Matt Smellie
Ticats.ca
“Redemption”, “the Sequel”, or in the words of Yogi Berra, “It’s deja vu all over again”.
However you want to coin it, the Saskatchewan vs. Montreal Grey Cup matchup is an intriguing one, simply because of the way last year’s Grey Cup game ended. From euphoria to despair, never has victory been snatched so quickly away from the hands of the numerically challenged.
And hence the biggest story line heading into version 2.0 will be: are the Roughriders able to count this year?
Suggestions of solving the too many men conundrum have included taking a 12 pack of Pilsner into the huddle. If you don’t get a beer, get off the field.
Ask any good accountant and they will tell you, if the numbers don’t match…you look for new numbers. And that’s precisely what Saskatchewan has had to do. Almost half of the players involved in that infamous plays are no longer suiting up for the Riders. Eddie Davis retired, Jason Armstead and Antonio Hall went to Edmonton, John Chick jumped to the NFL, and Adam Nicolson and Stevie Baggs came to Hamilton via trade and free agency. Combine that with coaches Kavis Reed and Paul LaPolice leaving for the bluer pastures of Winnipeg and that final play would have a considerably different look if it was played again today.
But how could the line-up of a team that was mere seconds away from winning the Grey Cup change? Were the players scared out of town with thoughts of manure being dumped on their front lawn and eggs thrown at their houses? (See Paul McCallum 2004) Was Saskatchewan management ridding the line-up of players and coaches with questionable calculation skills?
It’s the business of football. No team is ever the same from one year to the next. Players pursue their own agendas. Teams’ plans change. Roster turnover is inevitable no matter if you are first or last.
But as fate would have it, the Riders still made it to the big stage for another shot at the title. And a win Sunday would go a long way to help covering up the debacle of last season’s ending. Because sadly in our society, it is not so much what you did well that you will be remembered for as it is for the mistakes you made, especially bonehead ones that cost you the Grey Cup.
With the Grey Cup Festivities officially kicking off yesterday, there will be plenty of beverages consumed over the next four days. And as good of a party that Grey Cup is, there is still an even better game to be played Sunday night. For the Riders, it’s a new opportunity to create a lasting memory with a positive outcome.
Erasing last year’s memory will be hard to do, because everybody remembers. And if you don’t remember and find yourself on Saskatchewan’s special teams, you might want to bring a bottle opener to the huddle just in case.
