Hands off that trophy
Here’s one for the superstitious. When the Ottawa REDBLACKS stunned the Hamilton Tiger-Cats with a last-ditch touchdown toss from Henry Burris to Greg Ellingson, the celebration was on at TD Place. That celebration just happened to include the players passing around the East Division trophy. Of course, the REDBLACKS went on to lose in the Grey Cup game to Edmonton shortly after that. This year, not one REDBLACKS player, coach or staffer laid a finger on the hardware, pointing out the team preferred to hoist just one trophy this year. The Stampeders, meanwhile, were all over the West Division trophy, passing it around from player to player after knocking off the BC Lions. Read into that what you will.
Up and comer vs Legend
Sunday’s 104th Grey Cup will feature two of the league’s best quarterbacks at two very different parts of their career. While this may not be Henry Burris’ swan song, at 41, he’s closer to the end of his brilliant career than the beginning. Still, Burris managed to overcome a hand injury suffered on opening day this year, reclaim the starter’s spot and guide his team back to the championship game. Bo Levi Mitchell, 26, meanwhile, nearly guided his Stampeders to a CFL-record season, throwing for 5,385 yards, 32 touchdowns and just 8 interceptions. Despite the differences between the two players, their goals for Sunday are identical.
Next man up, again
Injuries are nothing new to the 2016 REDBLACKS, who have battled through adversity all season long. The silver lining to losing some of their top players for extended periods this year has been the opportunity it has afforded to younger depth players to step up. In the East Final, it was running back Kienan Lafrance pressed into duty after an early injury to Mossis Madu Jr. and step up he did. Seeming not to notice the snowstorm around him, Lafrance rushed for 157 yards, including the game’s final touchdown that killed any hopes of a Calgary comeback. Expect to see Lafrance back out there Sunday playing on the league’s biggest stage.
