CFL
The Calgary Stampeders managed to exorcise some ghosts by beating the Hamilton Tiger-Cats 20-16 in Sunday’s 102nd Grey Cup. In the days leading up to the game the Stampeders were constantly reminded of past teams who came close but fell short when the CFL championship was on the line.
Not this time. Not this team.
Finish was a word often mentioned as players celebrated the win in the swirl of confetti at BC Place Stadium.
“I think this year we finished,” said running back Jon Cornish. “I don’t think anybody had any ambition to lose.”
“Everyone in this locker room knew we had to come out and do whatever we could. It’s a year’s worth of effort.”
Linebacker Juwan Simpson was a rookie when Calgary last won the Grey Cup back in 2008. Since then he’s suffered the heartbreak of missed chances and opportunities that melted away like the spring snow.
“We worked so hard from day one,” said the 30-year-old from Decatur, Ala.
“We have been a focused bunch. We knew what we wanted to do and we came and did it. I’m so excited now.”
Quarterback Bo Levi Mitchell, who was named the game’s most valuable player after completing 25 of 34 passes for 334 yards, said the team went to practice each day with one goal in mind.
“We didn’t give up,” said Mitchell, who was clinical in his dissection of the Tiger-Cat defence. “We knew once we got to the Western Final that we were going to practice harder than we ever practice.
“To have a game like this, have the guys do what we did tonight after so much work, it’s such an indescribable feeling.”
Between 2008 and this year the Stampeders finished first or second in the West Division four times. They advanced to just one Grey Cup in that period, losing the 2012 game 35-22 to the hometown Toronto Argonauts.
Last year Calgary had a league-best 14-4 record but was upset by the Saskatchewan Roughriders in the Western Final.
The Stampeders came to camp this year with one goal in mind. They finished first in the West again with a 15-3 record then handled the Edmonton Eskimos 43-18 in the West Final.
“It took another level of focus for us this year,” said centre Brett Jones, who won this year’s award at the CFL’s top offensive lineman. “This was our goal and we were able to achieve it.”
Defensive back Keon Raymond said the Stampeders might have finally silenced some of their critics.
“Over the last seven years we came up short year after year,” said Raymond, who had four tackles during the win.
“There was much (talk) about what if this team loses, you’ve been such a good regular-season team. We had 17 wins. We can go down as probably one of the best teams in CFL history.”
Many players let out shouts of joy when the final seconds tickets off the clock. Veteran receiver Marquay McDaniel heaved a sigh of relieve.
“We actually came here and finished,” said McDaniel, who had seven catches for 61 yards.
“We’ve definitely been disappointed the last couple of years. Guys focused. We worried about us and took care of what we had to do. We came out here and played good enough to win the game.”
A seas of family and friends washed onto the field to celebrate the victory with the players. Defensive tackle Corey Mace wrapped the Grey Cup in his huge hands and posed for pictures with his family.
“This means the world to a lot of guys in this locker room,” he said. “We have been striving for this.”
“There was nothing that was going to stop us this year.”
Cornish looked superhuman this season when he won the rushing title with 1,082 yards in just nine games. On Sunday he seemed merely mortal, collecting just 25 yards on nine carries.
“Some people might say Cornish didn’t show up in the Grey Cup,” he shrugged. “It doesn’t matter. We got this win.”
