Grey Cup 112: Riders vs. Alouettes

It has been 11 long seasons since I have been able to write a post this important. I don’t know if you’ve heard but if you have a been a Rider fan long enough you will know that 11 years, that’s enough. If you do not understand this reference then it is your duty as Rider fan to pause now and go watch this video… I’ll wait.  

2013 was the last time the Riders appeared in the Grey Cup. For context back then there was no Tik Tok, the Ottawa RedBlacks had yet to play a single game, Winnipeg was in the East division and Micah Johnson was a spry young rookie just starting his CFL career. 

On Sunday the Riders have a chance to raise the Grey Cup for just the fifth time in their 100+ year history. To say it’s kinda a big deal would be like saying air is kinda important to sustain life. 

These two teams played twice in the regular season but the results of those games are as meaningful as my season pass to Maxwell’s Amusement (kids ask your parents). In the first one the Rider pummeled a depleted Alouettes team and the in the second one the Als pummeled a depleted Rider secondary… mostly Exume. This will be the first time this season these teams face each other at full strength. 

The story of the Als is they go as Alexander goes. They are 10-0 (including playoffs) this season when he starts and 3-8 and he doesn’t. So the key to victory is clearly murdering Alexander. I’m kidding I do not promote violent crime. That said if he were to be kidnapped for the day and safely released Monday it would not be the worst thing. 

While many are focusing on the QB story, for me the bigger factor in this game is defense. This game features the best two defensive units in the CFL. Both loaded with playmakers at all positions. Both stingy in given up points. 

Let’s start with our defense. They are the reason we are here and if we win it will be because of them. Its no secret what Mace’s defensive strategy is. Stop the run, force long drives and get sacks and turnovers. I think that plays well into this match-up. Als had the second worst running attack this season (I know we are all shocked that Maas would ignore the run). That said, Stevie Scott has had an impressive playoffs so far and can’t be taken lightly. The big story is of course the health of Alexander’s hamstring. They say he’ll be fine. I say let’s make him prove it. If he’s allowed to stay in the pocket he can hide the injury. But if he’s forced to run odds of him tweaking it are so high Shawn Lemon is tempted to bet on it. He’s already tweaked it twice this season running. So get pressure and get him moving. He is not afraid to chuck it deep. 7 of his 10 TDs this season came on passes over 20 yards. We need to limit those big plays. Last week this unit shut down BC who presented similar challenges as Montreal but is arguable better at every position other than OL. I have faith in the Defense… maybe not Mace level, punt with no time on the clock faith, but pretty strong faith.

Offensively this is going to be a grind. The Als are very good on defense. #4 in points allowed. Least total yards allowed. Least pass yards allowed. Tied for most sacks. If you thought Harris struggled against BC last week, well buckle up. The Als have one primary weakness… their run defense. They were 6^th against the run in the regular season and the loss of Oakman only further weakens them. Now you could take the Winnipeg approach and only run your star RB 8 times against that weakness or you could play competent football and hammer them with Ouelette. In a grind out game he’s who I am leaning on heavy. Passing plays will be there but Harris needs to be careful with the ball. He can’t lock onto receivers or be indecisive or Montreal will eat him up. I would look to get him in a rhythm early with some short easy passes. We cannot afford to wait until after MGK plays for Harris to decide to play football. We won 75% of games this season when scoring 6 or more in the first quarter (its actually 100% if you exclude the final 2 meaningless games). The winning % drops to 60% when scoring 5 or less. We know the defense will start strong. Any kind of early offensive support is massive. Good things happen when Myers gets the ball so lets do that early. He can turn a short crosser into 6. Based on last game I would say lean on Emilus when we need a first down (assuming Keesean does not play). 

I unfortunately expect a script similar to the West Final. I do believe Harris can win a ring but he’s not going to look like a conquering hero doing it. He’s going to throw a pick early. He’s not going to score until the second quarter. The defense will once again need to keep us in this. This will be a low scoring defensive struggle. 

But we are built for this. We are healthier. Better rested. Deeper. I expect a strong second half where we out-grind the Als. Brett Lauther is going to have to make a kick that either absolves him of every miss ever or places him on a Paul McCallum story arc. I’m believe it will be the former. Harris may not be good as he once was but he's as good once as he ever was. He showed he can deliver when the stakes are at the highest (even if the stakes are only high because he could not deliver before then). 

In true Rider fashion we are going to find the ugliest way possible to do this. But as has been the case with this team all season, they are going to find a way to it. 

Riders 24 – Als 20.. with Ouelette as your MVP and Allen as top Canadian.  

I’ll see you at Albert and Victoria after the game.