Flory missed block
20. Aug, 2010 
7 Comments
Television replays of Odell Willis’s quarterback sack of Anthony Calvillo clearly indicated right guard Scott Flory missed the block.
Flory is the CFL’s outstanding offensive lineman the last two seasons and generally considered the strongest blocker up front.
“What do you want me to say?” an emotional Flory said following the game. He said nothing else.
Calvillo suffered a dislocated rib on the play in the second quarter and was replaced by Chris Leak. Although stable, Calvillo is spending Thursday night in hospital for observation.
Head coach Marc Trestman refused to speculate on Calvillo’s status for Montreal’s next game, Sept. 3, against B.C.
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Look….I don’t want to be a know-it-all. I don’t want to say “I told you so”
But people seem to be blaming what I consider to be one of the best offensive lines in the league….again.
From the start of the game to the point when AC was lying on the turf, unable to move, the Alouettes had run exactly ZERO running plays.
Despite the Alouettes winning record, people have been increasingly critical of this one-dimensional, pass only offense. WHY? Are we obsessive? Are we throwbacks to a bygone era?
Alouettes cannot continue to ignore the run AND ignore the consequences….foremost among them is an increasingly intense and manic pass rush by defenses liberated from the need to defend the run.
The play calling put Anthony Calvillo in the hospital, not the offensive line…NOT Odell Willis. You can run as many replays you want. Out of context they mean nothing. Until the Alouettes start to gain THAT contextual understanding….this is going to be a regular event.
Correction…they had 1 pitch out to Bratton.
No need to pick on Flory. He’s an all-star lineman who made one mistake which unfortunately has cost us. He is not the problem on the line by a long shot. See Perrett, Jeff for more details.
You’re preaching to the converted when you talk about running the ball. And I didn’t mean to imply I was blaming Flory; simply stating what appeared to be the evidence.
It’s rare to have a reporter go out of his way to single out an offensive lineman on a play that goes bad. But thanks for clarifying your intentions, Herb. I know you’re not looking to pillory Flory, who’s been arguably the team’s top lineman for the better part of a decade.
It’s an emotional time. Of course the evidence is there and it has to be reported. I wasn’t blaming you Herb for that.
As Trestman says, the game has many interlocking aspects (OK I’m paraphrasing). Offensive linemen are going to blame themselves if their QB goes down. It’s up to the coaching staff to get at the root of the problem and make corrections.
Calvillo was untouched most of 2009. I’m frankly astounded that after a Grey Cup season…the Als change from a superbly balanced attack (with Cobourne in or close to the lead in rushing for most of the year) to a one-dimensional passing offense.
Running the ball once in 25 minutes simply won’t cut it, regardless of how good a passer your QB is. The result is hardly a coincidence.
I hope….once AC is past this injury….the Alouettes will get a little more inventive in this area.
The best way to protect the quarterback is to attack the line….HARD.
Miguel Bujold from La Presse has a different take on the incident. He says that Brandon Whitaker was the last man who could have stopped Willis from reaching AC. His opinion is that if Cobourne, who is a superb blocker, had been playing, things might have been different.
It’s an interesting pointof view. Although, I still think the major problem is that the Als offense is one dimensional. Opposing teams make no effort to stop the run. They just tee off on Calvillo.