OUT OF THE TUNNEL: “THE HIT”

BY: RODPEDERSEN.COM STAFF

It was a very interesting opening week of the CFL season. There were the usual great game-changing, controversial, and unfortunate plays but it still feels like we are in week three of the pre-season.

This was most evident in the Saskatchewan Roughriders’ 23-17 loss in Hamilton. Neither team was crisp on offence, there were many missed tackles, missed blocks and a few dropped passes.

It didn’t really matter if the Riders won or lost the game because, no matter the outcome, everyone is talking about Simoni Lawrence’s brutal late hit on quarterback Zach Collaros. 

The hit has completely changed the immediate future of the Riders. It was announced Sunday afternoon that Collaros will be placed on the six-game injured list. His football future after that is completely unknown.

This is another tough chapter in Collaros’s career which has recently been dominated by concussions and absorbing vicious hits to the head. We are not one to tell a player when to retire but it might be time for Collaros to consider his future in football and his future outside of the game. As the concussions accumulate, it will affect his brain health now and as he gets older. So Zach, we are wishing you a speedy recover with no lingering effects. 

Now to the hit itself. There has already been so much said about it, but when it comes right down to it, the hit was disgusting and has no place in football in 2019. The CFL’s decision on what Lawrence’s punishment will be is pivotal and precedent setting (it hadn’t been announced at the time of writing).

If it’s a light one-game suspension and a minor fine, this will be an indictment on the league’s stance on player safety. If it’s a heavy three- or more game suspension, it will make a statement that the CFL is finally cracking down on hits like this and truly taking the next steps in making an often brutal sport a little safer.

What will likely happen is a very CFL-like punishment somewhere in the middle. They will hedge and play things right down the middle and not make a statement either way. It’s the CFL way.

Other notes from the game:

– Nick Marshall will be an incredible corner but will give up one incredibly big play per game like he did on the 41-yard Brandon Banks touchdown reception in the second quarter.

– William Powell is the bell-cow running back this offence needs not just now, but for the rest of the season. The tough part will be if Powell’s body can handle over 300-carries in a season. In today’s professional football, this is a rarity.

– Hamilton’s offence looked especially sloppy in the game. A slew of penalties that gave this game a pre-season feel.

– Isaac Harker looked solid in his first CFL action. They kept the offence pretty simple by splitting the field in half and having him deal mostly with the short side. Harker does have a very deliberate wind-up release, but he can deliver the ball with authority.

– The defence looked great, but they didn’t force a turnover and had just one sack.

That gets us to the Roughriders crucial Week 2 game in Ottawa on Thursday night. Ottawa looked very good in their 32-28 road victory in Calgary last week and will be hyped up for their home opener.

The Riders will roll into Ottawa with Cody Fajardo at the helm of a Rider offence that needs to play a better game than what they rolled out in Week 1 in Hamilton. The Riders were able to move the football, have some sustained drives, and were able to get into the end zone twice (which only happened a handful of times in 2018), but more is needed this week and as the season progresses.

The defence will need to have at least one huge game changing play if the Green and White wants to walk away with a win and a split to begin the season on the road.

Finally, special teams let the Riders down in Hamilton. Other than Loucheiz Purifoy’s 43-yard kick-return early in the second quarter the return team was locked down and the cover team let up the Frankie Williams’ game breaking 68-yard punt return for a touchdown in the third quarter. They also need to be better for the Riders to grab their first win of the season.

There were some quirky things in Week 1 of the CFL season:

 – Ottawa walked into the hardest stadium in the CFL to win and escaped with a 32-28 victory over the Calgary Stampeders.

Redblacks quarterback Dominique Davis threw four interceptions but ended up with 276-yards passing and three rushing touchdowns for the victory.

– Four running plays. 

That is all the B.C. Lions attempted in their 33-23 loss in their home opener to the Winnipeg Blue Bombers.  They had just 43 offensive plays in total the whole game.

– There were four 100-yard rushers in week one of the CFL season. Three of them were on winning teams: Mossis Madu (112) for the Redblacks, C.J. Gable (154) for the Edmonton Eskimos, and Andrew Harris (143) for the Winnipeg Blue Bombers.

The only losing, 100-yard running back was the Riders’ William Powell (104).

– The Riders ran the second-most offensive plays in week one with 61 and Hamilton was tied for the least with 43. This was the only game in week one that saw the losing team run more offensive plays than the winning team. Edmonton had 69 offensive plays in their dominating 32-25 victory over Montreal.

 – Look for a different starting quarterback in Montreal when they return for Week 3 of the season. Vernon Adams made their loss in Edmonton a little respectable going 7-for-10 for 134-yards and a touchdown leading the Alouettes to 17 points in the fourth quarter. 

– Three teams have a bye in week two of the CFL season. Winnipeg, Calgary and Montreal will take a seat while the Toronto Argonauts will host their season opener Saturday afternoon against Hamilton. 

Harris’s favourite target from Week 1? Former Roughrider receiver Ricky Collins Jr. who had his best ever CFL game with nine catches for 175 yards.

(RODPEDERSEN.COM STAFF/PHOTO: SYDNEY PEDERSEN)