Off to the Grey Cup

I talked with Jerrell Freeman and thanked him for recovering the fumble in the end zone that could have given the Stampeders the lead with two and a half minutes left. He was gracious about it but also said the Riders still had work to do so while this reception was nice, it was not the end all and be all.

I also talked to linebacker Barrin Simpson who was playing on a gimpy ankle and gave us three and a half quarters before he pulled himself out. Simpson said the cold magnified the pain and he took himself out of the game to avoid hurting the team. Mind you, this was a few hours after the game, but he was cautiously optimistic he would play in the Grey Cup game.

I also talked to Dan Goodspeed, the Rider offensive lineman who I have been less than favorable to on these pages. When pulling into the airport, I found myself following a car with Florida plates and when we went into overflow parking, it turned out to be Goodspeed's wife. We didn't know this until we were talking heading into the terminal and she said she was meeting her husband and gave us his name.

Well after thanking the players in the terminal, we came out and there was Goodspeed and his wife loading up their car. We asked about the cold and he said since he was Florida, he was tempted to wear a shirt with sleeves under his jersey, but apparently the offensive lineman went sleeveless to prove a point to Calgary.

The point was made when the refs were reviewing whether or not the Cates fumble was a fumble, and the Rider offense was staying on the field while the Stampeders were moving towards the heaters on the sideline.

Goodspeed said he say Calgary Stampeder player number 76 (not sure who it is since I'm sending this via Facebook but you can look it up) with a pained expression on his face.

“Are you hurt or are you cold?” Goodspeed asked while hopping up and down to keep the blood circulating.

“A bit of both” Calgary number 76 responded. And Goodspeed told us he knew right then the Riders had the Stampeders.

My final story from the airport involves one of the more popular guys on the Riders, punter Eddie Johnson. Johnson, a former bartender in Califormia who got the call to be our punter and has a moustache, wears number 11 for the Riders.

Well, on Sunday I was wearing my white Riders #11 jersey, which was worn by linebacker Aaron Wagner last year. Johnson saw that, and the moustache I have been growing this month for Movember for prostrate cancer fundraising, and put me in a headlock.

“I can't believe you got my jersey!” he laughed before he let me go, posed for a picture, and signed the jersey. I didn't tell him otherwise, because hey, it was a pretty cool moment.

So the Stampeders are blaming the loss on the refs calls, which points out how delusional their players and fans are. But that doesn't matter because we have the rematch we have been looking forward to since last November.

I have been thinking about what to expect from this game, and my initial thoughts are this. The Riders have a tough time with Montreal because Montreal is a very good team. I respect Montreal more than I do Calgary, and I think Montreal respects us as well.

The way Montreal beat Toronto, when Toronto was talking about a possible upset, showed that Montreal can turn it on when they have to. They destroyed the Argonauts and one of the most painful images was watching Argo running back Cory Boyd trying to get up after being hurt and not being able to.

Which would make Montreal an early favorite. But I don't think that will matter in this game. I've been reviewing the last two games these teams played to get an idea of what might come down on Sunday.

In the last Montreal-Saskatchewan game, Montreal scored two plays into the game and roared to a 24-10 halftime lead. Then the Riders shut Montreal down in the second half but fell short 30-26.

Considering Darian Durant was suffering from intestinal flu due to some tainted sushi, the second half was very promising for the next meeting between these teams.

Against Toronto, Montreal went deep and challenged Toronto, probably secure in that Toronto doesn't have a quarterback that could come back from being behind. I would expect Montreal to try to go deep against Saskatchewan, especially if Omar Morgan is unable to play.

The Riders will counter with physical play against Montreal receivers, especially effective in cold weather, and all kinds of pressure on Anthony Calvillo.

On offense, the Riders have Weston Dressler in the line-up, as opposed to last year, and our receiving corps is much more dangerous than it has been in years, especially in cold weather. I would expect Dressler, who had 13 catches for 169 yards and a touchdown the last time we played Montreal to play a major role.

Montreal is suspectible to the deep pass so send the receivers deep and take advantage of penalty calls that go their way. Montreal is a tough team to run against and I would say if Cates gets more than 50 yards, consider that to be a success.

But I find it interesting that in the Western Semi-Final against BC, Darian Durant didn't get back into the game until he ran and got hit. In Calgary in the Western Final, a big run by Durant in the second quarter sparked the Riders to take the lead at half-time.

I would hope the Riders replace Ryan Grice-Mullins with Hugh Charles or Stu Foord on punt returns. They seem more capable of catching the ball and that fumble by Grice Mullins just scared the daylights out of everyone in Saskatchewan. We don't need another special teams miscue in the Grey Cup.

The weather forecast as I write for Edmonton on Grey Cup is minus five, a far cry from the minus 25 the Riders faced in Calgary. So the passing game will again take the spotlight.

And let's deal with the issue of redemption. The Riders have been working for this moment all season. They had been written off by everyone heading into the last game against Edmonton and in three weeks managed to eliminate all their western rivals one game at a time.

From what I saw at the airport, they are all business. They have the fans back. And Edmonton will be Taylor Field West on Sunday afternoon.

If you are planning to go to Grey Cup, ticket prices will start coming down on Wednesday, if last year in Calgary was any example, and you can get tickets sold just before the game.

I will be there with friends and family, and the ghosts of all the Rider fans who have passed on like my parents who would be so excited to see the Riders back in the big game.

My record last week was 2-0, which puts me at 44-32 for the season and Chris Schultz of TSN was 1-1 for a 37-39 record.

For my final prediction of the 2010 CFL season, I am picking the Saskatchewan Roughriders to win their fourth Grey Cup ring. Try to watch this game with friends and family because this game will confirm we are living in the greatest era in Saskatchewan Roughrider season and you will want to share that moment and feel free to shed a tear when Gene Makowsky and Jeremy O'Day lift the Grey Cup at the end of the game and walk along the length of the field on both sides of Commonwealth Stadium to allow fans to touch it.

After all, it is our team as well, and it will be a hell of a way to wrap up our first 100 years.

by Riderville

Off to the Grey Cup

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