’t happen very often.”

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MONTREAL – Bring back free agent head coach Khari Jones – that’s what Alouettes players are emphatically telling the team’s front office.

The Alouettes sung their coach’s praises while cleaning out their lockers on Monday, a day after losing the East Division semifinal 37-29 to the Edmonton Eskimos.

The consensus: Jones was a major reason for Montreal’s success this year and the team would be making a big mistake by not re-signing him.

“We all want him back,” said veteran defensive end John Bowman. “The city wants him back, everybody on this team wants him back. Without any hesitation, he’s the guy for this team.”

Bowman is contemplating retirement again despite having a year remaining on his contract. The 37-year-old says it would be difficult to return if Jones is not the head coach.

“He instils confidence in everyone in here,” said Bowman, who completed his 14th CFL season. “He makes everyone feel like they’re important. Just the way he talks to people. He lifts them up. He knows about people’s families. He’s not just a coach. He’s in here trying to learn about us as individuals.”

Jones was rushed into the head coach role when the Alouettes fired Mike Sherman right before the start of the regular season. He also juggled offensive co-ordinator responsibilities and a few general manager duties this year.

The 48-year-old from Indiana, with no previous head coaching experience, defied expectations by leading Montreal to a winning record (10-8) and the team’s first playoff appearance since 2014.

The club’s entertaining performances, even in tight losses, and its never-say-die attitude revitalized the city’s love for football. There were 21,054 fans packed inside Percival Molson Stadium for Sunday’s playoff game.

“Jones gives us the freedom to express ourselves,” said kicker Boris Bede. “And he believes in us. He’s always listening. It really gives you the desire to play well. Nobody in this locker room thought we were going home today. We had the right players and we could have won the Grey Cup. That all starts with Khari.”

Added free agent running back William Stanback: “I love coach Khari. He’s given me the opportunity to succeed. He gave me the chance to fill big shoes, to be a part of it. I would love for him to be my head coach again.”

Some players say they have even lobbied team president Patrick Boivin and urged him to offer Jones a new deal.

What makes things complicated in Montreal is the organizational uncertainty at every level, starting with the lack of ownership.

The team’s previous owners, the Wetenhall family, sold the troubled franchise to the CFL back in May and the league has been looking for new buyers ever since.

Those new owners would need to fill the vacant general manager position following the departure of interim GM Joe Mack, who replaced Jones four games into the season.

And it would be up to the new general manager to appoint a head coach, who would then select his coaching staff – something Jones did not have the luxury of doing this season.

Until those top positions are filled, everyone else is left in the dark.

“We’re all just waiting in limbo,” said Bowman. “We don’t have an owner, Khari doesn’t have a contract. I might be the only one under contract. We’re going to wait and see and hopefully he’s back.”

(Canadian Press)