“We were the best team all year and I feel like the best team won.”
—Lions QB Dave Dickenson
Nelly Furtado, at least, was terrific. Great sound. Wonderful choreography. A flawless halftime performance. No wardrobe malfunction or anything like that.
But the rest of the Grey Cup show last night? Not quite so hot.
Oh, the Montreal Alouettes tried to battle back in the second half to make a game of the 94th CFL championship match in Winnipeg, but the reality is that this one was basically over at halftime.
The B.C. Lions went up early, catapulted ahead 19-3 after two quarters and never relinquished their lead en route toa 25-14 triumph andtheir fifth Grey Cup title.
“I feel like we deserved this,” said B.C. quarterback Dave Dickenson, chosen the game’s MVP. “We were the best team (in the league) all year and I feel like the best team won.”
No argument here, and yet, it wasn’t as if Dickenson and his offence dominated the Als last night. They managed to produce only one touchdown, in fact, relying on six field goals — a record-tying effort in a Grey Cup game — from kicker Paul McCallum.
The B.C. defence won this game, thoroughly confusing Montreal QB Anthony Calvillo et al for most of the game. Credit the strategies of B.C. defensive co-ordinator Dave Ritchie, possibly the happiest of all the Lions last night. Ritchie was once Montreal head coach and was fired by the man who made his Grey Cup debut as the Als head coach last night: Jim Popp. Popp probably will return now to his former role as Montreal general manager and will hire a new head coach. Ritchie is interested in returning to the position, but there’s likely too much animosity there.
Popp seemed to be out of his element here, by the way. I mean, the guy wore his sunglasses at night. And, I know Corey Hart is from Montreal, but this was ridiculous. In fact, wisecrackers wondered if perhaps Popp passed on challenging a late, Robert Edwards fumble near the B.C. goalline because, well, because maybe those sunglasses obscured his view.
Anyway, the win was particularly special for McCallum, who never reached the final during seven years with Saskatchewan. And, when he botched a field goal once, manure was dumped on his property.
Last night, he drank champagne from the Grey Cup. He seemed to enjoy that more.
