CFL West Final - Nov 19, 2:30pm Stamps vs Esks

[Stay Golden]

Guys like Finch, Messem, McDaniels were are all heart and the difference on offence. Bo did a good job managing the game for 3 quarters but more importantly protected the ball from wild throws.
Hughes and Singleton led a relentless D all game that woke up after going down 14 early. The 4th quarter I blame more on going away from man coverage and heavy pass rush to more zone cover 3.
When they are given the keys to pass rush and play tight coverage down field they are at their best and hard to beat.
Hard fought game Stamps deserved the win. They are a talented group now don't hold back and bring home the Grey Cup!

[OzSome]

Here's my take in the game.

Stamps started off slow and it doesn't look like they will recover for it. Then it looks like after the 2nd TD by the Eskimos, the whole team woke up and started thinking we better get our butt in order. Hats off to Claybrook for making some adjustment because at the beginning, it looks like he's been sending safety blitz a lot and Reilly recognizing it and making them pays. Hats off to DD's offense adjustment too.

Offense:
The real Offensive Lines showed today. I don't think Odell Willis and his guys chased Bo Levi Mitchell much today. OLine also gave Messam a lot of blocks. Mitchell was good today and he could have thrown more yardages today if it wasn't for those dropped passes. He shown why he is one the top QB in the CFL. I've seen Kamar Jorden dropped some balls a few years ago that's why he was in and out of the lineup back then. I thought he fixed those problem but today that problem is back. 3 dropped passes is unacceptable but at least he made up for those mistakes. Another problem the receivers have was running the wrong route but i think receivers did their job when they needed.
Marquay McDaniel showed how important he is in this team. He showed his veteran presence today. He did not catch a lot of balls but he was the biggest reasons for Marken Michel and Roy Finch big plays.

Defense:
DB made some great adjustments during the game. They pretty much shut down Eskies receivers except for some of the few wide-open catch by Zylstra, Walker and Hazelton. Bowman was not even a factor today and whoever guarding all game did a heck of a job. Front 7 were good. Eskies saviour(according to Suitor and Cuthbert) RB CJ Gable pretty much got shut down. Reilly did not get a lot of good looks especially in the 2nd & 3rd quarter because of the Front 7.

Special Team:
Nice to have Roy Finch back. He's always dangerous out there. Maver did a great job punting the ball considering it got so windy out there. Coverage were good. Didn't really gave up a lot of return yardages. They also saved the game when Eskie player dropped the ball and Levels swiped the ball from him.

Coaching staff
Great adjustment and good play-calling all game especially the bad start.

*************
I think next week they will be more focus and hungry. Last year I think they were over-confident and Ottawa surprised them. Not next week though.

[JBR]

Originally Posted by dash_pinched

Looks like a ‘57 Chevy with the doors open.

[puffnstuff]

^^^ On offense, no mention of that pass to Federkeil? That was awesome. And how he finished the run was beautiful.

[dash_pinched]

Originally Posted by puffnstuff

^^^ On offense, no mention of that pass to Federkeil? That was awesome. And how he finished the run was beautiful.

I did make mention of it (post #119 in this thread) and maybe we'll see it again in the Grey Cup game. Certainly will give the Argos something to think about if he reports in as tackle eligible.

https://forum.calgarypuck.com/showpo...&postcount=119

[midniteowl]

Originally Posted by puffnstuff

^^^ On offense, no mention of that pass to Federkeil? That was awesome. And how he finished the run was beautiful.

Yeah, that should be the highlight of the offense. I didn't recognize him at first and was thinking to myself who's that receiver, he sure is big.

[puffnstuff]

Originally Posted by dash_pinched

I did make mention of it (post #119 in this thread) and maybe we'll see it again in the Grey Cup game. Certainly will give the Argos something to think about if he reports in as tackle eligible.

https://forum.calgarypuck.com/showpo...&postcount=119

I just meant in Ozs recap.

[tvp2003]

That was a beautiful game to witness.

Edmonton got off to as good of a start as they could dream of. And after seeing so many disappointing playoff performances -- especially divisional finals and semi-finals at home over the years -- it felt like this could have been just another chapter (that no-yards penalty to nullify the Edmonton fumble in the first quarter anyone?!?)

But it was still so early in the game that I knew there would be opportunities for the boys to reload. And they did. All three phases made big plays -- the defence shutting the door the rest of the first half. Bo with some precision passing to make it 14-7 (before the wind picked up), and Finch with some game breaking runs, including the go-ahead touchdown late in the first half. That was the difference tonight -- I was hoping they could get into field goal range but Finch took it to the house instead. Huge play #1 for the Stamps. Nice touch to get Messam up the middle on the two-point convert -- I had a flashback to the Grey Cup and thought this was a little redemption for what happened at the goal line last year. It also foreshadowed a little of what would come in the second half.

After a booming kickoff single to stretch the lead to 8, the Stamps had a nice drive (including a long pass to Jorden down the seam) that looked like it stalled in the red zone. However, an Edmonton offside penalty turned a 3rd & 10 and a field goal attempt into a 2nd & 5. Messam immediately converts that into 6 points with a draw up the middle to make it 31-15 after the PAT. Big play #2 for the Stamps.

Big play #3 would have given the Stamps a comfortable lead, but instead it was Parker with a drop on a perfectly thrown pass down the sideline. I get that the wind was playing havoc on the passing game, but I don't think anyone was surprised that it was Parker who dropped it. On we go, 31-18 after three quarters.

The Eskimos finally get back into the endzone after a couple of long completions, and the Stamps are unable to answer. However, they are able to gain some field position, and with a swirling wind at his back, Maver was able to get a punt single rather than going for the coffin corner. I thought this was big as it made it a seven point ball game -- a converted TD would only tie the game. Lo and behold, the Eskimos march the ball down the field, including a key third down conversion to Zylstra. But then Maas inexplicably kicks the field goal instead of going for it on a 3rd and 4 on the Calgary 13. Mind bottling.

The Stamps offence and special teams took over from there -- Cote with a first down to bleed the clock, and then Patrick Levels with the big hit after the Edmonton fumble (good job by Maver to get it away). Game over!

Extra points:

- Great atmosphere at McMahon. People can complain about it being a dump, and not being as nice as some of the new stadiums in Sask, Winnipeg, etc, but if I wanted the NFL experience I'd go watch an NFL game. This was a great CFL game and everyone in attendance got their money's worth regardless of who they were cheering for.

- On that note, this must be a crushing loss for Eskmos fans (whom I generally respect unlike their counterparts one province to the East) -- I didn't realize they were coming in having won 6 in a row. Overall they played well -- their O-Line was excellent and Reilly is a warrior. The missed field goals hurt them for sure, especially the one that miraculously hit the upright because they didn't even get a single point.

- The Stamps are going back to the GREY CUP! Time to get revenge on the Argos after losing in 2012. With the big comeback win, I think the Stamps have some of that swagger back, and I expect them to be flying around the field in Ottawa a week from today. They wanted a chance for redemption after last year, and now they get another chance to prove they're the best team in the CFL! Go Stamps Go!

[Corral]

Job well done by the entire Stampeders organization on this game, from ticket sales and promotion to the finish line. The fighter jets are such a classic CFL moment. Go Stamps Go.

[TheAlpineOracle]

Originally Posted by Corral

Job well done by the entire Stampeders organization on this game, from ticket sales and promotion to the finish line. The fighter jets are such a classic CFL moment. Go Stamps Go.

The WIFI in the stadium was down for all the second half. As a result, none of the Stamps POS machines were working so it was cash only and a lot of people were unable to purchase anything. Pretty epic failure that seems to happen pretty frequently. That’s why I always bring cash. The failure left a lot of money on the table today.

Great game, but man oh man, it always seems to be full of issues when there are big crowds at McMahon. It’s bad enough the only places you can use debit/visa are for beer tickets and merchandise, but when you can almost guarantee those will brake down when there is over 30K it’s an issue. Shouldn’t need a new stadium to fix that problem.

[Pizza]

lol @ the post game interview with the players...
Sexy Jack Black, showing his media inexperience with an honest answer on Maas' decision for a FG on 3rd and 4

Singleton: I thought it was just disrespecting our Offence. To think that we couldn't come back and is just disrespectful, especially when we rushed for 150 at the half. It was just a bad call

*hands the mic to Mitchell

Mitchell: I should've answered that question first so he would know how to handle that. We don't want to comment on what they do *laughs*

[Trojan97]

Originally Posted by TheAlpineOracle

The WIFI in the stadium was down for all the second half. As a result, none of the Stamps POS machines were working so it was cash only and a lot of people were unable to purchase anything. Pretty epic failure that seems to happen pretty frequently. That’s why I always bring cash. The failure left a lot of money on the table today.

Great game, but man oh man, it always seems to be full of issues when there are big crowds at McMahon. It’s bad enough the only places you can use debit/visa are for beer tickets and merchandise, but when you can almost guarantee those will brake down when there is over 30K it’s an issue. Shouldn’t need a new stadium to fix that problem.

There are plenty of spots to buy beer/liquor with cash. Maybe I'm missing something? I've only been to a handful of games in the past few seasons.

[Pizza]

Originally Posted by Trojan97

There are plenty of spots to buy beer/liquor with cash. Maybe I'm missing something? I've only been to a handful of games in the past few seasons.

He had issues with the Point of Sale machines not accepting Credit or Debit. Paying in Cash wasnt an issue for him but affected many others at the game

[Trojan97]

Originally Posted by Pizza

He had issues with the Point of Sale machines not accepting Credit or Debit. Paying in Cash wasnt an issue for him but affected many others at the game

Apologies for not being more clear. I've always anticipated Stampeders games to be a no go when it comes to POS sales and have taken out cash in anticipation of this. Has this changed in the last few years?

[TheAlpineOracle]

Originally Posted by Trojan97

There are plenty of spots to buy beer/liquor with cash. Maybe I'm missing something? I've only been to a handful of games in the past few seasons.

There are only a couple places who take debit or credit in the whole stadium. These are the beer ticket place ( to be used at the beer express lines) or the merchandise tables. Both of those were non operational today so it was cash only (this seems to happen all the time). There’s only about 10 ATMs in the entire stadium and when there is a big crowd liken today your looking at a 20-30 minute wait just to get cash out.

[TheAlpineOracle]

Originally Posted by Pizza

He had issues with the Point of Sale machines not accepting Credit or Debit. Paying in Cash wasnt an issue for him but affected many others at the game

And it’s a common issue there any time there is a big crowd. Cash only is not acceptable in today’s world, and when you only have a few non-cash options you better make goddamn sure those are working and when they go out that the problem is corrected quickly.

The Stamps staff reaction to this today was “ Oh well, guess it’s cash only. IF you didn’t get some out before you got here, you should have known better.”

I know better because I’m a season ticket holder, but I’m sure there were lots of casual fans there today who went home pretty sour and that’s not good for a team that isn’t the best draw in town.

[calgaryblood]

I think Maas thought they were down by 8. Would make sense that he wanted to go for 2 if they scored.

Really that's the only thing that makes sense. If they scored a touchdown wouldn't you take the extra point to tie instead of resting your entire season on one play?

Edmonton is no good. At math.

[Ruttiger]

Originally Posted by CedarMeter

Oh man. If I was a Esks fan I would be pissed!. They were moving the ball on the last drive. What the hell was he thinking?!. He needs to be fired for that decision.

I was. And still am.

[rotten42]

If you want a fun read go over to HF Oilers (Eskimo thread) and start reading around page 35. So much optimism and bravado....then turns into them sucking their thumbs and blaming the refs on not calling holding penalties. lol

[tvp2003]

Watched the replay highlights this morning -- holy moly did the wind ever push that first field goal attempt wide left.

Did Finch play much offence in the second half? Looked like he may have tweaked something at the end of his TD run -- I know he was still returning kicks so hopefully it wasn't anything serious.

Also wanted to give Bo some credit for not panicking and trying to force things downfield early when they were behind. No interceptions either despite the wind.