HAMILTON — Big players make big plays in big time moments.
The Montreal Alouettes beat the Winnipeg Blue Bombers to capture the 110th Grey Cup at Tim Hortons Field on Sunday, with the passing offence stepping up to complement a dominant defence.
Here is an interesting stat. All three eastern teams, Ottawa, Toronto, and Montreal, with new ownership have magically won the Grey Cup. All three teams played against statistically superior teams. Toronto foe example came under new ownership, but didn’t have a decent QB. So they went out and “traded” for Ricky Ray from Edmonton in exchange for 3 mediocre players, and allegedly a million bucks. Toronto went on to win the Cup. Again, the Argos move to a smaller stadium and are awarded the chance to host the Grey Cup. Half the tickets were give aways as Torontonians and the surrounding population of approximately 2 million people could care less about the Argos. And of course they won the. Grey Cup.
Ottawa; a reincarnated franchise, is awarded the Grey Cup venue and miraculously wins the Grey Cup against a statistically superior team two years after their rebirth. Interestingly enough they lost most of their best players the following year in a revamping of their roster (too much over the cap?)
Montreal, was abandoned by its owners and was put on the market. Again several of their best players jumped ship for free agency. A new owner was found, and save for some key signings on defense they continued to be a mediocre team. However, they began to show promise, and miraculously defeated the Argos; a vastly superior team, in the Eastern Final.
Now they are once again playing in the Grey Cup against a vastly superior team in the Winnipeg Blue Bombers. As we all know Montreal is this year’s Grey Cup champs.
Now, I watched both the Eastern Final, and of course the Grey Cup. In my opinion; and I have been a CFL fan for over 60 years, something was wrong with the play of both the Argos and the Bombers. I could not help but notice how “soft” both teams played against Montreal. Yeah, there were some exciting moments, but something seemed odd with the play calling on both sides of the ball. It was if they were just giving enough to entertain, but not to win. In short, not to make it obvious that the “cat was in the bag”.
As I have said, I’ve seen this in the past, and was stunned by the outcomes for these new ownership teams. Personally I see a pattern. Is this the “Cheating” Football league? Or the Canadian “Fraud” league. Personally…I smell a rat. There are too many coincidences to not think otherwise.
Eastern teams don’t win: the east is inferior.
Eastern teams win: they must be cheating.
The Bomber’s passing attack failed to have that blasting effect that often put most games out of reach for opponents. Perhaps Schoen was an integral piece that kept the offence potent and with his ankle injury the Bombers lost those Schoen touchdowns.
The key statistic in both the eastern final and the Grey Cup was turnovers. The Als defence was superb in both games, and capitalized on mistakes by their opponents. A poor pass by Kelly and a 100 yard pick six got the Als off and running. 3 more interceptions and two 3rd down stops and the Als were on their way to the Grey Cup. In the Grey Cup an Oliviera fumble deep in Als territory and an end zone interception took points off the board . Full credit to the Als for causing these turnovers, but more careful play by the Argos and Bombers could have changed the outcome of either game.
I agree in the previous playoff games. But I also want to point out that Montreal actually lost the turnover battle against Winnipeg yet still won the game. You don’t see that very often.
MTL: interception (Holm), fumble (Letcher), turnover on downs
WPG: interception (Ento), fumble (Oliveira) (I’m not counting the turnover at the end of the game, which was a desperation low-percentage play)
To me a key stat the Grey Cup game is sacks: 4-2 in favour of Montreal. How many people saw that coming? Not me.
Sacks yes, but a stat not always looked at is how many times did the D force a poor throw or a poor decision to be made. Montreal did a lot of that opposing teams in the playoffs. Including the grey cup game and all the more important because it was done to veteran Zach C. Known as an unflatable sort of player.
Then there is the fact Cody played a hell of a Good game.
The biggest stat that defined the game was the extra time Cody had to throw the ball, which helped him complete those long throws to Mack - who made a couple real nice catches.
Another big stat was 2nd & 18, and the run Cody made to get them much closer, and another eventual TD. If we stopped them there, the past couple days could have been a very different story.
Do you have some sort of proof that half the tickets were giveaways…and the 2016 Grey cup in toronto was between Calgary and Ottawa
The first time, not the second…the owner died
That is your excuse?
Compare the stats between Lewis and Mack
Wienike and Sneed or Spieker
What you call soft…I call inferior
Some people are turning it into the crybaby football league
You forgot
Eastern team win its because the east is week
Eastern teams win its because the schedule is biased to hide their weakness
Agreed 100%. And that scamper by Cody. Holy crap, it came THIS close to not happening. It’s not like Winnipeg didn’t send pressure. He barely avoided two pass-rushers, then made a third slip trying to change direction to create the lane he needed to take off. That play took 10 years off my life. 
i Also wonder why, if the game was rigged for Mtl were they so many horrible calls that went in Wpg favour.
Eastern teams are weak because eastern teams are weak. We have always been at war with Eurasia. 
Biggest case of confirmation bias is this year, when the east had a better record playing the west, had the team with the top record, didn’t have a 6-12 team making the playoffs (hello, Calgary), and an eastern team won the Grey Cup convincingly, yet still this narrative is trotted out.
Tied with SSK at 6-12 60% of teams bellow 500
And my personal favorite was on Facebook
Well sure Toronto was 16-2 they never had to play a team with a better record!
THE ARE 16 AND 2 NOBODY HAD A BETTER RECORD
Then again…I saw on facebook(I think it was facebook) someone claiming the game was rigged and he is boycotting until the results are overturned!!
Who does he think he is…Trump? (If anyone does not believe me I will post it here)
I saw it too. Sadly, not the weirdest I’ve read in these forums.
Cody played a hell of a great game. Yes there are still some naysayers who claim him to be mediocre at best … And the only reason he got MOP was because everyone felt sorry for what the Rider GM did to him.
Well, I don’t think his detractors are entirely without a point. Hey, he stepped up and played a whale of a game in the Grey Cup. But it’s still just one game. The whole rest of the year, he’d been a game manager. So I see where they are coming from. (Perhaps because I myself had been critical of him this year.)
I think it was you who said (maybe? – if I’m wrong, apologies) that winning the Grey Cup doesn’t make Fajardo an elite QB, but it gives him a chance to put himself in that conversation next year. That’s a fair and accurate assessment to me.
Yup he has the chance to be in the conversation. Time will prove o ne way or the other.
Hope the Als team don’t implode in the off season
Do you believe that enough to use it as a betting strategy?
My pre-game prediction here on cfl.ca: Als 27 Bombers 24. The Als were going to win on emotion alone. It was a no brainer going in to the game. There is no conspiracy.