Monday, July 20, 2009

Analysis of Winnipeg Game Stats

First the quarterbacks. Porter had an OK first half, going 16 for 23 (over 66%) for 188 yards and one pick at the end of the half. That's not bad for a half of football and the completion percentage is good by CFL standards (and fabulous by Kerry Joseph standards), although the lack of points resulting was kind of sad. Probably if the pick that Porter throws at the end while being hit goes incomplete instead and the Cats kick a field goal to end the half, Porter stays in. Kevin Glenn's stats for the second half weren't bad either, 11 for 19 (OK that's not so great) for 146 yards and two picks and two TDs. Not really that remarkable, although Glenn did run three times for 27 yards, including a crucial first down on second and long. Certainly having Glenn as an option makes the Cats a more formidable team. Stefan LeFors was Stefan LeFors like, going seven for 19 (wow suckitude) for 99 yards. No TDs, but no picks either. Not really sure how well the Bombers will do with LeFors continuing to be in charge, but as a Cat fan, not my problem.

Cobb was kind of meh, rushing for 42 yards on 11 carries with a fumble. Winnipeg has a pretty good front four for stopping the run, so not a surprise. Reid for Winnipeg had 88 yards on 16 rushes, including a big one in the first half.

For the receivers, Chris Davis had an awesome game, with 6 catches for 122 yards and a TD. Stala also had a great game with 6 catches for 57 yards and a TD. Finally the Cats have some depth at non-import receiver. Stala also seems to know where the first down marker is, unlike some Cat receivers the past few years. Rodriguez five catches for 57 yards was a decent effort. Obviously for the Bombers, with nine total completions, the receivers stat lines were abysmal.

On defence, the Cats were led by Hickman with seven tackles. Adams had a great game with five tackles and seemed to be getting past the Bomber offensive line regularly. I liked Adams last year with his team leading eight sacks, but I'm liking him even more this year. Probable all-star at defensive tackle. Bomber Shabazz continued his great season with eight tackles and an interception.

Frankly, apart from the interceptions, the Cats dominated the Bombers statwise. Nice to see that for once. Montreal will be a tough test as the class of the league. A part of me wishes that the Cats would play some else this week, like Edmonton and keep the streak going, but if the ball bounces our way, the Cats are capable of surprising the Larks. Plus after three games, there will be plenty of film available to discover the reasons for Alouette success.

1 comment:

M@ said...

If you can't hit triple digits as a QB in the CFL, you don't deserve to play this game, cf. Lancaster. Sorry, LeFors, you're no Quinton Porter. You're not even Richie Williams. You're Timmy Chang without the college stats.

A close game on Thursday will be enough.