Two big plays made in 1st series

By Roch Eric Kubatko 
Baltimore Sun, July 23, 1995

    It didn't take long for the Baltimore Stallions to seize control of last night's name against the Winnipeg Blue Bombers - in fact, it was exactly the same amount of time it took rush end Elfrid Payton to create havoc. Bulling in from the right side, Payton tackled Winnipeg running back Mike Oliphant for a 3-yard loss on the Blue Bombers' opening series, then pounced on quarterback Sammy Garza, causing a fumble that the Stallions O.J. Brigance returned 10 yards. One series, two big plays. Payton had set the tone for Baltimore's defensive effort, which led to a 43-7 victory at Memorial Stadium. And he had forced Garza to seek an alternate method of beating the heat. 
   For much of the first half, Garza used a short drop and quick release to either sideline or up the middle. Hold the ball too long, and Payton might be draped on his back. Later in the first quarter, Payton chased Garza to the sideline and forced an incompletion, then came up with his second sack after Garza had dodged nose tackle Jerald Baylis. By game's end, Payton had three sacks, including one in the fourth quarter against backup Reggie Slack, and two tackles. Most of his damage was done early, when it mattered most in sloppy conditions. 
   "That's what we had planned, to come out and jump on them real early so they wouldn't get any confidence," he said. "That forced fumble was a big play because right after that, we got a touchdown." 
   Last night was typical of Payton's season. He was named the CFL's lineman of the week for his performance in the season's second game, against San Antonio. He had three sacks and five hurries, and returned a fumble 36 yards. Twice, he has been runner up for the honor, including last week in the rematch with San Antonio, when he had four tackles and one sack. Armed with this knowledge, the Blue Bombers tried just about everything to contain the man known by his teammates as "Swack." And that disrupted their offense even more. 
   "They started sprinting away from me and cutting me, trying to get me to get my hands down," said Payton, who came in tied for the league lead in sacks with four, and was second in fumble recoveries with three.
   "After that first half, they were doing all kinds of stuff, and I couldn't even get close. But I was hurting them by making them change what they really wanted to do, so that was fine for the team." Payton joined the Stallions last year after playing five games for the Shreveport Pirates. Before his arrival, Baltimore's defense gave up an average of 400 yards a game. With Payton, it surrendered 309. Immediate impact. Just like last night. "The big thing for me this year was training camp. That helped me out a lot. From Day One, it was a good start," he said. 
   Said coach Don Matthews: "We got some big-time rushes from Payton tonight." Payton wasn't the only dominant force on the line, of course. One man won't hold a team to seven points. Grant Carter, who lines up at the other end position, had two pass deflections, a fumble recovery and a sack. Baylis and Robert Presbury each had three tackles.

CREATIVE SCHEDULING WILL HAVE TEAM ON THE MOVE IN NEXT ROAD TRIP

By Gary Lamrecht and Roch Eric Kubatko 
Baltimore Sun, July 23, 1995

   The Baltimore Stallions were savoring a chance to play at Memorial Stadium last night, which marked their second home game of the Canadian Football League season. With a grueling road trip on tap, no wonder. "We had seven days between this game and our last game. We relish those weeks," Stallions coach Don Matthews said. "Now, the dog days of football are upon us." 
   Indeed. On Friday, the Stallions will set out on a nine-day road trip, during which they will play three games in eight days - Birmingham on Saturday, then Edmonton on the following Wednesday, before finishing at Calgary on Aug. 6. In a league that plays an 18-game, regular-season schedule and restricts its rosters to 37 players, the logic of such scheduling is debatable. Moving the Grey Cup up one week from its usual time in late November - this year's championship game is on Nov. 19 - didn't do any favors for teams during the regular season. The only consolation is that every CFL team has to endure a trip like the Stallions' once this year. 
   "I think we should have had the Grey Cup at the normal time. That would have helped the schedule out a little bit," said Matthews, who added that the Stallions will take at least six practice-squad players on the trip. "But my opinion doesn't cut much cheese [with the league]."
   And about those last two games on the trip, coach. Calgary and Edmonton are atop the Northern Division with a combined 7-0 record, and look every bit like the class of Canada. Do you think the league is trying to keep a promising Stallions team in check with some creative scheduling? Matthews smiled and said, "My glass is half-full, not half-empty. What I was thinking [when he first saw the schedule] was we only have to travel 180 miles between games."

Leading the way
The season is not quite a month old, but going into last night's Winnipeg game, there were Stallions scattered throughout the league's statistical leaders. Rookie kick returner Chris Wright and running back Mike Pringle were second and fifth, respectively, in all-purpose yards. Wright, who has returned two punts for touchdowns, has 490 yards, including 436 on returns. Pringle has 422 all-purpose, largely on his league-leading 350 yards rushing. Kicker Carlos Huerta led the CFL with 11 field goals. Punter Josh Miller was second in the league with a 45.1 yard average.

Hotel no-tel
The Blue Bombers were penalized before they even arrived at Memorial Stadium. On Friday, the day after they had checked into their hotel, the team was informed they would have to vacate their rooms at 12:30 yesterday afternoon, due to a large wedding party that was arriving. Eventually, after the team protested, they were allowed to keep six rooms. Cots were brought in to accommodate players, who were put in groups of five and six per room, while some left early for Memorial Stadium. The rest of the team checked out at 4:45 p.m., presumably never to return to the Doubletree Inn At The Colonnade.

Earle active as a backup
Baltimore offensive lineman Guy Earle is walking a fine line between the active and inactive rosters. He has been a backup the first four games, and only a rib injury to center Nick Subis - which necessitated some shuffling along the line - has kept him from being inactive the last two weeks. Subis was a late scratch with two cracked ribs last week in San Antonio, and Earle served as a backup, the same role he filled last night against the Winnipeg Blue Bombers. "As a player, you want to get out there and make the plays and make a difference in the game," he said. "But I go into each week preparing like I'm a starter, and if I don't play, I don't play. And if I do, I'll be prepared for it. Earle said he still feels entrenched in the Stallions' plans, despite hisshaky status of late.

Williams gets his chance
Stallions receiver B.K. Williams said he wants to end his career on a positive note, which meant coming back from injuries that forced him to miss all of last season. Last night, Williams appeared in his first game with the Stallions after being activated in place of Mike Alexander. "It was a long time coming," said Williams, who injured his left knee in warm-ups for last season's opener in Toronto. "I think I worked hard during the off-season with all the treatment I went through to get back to, hopefully, where I was before. It's gratifying. I'm really excited about it." Williams said he was "pretty calm" before the game, even though his playing career might have hinged on his performance against the Blue Bombers.

Early fireworks
Last night was fireworks night at Memorial Stadium. A pyrotechnics display was planned for after the game, but the fireworks showed up early in the form of a thunderstorm. A bolt of lighting knocked out a bank of stadium lights about 45 minutes before the game, leaving the open end of the stadium a little darker during the game. Heavy rain also damaged the fireworks, forcing the postponement of the post-game festivities. The fireworks have been rescheduled for the Stallions' next home game, Aug. 12 against Memphis.