Thomas Skrlj/CFL.ca
VANCOUVER – I can’t believe we are finally at the 111th Grey Cup. Where did the time go? It feels like it was just yesterday that the Blue Bombers were 0-4, Vernon Adams Jr. was on pace to easily surpass 6,000 yards, and Sabrina Carpenter was dominating the charts. (Note: That last reference I threw in to balance all my 1980’s pop culture references).
Now we have the hottest team in the league, the Toronto Argonauts, taking on the best team in the CFL, the Winnipeg Blue Bombers, in a re-match of the 109th Grey Cup. Yes, the injury to Chad Kelly lingers, but it should be noted Toronto beat the Bombers early with Nick Arbuckle and Cameron Dukes, and again late in the year with Kelly only throwing for 203 yards and producing 14 points.
Winnipeg deserves to be the favourite on Sunday, but there are many different paths that can lead to Toronto winning their 19th Grey Cup. Here are five matchups that will be pivotal in this classic clash.
111th GREY CUP
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ARGOS’ PASS RUSH VS. THE BOMBERS’ “HEAVY” OFFENSIVE LINE
Anyone can focus on the Zach Collaros and Kenny Lawler combination, and the havoc they wreaked all over the Saskatchewan Roughriders defence. But how about that other deadly duo of Asotui Eli and Gabe Wallace? I know this screams maximum football hipster to focus on two backup offensive linemen instead of the quarterback who tossed four touchdown passes, or a receiver who caught three of them, but hear me out.
On so many big plays in the first half, coach Mike O’Shea brought in one and often two extra linemen to protect Collaros and give him the time needed to hit the deep route.
Lawler’s first touchdown, a 31-yarder, saw both Eli and Wallace line up on the right side of the line. While everyone was amazed as later on Lawler beat Amari Henderson and stiff-armed DaMarcus Fields for a 65-yard gain, I was watching Asotui help build a wall for Collaros. Nic Demski’s six-yard score also came with this blocking tandem on the field.
It’s going to be a tough task for players like Jake Ceresna, Ralph Holley and Folarin Orimolade, but they will have to find a way to disrupt, distract and get their giant paws on Collaros or it will be another light show for the Bombers’ passing attack.
3 LEVELS OF ARGOS DEFENCE VS. EVERYTHING BRADY OLIVEIRA DOES
I promise I’m not trying to be different just for the sake of it. We can all marvel at the day the game’s leading rusher had last week, especially the damage he did in the fourth quarter against the Roughriders, but I want to focus on the other elements of Brady Oliveira’s game.
Early on Oliveria was throwing his big body around to assist in the pass blocking, and he is one of the reasons Collaros wasn’t sacked in the Western Final. His best block came in the second quarter when his seal block on CFL All-Star Marcus Sayles helped spring short yardage quarterback Terry Wilson into a long gain of 48 yards.
Finally, you may have noticed just how wide-open Lawler was on his second touchdown of the day. Oliveria deserves a hockey assist on the 24-yard touchdown as it sure looked like all the Saskatchewan linebackers were focused on the Bombers running back as a receiving threat. The Argonauts will have to make Winnipeg pay when Oliveira is being asked to block a charging defensive end. Wynton McManis is as smart as it gets when it comes to football IQ, and he will need every ounce of experience when deciding whether or not the ball is going to Oliveria versus when Collaros is targeting the middle of the field.
DAMONTE COXIE VS. EVAN HOLM
Let’s do a classic player-versus-player battle. Rookie Makai Polk has been an absolute revelation for Toronto late in the year, and over the post-season Polk has 10 receptions for 230 yards and a touchdown. However, I want to focus on the Argonauts’ leading receiver against the Alouettes.
Toronto’s offence was sleepwalking through most of the first half until deep passes, a 44-yard reception and a 20-yard touchdown, both courtesy of Damonte Coxie, woke everyone up and gave Toronto an unexpected 21-16 lead going into the half. On both deep catches Coxie was well covered, but he was unfazed by all the traffic around him — the hyper-focus was impressive. Nick Arbuckle is going to need his receivers to make difficult catches in tight coverages.
Speaking of excellent coverage, one reason why we didn’t see much of Riders 1,000-yard receiver Samuel Emilus in the first half of the Western Final was the work done by Evan Holm. A deep shot to Emilus in the second quarter was thwarted by the star halfback, and again on a second-and-five as Holm deflected another pass intended for Emilus forcing the Riders to punt.
JANARION GRANT VS. TYRELL FORD
Ryan Dinwiddie and the rest of the coaching staff is going to have to be creative in finding ways to put up long drives and points against the Bombers’ defence without their star quarterback. Enter Janarion Grant, who did it all against Montreal.
His 71-yard punt return touchdown was a desperately needed score to keep Toronto in the game at a time where Kelly and the rest of the offence was unable to get anything going. Then, early in the third, his 47-yard reception got Toronto out of a deep jam as they were backed up near their own end zone, a catch that helped set up a field goal to give Toronto a 24-16 lead. At the end of the game, Grant finished with 216 total yards.
On the flip side, two moments from Tyrell Ford stand out, both coming in the fourth quarter for Winnipeg. There was a moment where it looked like Mario Alford was about to get Saskatchewan back in the game. After collecting a punt, you could see there was a path for a deep return, possibly a touchdown. Ford managed to chase him down, extinguishing the threat before it had a chance to take off. Soon after, the Corey Mace third-down conversion deep in his own territory failed as a result of Ford knocking away the last gasp Trevor Harris pass to KeeSean Johnson. That was the point where everyone at Princess Auto Stadium got to fully celebrate their team’s fifth trip to the Grey Cup.
NICK ARBUCKLE VS. ANY LINGERING SELF DOUBT
If you make it as a pro in any football league, that means you are in the top one per cent of all collegiate players. You don’t get to this stage without having a strong sense of self. Players need a healthy and strong ego to survive. Arbuckle has spent most of his six years in the league as a backup and now he starts in the biggest game of the season, going up against a secondary featuring stars like Ford and Deatrick Nichols, while being chased by Willie Jefferson.
It would only be human of him to wonder if he can help get Toronto to the ultimate goal, if he can finish drives with touchdowns instead of field goals — something Harris and the Riders’ offence could not accomplish. Arbuckle should take confidence in what he did late against Montreal, coming in cold against the game’s best defence. On consecutive second-and-eights, Arbuckle made big time throws, a 20-yarder to David Ungerer III and a deep pass to Dejon Brissett, that forced a pass interference penalty from All-Everything Tyrice Beverette. Those were two winning plays made by a quarterback no one expected would be needed to help Toronto get back to the Grey Cup.