It's easy to see how the B.C. Lions are heavy favourites to capture this year's Grey Cup title.
Look at the club's offence, defence and special teams, and the common denominator is the Lions are stacked with athletes. Offensively, there's the grace of slotback Geroy Simon, a fluid route runner who was the CFL's top receiver this year with 105 catches, 1,856 yards and 15 touchdowns. Or there's the ruggedness of slotback Jason Clermont, a six-foot-two, 227-pound receiver who can stand up to any linebacker physically or out-wrestle a defender for the ball.
Then there's an offensive line anchored by lineman of the year Rob Murphy, an imposing six-foot-five, 310-pound mountain of fury that apparently didn't give up a sack all season. That's an accomplishment in itself considering the Lions surrendered a CFL-high 56 sacks this season.
Not that it slowed the Lions down any. They finished the year leading the CFL in passing (294 yards per game) despite having to play Dave Dickenson, Buck Pierce and Jarious Jackson at quarterback due to injuries. B.C. also led the league in scoring (27 points per game), touchdowns (49) and passing TDs (36).
And then there's a defence that's anchored by defensive end Brent Johnson, the first player in CFL history to be named the league's top Canadian and defensive player in the same year.
The six-foot-three, 265-pound Johnson led the CFL in sacks with 16, but he wasn't the only Lions defender to get to the quarterback. B.C. had a league-high 59 sacks and also posted a CFL-best 36 interceptions, led by safety Barron Miles (league-leading 10 picks). Defensive co-ordinator Dave Ritchie, who has never been afraid to speak his mind, has helped give the unit a swagger and confidence that it can surge above any challenge.
What's more, B.C. allowed a league-low 299 yards per game and finished second in points given up, allowing 18.9 per game.
Get the picture?
The Lions' most captivating trait is their team speed. The vast majority of players in the skill positions are flat-out fast, giving support to the old football saying that speed does kill.
Montreal isn't exactly chopped liver, especially on offence.
Centre Bryan Chiu is regarded as the CFL's best and is the leader of a solid offensive line. Quarterback Anthony Calvillo finished second among league passers this year with 4,714 yards, just missing out on registering a league-record fifth straight 5,000-yard season.
Slotback Ben Cahoon (99 catches, 1,190 yards, four TDs) leads a decent receiving corps, but this unit doesn't have the same breakaway speed that B.C. has. Not long ago, the Alouettes boasted four 1,000-yard receivers, but this year only Cahoon and Kerry Watkins (77 catches, 1,114 yards, five TDs) broke that plateau.
Montreal's running game, though, is in the capable hands of Robert Edwards, who finished third in the CFL in rushing with 1,155 yards. More importantly, though, Edwards had a league-high 17 touchdowns (14 coming on the ground). He's a tough runner who can get the difficult yards inside and punish a defender in the process.
A tenacious, swarming defence used to be the norm for years in Montreal, but that hasn't necessarily been the case this year.
Montreal's defence finished ranked fifth against the pass (257 yards per game) and sixth versus the run (109) to stand fifth overall in terms of yards allowed (347 per game).
What's more, B.C. swept the season series versus Montreal 2-0, outscoring the Alouettes 84-33. In their last meeting, the Lions recorded 12 sacks against the Als en route to a 36-20 home victory Sept. 16.
Appearing in a Grey Cup is nothing new for Montreal, which is in the CFL title game for the fifth time in seven years. But the Alouettes have just one win to show for it, that coming in 2002.
Defensively, Montreal showed signs of returning to its blitzing ways in the East final versus Toronto. The Alouettes did a great job of bringing players from various points on the field to get pressure on veteran quarterback Damon Allen, resulting in Mark Estelle returning a tipped Allen pass for a touchdown early in the third quarter to lead the Als to a 33-24 victory.
B.C. has been susceptible to sacks all year, so it figures the Alouettes will try to exploit that Sunday. Trouble is, when the blitz is picked up the defence is vulnerable because it leaves fewer people to cover more ground. Dickenson has more than enough savvy to not only see the blitz, but also make the quick reads to hit the Als where they're hurting.
What's more, Dickenson has the horses to make that work over and over and over again.
Prediction: B.C. 38, Montreal 24
