12 Audibles: Stampeders cite inspiration from early-exiting fans for comeback

Welcome to another week of 12 Audibles, our regular look at storylines from around the CFL. This time, we start with the Calgary Stampeders, whose 15-point fourth-quarter comeback against the B.C. Lions Friday led to a 44-41 overtime win. Many of the Stampeders later cited an unusual motivational factor...

1. Departing fans. B.C. took a seemingly insurmountable 41-26 lead with 4:33 left, and plenty of Calgary fans started heading for the exits. After the game, several Stampeders said that fired them up:

Even head coach Dave Dickenson wasn't impressed with the departing fans:

There's been a lot of hyperbolic discussion about this from some CFL fans on Twitter, with some people bashing the fans who left and some bashing the players for criticizing them, but from this corner, no one is particularly in the wrong. Paying customers can choose to leave at whatever time they want (or boo, or do anything else that doesn't violate league or stadium rules), but they do take the risk of missing a comeback (especially in this league), and it's also totally understandable for players to be offended by early departures. It's good to see the players express their feelings about this, too; it helps illustrate that they're not football-playing robots, but guys with emotions who react to how fans act, and these comments are much more interesting than the non-controversial pablum quotes we often see. In any case, if those fans' departures helped inspire Calgary's comeback, it worked out for everyone, as that was...

2. One of the best comebacks we've seen. Yes, it's not a 25-point comeback like Hamilton pulled off against Edmonton on July 23, but it was one that happened a lot later in the game. B.C. was up 41-26 until Mitchell's 42-yard touchdown pass to Greg Wilson with 2:19 left, while Edmonton's lead was already down to 31-20 heading into the fourth quarter in their game. The Stampeders' comeback was also a total team effort. Their first drive inside the final four minutes featured four straight plays to Jerome Messam (two complete passes, a run and an incomplete pass), then a pass to Simon Charbonneau-Campeau, then a 20-yard scramble from Mitchell, and then the 42-yard touchdown bomb to Wilson. They then got the ball back on an interception from Ciante Evans (after the defence stuffed Shaq Murray-Lawrence to set up a second and 10 from B.C.'s 35), and Mitchell completed consecutive passes to Lemar Durant and Bakari Grant for the touchdown, then hit Anthony Parker for the game-tying two-point conversion.

There was still over a minute left, though, so Calgary needed another stout defensive effort to set up overtime, and in the extra frame, they were held to a field goal (which Rene Paredes nailed from 42 yards) and then needed another strong defensive effort, stopping Anthony Allen after two yards to set up second and goal from the five (which turned into second and goal from the ten after B.C. quarterback Jon Jennings tried to call a timeout he didn't have) and then having Tommie Campbell pick off Jennings in the end zone to end the game. That showed Calgary's strength on offence, defence and special teams, which is part of why they claimed the top spot in the CFL's power rankings this week. Of course, though, this win was also about...

3. B.C.'s mistakes. Jennings' two late interceptions were the most prominent here, and they overshadowed what was otherwise quite an impressive game from him (26 completions on 41 attempts, 63.4 per cent, 374 yards and three touchdowns against the two picks). That illustrated that while the 24-year-old quarterback is starting to reach his enormous potential, he still has some learning to do; both of those interceptions came on balls that shouldn't have been thrown, with the first a very underthrown pass (which might even have been intended for the sidelines) and the second forced into tight coverage. There were mistakes from other Lions' players too, though, particularly in the secondary on some of those Calgary passes, and there were some problematic penalties taken late. B.C. should still be pretty happy with how Jennings played and how they played despite the loss, though, especially considering their numerous injuries. Another team with major injury concerns this week is...

4. The Winnipeg Blue Bombers. The Bombers put up an impressive 30-23 win over Edmonton this week, but lost key receivers Darvin Adams (10 catches for 121 yards and a touchdown on the night) and Weston Dressler (who had six catches for 111 yards in this game) along the way, adding them to a six-game injured list that already contained receiver Ryan Smith. That's forced them to get a little unconventional at receiver ahead of Wednesday's game against the Hamilton Tiger-Cats, bringing back Clarence Denmark (they cut him this spring, then he signed with Saskatchewan, and then he got cut by the Riders). Matt Nichols found plenty of success in his first start of 2016, completing 26 of his 33 pass attempts on the night for 304 yards and a touchdown, but it will be interesting to see if he can repeat that success against Hamilton without Adams and Dressler. Of course, the Tiger-Cats have questions of their own, starting with...

5. Jeremiah Masoli. Hamilton had a bye this week, so their last game action came in that incredible 25-point comeback against Edmonton July 23. That game was a remarkable showcase for Masoli, who had probably his best game of the year, completing 31 of 38 passing attempts (81.6 per cent) for 396 yards and three touchdowns. With the news this week that Zach Collaros still isn't quite ready to return, it will be Masoli again against Winnipeg Wednesday. At least he's put up a solid recent showing, though, unlike...

6. Henry Burris: The CFL's reigning Most Outstanding Player had one of the worst games of his career Sunday in a 23-20 loss to Toronto, where he and his 224 career starts were outdueled by Logan Kilgore in his first CFL start. Burris completed just 20 of 34 passes (58.8 per cent) for 218 yards and one touchdown with two interceptions, and he looked completely out of sync with his receivers for much of the night. Some of that may be about injury (Burris was placed on the six-game injured list following an injury in Week One, and only pulled off that list early after Trevor Harris was hurt in last week;s loss to Saskatchewan, so perhaps he's not fully recovered), some of it may be about rust, but whatever it is, the Redblacks will have to be hoping it improves ahead of their Grey Cup rematch with Edmonton Saturday night. Of course, there are issues on the other side there too, starting with...

7. The Eskimos' defence. Edmonton's defence was such a highlight for them in their Grey Cup-winning campaign last year, but it's been a real problem for them this season. They've allowed 164 points through five games, 32.8 points per game (second-worst in the CFL, behind only Saskatchewan's 35.8), and while there have been moments where the defence came up big (particularly back in Week Four in a 20-16 win over Winnipeg), it's generally been very lacklustre this year. Some of that may be about head coach and defensive coordinator Chris Jones' offseason departure for Saskatchewan and the resulting adjustment to new DC Mike Benevides, but more of it is probably about the remarkable attrition they've seen this year (both through departures and injuries), especially in the secondary. They'll need to see if they can figure it out soon, though, as their poor defence is holding them down despite incredible performances from...

8. Mike Reilly. The Eskimos may be 2-3 on the season, but they've received some of the league's most continuously-impressive quarterback play from Reilly. He's thrown for a CFL-high 1926 yards so far, an average of 385.2 yards per game, which TSN 1260's Jason Gregor noted Tuesday puts him on pace for a league record:

Indeed, if Reilly kept up this current average, he'd post 6,933 yards over an 18-game schedule. That assumes a lot, of course; it presumes Reilly stays healthy, it presumes the offence keeps clicking, and it presumes the Eskimos have plenty of offensive opportunities (if their defence starts a bend-but-don't-break model that eats up yardage and the clock without allowing points, Reilly may get less chances to show what he can do). Still, the reigning Grey Cup Most Outstanding Player has been excellent so far this season for Edmonton, demonstrating tremendous chemistry both with top receivers Derel Walker and Adarius Bowman (642 and 587 receiving yards respectively so far this year, first and third in the league) and with the rest of the Eskimos' receiving corps. This week's loss to Winnipeg, the Bombers' first win in Edmonton since 2006, was a bit of a weaker showing for Reilly, especially as the game went on, but he still finished with a reasonably impressive line of 28 completions on 43 attempts (65.1 per cent) for 346 yards with a touchdown and an interception. He'll need some help from the defence, but there's every reason to believe he'll give the Eskimos a good shot to win Saturday against Ottawa. Another quarterback on the rise, perhaps more unexpectedly, is Montreal's...

9. Kevin Glenn. The Alouettes have largely struggled so far this year, but they were utterly dominant in a 41-3 win over the Roughriders Friday. While the defence was a large factor there, so was Glenn; he completed 29 of 36 passes (an impressive 75.0 per cent) for 299 yards and two touchdowns without a pick. On the season, Glenn has thrown for 1,175 yards, and while that's only eighth in the league, he has shown decent efficiency, completing 72.8 per cent of his passes (fourth amongst guys who have started more than one game). There are still big questions about just how far Montreal can go this year, especially with the numerous top offensive players they have on the injured list, and those weren't all answered by even a dominant win over last-place Saskatchewan, but there will be less calls for Glenn's starting job this week. But, we'll see how he does Thursday against...

10. The Lions' impressive defence. Yes, B.C. gave up 44 points in last week's loss to Calgary, but they still have allowed just 117 points so far this year (23.4 per game, third-lowest in the CFL, behind Montreal and Hamilton). A big part of the success there has been the play of linebacking duo Adam Bighill (named the CFL's top defensive player in 2015) and Solomon Elimimian (who won that award in 2014): Bighill is fourth in the league with 35 defensive tackles so far this year, while Elimimian has 27 tackles and three sacks. The rest of the Lions' defence has also stepped up. They'll have some challenges against Montreal, as they've recently lost DB T.J. Lee and defensive linemen Craig Roh, Mich'ael Brooks and David Menard, but they've been a key part of B.C.'s success to date. That's also true for...

11. The Argonauts' defence. Toronto is currently 4-2 and in sole possession of first place in the East Division (although Hamilton's 3-2 and has played one less game), and the defence has been a big reason why. The 140 points they've allowed to date are only fifth-best overall, but they've played six games versus five, so they're giving up just 23.3 points per game, third-best in the league. The defence was a massive part of their 23-20 win over Ottawa Sunday, with DB A.J. Jefferson (who earned one of the league's top performer picks this week) particularly shining with two interceptions. With Ricky Ray out and Logan Kilgore under centre, the Argos will really need to lean on their defence in the weeks to come. Fortunately, they have a bye this week, which should give them some time to let Kilgore work with the first-team offence and let the defence continue to gel. It also gives them a chance to mourn the passing of...

12. Danny Nykoluk. Nykoluk, who spent 16 seasons (1955, 1957-1971) on the Toronto offensive line passed away Friday at 82. His number 60 is one of only four the Argos have retired, and he once went 12 straight years (1959-70) without missing a game. He played 204 games for Toronto, second in club history. Team president Michael Copeland had a thoughtful statement about him:

Much of the conversation about the CFL is focused on the here and now, but a big part of the league's appeal and success is rooted in its history, and in the contributions players like Nykoluk made to its success. He was a valuable and important piece for the Argonauts for over a decade, and it's appropriate that the team has retired his number. He'll be missed.

Thanks for reading 12 Audibles! Stay tuned to 55-Yard Line for CFL coverage all week long, and come back here next Tuesday for the next installment of this column. You can also contact me with feedback on Twitter or via e-mail. Enjoy the games this week!