Grey Cup Post Game Thoughts!!
Posted: Sun Nov 19, 2006 7:45 pm
It was a most intriguing Grey Cup game, and perhaps controversial as well, but history only remembers champions! Our B.C. Lions are the 2006 Grey Cup Champions and deserving champions as well. The Grey Cup victory capped off a very successful season and perhaps history will look at this team as our best ever! The victory today felt so good because this was a very together team that played for each other and the emotion in their eyes, after the victory, reflected how much it meant!
DEFENSE:
I started Post-Game Thoughts, as we celebrate this Grey Cup win, with our defense. It was our best unit all year and it was the main reason we won the 2006 Championship. We shut down Edwards in the first half, completely confused Cavillo, played their recievers tough, and had heat on Cavillo most of the game.
The big half time lead was due to our defense...who shut down Montreal for so many two and outs that our offence had great field position for most of the first half. They also caused a key turnover deep in Montreal's end of the field, when Hunt hit Cavillo and Glatt recovered the football. With one minute to go in the first half Montreal only had one first down...as we completely shut them down.
Montreal battled in the second half but they could never overcome our imposing defense. With receivers always under tight coverage, with our linebackers playing aggressively, and with our defensive line always penetrating, pursuing, and pressuring it was just too tough a defense for Montreal to overcome. Ritchie was the conductor, Johnson was the talented defensive end whose drive was always an example, Carl Kidd the heart and soul, Barrin Miles the brilliant tactician, Glatt the positive light, Otis Floyd the intense warrior, Korey Banks the bad boy who created the edge, Washington, the experienced leader! They were a treat to watch all season and they always came through!
SPECIAL TEAMS
Paul McCallum tied a Grey Cup record with six field goals and he was money all day. He punted extremely well all game as well, including a coffin corner punt that was perfectly executed. McCallum proved that any kicker can miss one but he was someone who could handle pressure. Buck Pierce held for McCallum all season and did a great job. Craiggs did a great job as our long snapper all season. Carl Kidd set the example as a veteran playing special teams coverage and the entire coverage unit played with inspiration all season.
OFFENCE
We moved the ball well in the first quarter, as Dickenson hit open recievers time and again as Montreal tried throwing the house at him, mostly blitzing defensive backs. Joe Smith and our slotbacks picked up the blitzing defensive backs and Dickenson had time to throw against Montreal's man coverage. However, we struggled to punch it in for touchdowns, having to settle for field goals. Dickenson was only touched twice in the first half, Pierce sacked once, as we built up a 19-3 lead. We had great field position in the first half but didn't take full advantage of it, including a first half turnover by our defense deep in Montreal territory.
However, in the second half our offence really struggled, only scoring a couple of field goals. Montreal stopped using its defensive backs to blitz and instead began to blitz it's linebackers inside. Dickenson dropped the ball off underneath but often the passes were short of first downs..the coverage tight... and he missed some passes.
The key to our victory offensively, was that we really outplayed Montreal in the running game battle. Both Joe Smith, who ran for over 100 yards again and Dickenson, who took off for some key first downs, enabling our offence to move the ball at key times.
This game will be looked at closely in the history books as the Leos used three quarterbacks during the first quarter, the first time in Grey Cup history. It was a planned strategy and overall a sound one. The Leos, by getting all three quarterbacks action early guaranteed they would be ready in case an injury happened later in the game. While Pierce was sacked on one drive, when we were moving the ball he also came into the game and made the big misdirection play to Smart for our only touchdown of the game.
Offensively we didn't play very well in the second half and it was not one of our better performances. Montreal also never folded it's tent and battled and they also deserve credit. We had a great game plan in the first half as we used every formation possible from double tights, single tight, pro-set, bunch formation, four receivers wide, inserted Smart into the game, etc. We ran a throwback screen, a swing screen to Simon, misdirections to Smith and Smart, a throwback hitch screen, a sprint draw etc. However in the second half we were too conservative in the passing game and almost allowed Montreal to get back into the game. Dickenson threw for less than 200 yards.
Cahoon was phenomenal in the second half, was really the Most Outstanding Player in this game, and was the one guy who gave Montreal a chance!! Great to see McCallum win Top Canadian!
CONTROVERSIAL CALLS
Montreal will walk away from this game with a lot of what if's. What if, in the first half Cavillo could have actually thrown an accurate pass or his recievers, outside of Cahoon, actually caught a football. The early whistle on Dickenson's fumble wiped out a Montreal touchdown. The Edwards 'fumble' down at the goalline was not a fumble and really sealed the loss for Montreal. Popp showed his inexperience by not challenging it...and that was what instant replay is for. His spotter got it wrong but Popp should have challenged anyway....he had little to lose at that time, except a timeout. Kidd and Glatt, however, made a great play, diving over the top to hit Edwards short of the goalline. Montreal also got a bad chop block call got 15 yards and loss of down that was a horrible call. Most of those bad calls were made by Ireland...I have no idea why he is chosen as the best referee. It's always nicer when you win a championship game cleaner but it was still the best team out there won the game!
WRAP
Watching Carl Kidd out there at the end of the game....the emotion written all over his face, represented what this season was all about...players digging down deep and giving everything they had, together as a team. Dickenson looked relieved and happy guy and finally a Grey Cup champion quarterback. However this Grey Cup victory was not a win that was carried on the backs of our stars like Simon, Dickenson, Murphy, Otis Floyd, Barrin Miles, Korey Banks or Brent Johnson..although they played their roles. This game was won as much by Angus Reid, Sherko Rasouli, Jason Jiminez, Joe Smith, Ian Smart, Chris Wilson, Carl Kidd, Ty Williams, Javy Glatt, Mark Washington, Lavar Glover, and Dante Marsh.
They were prepared to win or lose as a team today. They played everybody. Some may question that strategy but in the end, it was what made this team special and they put it on the line that way. It's a Grey Cup victory they all can share and it should be a Grey Cup victory that makes us feel great to be Leos fans...because this year we truly pulled for a team, in the truest meaning of the word.
A great season finishes with a Grey Cup Championship..you can't ask for more than that!!
DEFENSE:
I started Post-Game Thoughts, as we celebrate this Grey Cup win, with our defense. It was our best unit all year and it was the main reason we won the 2006 Championship. We shut down Edwards in the first half, completely confused Cavillo, played their recievers tough, and had heat on Cavillo most of the game.
The big half time lead was due to our defense...who shut down Montreal for so many two and outs that our offence had great field position for most of the first half. They also caused a key turnover deep in Montreal's end of the field, when Hunt hit Cavillo and Glatt recovered the football. With one minute to go in the first half Montreal only had one first down...as we completely shut them down.
Montreal battled in the second half but they could never overcome our imposing defense. With receivers always under tight coverage, with our linebackers playing aggressively, and with our defensive line always penetrating, pursuing, and pressuring it was just too tough a defense for Montreal to overcome. Ritchie was the conductor, Johnson was the talented defensive end whose drive was always an example, Carl Kidd the heart and soul, Barrin Miles the brilliant tactician, Glatt the positive light, Otis Floyd the intense warrior, Korey Banks the bad boy who created the edge, Washington, the experienced leader! They were a treat to watch all season and they always came through!
SPECIAL TEAMS
Paul McCallum tied a Grey Cup record with six field goals and he was money all day. He punted extremely well all game as well, including a coffin corner punt that was perfectly executed. McCallum proved that any kicker can miss one but he was someone who could handle pressure. Buck Pierce held for McCallum all season and did a great job. Craiggs did a great job as our long snapper all season. Carl Kidd set the example as a veteran playing special teams coverage and the entire coverage unit played with inspiration all season.
OFFENCE
We moved the ball well in the first quarter, as Dickenson hit open recievers time and again as Montreal tried throwing the house at him, mostly blitzing defensive backs. Joe Smith and our slotbacks picked up the blitzing defensive backs and Dickenson had time to throw against Montreal's man coverage. However, we struggled to punch it in for touchdowns, having to settle for field goals. Dickenson was only touched twice in the first half, Pierce sacked once, as we built up a 19-3 lead. We had great field position in the first half but didn't take full advantage of it, including a first half turnover by our defense deep in Montreal territory.
However, in the second half our offence really struggled, only scoring a couple of field goals. Montreal stopped using its defensive backs to blitz and instead began to blitz it's linebackers inside. Dickenson dropped the ball off underneath but often the passes were short of first downs..the coverage tight... and he missed some passes.
The key to our victory offensively, was that we really outplayed Montreal in the running game battle. Both Joe Smith, who ran for over 100 yards again and Dickenson, who took off for some key first downs, enabling our offence to move the ball at key times.
This game will be looked at closely in the history books as the Leos used three quarterbacks during the first quarter, the first time in Grey Cup history. It was a planned strategy and overall a sound one. The Leos, by getting all three quarterbacks action early guaranteed they would be ready in case an injury happened later in the game. While Pierce was sacked on one drive, when we were moving the ball he also came into the game and made the big misdirection play to Smart for our only touchdown of the game.
Offensively we didn't play very well in the second half and it was not one of our better performances. Montreal also never folded it's tent and battled and they also deserve credit. We had a great game plan in the first half as we used every formation possible from double tights, single tight, pro-set, bunch formation, four receivers wide, inserted Smart into the game, etc. We ran a throwback screen, a swing screen to Simon, misdirections to Smith and Smart, a throwback hitch screen, a sprint draw etc. However in the second half we were too conservative in the passing game and almost allowed Montreal to get back into the game. Dickenson threw for less than 200 yards.
Cahoon was phenomenal in the second half, was really the Most Outstanding Player in this game, and was the one guy who gave Montreal a chance!! Great to see McCallum win Top Canadian!
CONTROVERSIAL CALLS
Montreal will walk away from this game with a lot of what if's. What if, in the first half Cavillo could have actually thrown an accurate pass or his recievers, outside of Cahoon, actually caught a football. The early whistle on Dickenson's fumble wiped out a Montreal touchdown. The Edwards 'fumble' down at the goalline was not a fumble and really sealed the loss for Montreal. Popp showed his inexperience by not challenging it...and that was what instant replay is for. His spotter got it wrong but Popp should have challenged anyway....he had little to lose at that time, except a timeout. Kidd and Glatt, however, made a great play, diving over the top to hit Edwards short of the goalline. Montreal also got a bad chop block call got 15 yards and loss of down that was a horrible call. Most of those bad calls were made by Ireland...I have no idea why he is chosen as the best referee. It's always nicer when you win a championship game cleaner but it was still the best team out there won the game!
WRAP
Watching Carl Kidd out there at the end of the game....the emotion written all over his face, represented what this season was all about...players digging down deep and giving everything they had, together as a team. Dickenson looked relieved and happy guy and finally a Grey Cup champion quarterback. However this Grey Cup victory was not a win that was carried on the backs of our stars like Simon, Dickenson, Murphy, Otis Floyd, Barrin Miles, Korey Banks or Brent Johnson..although they played their roles. This game was won as much by Angus Reid, Sherko Rasouli, Jason Jiminez, Joe Smith, Ian Smart, Chris Wilson, Carl Kidd, Ty Williams, Javy Glatt, Mark Washington, Lavar Glover, and Dante Marsh.
They were prepared to win or lose as a team today. They played everybody. Some may question that strategy but in the end, it was what made this team special and they put it on the line that way. It's a Grey Cup victory they all can share and it should be a Grey Cup victory that makes us feel great to be Leos fans...because this year we truly pulled for a team, in the truest meaning of the word.
A great season finishes with a Grey Cup Championship..you can't ask for more than that!!