Dan Ralph
THE CANADIAN PRESS

MONTREAL - Rating the two teams in the Calgary Stampeders' 22-14 win over the Montreal Alouettes in the 96th Grey Cup:

CALGARY STAMPEDERS

OFFENCE: A. It was a slow start for the unit, but Henry Burris's 20-yard TD strike late in the first half that cut Montreal's lead to 13-10 was a huge momentum builder. In the second half, Burris took over with both his legs and arms. He finished 28-of-37 passing for 328 yards while rushing for a game-high 79 yards to be named game MVP. Receiver Nik Lewis had 11 catches for 122 yards as part of a 443-yard attack.

DEFENCE: A. The Stamps faced the dubious task of trying to shut down a Montreal offence that led the CFL in scoring (32.4 points per game), total yards (429 per game) and passing percentage (69.5 per cent). Als quarterback Anthony Calvillo did complete 29-of-38 passes for 352 yards, but Calgary intercepted him twice in the second half and held the Als to 374 total yards.

SPECIAL TEAMS: B-plus. Kicker Sandro DeAngelis was a perfect five-for-five on field goals and was named the outstanding Canadian. Punter Burke Dales had a sparkling 47-yard average. The return game wasn't overly special, which brings down the overall grade, but it didn't need to be.

COACHING: A. A sound game plan on both sides of the ball. Offensively, the Stampeders used Burris's mobility to keep Montreal's defensive front on edge while it also allowed Burris to find time to look downfield for the open receiver. Defensively, Chris Jones' tactic of playing man coverage against Montreal was risky, and while Calvillo did have a lot of yards passing, he could only lead the Als into the end zone twice. Not a surprise, given Calgary allowed a league-low 21.5 points per game.

MONTREAL ALOUETTES

OFFENCE: C. The Alouettes were able to execute the short passing game well, especially in the first half, but couldn't finish drives off with points. Calvillo did complete 29-of-38 passes for 352 yards but had two big interceptions. Running game only managed 40 yards.

DEFENCE: C. Montreal was ranked second in the CFL in fewest points allowed with 23.5 per game, but was a distant seventh in pass defence, with opponents averaging 318 yards against. And it was being unable to contain Burris that hurt the Alouettes most, especially late in the first half when the Calgary quarterback found Brett Ralph on a 20-yard TD pass that cut the Als' half-time lead to 13-10.

SPECIAL TEAMS: B. Arguably this was the best part of Montreal's attack. Damon Duval made the two field goals he attempted and also sported a decent 42.5-yard punting average. Returner Larry Taylor didn't duplicate the two-touchdown performance he had in the East final against Edmonton, but did average a decent 17.2 yards on five punt returns. And the Als' cover teams did a good job.

COACHING: C-plus. There was nothing wrong with Montreal's offensive game plan, one that resulted in the Als having the CFL's most potent unit. However, Avon Cobourne should've got more than just eight carries - three of which came in the second half - and taken some of the load off of Calvillo. Defensively, though, the Alouettes were unable to keep Burris between the tackles and it cost them dearly with that huge TD pass to Ralph late in the first half that essentially got the Stamps feeling good about themselves again.