OUT OF THE TUNNEL: A NEW WORLD, AND CLASSIC GAMES
BY: RODPEDERSEN.COM STAFF
And just like that, in the span of a week, we are all living in a completely different world. Sports seem incredibly insignificant when so many people are – or will soon be – sick with the COVID-19 virus that is spreading across the world. It has hit Europe hard and now it appears North America is next.
It will soon be unavoidable to either have the virus or know someone that is afflicted with the virus. We all just want everyone to be safe and take the appropriate precautions that are prescribed by your health authority.
Pretty much every pro and amateur sport is cancelled. No one knows if it will have an impact on the beginning of CFL training camps and/or the season; that is way too far in the future to determine now. It has affected the CFL with the cancellation of the 2020 CFL Draft combine and many workouts across the country. That changes the way teams will approach the draft.The CFL Draft itself shouldn’t have to be changed since it’s already done by conference call.
The Draft could be “tweaked”, giving teams more time to make their selections. The general managers can consult with their scouting staff by various means and then make their pick. The TSN broadcast won’t be affected because it’s already very bare bones.
Where it will make a difference is each team’s analysis of the players. Unlike the NFL process where the majority of the top 100 players have already played in best-on-best competition, CFL teams need the Combine for evaluation purposes.
Eligible Canadians come from so many different levels of football. This makes the Combine important for seeing how they compare one-on-one. How does the USports all-Canadian match up with the Big-12 second team all-conference player? How does the NAIA standout compare to the PFC national champion?
After that, the medicals become very important. There isn’t another opportunity for CFL teams to get an accurate gauge on the health of their potential pick. Finally, interviews can be done via Skype or any other digital video call.
When it comes down to it, CFL front offices will have to really trust their staffs and the tape. Usually in the end, tape doesn’t lie.
/=S=/
With everyone clamouring for any sort of sports on TV, some stations are starting to show games from the past. This gave us the idea to come up with some games we would like to see:
First a rant: Dear CFL, please make your historical boxscores and statistics available for the most beautiful fans in the country; the nerds like us at Out Of The Tunnel. These are the people who dragged the NFL into the modern era via Pro Football Reference, Pro Football Focus and the rest of the wonderful sites that litter the internet.
To have your stats on the CFL website begin at 2004 is a travesty. Football nerds are wonderful, smart and detail-oriented people who will help push the analytics and statistical analysis forward into the modern era. Finally, please put the PDF of the current Guide and Record Book online too. Thank you.Now that we’ve got that out of the way, and we are armed with the 2019 CFL Guide and Record book and a fresh subscription to Newspapers.com, we will spend the next little bit finding the games we would like to see as a throwback on TV. Most of the games will come from the 70’s to modern times. CFL games pre-1969 would be hit-and-miss and, unfortunately, in black and white.
Many of you would like to see Matt Dunigan’s 714 yard passing game from July 14, 1994, or Arland Bruce III’s 16 catch, 274 yard game on July 31, 2010, in Saskatchewan. This isn’t what we are looking for at OOTT. Nope, we prefer the stupid and sublime.
We begin with a game from October 23, 1971, the second last week of the season. The Ottawa Rough Riders went into Ivor Wynne Stadium in Hamilton and knocked off the Tiger-Cats 40-16. This game set the CFL record for turnovers by both teams with…20!!! Hell yeah! Laser this game into our retinas!
Ottawa Journal reporter and CFL Hall of Famer, Eddie MacCabe summed up the game with this flowery first paragraph that was very common for the time:
“If there are to be strange deeds in football…comically bizarre happenings…then this is the place for it. The bright green carpet in Ivor Wynne Stadium stands out in this grey, dreary place like a bib on a hippo.”
The Rough Riders finished the game with eight lost fumbles and threw four interceptions while the TiCats lost two fumbles, added two interceptions and the two combined for four turnovers on downs.
Ottawa turned the ball over eight times in the first half and trailed 16-6 but scored 34 points in the second for the victory.
Rick Cassata was the pivot for the Rough Riders, and this is how much the game has changed, he was lauded for his performance leading Ottawa to victory. He was 9/17 for 128 yards, one touchdown and four interceptions. Cassata also rushed for another 88 yards.There were three turnovers for touchdowns in this beauty of a game. Hamilton’s Dick Wesolowski picked up a Rough Rider fumble in the end zone for a score in the second quarter. Barclay Allan picked off Hamilton quarterback Joe Zuger and took it back 31-yards for a touchdown in the third quarter while Al Marcelin finished the scoring for Ottawa with a 65-yard pick-six (not a term from that time).
Zuger was awful for Hamilton with just 95 yards passing on 29 attempts. He was also picked twice while managing just 12 total first downs.
Gerry Organ, the rookie kicker for the Rough Riders, kicked four field goals and picked up four PAT’s.
The win helped Ottawa get one last shot to make the playoffs. The next week they would beat Montreal 9-7 (which sounds like a game that may be right up our alley) and get the Rough Riders into the playoffs.
This game would be a treat to watch! Old school sloppy, dumb football.
Oh yeah, the Saskatchewan Roughriders also won that day, 50-18 over B.C.
Don’t forget to wash your hands!
(RODPEDERSEN.COM STAFF/PHOTO: JAVA POST)
I’m not a doctor but my common sense tells me everything coming out of Saskatchewan’s Saqib Shahab mouth is moot and pointless, I’m not fear mongering. Self quarenteen for 14 days? Then what? Your okay? Not for one second I’ve heard. Nobody is guaranteed they won’t get the coronavirus again for a second time with more consequence. Our governments need to do more with regards to stringent rules along with law and order, non of this minimization and beating around the bush. We need to nip this in the bud as a collective civilization. Let’s get real, let’s be mindful,… Read more »