CALGARY - Once again, Weston Dressler will play the role of reluctant spectator at the Grey Cup.
Last year, the Saskatchewan Roughriders receiver spent Grey Cup week
in Montreal, watching the game at Olympic Stadium after being named the
CFL's top rookie. Now a broken leg and sprained ankle will keep
Dressler on the sidelines Sunday when the Riders face the Alouettes in
this year's title game at McMahon Stadium (TSN, 6 p.m. ET).
"Last year was tough watching the Grey Cup because our team wasn't
playing," Dressler said. "But I don't think you can explain what it
feels when your team is here but you're not out there when you're used
to being out there every day.
"Just
being out there running around with the guys is something I love to do
and it's hard not being able to do that. It's never fun just watching."
The five-foot-seven, 179-pound Dressler suffered a broken right leg
and sprained ankle in a 32-22 home win over the Toronto Argonauts on
Oct. 10. Despite missing the Riders' final four regular-season games,
Dressler finished the season as Saskatchewan's receiving leader with 62
catches for 941 yards and four TDs.
Saskatchewan will definitely miss Dressler's production Sunday. He
had 12 catches for 230 yards in the Riders' two regular-season meetings
with Montreal, including eight receptions for 179 yards in a 34-25 road
loss to the Als on Aug. 21.
At least Dressler won't have to bundle up on the sidelines. The forecast Sunday is calling for sunshine and a daytime high of 9
C.
"The last time we played them it was a tough game," Dressler said.
"But we moved the ball offensively and was one of those games where we
left knowing we can be better, we could get better.
"Even though we didn't come out on top we knew we were on the right track."
The Riders and Alouettes spent most of the regular season on the right track.
Montreal cruised to a CFL-best 15-3 record, including a sparkling
9-0 at home en route to top spot in the East Division. The Alouettes
emphatically stamped their ticket to a second straight Grey Cup
appearance with a lopsided 56-18 win over B.C. in the conference final thanks to five TD passes from Anthony Calvillo, who this week was named
the league's most outstanding player for the second consecutive year.
Saskatchewan had a tougher road to travel in '09, finishing the
regular season tied atop the West Division standings with a 10-7-1
record but securing first by winning the season series against Calgary. The
Riders' first-place finish was their first since 1976 and it gave them
home-field advantage for the conference final.
That advantage was huge as Saskatchewan faced Calgary in a rematch. Feeding off the energy of a rabid Mosaic Stadium gathering of more than
30,000, they defeated the Stampeders 27-17.
The Riders are back in the Grey Cup after winning the '07 contest in
Toronto. Montreal is making its seventh appearance in the CFL
title game since 2000 but looking for just its second win.
After a slow start, Grey Cup fever seems to be building in Calgary.
Hotel lobbies are swelling with football fans proudly
displaying their colours. On Friday night you could hear that
familiar refrain of diehard Toronto supporters - who suffered
through their team's miserable 3-15 campaign - shouting
"AAARRRGGOOOOSSSS," as they made their way downtown.
The weatherman has also co-operated this week, with sunshine
and temperatures above zero. A few centimetres of snow fell in the
downtown core Friday night but the white stuff is expected to be long gone by kickoff.
Downtown merchants are getting into the swing of things, with
souvenir kiosks popping up in hotel lobbies. And many restaurants are
advertising Grey Cup specials either on their front windows or in their
menus.
Fans watching Sunday's game will see many of the CFL's top performers.
Calvillo, a three-time winner of the CFL's most outstanding player award,
anchors a potent Montreal offence that led the league in scoring (33.3
points per game). The 16-year veteran completed 72 per cent of his
passes to a group that features three 1,000-yard receivers in
Kerry Watkins (81 catches, 1,243 yards, eight TDs), Jamel Richardson
(85 catches, 1,055 yards, nine TDs) and Ben Cahoon (89 catches, 1,031
yards, two TDs).
Tailback Avon Cobourne is another big-play contributor. Cobourne
rushed for 1,214 yards (5.4-yard average) and 13 TDs while adding 56
catches for 458 yards and two TDs. Scott Flory, the CFL's top
lineman for the second straight year, anchors a solid offensive line.
Montreal boasts a defence that was first in 21 of the CFL's 25
categories as well as the league's top scorer in kicker Damon Duval
(league-record 242 points) and its best special-teams performer:
kick returner Larry Taylor.
"Overall they just don't have a weak spot on their team," Dressler
said of the Alouettes. "Offensively they're great and defensively they
play hard and do great things to stop other offences.
"On special teams, obviously, they have one of the top returners in
the game and one of the best kickers. Overall, they're just a good
team."
So, too, are the Riders.
Quarterback Darian Durant had a solid first season as Saskatchewan's
starter. After being platooned early with backup Steven
Jyles, Durant took command of the No. 1 job, earning division all-star
honours in passing for 4,438 yards with 24 TDs (second only to
Calvillo's 26) and running for 501 yards (a stellar 8.3 yards
per carry).
As big a blow as Dressler's injury was, Canadian-born receivers Andy
Fantuz, Rob Bagg and Chris Getzlaf more than picked up the slack. Fantuz (67 catches, 882 yards, four TDs), Bagg (59 catches,
807 yards, five TDs) and Getzlaf (41 catches, 531 yards, six TDs) took
turns coming up with big catches, helping Saskatchewan get to the
Grey Cup.
Also coming up big were defensive ends John Chick and Stevie Baggs. The bookends proved to be a quarterback's nightmare, as Baggs
finished tied for the CFL lead in sacks with 12 - one more than Chick,
who was named the league's top defensive player.
A rallying point for the Riders during the post-season has been
10-year veteran defensive back Omarr Morgan, making his first
Grey Cup appearance. He's spent nine seasons with the Riders, but
was with Edmonton in '07 when Saskatchewan won its last
championship.