Tyler Bieber
CFL.ca
One thing is guaranteed about Sunday’s CFL divisional finals: the two teams who do wind up meeting in the Grey Cup will not have gone head to head against one another under this kind of pressure in quite some time.
Unlike the 2010 Grey Cup, which was a repeat of 2009 between Montreal and Saskatchewan. Or, 2002, 2003, and 2005, when the Eskimos and Alouettes met for the championship, this year’s Grey Cup game will be fresh.
The last meeting between any of the four teams came back in 1993, when the Eskimos beat the Blue Bombers 33-23 at McMahon Stadium. 1988 was the last time the Bombers and BC Lions hooked up. The Bombers won by the slimmest of margins, 22-21.
In the mid-1980’s, Hamilton went up against BC and Edmonton in back-to-back years, losing to the Lions in 1985, but beating the Eskimos in 1986.
The Lions will look to do a rare feat on Sunday, which is earning the right to play in the Grey Cup in their own stadium. Since 1994, the last time a team hosting the Grey Cup won the game (also the Lions), only twice has the hometown team actually made the game. The Edmonton Eskimos in 2002 lost to the Montreal Alouettes, while the Alouettes lost to the Calgary Stampeders in the 2008 game.
BC knocked off the Eskimos twice at home in a span of five weeks to help them win the West Division for the regular season.
Both times, the Lions won the game by a total of nine points.
The key throughout the Eskimos bounce back season has been turnovers. Now, obviously when you don’t turn the ball over, or at least turn the ball over fewer times than your opponent, your chances of winning are increased.
When the Esks have won the turnover battle in 2011, including last Sunday’s Semi-Final win over Calgary, they are 12-0. When they lost or tied the battle, they were 0-7.
Edmonton turned the ball over a league low 29 times during the season, while forcing 45 turnovers. The 45 turnovers forced was second in the league to Winnipeg.
The Eskimos defence was rejuvenated this season under new defensive coordinator Rich Stubler. In his third stint as the Eskimos DC (1991-1995; 1998-1999), Stubler’s defence allowed the second fewest points in the league.
Sunday’s test comes against the BC Lions and their high flying offence led by quarterback Travis Lulay. The Lions tied for second in points scored in 2011 at 511. The likely league Most Outstanding Player, Lulay, has been on a tear ever since the Lions eighth game of the season, a blowout win over the Eskimos.
While the Lions rushing attack hasn’t been so strong throughout the season, they have found a way to modify rushing plays by throwing the ball. Be it screens to speedster Canadian Andrew Harris, or quick hitch passes to Arland Bruce, the Lions have definitely made up for not having a running back over 500 yards by throwing quick short passes.
The Eskimos are going to have to find a way to do what has only been done one time since Week 17: hold the Lions to under 28 points. The Hamilton Tiger-Cats were the only team – in a 42-10 win – to hold the Lions to under 28 points since the Winnipeg Blue Bombers back in Week 7.
In a year that has been just about as wacky as they come, the only thing wackier would be another Grey Cup first. In CFL history, the two teams who finished with the two worst records from the previous season have never met in the Grey Cup game.
On six occasions, one of the two worst teams from the previous season has made the Grey Cup:
- 1960: Hamilton finished second worst, and lost in the 1961 Grey Cup.
- 1964: Winnipeg finished worst, and lost the 1965 Grey Cup.
- 1969: Montreal finished worst, and won the 1970 Grey Cup.
- 1981: Toronto finished worst, and lost the 1982 Grey Cup.
- 1995: Toronto finished second worst and won the 1996 Grey Cup.
- 1997: Hamilton finished worst and lost the 1998 Grey Cup.
As if the Eastern Final between the Hamilton Tiger-Cats and Winnipeg Blue Bombers needed more drama.
Not only will it be former Bombers QB Kevin Glenn’s first playoff game against the Blue, Winnipeg released WR Terence Jeffers-Harris on Thursday.
Significance? Well, he became a passed over option in Winnipeg, and so, one would assume out of spite, signed a practice roster agreement with the Tiger-Cats.
Hamilton was surely looking to get an inside edge into the Bombers playbook, but signing Jeffers-Harris does not mean that they suddenly know what’s coming at them on Sunday. Besides, it was alleged that Jeffers-Harris missed meetings as well, so it’s not like even HE may know what the Bombers offence will bring on Sunday afternoon.
In three meetings in the regular season, the Bombers swept the Tiger-Cats while taking one Kevin Glenn interception for a touchdown in each game.
On a couple of occasions, it was largely the difference in the game, with Winnipeg winning two games by eight and three points.
The Ticats have never been confused for the Montreal Alouettes. Unlike the Als, who have defined consistency since 2000, the Ti-Cats have missed the boat several times since winning their last Grey Cup title in 1999.
Since that time, Hamilton has lost in the Eastern Final, had a 1-17 season, won just 15 games over a span of four years, and lost at home in back-to-back seasons in the playoffs. However, things finally changed in Hamilton last Sunday.
They won.
It was a thrilling 52-44 overtime win that sent the Tiger-Cats to Winnipeg for the Eastern Final. Despite the fact that Hamilton nearly pulled a Hamilton and blew the game a couple of times, they managed to pull the game out, and do something they had not done since 2001. That, of course was to make the Eastern Final.
This begs the ultimate question towards Sunday’s game.
Which Kevin Glenn will come to play?
Will it be the Kevin Glenn who made big mistakes in losses to Winnipeg in the regular season?
Or will it be the Kevin Glenn who helped the Tiger-Cats dominate the Blue Bombers to end the 2009 season in a game which the Ti-Cats won to get into the playoffs, and effectively knock the Bombers out.
Buck Pierce will start for the Bombers, and he will look to achieve what the two men standing side-by-side on the Ticats sideline last did.
Referencing to Hamilton’s offensive coordinator Khari Jones, and quarterback Kevin Glenn, who quarterbacked the last two Bomber teams to the Grey Cup in 2001 and 2007. Glenn of course missed the 2007 game with a broken arm.
Pierce missed the Bombers final game of the season due to injury, and will make his third career playoff start in the game. The other two starts came in the 2008 season with the BC Lions.
In his first eight games played this season, Pierce threw for 10 touchdowns and six interceptions while helping the Bombers to a 7-1 record during that time. In the next eight games Pierce played in (he missed two games due to injury), he threw just four touchdown passes and 12 interceptions while the Bombers went 3-5.
While some of the talk is about Glenn and his inconsistencies, the same should be said about Pierce. The seven year pro clearly struggled down the stretch, and if the Bombers want to be the ones playing in Vancouver, he will have to help keep the pressure off of his defence.
As for a prediction?
For the Eastern Final, I am expecting to see a lower scoring game in the Winnipeg cold. One team is going to make a rather big mistake that will loom large in the game. That team in my opinion will be the Blue Bombers.
As for the Western Final, Ricky Ray has been there and done that when it comes to playing in raucous environments. The Eskimos had to win two games on the road to get to the 2005 Grey Cup game. The Lions will be feeling the pressure with hosting the Grey Cup game a week later at stake. In a fairly well-played game with a little more offence than the Eastern Final, the Lions defence gets it done.
99th Grey Cup Prediction: BC Lions vs Hamilton Tiger-Cats
For more commentary from Tyler Bieber visit his blog at CFLDaily.ca
