THE 96TH GREY CUP GAME
Calgary Stampeders (14-5) at Montreal Alouettes (12-7)
5:15 p.m. CST, TSN
If you ask the folks in Calgary, we’re going to see one of the great CFL championship games ever played. Ask the folks in Montreal and they’ll tell you it’s going to be the party of the decade.
Frankly, chances are pretty good that Sunday afternoon’s CFL championship could be one of the great Grey Cup games ever. After all, as the Calgary Stampeders get set to meet the Montreal Alouettes at the Big Owe in the 96th Grey Cup game, football fans will get to see the two best teams in Canadian football in the biggest game of the year — and that’s the way it’s supposed to be.
The Stampeders finished the 2008 CFL season with a record of 13-5 and then got past the tough B.C. Lions 22-18 in the Western final. The Alouettes finished the season 11-7 (with two losses to finish the campaign) and then rallied to whip Edmonton 36-26 in the Eastern final. Both teams are playing well and both teams are certainly ready to claim the game’s top prize.
“Hey, numbers-wise, looking at our experience, they might have a few years on us,” Calgary quarterback Henry Burris told reporters in Montreal on Friday. “But at the end of the day, it’s all about playing football. The guys know that we’re going to have to match the intensity of the crowd behind their home team. We have to take the crowd out as quickly as possible, and everybody understands that. But when it comes down to playing football, the best team’s going to win. That’s what we’re focused on, making sure we do whatever it takes to be that team.”
Clearly, the key to Sunday’s outcome will be the play of Burris. If the Stamps QB avoids the brain farts that have accompanied his career, Calgary should put up enough points to win it. After all, this will be a game dominated by the offences. Both defences have had a tendency to fall asleep at times, but both offences have plenty of tools.
From Anthony Calvillo to Avon Cobourne to Ben Cahoon, Montreal has the skills to put points on the board. However, Calgary can certainly match the Als. With Burris, runningback Joffrey Reynolds (No. 1 in the CFL with 1,310 yards on the ground) and recievers KenYon Rambo, Nik Lewis and Jeremaine Copeland, Calgary can get it done on offence, as well. Both teams have solid O-lines and plenty of secondary targets. Because both teams have holes in their defences, a final score of, say, 49-42 isn’t out of the question.
Here are two things to keep in mind: Both teams have won five Grey Cups, but the Stamps last won in 2001 — at Olympic Stadium in Montreal. And remember, the Stamps swept the season series in 2008, winning 23-19 at Molson Stadium in Montreal on July 3, and 41-30 in Calgary on Sept. 12.
On Sunday night, Calgary should win its third straight over Montreal this season and it’s first Grey Cup since 2001.
Pick: Calgary
Last Week: 1-1
Season: 46-22
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