Jim Lang
CFL.ca
During the pain and anguish suffered by Ken Miller and the Riders nation in the moments after last year’s Grey Cup, there really was only one thing on their minds; we need some payback. When they kick off the 98th Grey Cup in Edmonton on Sunday, the Riders nation will get what they have wanted so bad the last 12 months; a chance at redemption. Not only are the Roughriders back in the Grey Cup, they get to face the team that crushed their hearts last year, the Alouettes. The Riders are also on the verge of doing something incredible if you consider their history. The Riders won the Grey Cup in 1966, 1989 and not again until 2007. If they beat Montreal, the Roughriders will have won the Grey Cup two times in the last four years. That is an impressive accomplishment for any franchise. The Alouettes come into this game with their own cross to bear. Even though the Als have advanced to the Grey Cup a remarkable eight times since 2000, they have only won the big game twice. While it is all well and good to win all those East finals, the bottom line is that great teams in the CFL are judged by how many Grey Cups they have won. If the Als are able to become the first back-to-back Grey Cup champions since the 96-97 Argonauts, then they will be viewed a great team. If they fail again, then the Alouettes will have become the Atlanta Braves of the CFL; a great team that has trouble winning the big one.
Key match-up 1 – Running back Avon Cobourne versus linebackers Tad Kornegay and Jerrell Freeman. I have had the privilege of knowing Riders defensive coordinator Gary Etcheverry for over 15 years. So I am pretty certain when I say that the two names that he was writing on the chalkboard for the defence all week was Anthony Calvillo and Avon Cobourne. Because of the star power the Alouettes have at receiver, sometimes the media overlooks just how dangerous Cobourne is as a runner and a receiver. Playing in a game of this magnitude, Cobourne becomes even more valuable for the Als. The Riders will be trying to get a lot of pressure on Calvillo so Cobourne will get a lot of touches as his safety valve out of the backfield. Proper tackling technique is a must when dealing with a player like Cobourne or he will burn the Riders with his open field running.
Key match-up 2 – The Canadian Air Force versus the Als secondary. The injury to Matheiu Proulx just adds to the issues facing the Als secondary. Montreal didn’t face much of a challenge last week against the Argos; well that is about to change in a huge way when they face the Riders crew of receivers. Andy Fantuz did not have a single reception in the West final and the Riders still won. That is because the Riders have so many weapons in the passing game that shutting down a stud like Fantuz doesn’t mean you are going to stop their aerial attack. Like a squadron of CF-18’s flowing low at full afterburner, the Riders receivers just keep coming at you. With Proulx out with a knee injury, Etienne Boulay will take his spot at safety. Not take anything away from Boulay, but he’s a back-up for a reason. Look for Darian Durant to test Boulay early to see if he can stand up to the Riders vertical passing game.
Key match-up 3 – Safety James Patrick versus quarterback Anthony Calvillo. There is no question that Calvillo is a master at his craft. He can read a defence in a blink of an eye and he has the ability to quickly figure out who his go-to receiver is going to be on a particular play. It was no accident that the James Patrick led the CFL in interceptions this year. Patrick also came up with a key interception in the West final. Patrick is a crafty player and loves to bait quarterbacks into thinking he’s not going to make a play on the ball. Calvillo will have to account for Patrick on his pre-snap reads and also when he drops back to pass. The other thing the Riders will need to do is try and get Calvillo out of his comfort zone. If Calvillo doesn’t feel rushed or he has too much time to go through his reads, the Alouettes have the potential to put up a lot of points.
Intangibles – As he proved in the East final, Als kick returner Tim Maypray has the potential to be a real “X” factor in this game. In the East Final, Maypray ignited the capacity crowd at the Big O with his 85 yard punt return for a touchdown. A huge play on special teams not only ignites a crowd, it inspires an entire team. Another intangible will be the Riders Nation itself. Thousands of Riders fans will fill Commonwealth Stadium and there will be times when it will have the feel of a home game. This is not meant to be a slight to Alouettes fans; but it s just a fact that there are more Riders fans in Canada and the game is being played not that far from their home. The weather won’t be much of a factor as Environment Canada is calling for a mix of sun and clouds and temperatures around minus seven for kickoff at Commonwealth Stadium. That is a huge improvement over the weather Edmonton had been suffering through earlier in the week.
Who wins – There are some times trying to figure out who will win the Grey Cup is not that hard. This is not one of those years. If anyone tries to tell you that the Alouettes will win the 98th Grey Cup without any trouble, tell them to seek help. I really do believe in football destiny. Some teams are destined to be champions and some teams are doomed to fail. At one point near the end of the regular season the Riders lost four straight. Then they beat the Eskimos to knock them out of the playoffs. Then they survived double over-time to beat the Lions. Then they survived the elements to beat the Stampeders on the road in the West Final. Even if you don’t believe in destiny, there can be no denying that the Riders are peaking at the exactly the right time of the season. No matter how many ways I look at this game logically, something in my heart tells me that the Riders are meant to win this game. Yes, I know that Marc Trestman is a star coach and Calvillo is a legend at quarterback. But the Riders have a great quarterback of their own; they have great receivers and a solid secondary. So yes, I am picking the Riders to beat the Alouettes, and the phrase “13th man” will never again be uttered in the Province of Saskatchewan.
Riders 31 – Als 25
