The fans are ready, the city fo Edmonton already has the pre-party going, and the weather is almost tailor-made.
Yes, it’s time for another Grey Cup!
In less then twenty-four hours the battle for the Grey Cup will commence on Commonwealth’s frosty green plastic, with the re-match of last year’s Grey Cup participants being the two contenders. And even though both sides are downplaying the whole revenge aspect of this matchup, it has as much effect as trying to say the “Rumble in the Jungle” was just a boxing match. This “Rumble in the tundra” has everyone from fans to sports reporters buzzing that this could be a Grey Cup that will rank upon the such memorable match ups as The Fog Bowl, The Rain Bowl, and for Roughrider fans, “The Kick!”.
For both clubs, they should be pretty motivated outside of the usual reasons of wanting to win the whole shebang. Montreal, who authored an eighteen point rally in the fourth quarter to win last years Grey Cup, would love to show that last year wasn’t won on what some consider to be a suspiciously convenient penalty, but that they were the truly superior team. Meanwhile Saskatchewan would love to show that if it wasn’t for that blasted 13th man (and a defensive collapse in the 4th quarter), they would have captured their fourth Grey Cup in their century long history, and third in the last two decades.
A scene that Roughrider fans are looking to avoid
Montreal’s crew is already pretty well known, having been contestants in seven of the last ten Grey Cups. Anthony Calvillo, probably the most famous QB in the CFL since Doug Flutie was firing bombs in Calgary, has delivered another stellar season for the Alouettes. Slotback Ben Cahoon, who set a pretty impressive record earlier in the season, and Jamel Richardson, who lead the team in receiving yardage will be the front-runners for the Alouettes very efficient aerial attack. Tailback Avon Cobourne will be hoping that his hot-and-cold play against the Riders is for the former when leading Montreals running game. On the other side of the ball the defensive squad take a blend of speed and power and continuously send it crashing against their opponents O-line, and often, their QB. Defensive end John Bowman, who was second in the league in sacks, and Anwar Stewart will be the main force behind the Alouettes blitz, while defensive tackles Eric Wilson and Jermaine McElveen were great at shutting down the running game of their opponents. Chip Cox leads the squad further down the field in making sure that Darian Durant can’t air out the ball with impunity all day long, albeit with slightly less efficiency due to Matthieu Proulx being out after being injuried against Toronto.
What Montreal will be attempting to contain.
Saskatchewan should not be underestimated though, as they were able to upset the Stampeders and lead what many feel is the stronger of the two divisions and didn’t get to the big dance in the last two years by winning the lottery. Darian Durant, who lead the league in passing yardage, can deliver the ball to anyone on the field that he wishes, or as his league leading interception total states, who he doesn’t wish. Wes Cates, who lead the league in rushing touchdowns this year, also has had some inconsistencies to his game this year and looks to bring his A-game against a strong Alouette run defense. The passing attack has more weapons then their opposition, with Andy Fantuz, Weston Dressler, and Chris Getzlaf being fifty-four yards short of giving the Roughriders three receivers with over a thousand yards a piece, giving Durant multiple choices should the Alouettes try to double team one or the other. Like the Alouettes, the Roughriders bring a strong running defense to the field, although injuries to Barrin Simpson, Sean Lucas, and Daniel Francis have reduced the effectiveness of the linebacker crops for the Roughriders, and could be a cause for concern if they need to put pressure on Calvillo during the game.
Matchup wise, both teams are pretty even when it comes to what they bring to the field. The Montreal defence, which relies on blasting their opponents O-line to get to the quarterback has a good chance of being contained by the Roughriders, as they have been able to give their QB loads of time to deliver this year. And with them held up, Durant has a greater amount of selection in capable receivers to throw too…..assuming he doesn’t’ throw it to the Alouettes defence. With their ability to be in the right place at the right time, and Durant’s knack for interceptions, there’s always the chance of it going to the wrong team at the wrong time, even with all that time in the pocket. Saskatchewans roughing game will probably be used often enough to not have Montreal thinking pass on every play, as the Alouettes have an effective defence against the run and should be able to contain it, barring Wes Cates having a career day. On the flipside, the Roughriders will be looking to force Calvillo to throw the ball away, bring more of a turnover centric defensive strategy. While this will be lead by interception masters such as James Patrick out on the gridiron, having your opposition complete almost 70% of their passes against you is a big problem, especially for a QB such as Calvillo against you. With the Alouettes running game being iffy, and their effectiveness against the run being on par with the Alouettes, keeping Calvillo to a very thin amount of the field to pass too should not only contain the yards gained, but how quickly a pair of green gloves can grab their passes.
A sample of what most of Commonwealth Stadium will look like tomorrow
However a good football game always has the crowd as a factor, and for the Alouettes they might as well be playing in Regina for all the support they’ll be getting. Rider Nation has invaded Edmonton so completely that you’d wonder if Saskatchewan is completely empty. The Green and White is everywhere on the streets, placards adorn cars driving around, and jerseys with fan’s favourite players (or their own last names) are so prominent that you wonder if the Roughriders signed a few thousand free agents this week. In fact outside of the 82nd Grey Cup, I’ve never seen a home crowd so in favour of one team before. Then again, instead of Canada vs USA, its’ the familiar East vs West motif that seems to crop up in Canadian culture for better or worse. Considering that Saskatchewan is only three hours away to Edmonton, the almost fanatical devotion to the team that many in Canada’s breadbasket have for the team, and the whole back-story from last year’s Grey Cup, it’s almost a given that the boys in the green and white are going to have their supporters making sure they colour the seats at Commonwealth a patchwork of green and white, like an aerial view of the province they hail from in winter. For all of us that will be watching from home, it should make for an awesome feel to the game, as nothing makes a game better then having the crowd into it.
Regardless of where you are in the country (or the continent), you really should make plans to get the barbeque going (a bit of snow isn’t’ going to stop you right?), stock up the fridge and get the party started, because this will be a game that is worthwhile to see. It’ll be close, it’ll have real football weather, it’ll show off the best of what the league has to offer, and the place is going to be rocking so hard they’ll think a small earthquake hit Edmonton. It’ll be a great game, one that you’ll be glad that you decided to watch, and who knows, you might even like it enough to join us to do it all again next year.
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The owner of the Sports Blog Network, Chris tells it exactly as he sees it, be it in the stands, in front of the tv, or on his semi-trusty laptop. And always with a can of trusty Dr. Pepper by his side, and spell-check working overtime. 
Thought it was a bit slow of a game, but our defence really stepped up nicely. Guess you expected a more offensive game?
Indeed. With the three C’s on Montreal’s offense I really figured it to be in the 30′s at least for their score.