Season Series
WEEK DATE RESULT
3 Jul 10 Calgary 23 at Montreal 1
12 Sep 12 Montreal 30 at Calgary 41
When the Alouettes have the ball
Quarterback: Anthony Calvillo is the East Division's nominee for Most Outstanding Player. At 36, he has turned back time, passing for over 5,600 yards and 43 touchdowns.
Running Game: Avon Cobourne found his stride in late July, racking up six straight 100-yard games. He also collected over 600 yards in receiving out of the backfield. He was hobbled by an ankle injury late in the season that caused him to miss some action but he was a factor in the East Final.
Passing Game: Newcomer Jamel Richardson racked up the most yards for the Alouettes this season and was a force in the East Final. Veteran Ben Cahoon was once again Calvillo's favourite target with 107 catches and Kerry Watkins gives the Alouettes a third receiver with over 1,000 yards, one of only teams to do so.
Offensive Line: Award nominee Scott Flory, Bryan Chiu and Paul Lambert are part of a solid unit that has performed at a high level for a nubmer of years. And they're all Canadians, too!
Special Teams: Rookie Larry Taylor was a difference-maker in the East Final with a record two punt returns for touchdowns. Damon Duval is always among the leaders in scoring and this year was no different. And with a net average of 38 yards, his punting has been impressive as well.
Stampeders' Defence: The Stampeders rely on a total team concept on defence. No player had more than five sacks, for example, but five Stampeders had at least four QB drops. The scheme certainly worked, as no defence gave up fewer touchdowns or fewer points than Calgary's this season. Lineman Mike Labinjo was outstanding in the West Final. Defensive back Wes Lysak topped the team with four interceptions while linebacker Shannon James was among the league leaders in tackles.
Jock Climie says the Alouettes win if: The Als will win if their receivers can beat man coverage and get open in time for Calvillo to go 1, 2, 3... throw. Timing and rhythm is what Montreal's passing game is all about.
Defensively, Montreal's linebackers must contain Joffrey Reynolds as well as help out with pass defence. If Hill, Ferri and Hunt fly around and wreak havoc the Als defence can get the ball back in Calvillo's hands and make life very difficult for the Stamps.
When the Stampeders have the ball
Passing Game: If not for Anthony Calvillo's outstanding season, Henry Burris would be the talk of the league among pivots. Passing for over 5,000 yards with 38 touchdowns as well as leading all quarterbacks in rushing with close to 600 yards is remarkable. In the West Final, he spread the wealth, using eight different receivers .
Running Game: Joffrey Reynolds reached the 1,200-yard for the fourth straight season. He was struggling down the stretch until he picked up 128 yards against Hamilton in Week 18 to help the Stampeders clinch first place.
Receiving Game: Ken-Yon Rambo led the league in yardage, eclipsing the 1,000-yard mark for the first time in his career. Five-year veteran Nik Lewis has reached the milestone every season and this year, led the team in touchdowns. Jeremaine Copeland and Canadian Brett Ralph complete a fearsome foursome.
Offensive Line: Diaper dandies Jesse Newman and Dimitri Tsoumpas have surprised everyone with their ability to step in and have an impact. This unit allowed the second fewest quarterback sacks on the season and stood up to the outstanding defensive line of the Lions in the West Final.
Special Teams: Markus Howell is steady in the return game. Special Teams award nominee Sandro DeAngelis made good on 85% of his field goal attempts while Burke Dales led the league in net punting.
Alouettes' Defence: The Alouettes have had a great deal of success stopping the run, giving up less than 100 yards per game. In the East Final, they gave up a measly three yards on the ground to the Eskimos. And statistics say the passing defence is weak with only the Hamilton Tiger-Cats giving up more yards in the regular season but when you have a winning record and score over 600 points, teams tend to throw the ball against you when the game is already decided.
Matt Dunigan says the Stampeders win if: For the Calgary Stampeders to be successful against the Montreal Alouettes in Sunday's Grey Cup, Henry Burris has to continue to be a good caretaker of the football and make the "big play."
Only one interception last week and big time throws to Ken Yon Rambo, Jeremaine Copeland, Brett Ralph and Nik Lewis. On top of making incredibly accurate and strong-arm throws, he was toting the rock and gutting the defense with timely runs. He will need to do more of the same in the "Big O."
Reynolds will have to be a bigger factor and will have to improve on just 43 yards rushing. With the strong play of Demitris Summers, anticipate more of a rotation at running back to create production on the ground. Sustaining possession of the ball limits Anthony Calvillo and the number of chances the Alouettes will have. Control the line of scrimmage, win the time of possession battle, and keep it away from A.C.
Summers and Markus Howell last week (particularly Summers) kept the offense on a short field and created scoring opportunities. If they can have similar success, that will go a long way in bringing the Cup back to Calgary.
You couple their play and returns with Sandro DeAngelis and Burke Dales's abilities and the Special Teams are humming at the right time. They must keep it going. Don't think for a second that Special Teams coach Craig Dickenson is not staying up at night devising ways to stop Larry Taylor on his return game. The Stamps must have better coverage than Edmonton had on teams against Montreal.
Defensively, the Stamps stood on their heads and won the West Final by not allowing the Lions to score majors. To do the same against Calvillo and Co. would be a minor miracle, but they must gang tackle and cover like they did last week against the Lions. The intensity was evident in the West Final and they must play with the same confidence and quickness against the Alouettes in the Grey Cup.
Mike Labinjo, Charleston Hughes, Shannon James, Milton Collins, Brandon Browner and the rest of the defence must force the issue and not allow Calivillo to get comfortable and throw on rhythm. Chris Jones, Defensive Coordinator for the Stamps, must mix up fronts, stunts and coverages throughout the game, otherwise A.C. will settle in like we saw last week and start to slice and dice.
