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We are in luck! The 2019 Grey Cup is guaranteed to be a feel good championship game. To all the Edmonton and Saskatchewan fans wildly debating this, stop being so greedy! Remember back in 2013, Rider fans, when you dummied the Tiger-Cats 45-23? That snoozer was over at the half with Kory Sheets (Grey Cup Record 197 yards rushing) helping Saskatchewan get out to a 31-6 lead. The Eskimos would capture the Grey Cup on a late third-down quarterback sneak by backup Jordan Lynch in a much more thrilling 26-20 contest. Yes, it always stinks whenever your team loses but take comfort in your respective recent success.
Let’s go to two fan bases that are craving a Grey Cup. The last time the Hamilton Tiger-Cats won the Grey Cup was in 1999 when they raced out to a 21-0 halftime lead over the Calgary Stampeders and would end up victorious to the score of 32-21. That game was so long ago that current Hamilton head coach Orlondo Steinauer had an interception in that game. That game was so long ago that the quarterback that Steinauer picked off was current Calgary Stampeders coach Dave Dickenson. That game was so long ago that Wally Buono had only won two Grey Cups. All right, maybe that last example doesn’t work as well, but damn, was Buono a prolific coach. In 1999 Wayne Gretzky was still playing hockey (he would retire that year), ‘The Matrix’ was the biggest movie sensation and a DVD player would cost you $200.
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Now let’s go even further back in the way back machine to the year 1990. That was the last time the Winnipeg Blue Bombers would taste ultimate victory as they soundly beat Edmonton 50-11. They are currently the holder of the very dubious record of longest CFL championship drought at 28 seasons. Instead of pulling up a whole list of notable sporting and pop culture moments from 1990 I will leave you with this one statistic: Since 1990 more teams from America (The 1995 Baltimore Stallions) have won the Canadian Football League’s greatest honour than the Winnipeg Blue Bombers.
So the question that we all have to answer, if you are not a fan of either of the Grey Cup participants, is who are you rooting for on Sunday? The great thing is there is no wrong answer. Like I said we are headed for a guaranteed feel good Grey Cup instead of the usual coronation or condemnation of the Calgary Stampeders franchise.
The case for Winnipeg beyond the obvious title drought is Zach Collaros. Collaros hasn’t been spectacular statistically in this playoff run but his Bombers went on the road and beat two fearsome defences in Calgary and Saskatchewan. A Grey Cup win over Hamilton would represent the end of maybe the most unique comeback story for a quarterback who had been counted out (rightfully so) several times. Then there is Coach Mike O’Shea who took over a team that had gone 3-15 in 2013. Consistently one of the most imaginative and daring coaches, a win would be a triumph for all those who embrace the unorthodox. It’s easy to root for the aggressive coaches who you know have several different fake punt plays up their sleeve. Yes, the Riders held them in check on Sunday, but the dual quarterback rotation of Collaros and human battering ram Chris Streveler worked brilliantly against Calgary. Finally, a Grey Cup win would add a great deal to the legacy of two future Hall of Famers in Andrew Harris and Justin Medlock.
For Hamilton, when I think about the Grey Cup I always go back to the final 90 seconds of the 2014 contest between the Tabbies and the Stamps. This game was supposed to be a blow out between the 15-3 Stampeders and the 9-9 Tiger-Cats. Calgary was loaded with more stars and despite playing in the stacked West had scored almost 100 more points than Hamilton while giving up just under 50 fewer points. It was 17-0 near the end of the half when a very young Collaros hooked up with second year receiver Brandon Banks for 45-yard touchdown. We actually had a game! Then came the moment that everyone remembers. Just over a minute to go, Hamilton’s defence, led by Delvin Breaux, Simoni Lawrence and Ted Laurent, forced Calgary to punt with the Stamps holding a 20-16 lead. Banks took the Rene Parades punt near the left sideline, danced to the other side of the field then turned on the afterburners towards the goal line. Touchdown, massive upset! Except, of course, you saw the flags on the field; the return would be negated by a close call illegal block penalty on linebacker Taylor Reed. Game over, Cinderella story dashed.
The next year Collaros was a legitimate star and Hamilton was the class of the East until injuries hit and they weren’t. This year they were the class of the East and then Jeremiah Masoli got hurt and we wondered if history was repeating itself. Now, once again led by Banks, Breaux, Lawrence and Laurent, they have a chance to finally capture what was ripped away from them five years ago.
One final little note. I loved seeing the shots of Cody Fajardo signing fans autographs after their loss to Winnipeg. I felt so bad watching him drop to the turf after his third down pass hit the crossbar, ending the Western Final. He easily could have just left the field, collected himself and gone home. To rally back and give some time to the fans was telling of his character. Considering his injuries coming into this game Fajardo acquitted himself quite well for his first ever playoff start. Rider fans have a keeper.
