Cauz: 7 simple questions about the 105th Grey Cup

Matthew Cauz

CFL.ca

@mcauz56

Whenever there is a crazy weekend of football, one of the thoughts that goes through my head is I wonder how Americans watching these games on one of the ESPN networks reacts.

This is not one of those needy, chip on my shoulder inferiority complex moments that many Canadians have with Americans, where we desperately want them to like something that is inherently ‘Canadian’. As someone who loves football in all forms, I genuinely would love to know how they consume our brand of football.

Did they stick around for the fourth quarter of the Argonauts/Roughriders game that went from an aesthetic dud to an incredible comeback? Were they confused as the rest of us when Coach Jason Maas elected to kick a field goal when his team desperately needed a touchdown? I have this image of many Americans looking at those painful ISO shots of Maas at the end of the Western Final and thinking “Oh, hey, he’s like our Pete Carroll who decided it would be a good idea to pass on the goal line at the end of the Super Bowl!”

Dave Dickenson and Marc Trestman meet ahead of Sunday’s 105th Grey Cup in Ottawa (David Kawai/CFL.ca)

So to all Americans who are new to our brand of football and are excited for the Grey Cup, think of this column as an “Idiot’s Guide to CFL,” but without any condescension. Hey, you guys gave us Tom Hanks, ‘Saturday Night Live’ and Sonoma Pinot Noir; most of you are all right in my book! To make it even easier I have divided the preview up into seven simple questions that you may encounter during the lead up to the big game. Feel free to parrot these answers to sound smart in front of your Canadian friends.

Just how good are the Calgary Stampeders?

I will keep this one simple as I have written far too many pieces on just how dominant Calgary has been over the past decade. Since 2008 they have averaged 13 wins a season yet have won “only” two Grey Cups. If you view their history through the prism of post-season success, it’s fair to say that Calgary has underachieved. I bet many of the players would agree with this, even though I understand how inherently unfair it is to judge a team’s success strictly by Cups won.

Calgary fans should take this criticism as a tip of the cap. They are so damn good that most of us are shocked they haven’t won more Grey Cups. It is a testament to their level of consistency and player development that you can look at the Stampeders organization and say they have left several championships on the table.

Also, congratulations to all the players and coaches who finally answered one of the oldest sports clichés that always comes up on sports talk radio shows: Can a team “flip the switch” come playoff time? The answer is a resounding yes. After cruising to a 13-1-1 start, the team lost its final three games by 23, 9 and 18 points. It had been a month since they last played a meaningful game and so everyone was wondering would Calgary be rusty and could the Stamps suddenly ‘flip the switch’?

You can put a big fat check mark to both those questions. On the rust side, Edmonton came out guns a blazing, scoring two easy touchdowns on the first two possessions as Mike Reilly had all day to pass while the Stamps were keeping Rob Maver busy with three punts in that opening quarter. But then we got to see the cliché in action as Calgary ran all over the Eskimos, outscoring them 30-1 in less than two quarters. It was a sight to behold. For you Americans it would be like watching a rested Patriots team taking on Nathan Peterman and the Bills.

How the hell did the Argonauts get here?

No one knows! Follow me on this bizarre timeline. In 2016 Toronto was coming off a last place finish, outscored by a league-worst 185 points. Their starter, Ricky Ray, was not a lock to return and the prospects of Drew Willy as the starter were quite real. So it’s not like 2017 was getting off to a roaring start. But it gets worse! Toronto fired the general manager, Jim Barker, on Jan. 23, and then on the 27th their head coach, Scott Milanovich, just up and quit on the team.

Adding insult to injury, Milanovich quit to go ply his trade with the Jacksonville Jaguars. I mean, if you are going to flee to Florida, don’t you hook up with the Miami Dolphins and hang out in South Beach? Nope, instead Milanovich looked at the Argonauts and thought the land of Waffle House restaurants was the place for him.

Did I mention that 2017 was a particularly strong year for free agents and Toronto had neither a coach or a GM working when the free agency period opened up on Feb. 14? It’s all true! Mercifully, saviours did appear in the names of Jim Popp and Marc Trestman, who both joined the team on Feb. 27, meaning they had fewer than three months to prepare for the draft and approximately 100 days to build a staff and assemble a team before their June 8 pre-season opener. So you go from the ultimate winter of discontent for Argonauts fans to a Grey Cup appearance. Sports are fun and unpredictable and strange.

Who is one under-the-radar player for both teams who I can confidently say, when I’m attending my first ever Grey Cup party, will play a huge role on Sunday?

Let’s start with rookie receiver Marken Michel for Calgary. Marken benefited from a slew of injuries at this position to rightfully earn his way into a starter’s role before injuring himself against Saskatchewan in Week 18. He made his return in the Western Final and while he only had one reception for four yards, he did score a rushing touchdown on a 13-yard sweep.

I imagine the Argonauts will focus on Kamar Jorden, Marquay McDaniel (excellent blitz busting route for Calgary’s first score against Edmonton) and DaVaris Daniels so Michel should have some excellent match-ups.

Anthony Coombs: Against Saskatchewan Coombs led the Argonauts in both catches (nine) and yards (77). He had been out since mid-August and is just now rounding into form. Think of Coombs as a Linus style safety blanket for Ray, who will be facing a Calgary pass rush that was tied with Toronto’s with 50 sacks in the regular season. I expect many check down passes for Coombs, who could be a huge difference maker if he can break a couple tackles.

Who are the veterans who deserve to finally get their moment in the sun and raise the Grey Cup?

Hey, who doesn’t love the story of the older veteran who has toiled away for many years without a sniff of the championship? For the Argonauts I am going with linebacker Bear Woods. He suffered on a couple really bad Alouettes teams where he won just one playoff game with Montreal in four seasons.

Yes, I could have picked a player with more than five seasons under his belt, but I’m going with Woods as his football future was rocked in May as he was shockingly cut by the Alouettes in training camp. He went from the East Division Most Outstanding Defensive Player to looking for work! Take a look at this quote from Kyries Hebert on the day of his release: “This was the only time I’ve ever shed tears over a teammate being cut. I understand pro football and the nature of the beast. This one kind of caught you off guard.” Yeah, that one caught us all by surprise.

Argos linebacker Bear Woods enjoyed his second career playoff win with the Argos (Johany Jutras/Argonauts.ca)

As for Calgary, I’m going with the diesel, running back Jerome Messam. After nine seasons and 126 regular season games of punishing linebackers and getting punished by gang tackles, I think it’s high time he gets to experience the ultimate reward for his labour. Oh, by the way, Jerome, if you are reading this, I heard you were upset that TSN was not giving you guys enough of a chance to beat Edmonton. Well let me say a couple things: First I am just a freelance worker for TSN Radio, and second, it was all James Duthie. Have I mentioned I am a coward?

Which player will we most likely eventually see in the NFL next year?

Hey, don’t ask us that! We both love/hate when our best players go down to you guys for the fame and fortune of the NFL. Damn it, my Canadian politeness forbids me from stiffing you on this one. All right, well, the obvious one is DaVaris Daniels, who spent some time in both the Vikings and Patriots camps in 2016. The former rookie of the year winner won’t blow you away when you look at his end of the season numbers but he has the size/speed combination that will almost certainly grant him another look in the NFL. Plus, at the age of 24, he still has a fairly high ceiling.

Who is the old dude that keeps getting it done?

Oh, you mean Charleston Hughes? While I don’t think he would appreciate you calling him old, I would agree that 33 is old in defensive linemen years. Hughes just completed his fourth straight double-digit sack season and the sixth in his last seven years with Calgary. Then in the playoffs he made life miserable for Mike Reilly, sacking him once and generating five pressures. Just a joy to watch and will go down as one of the greatest Calgary Stampeders off all-time.

Who ya got winning?

I was hoping you wouldn’t ask that. Toronto lost to Saskatchewan both times in the regular season and managed to defeat the Roughriders the third time they played, so why can’t they do the same thing to Calgary? This version of the Argonauts defence is the healthiest one we’ve seen all year. Led by Shawn Lemon‘s ferociousness, they thoroughly dominated the first 45 minutes of the Eastern Final, recording four sacks, generating four turnovers and scoring one touchdown on an impressive catch-and-run by linebacker Terrance Plummer. Yes, Chris Jones’ offence showed some serious signs of life in the fourth quarter, but when you hold the third-highest scoring offence to three points in three quarters, you have done your job.

The Argos’ defence got after Brandon Bridge and Kevin Glenn early vs. the Riders (Johany Jutras/Argonauts.ca)

From a sentimental standpoint, who isn’t rooting for Ricky Ray and the Argonauts (DON’T ANSWER THAT, REST OF CANADA!) to win it all and allow Ray to go off on top? That would make for the better story. But in the end, superior talent trumps a good narrative and, quite simply, Calgary is the better team.

Yes, I get burned with this opinion last year, but I just don’t see Bo Levi Mitchell and his now-healthy group of receivers going two-and-out ten times as the Roughriders and their revolving door of quarterbacks did on Sunday. Calgary took the best punch from the CFL’s hottest team and didn’t even blink.

I’m hoping for an entertaining and close game but my prediction on Sunday is the “Calgary should have more Grey Cups” conversation goes away as John Hufnagel’s near-perfect winning machine will be crowned your 2017 Grey Cup Champions.

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