11/23/2008 - Montreal, QC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - It's only fitting that the best team in the East Division takes on the first-place team in the West Division to decide the '08 Grey Cup champion.
Montreal finished first in the East, then defeated the Edmonton Eskimos 36-26 in the conference final to advance to its sixth Grey Cup championship since 2000. However, the Alouettes head into this contest having won just one CFL title, that coming in 2002.
Special-teams player Larry Taylor led Montreal past Edmonton, returning two punts for a record touchdowns in the game. Taylor scored on returns of 64 and 97 yards and finished with a CFL-record 203 yards on six returns.
Anthony Calvillo, named the CFL's outstanding player this week, was 20-of-32 passing for 295 yards and a touchdown. Calvillo finished the season with 43 TD passes and was second in passing with 5,633 yards.
Montreal will definitely have the home-field advantage for the Grey Cup, with the game being played at Olympic Stadium. And with upwards of 65,000 spectators expected to be on hand, the Alouettes will also have the benefit of having a raucous crowd firmly behind them.
Calgary qualified for its first Grey Cup game since 2001 - when it beat Winnipeg at Olympic Stadium _ by downing the B.C. Lions 22-18 in the West Division final.
Quarterback Henry Burris, the West Division candidate for the outstanding player award, had 236 yards passing and a touchdown and also scored one himself.
Burris has had a brilliant season to date. The 10-year veteran established career highs with 5,094 yards passing and 39 touchdowns for Calgary. He was also the CFL's leading rusher among quarterbacks with 595 yards.
However, it was defensive end Mike Labinjo who was Calgary's top performer against the Lions. The former Philadelphia Eagles linebacker had three sacks and eight tackles - two huge ones for losses coming on a crucial goal-line stand - as the Stampeders managed to keep B.C. from scoring a touchdown in the West final.
The numbers: Montreal was 7-2 at home during the regular season but 3-5 against West Division teams and 0-2 versus Calgary. The Stampeders were 6-3 on the road and 7-1 against Eastern clubs.
Keys to the game: There was no more potent offense in the CFL this year than Montreal, which led the league in scoring (32.4 points per game), total yards (429 per game), pass attempts (712) and completions (495). The Alouettes' offensive line contributed to that success, allowing just 22 sacks, which was lowest in the league.
Montreal guard Scott Flory was also honoured this week, being named the league's outstanding lineman.
Calvillo will also have three pretty good receivers to throw to. Jamel Richardson (98 catches, 1,287 yards, league-high 16 TDs), Ben Cahoon (league- best 107 catches, 1,231 yards, seven TDs) and Kerry Watkins (84 catches, 1,178 yards, 10 TDs).
Calgary's strength will also be its offense, which also includes the CFL's leading receiver (Ken-Yon Rambo, 100 catches, 1,473 yards, eight TDs) and top running back (Joffrey Reynolds, 1,310 yards).
Both teams have good defenses. Calgary gave up an average of just 21.5 points per game to lead the CFL but Montreal surrendered just 23.5 points per game as well.
Special-teams are also solid on both sides. Calgary kicker Sandro DeAngelis was the CFL scoring leader with 217 points while Montreal's Damon Duval was second with 206 points.
So while the Alouettes will have the home crowd behind it, the Stampeders will have a team that established itself during the regular season as the league's best. The fact this game is being played in Montreal is the only reason why it should be close.
Sportsbook Betting Lines Predicted Outcome: Calgary 35, Montreal 30.
Last week's record: 1-1; Season record: 43-33.
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The NFL preseason is approaching. Time for players, coaches and teams to turn over a new leaf. General managers have hired some new coaches, while coaches have added some offensive and defensive assistants to try and improve things. Here’s a look at some changes to look for in the preseason.
New York Jets: The Jets were one of the surprise teams in the NFL last season, making the playoffs under hard-driving first-year coach Eric Mangini. Mangini rebuilt the offensive line with rookies D'Brickashaw Ferguson (the No. 4 pick in the 2007 Draft) and Ohio State center (the 29th pick in the first round). This season he upgraded the defense with rookie linebacker David Harris (Michigan) while the secondary picked up a much needed top-notch corner in Pitt CB Darrelle Revis (No. 14 overall).
The Jets have added balance to the offense for QB Chad Pennington with RB Thomas Jones, essentially stolen from the Bears. He will upgrade a New York ground game that was 20th in rushing with a weak 3.5 yards per carry. They have their first true feature back since Curtis Martin. Offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer prefers ball control, like his father Marty. In preseason, behind Pennington you’ll see second-year QB Kellen Clemens and mobile newcomer QB Marques Tuiasosopo.
Jacksonville Jaguars: The heat is on Jack Del Rio in Jacksonville as the Jaguars flopped last season despite a ton of talent. Keep in mind that under Del Rio the Jaguars have been outstanding in preseason with a 12-4 SU, 11-5 ATS August mark. Their defense is loaded, it’s the offense that has been stuck in first gear the last few years.
Enter a new offensive coordinator in Dirk Koetter, the former Boise State and Arizona State pass-happy coach. He will try and upgrade a passing game that ranked 24th last season. Del Rio has criticized wide receivers and Matt Jones this summer, both of whom have battled injuries. It will be interesting to watch the “new” Jaguars passing game in preseason.
Arizona Cardinals: Word out of Arizona is that the players like new coach Ken Whisenhunt, who was the Steelers offensive coordinator last year. We think of Arizona as all-passing because their running game has been awful of late because of a poor offensive line. However, keep an eye on the running game in preseason as they’ve made a lot of changes.
The new coach brings in Russ Grimm to coach the offensive line (Grimm did a marvelous job building the Steelers line). They took Penn State OT Levi Jones in the first round and signed two offensive linemen, Mike Gandy and Al Johnson, to provide depth. Reggie Wells was moved from right tackle to left guard and they want more speed out of the offensive line for pulling and traps, a Pittsburgh staple under Bill Cowher.
Atlanta Falcons: While all the attention has been focused on QB Mike Vick’s off-field problems, new coach Bobby Petrino is revamping the Falcons from an all-running team to a more balanced one. Petrino likes the experience of backup QB Joey Harrington and he has veteran backup Chris Redman, who used to play for Petrino at Louisville and knows his offenses better than anyone. Petrino wants Vick to be more of a pocket passer.
The addition of FB Ovie Mughelli is a sign Petrino wants a power rushing attack behind a physical fullback and newcomer WR Joe Horn should upgrade what was a below average wideout corps. Petrino is changing their old zone-blocking scheme to a more traditional in-line blocking scheme and the offensive line is bigger. Rookie DE Jamaal Anderson was grabbed in the first round and the secondary got younger with former Auburn cornerback David Irons, who the Falcons think was a steal as a sixth-round pick.
Cleveland Browns: The 2007 Browns look like a double-edged sword. There was the excitement of the offseason, trading for RB Jamel Lewis, upgrading the offensive line with Wisconsin’s Joe Thomas (the No. 2 pick in the draft) and free agent LG Eric Steinbach, then trading for Notre Dame QB Brady Quinn when he fell to No. 22. GM Phil Savage and head coach Romeo Crennel feel they have a talented, balanced offense with these new pieces, plus TE >Kellen Winslow and WR Braylon Edwards.
However, were these moves made in desperation? And were they foolish ones? The Browns gave up their 2008 first-round pick for Quinn and we all know QBs take time to develop. And even first-round QBs can be busts (Joey Harrington, Akili Smith). We also don’t know if the offensive line is that much improved (31st in rushing in 2007) and they did nothing to improve a defense that was awful against the run (142 yds pg allowed).
The Browns have a new offensive coordinator in Rob Chudzinski. This is a young offense and Quinn looked tentative, indecisive and inaccurate early in camp. Crennel will play Charlie Frye, Quinn and Derek Anderson in preseason. And there is a mixed bag for rookie QBs receiving significant starts: Tim Couch (14), Kerry Collins (13), Ben Roethlisberger (13), Vince Young (13), Joey Harrington (12), Matt Leinart (11) and Kyle Boller (nine). While all the focus will be on the Browns new-look offense, I’m more concerned with the defense.
Carolina Panthers: Coach Jon Fox loves the ground game, but Carolina has made some interesting changes for 2007. Fox fired offensive coordinator Dan Henning and brings in Jeff Davidson to run the offense. Davidson has brought in zone-blocking schemes to the Panther offense, a dramatic change for a system that's been built around a power-running style.
In zone-blocking, offensive linemen are responsible for blocking any defender who appears in their zone, instead of focusing on one defender. The Broncos and Falcons have had success with the system, which features smaller, more athletic offensive linemen and can create running lanes on the inside and outside. Keep an eye in preseason on how Carolina adjusts as it will take time to learn the system. Fox has been one of the top coaches in preseason, with a 15-5 SU, 12-7-1 ATS August record.
Dallas Cowboys: WR Terrell Owens is still here, but QB Drew Bledsoe and Bill Parcells are gone. New head coach Wade Phillips takes over, replacing Parcells. He ran the Chargers defense last season. Phillips was chosen by teary-eyed owner Jerry Jones partly because he is one of the best 3-4 coaches in football and the Cowboys have loaded up on players for that scheme.
Remember that Phillips was blitz-happy with the Chargers last season and early reports out of the Dallas camp have mentioned how the Cowboys have been blitzing a lot, a departure from Parcells. The theme of the 2007 Dallas defense appears to be one of attack.
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