Air farce 1
Not even late TDs can erase poor passing performance
Matt Dunigan, in the aftermath of Thursday night's loss in Montreal, offered the standard line when asked about the struggles of QB Marcus Crandell. The Stampeders head coach suggested only a "look at the film" would solve the mystery surrounding the club's offensive woes at Molson Stadium and a third consecutive loss.
But Stampeders fans have seen the movie rerun so many times before, the 42-23 thrashing by the Alouettes serving as just another sequel to the ongoing saga of what ails the club's offence.
Although Crandell finished with 250 yards passing, just 126 yards total offence generated in the opening
30 minutes was reflected in a 31-7 halftime deficit en route to another blowout loss.
Crandell was never sacked in 60 minutes at the helm but the veteran Stamps starter was continually harassed by the relentless Alouettes pass rush, particularly from linebackers Tim Strickland and Kevin Johnson.
While Dunigan seemed to suggest he needed more time to ruminate over what ails the offence, he offered some insights from the sidelines immediately following the game.
"When you play a team like (Montreal), you have to concentrate on keeping your eyes right and your feet planted and trust the guys around you," said the former CFL all-star pivot on Crandell's performance, which included four interceptions.
"You have a tendency to want to start looking for the players coming off the edge or starting to block for yourself and that can't happen, so you have to stay focused.
"I challenged him to do that several times and, for the most part, he did a nice job of that."
Crandell, presumably, finally began doing a "nice job" staying focused in the fourth quarter, with the Alouettes enjoying a 35-7 lead and the defence already daydreaming about cold refreshments that night along Montreal's infamous Crescent St.
Crandell then orchestrated an eight-play TD drive capped by Victor Ike's 13-yard touchdown run before also finding Sulecio Sanford for a touchdown toss from eight yards out, making the final outcome and the quarterback's stats somewhat respectable.
The problem?
Despite piecing together an impressive touchdown drive on the opening series, the Stampeders were apparently confused when the Als switched from primarily a man-to-man defence to more zone than expected. The new wrinkle opened lanes for Strickland and Johnson, rattling Crandell.
After throwing four picks, the Stamps pivot said the shaky performance won't deter him from attempting to find his rhythm next Saturday when the Roughriders coming calling.
"It doesn't affect me ... there's no other teams that run (a defence) like they do, so I'm not worried about that," Crandell shrugged afterward in the quiet Stamps locker-room.
"We've just got to keep our composure and stay focused against teams that bring the heat, make sure we're doing the right things all around, handling our assignments."
The loss dropped the Stampeders to 1-3 on the season, marking the second and final appearance against the Alouettes.
Next up is Saskatchewan, a rematch of the Stamps' season-opener when Crandell and the offence enjoyed their most successful game of the year in a 33-10 win.
While the Roughies may provide a glimmer of hope for the Stampeders offence trying to regain its form from Week 1, the Green and White have since upgraded at quarterback, turning the ball over to former Calgary pivot Henry Burris.
So while the Stamps are relieved to be finished with the Alouettes for 2004, the task of getting back into the win column doesn't get significantly easier.
