Lest We Forget, there is still football to be played

As expected the bottom falling out of the Rider season has a bunch of tickets on sale as no one is relishing the prospect of sitting in -15 temps (likely forecast for kick off on Grey Cup Sunday) and rhe idea that people will pay for volunteering is dying a quiet death as jobs working the various hospitality rooms are being posted and now people are being paid for their work.

The CFL is getting the idea that the green elephant known as the Saskatchewan Roughrider fan will not be mindlesslessly put money down for anything and everything with a Grey Cup sticker on it. The Spirit of Edmonton breakfast which was asking $200 for a ticket is now down to $135, which is more reasonable but dicey for drinking vodka and orange juice and eating pancakes in the morning.

In the meantime, the Riders announced the signing of running back Javian Hawkins of Louisville who is 5’9” 195 pounds and holds the single season rushing record for a Louisville running back. What would really be impressive is announcing someone like Bob Wyle, a career offensive line coach who can get the most possible out of a motley crew like the Rider offensive line, but uh, that may not be on the horizon.

The CFL probably thought by having the Riders host, their fans would pay anything for football regardless of value. Which has fallen short as the plan to have volunteers pay for the privilege of working the Grey Cup has now been replaced by paid workers.

Who would have guessed that inflation would have had an impact on consumer choices for the CFL? Apparently not the CFL who may be getting an education in providing value for money for fans, especially when it is expected to be -17 around kick off for Grey Cup.

I just got back from the Canadian Bowl, or Little Grey Cup, for Canadian Junior football supremacy and while a number of us were using the game to gauge what kind of clothing to wear to the Grey Cup, a lot were warming up in the lounge, including a number of the Okanagan Sun who won the championship 21-19 over the Regina Thunder. If the weather forecast stays the same, I would not be surprised to see several empty seats as people say for what they are paying, it is not worth it to sit or stand out in the cold.

This goes to several issues including starting the season earlier because let’s be honest, if Saskatchewan football fans are having second thoughts about coming out in the cold for teams not the Riders, then you can’t expect people in other centers to be equally if not more excited.

The western final will feature BC at Winnipeg and on the surface, if Winnipeg is as cold as Regina was on Saturday, BC will get run out of Incestuous Field. Watching the Canadian Bowl and how Okanagan handled the weather conditions, I am not convinced the game will be a slam dunk as Bomber parolees are thinking.

Nathan Rourke did not look like he had much rust to work off in the western semi final and you have to remember he played in Ohio which has wetter and colder snow than that seen in Incestuous Field. Keeping this in mind, where BC will have problems is if Winnipeg gets their running game up and running for this night.

When playing in cold weather, nothing is more frustrating than having the other team run on you over and over and you can’t do anything about it and it is so cold that hitting the runner hurts as much as the cold. When a team finds itself in that situation, it usually is the beginning of the end.

The team’s final injury reports prior to the western final indicated that if Winnipeg did not field a lot of their questionable starters, their passing game was not going to be all that good and their run defense might be a bit questionable. BC will be missing Lucky Whitehead at receiver, but only an offensive lineman will join Whitehead as out for the game.

The stats page has the two teams relatively even, so intangibles will play a major role in determining the winner. Winnipeg has five players out for the western final, nine questionable and one doubtful. BC has one out and one questionable, so it could be argued that BC is the healthier team heading into the western final.

Winnipeg has several factors favoring it, including the intangible of going for a three-peat. The experience the Bombers have amassed the last few years means when it gets late in the game and the score is close, Winnipeg will not panic. BC is in the playoffs for the first time in a few years with a new quarterback and you must wonder if Rourke will come back to earth in this game or if he will rise to the occasion and take his team into the Grey Cup.

Basing a game choice on the last available injury report seems a bit dicey, but if Winnipeg is missing a number of players, depth will be a problem and the thing about playing in the cold is that both teams feel it. The longer BC stays in the game, the greater its chances, yet at the same time, the longer BC stays in the game, Winnipeg’s chances get better based on team experience in playing in close games.

This should come down to whether BC’s run defense can stifle Winnipeg’s running game since the passing game does not seem to be much of a pattern. If the game conditions are similar to what we saw in Regina for the Canadian Bowl, wind will be a factor and whoever plays the wind best should be ready to book their tickets to Regina.

Regina Grey Cups are notable for their firsts, and there are two firsts looking to play out Sunday afternoon. It has been a while since a team has played for its third consecutive Grey Cup win like Winnipeg, but it has been a long time since a Canadian has quarterbacked his team to a Grey Cup win.

If Winnipeg wins, Regina fans will rejoice because they will have Bomber fans willing to pick up tickets. While BC got over 30,000 for the western semi-final, everything I have heard indicates the new owner of the BC Lions is working at building a sustainable fan culture and experience that will bring fans back from various parts of BC.

I doubt many will come to Regina to stand or sit in -17 C temperatures, but I must admit from a story standpoint that a Canadian quarterback bringing a team into a Grey Cup is a very compelling story and makes me think that hitting the Grey Cup in Vancouver in two years may not be a bad idea.

The Lions win this one 31-29.

In the eastern final we have the spectacle of Montreal overcoming the fickle fans who thought Hamilton had the momentum heading into the eastern semi-final. Montreal just concentrated on exploiting Hamilton quarterback Dane Evans who this year exhibited an amazing ability to give the game away through either a fumble or pick six.

While Montreal finally showed they could display discipline and not get thrown off their game, they go into Toronto and a team that is probably better balanced than most, but also has some glaring question marks like a sustainable running game. Yes, Andrew (PED) Harris comes back and there is talk of a two headed running game which will really help next week in Regina.

The two teams are relatively evenly matched when it comes to the injury list reports with Montreal listing more defensive players questionable and out than Toronto. Finishing first has helped Toronto heal and get players like Andrew Harris back but the big question is whether Toronto can thrown Trevor Harris off his rhythm as a passer or if Montreal can force McLeod Bethel Thompson (the next quarterback of the Saskatchewan Roughriders, you read it here first) to stay in the pocket for receivers who are mostly hobbled.

It comes down to Toronto’s running game versus Montreal’s run defense. Toronto has the worst running attack in the league, but that was after Andrew Harris went out. If he is back and effective, this could be the key to Toronto booking a trip to the Grey Cup.

Montreal has a big play defense, but a team that nickel and dimes its way down the field like Toronto is annoying to play against because on defense you want to stop them and make a big play but Toronto will be content to pound Montreal over and over again until Montreal just gives up.

Danny Maccocia has done not bad as the head coach since he came out of his GM office. Winning another Grey Cup would go nicely on his mantel as he prepares to hand the team over to say, Jason Maas.

I suspect that Danny will have to wait and let his successor take the ball over the goal line. Montreal plays emotionally but playing with emotion and not smarts is not going to get you to midfield to hoist the Grey Cup.

Montreal does not have the depth that Toronto does. Montreal has arguably a better running back and a few of their positional players are amongst the best, but Montreal is in the midst of a culture change, and I suspect when Maas takes over, Montreal will find the missing gear it will need Sunday against Toronto.

That is next year country though. Toronto 28-17

by Greg Urbanoski

Lest We Forget, there is still football to be played

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