Ed Philion
CFL.ca
Well we’ve heard all the cliché before: “it’s not how you start, it’s how you finish”, or maybe you’ve heard, “leaders aren’t made their born.” Well whichever saying does it for you, all of them will apply to each and every player, team and organization, “willing to play the price” come, “money-time” … better known as the “Playoffs”.
After completing an entire regular season which produced an impressive 11-7 record, the Alouettes begin their quest at becoming the 2008 Grey Cup Champions. With that championship comes a lifetime of memories between fan and player, teammate and coach and city and team. Nothing in sports solidifies a city with a sports franchise like a Championship.
The Alouettes, after rebounding from a disappointing 8-10 season where the relationship between city and team was splintered, can erase those memories with a playoff run hosted in their own backyard for all of Canada to see. For some, the 2002 Championship seems like a lifetime away. That was the last time the City of Montreal celebrated its football heroes with a grand parade that strolled through the downtown core in the heart of the city.
With the City of Montreal as host, a weak East Division and their first place finish, the Alouettes may have one of the easiest paths to a Championship in recent memory. Although a home field advantage in a Grey Cup doesn’t guarantee success (see: Edmonton ’02) a rejuvenated Anthony Calvillo certainly increases the odds.
Playing his most complete football in his career, Anthony is on the verge of solidifying his regular season success with another Championship. Sports fans will tell you that, “good players become great players” with the number of rings on their fingers. Like most teams no one player should shoulder all the praise or blame with any given victory or defeat. Unfortunately in football, particularly at the quarterback position, it comes with the territory. No one understands this more than the quarterback himself and this year no one is more excepting of that responsibility than AC.
Like in most team sports it will take a collective effort to win the “big one” and this year no one player is more focused on that than the Alouettes’ # 13. As the saying goes, “big time players make big time plays in big time games” and there is no bigger game than the Grey Cup.
Ed Philion played eight seasons along the defensive line for the Montreal Alouettes. He was a three-time East Division All-Star and helped the Alouettes win the Grey Cup in 2002. Currently, he is a member of the Alouettes’ broadcast team on CJAD Radio in Montreal.
