CFL

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kThLSiykiHY

It was former Hamilton Tiger-Cat Angelo Mosca's sideline hit on Willie Fleming in the 1963 Grey Cup that knocked the B.C. Lions' running game out.

Well, unfortunately for Mosca, Joe Kapp was on that same Lions team and apparently he still holds a grudge.

At a pleasant CFL Alumni Association luncheon on Friday, Mosca and Kapp were being honored. Little did everyone know that they would engage in a full-on brawl.

Kapp walked over to Mosca with some flowers, apparently baiting him. Then he decided to attack Mosca with the flowers. Mosca responded by thrashing back with his cane, which equaled two uppercuts from Kapp and, well, down goes Mosca into the curtains.

After the dust had settled and Mosca was being helped up from the floor, Kapp yelled, "Sportsmanship!"

The crowd, well, wasn't impressed, calmly admonishing him to, "Let it go, Joe."

His response was classic.

"I'm trying to let it go!"

Mosca famously played the bad-guy role as a professional wrestler after his hit on Fleming in 1963. His autobiography was entitled, Tell Me to My Face.

Onlookers confirmed that the act wasn't staged and that it was indeed the result of simply a bitter rivalry that hasn't died down nearly 50 years later.

And we think the NFL is physical and rough in America.

Try playing in the CFL. You're in constant fear, always wondering if you will have to use your cane for survival.

The 99th Grey Cup will kickoff in 24 hours and the Winnipeg Blue Bombers and B.C. Lions are preparing to face each other for just the second time in team history.

This will be B.C.'s 10th trip to the big game and have won five of their nine Grey Cup appearances.

If experience at the big game went towards the team name, Winnipeg would win hands down. The Blue Bombers will be playing in their 24th championship game, winning 10 of their previous 23 appearances.

For Winnipeg, they started their season strong, winning their first seven of eight games following a poor 4-14 season just a year ago.

They would ultimately lose back-to-back to the Saskatchewan Roughriders, which started a downward spiral that saw them win three of their last 11 games.

It was the two losses at the end of the season for the Montreal Alouettes that allowed Winnipeg to host the Eastern final in which they defeated the Hamilton Tiger-Cats to secure a trip to the big game.

On the other side of the pond, the B.C. Lions started their season like any other, losing and losing badly. Dropping their first five games, one to Winnipeg, had many questioning if they would even make the playoffs.

Their loss to Winnipeg was the wake-up call and B.C. turned their season around, winning the next 11 of 13 games. By holding the series tiebreaker over the Edmonton Eskimos and Calgary Stampeders, B.C. was able to secure first place in the West.

B.C. would face the winner of the Edmonton and Calgary semifinal which ended with Edmonton coming out victorious and heading to B.C., where the Lions ended Edmonton's season on a sour note.

In the end, both Winnipeg and B.C. took different routes to get to the Grey Cup. But both teams have made it and are ready to play.

Looking at the Winnipeg Blue Bombers, they are not known for having a strong offense, even with seven-year veteran Buck Pierce at the controls.

Several of their wins this season were made possible simply because of their outstanding play of defense, allowing the Bombers to hold whatever lead the offense was able to put up.

The team because unstoppable whenever the offense was able to click. Running back Fred Reid or later, Chris Garrett were able to shoot through the holes that the offensive line rarely opened.

That proved true after the team started the season at 7-1. They would just find ways to win football games, close football games. That was something the team struggled with last season after losing 10 games by a score of four points or less.

Then you factor in Winnipeg's special teams and the ability to pin teams deep and force their offense to drive the field.

For Winnipeg to win this game, the defense will need to elevate themselves to new heights, making plays like never before and micromanaging every scenario that could present itself.

Odell Willis needs to return as the sack leader that he was earlier in the season and continue to pressure the quarterback. If the line can get towards Travis Lulay and force errant throws, Winnipeg has a good chance to win this game.

Offensively, Winnipeg must control the time of possession, run the ball and make holes for Chris Garrett. If there was ever a time that receiver Greg Carr, Terrence Edwards and Cory Watson needed to make big plays, it was now.

Don't forget that there is another team on the field looking to win the same hardware that Winnipeg is looking at and that's the B.C. Lions.

They have won 12 of their last 14 games to give them the opportunity to play in the biggest game of the season.

Remember that they started the season on a rough note and a lot of people started to write them off, but then Travis Lulay got pulled in their 25-20 loss to Winnipeg.

It was at this point that you could say Lulay got up and became the real leader that everyone on the team knew he could be. He took the team within his grasp and led them to the Western finals, beating Edmonton handily.

Looking at the roster you would notice that B.C.'s receiving core was relatively young and full of rookies that may have assisted in their slow start.

Then in August Wally Buono made a trade with the Hamilton Tiger-Cats that sent receiver Arland Bruce to B.C., who has since paid dividends for Travis Lulay as a deep threat, along with Geroy Simon.

Defensively the B.C. Lions have done everything right to pressure the quarterback and get sacks and knockdowns. They have made plays when they needed to if there was a situation that had them on the brink of losing.

Finally you look at their special teams and what kicker Paul McCallum has done this season, making 30 straight field goals to set a new CFL record.

McCallum has been money for B.C. down the stretch when at times the offense was unable to put up any majors. The team looked to McCallum's foot to help bring the team another win and he has delivered each and every time.

On Sunday there is no question both defenses will be on top of their game and making plays and may have to look towards their special teams and the kickers.

Justin Palardy has done well for Winnipeg in his short CFL career so far but everyone knows Paul McCallum's history and if it does come down to a kick, McCallum is more likely to be the savior than Palardy.

With the game indoors essentially the weather should be of little factor to both teams, making it a level playing field for all parties involved.

This will be sophomore head coach Paul LaPolice's first Grey Cup as a head coach but has been at the game before as offensive coordinator in 2009 with the Saskatchewan Roughriders.

For LaPolice he will have a friend in defensive coordinator Tim Burke who has won the last two Grey Cups and will certainly be a difference maker on the sideline.

As for head coach Wally Buono, it's his ninth Grey Cup, tying Don Matthews for most all-time.

At the end of the day, this will come down to who wins the battle in the trenches. Is it the B.C. offensive line or will it be the Winnipeg offensive line? Can the defensive line break through and rattle the opposing quarterback?

The winner for the 99th Grey Cup will come down to the team that can make plays in all three phases and to determine who that will be, we will have to watch the game to find out.

The statement “Defenses win champions” will certainly ring true should the Winnipeg Blue Bombers find themselves hoisting the Grey Cup on Sunday evening.

The Winnipeg Blue Bombers secured a trip to the 99th Grey Cup last Sunday with a 19-3 win over the Hamilton Tiger-Cats in the Eastern finals.

In that game, the Winnipeg defense held Hamilton to just 153 yards passing and 39 rushing yards on slick field conditions.

That’s been Winnipeg’s motto all season long—win the defensive battle and win the game.

They are not a high-scoring offensive team being ranked fifth in the league for average points per game at 24. However, it was their defense that came through time and time again when all odds were against Winnipeg.

You could look at opening week in the CFL when Alex Suber intercepted Kevin Glenn and returned it to the house for the six points that helped Winnipeg to a 24-16 win.

Do not forget about the 33-24 win over the Toronto Argonauts in Week 4 that saw Winnipeg’s defense hold Toronto to just seven points in the three remaining quarters, allowing Buck Pierce to put up 33 points to win the game.

Then you have to look at Week 9 when Joe Lobendahn chased down Chris Williams and stripped him of the ball right at the goal line before Winnipeg recovered the ball and went on to win 30-27.

Those are just some of the examples of the Winnipeg defense that will need to do the same once again on Sunday should Winnipeg look to snap a 20-year Grey Cup drought.

There is no question that Buck Pierce and the Winnipeg offense can put on a clinic at times. Pierce and company have failed to put up the points needed and tend to rely on the defense to make plays.

The offense would only need to manage the game clock as they did Sunday against Hamilton, allowing Chris Garrett the opportunity to burst through holes.

If Winnipeg can find a way to take away Travis Lulay’s first and second reads while Buck Pierce uses his run game to his advantage like he did in the Eastern final and handle the ball, Winnipeg could just be 60 minutes away from hoisting the Grey Cup.

The stage has been set, the teams have been named and the 99th Grey Cup is just days away with the 2011 season nearing its completion.

This past Sunday four teams played for an opportunity to represent their division in the Grey Cup and cement their names in the history books.

Starting with the Eastern division finals, the Winnipeg Blue Bombers waited ten long seasons to finally call themselves the Eastern division champions and four years before confirming their return to the big game following their 19-3 victory over the Hamilton Tiger-Cats.

Sunday’s game was one of much importance for the Winnipeg Blue Bombers. First, they literally tumbled into the postseason losing their last two of three games, of course winning the ever important tie-breaker game against the Montreal Alouettes.

They started the season strong at 7-1 and then went 3-7 down the stretch, losing back to back games to the Saskatchewan Roughriders and missing out on several opportunities to clinch first place.

By clinching the Eastern final the Bombers were able to rest their players and get a good week of practice in before the second biggest game of the season and that paid dividends.

The team was fresh and well rested, they were ready to play under head coach Paul LaPolice and were determined to bring home a Grey Cup for their fans and were not going to let any team stop them.

They definitely did not allow Hamilton to spoil the party, holding them to only three points after one quarter for the rest of the game.

Buck Pierce and the Bombers offense controlled the ball for 40 minutes and while they did not put up a lot of offensive points, they were able to keep Kevin Glenn from getting anything going.

As for the running game, the Winnipeg Blue Bombers easily won that match-up as Chris Garrett rushed for 190 yards on 29 carries and a touchdown.

Winnipeg as a whole was awarded ten Player of the Week honours in the regular season but none was bigger than their eleventh that came in the Eastern final to Chris Garrett.

Defensively the Bombers never missed a beat, containing Glenn several times leading to two sacks on the day and an interception. Receivers had a hard trouble getting open and whenever they would make a catch; there was a Bomber there to break it up.

Offensively the Hamilton Tiger-Cats managed just nine first downs the entire day which saw Kevin Glenn leave the game in the third quarter due to a knee injury.

Running back Avon Cobourne tweeted that his team essentially had this game wrapped up but was inefficient, rushing for just 28 yards on nine carries, adding 39 yards through the air on four receptions.

The Hamilton Tiger-Cats added receiver Terence-Jeffers Harris 24 hours after being removed from the Bombers but anything that Harris may have offered, was insufficient.

Back-up quarterback Quinton Porter who saw time near the end of the regular season using a rotating system was ineffective and in the end the Hamilton season ended on a sour note.

This all comes after the Hamilton Tiger-Cats knocked off the two-time defending Grey Cup champions, the Montreal Alouettes, just a week earlier.

In that game, Hamilton put up not three points but 52 to beat the Alouettes in over-time to secure their spot in the Eastern final.

For their defense however, it would appear that it didn’t matter which team entered Canad Inns stadium Sunday afternoon, no team was going to leave victorious other than the Winnipeg Blue Bombers.

Towards the Western final there couldn’t have been a better match-up between the B.C. Lions and the Edmonton Eskimos. Both teams had their own story as to how they were able to make it to the Western final.

For Edmonton, they came in after finishing last in the West a season ago; saw the firing of Richie Hall and hiring of Kavis Reed. Under Reed’s leadership the team started their season hot, going 5-0 to start before sizzling and finishing tied in the rankings at 11-7.

Unfortunately losing the tie-breaker to B.C., Edmonton hosted the Western semi-final against Calgary and was successful in that episode to secure their trip to the finals.

As for head coach Wally Buono, his team took an opposite route starting the season winless after five games but following the shutdown against Winnipeg, woke up and took the last 10 of their 11 games.

That allowed B.C. to punch their ticket to hosting the Western final after winning the season series over both the Calgary Stampeders and Edmonton.

This was a game that both teams were dying to win, each with their own reasons. For B.C. a win would allow them to not only host the Grey Cup but be one of the very few to play in the Grey Cup.

For Edmonton this was an opportunity to complete the perfect season turnaround after finishing last in the division a season ago. Unfortunately that plan fizzled out quickly as B.C. never really let Edmonton get anything going and only a late surge made the score look closer than it actually was.

Ricky Ray completed 21 of 40 passes for 297 yards and two touchdowns but the three interceptions on the day really dug them a hole that they were never able to get out of.

Jerome Messam was sorely missed in the final after suffering a season ending knee injury in the semi-finals and could have been a difference maker in that respect.

At the end of the day however it was destined for B.C. to win this game. Quarterback Travis Lulay never looked more poised and ready to play than when in the Western final.

Lulay handled the offense readily, making his reads and determining the right decisions. As the Bombers were in the Eastern final, it appeared there was no opponent who could be able to dethrone the Lions if they tried.

Probably the most important note of the pending Grey Cup match will be with both the Bombers and Lions advancing will be their opportunity to pay their final respects to their favourite man of all, Richard Harris.

Of those who may not remember, Harris was an assistant coach for the Winnipeg Blue Bombers and defensive line coach for the B.C. Lions.

Harris passed suddenly on July 26, 2011 just days before the Winnipeg Blue Bombers were to take on his former team the B.C. Lions. The Bombers won that game and will look to win the final game as well.

Offensive Player of the Week:

Chris Garrett rushed for 190 yards behind 29 attempts and a touchdown in Winnipeg’s win over the Hamilton Tiger-Cats.

Defensive Player of the Week:

Rodney Fritz was able to rotate into the lineup behind some creative ratio shuffling and paid dividends for Winnipeg, registering the only two sacks and four tackles.

Special Teams Player of the Week:

Paul McCallum continues to build his legacy as a kicker, completing all four of his field goal attempts and adding four extra points.

Canadian Player of the Week:

Andrew Harris put up 41 yards behind seven carries and 29 yards behind three receptions but it was his two touchdowns that really set the tone for the Western final.

With the 99th Grey Cup just days away, let’s take a look back at the 2011 season that was and award several players some awards for their efforts on the field.

Below I list the players I felt were deserving of each award and a little background information from the season that was.

Most Outstanding Player: Jamel Richardson – Slotback for Montreal Alouettes

Jamel Richardson has been a player in the Canadian Football League for eight years, spending the last four with Montreal. Each of his four seasons, Richardson has achieved the 1,000 yard receiving mark, and this season smashed his highest point by almost 500 yards.

Richardson made his mark on the season right off the bat against the B.C. Lions, with 162 yards receiving and two touchdowns. He followed that up with a 114 yard effort against the Saskatchewan Roughriders a week later.

By the season’s end, Jamel Richardson acclaimed twelve games on the season in which he either had, or received more than, 100 yards and on average had 98.7 yards per game. His average yards per catch were the highest in his career as well at 15.9 yards a catch, and had 117 catches overall.

Most Outstanding Offensive Player – Brandon Whitaker – Running Back for Montreal Alouettes

Coming into the 2011 season, Brandon Whitaker had two seasons under his belt as an understudy to Avon Cobourne, who was Montreal’s primary back for the last three seasons before being acquired by Hamilton this offseason.

Having not taken the majority of first team reps, Whitaker came in on day one and took over where his protégée left off, rushing for over 1,000 yards and claiming the rushing title in his first full season.

Whitaker started the season strong at 313 yards in his first four games. Although Whitaker only rushed over the century mark six times over the 18-game season, his yards were always critical and helped in getting first downs for the team.

By season’s end, Whitaker accumulated 1,381 rushing yards on 226 attempts, beating last year’s runner-up from Toronto, Cory Boyd, who finished with 1,141 yards.

Most Outstanding Defensive Player – Jovon Johnson – Defensive Back for Winnipeg Blue Bombers

Jovon Johnson has been in the league for five seasons, making his debut with the Saskatchewan Roughriders and winning a Grey Cup ring in the end.

However, Johnson never felt he was a part of that unit. He sold his ring and joined the Winnipeg Blue Bombers, the team he just won a Grey Cup ring against, and has since been an All-Star in every right.

In his first season with the Blue and Gold, Johnson recorded 57 tackles, four special team tackles, recovered fumbles twice and three interceptions while returning two for touchdowns.

For an encore, Johnson recorded 75 tackles and one special teams tackle while returning one of his six interceptions for a touchdown. That allowed Johnson to be selected as the Eastern All-Star and to the All-Star team.

Now in his fourth season with the Blue and Gold, Johnson has won the Eastern All-Star title for the third straight time in his career, while helping lead his 2011 Bombers to the Grey Cup.

Most Outstanding Canadian: Jerome Messam – Running Back for Edmonton Eskimos

It’s unfortunate that Jerome Messam suffered a season-ending knee injury in their win over the Calgary Stampeders in the Western Semi-Finals, as Messam could have very well been a difference-maker in that game.

Instead, Messam had to watch from the sidelines as his team was handily defeated Sunday afternoon by the B.C. Lions 40-23.

This is not to take away from what Messam was able to accomplish on the field, rushing for 1,057 yards and six touchdowns, as well as being named the Canadian of the Week five times.

The last time a Canadian running back rushed for over 1,000 yards has not been  accomplished since the days of Sean Millington, back in the 2000 season.

Most Outstanding Rookie – Chris Williams – Receiver for Hamilton Tiger-Cats

Chris Williams burst onto the scene in 2011 making a huge impact for the Hamilton Tiger-Cats, recording three games over the century mark in receiving and going for 189 yards and two touchdowns in his third game with the team.

Throughout the season, Williams made himself a viable target for quarterbacks Kevin Glenn and Quinton Porter, receiving 70 catches for 1,064 yards and six touchdowns. Williams' stock grew tremendously as Arland Bruce’s continued on a downward spiral, and Williams took over shortly after Bruce was traded to B.C.

Most Outstanding Coach – Wally Buono – Head Coach of B.C. Lions

Coaching in his ninth Grey Cup, Wally Buono will tie Don Matthews for most Grey Cup appearances this Sunday evening as the B.C. Lions take on the Winnipeg Blue Bombers.

While you could easily argue that either head coach in the big game, Paul LaPolice for Winnipeg or Wally Buono for B.C. could win this title, you just have to give the edge to Buono in the end.

Both coaches had their team go completely different routes to get to the Grey Cup. For Buono, his team struggled out of the gate losing five straight (once to Winnipeg), before turning their season around and winning 12 of their 13 games down the stretch to reach the big game.

On top of the turnaround that Buono and the Lions endured, the Lions were honoured 14 times over the season with Player of the Week mentions, with six of those going to their special teams.

Paul LaPolice is young into his head coaching career, and if he can continue his ways will certainly have many more chances but, unfortunately, Wally Buono will take the deed here.

His name is Chris Garrett and he grew up in Utica, New York. He was born in February of 1987 and he currently plays professional football for the Winnipeg Blue Bombers.

He played college football at Ohio University, was named a third-team Freshman All-American and All-MAC as a return man in 2006.

During the 2007 season Garrett would set records for kick return yards with 145, longest kick return with 94 and kick return touchdowns with one.

Not until the 2008 season did Garrett really start shining, as he was named to the third-team All-MAC, was Ohio's career leader in kick return averages at 26.5 a return. He would finish sixth in the MAC in all-purpose yardage at 131.5.

During that same season Garrett would rush for a career-high 222 yards and two touchdowns while setting a school record with 321 all-purpose yards during their win over Miami.

In the end Garrett finished with the Ohio Bobcats with 43 punt returns for 450 yards and one touchdown as well as 82 kickoff returns for 2,185 yards and three touchdowns. At the same time, Garrett carried the ball 300 times for 1,346 yards and seven touchdowns over his four years.

Come time around the NFL draft Garrett went unselected but was invited to a rookie camp held by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. When nothing emerged, Garrett returned home, working hard on completing his dream to play ball.

It wasn’t until the 2010 year that Garrett would finally get his shot at the professional level, signing with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers and being activated for the Banjo Bowl against their rival, the Saskatchewan Roughriders.

During this game the Winnipeg defense was so stiff that Garrett never had an opportunity to return any balls and would wait a week before getting on the field.

It wasn’t until the final game of the season that Garrett had a real opportunity to showcase himself as the primary running back Fred Reid went down with an injury. Garrett would rush for 82 yards on 13 carries and one reception for 20 yards.

Chris Garrett would return to the Bombers in the 2011 training camp but was released prior to the 2011 campaign. In August, Garrett got the call from the club to return once again and signed a contract.

Garrett was primarily used on the practice roster for depth purposes behind starting back Fred Reid and Carl Volny. It wasn’t until Week 14 that Garrett would get his chance at the starting job with both Reid and Volny being lost for the season due to injuries.

Since taking over the job in the regular season, Garrett averaged 96 yards a game, breaking two for over 100 yards and being the first running back to break the century plateau in the 2011 season. Garrett would also rush in four touchdowns while adding 20 receptions for 91 yards.

Then when the Bombers clinched the Eastern final and was one win away from the Grey Cup, Garrett had arguably his best football game in his career, rushing for 190 yards behind 29 attempts and one reception for 10 yards.

When you look at Chris Garrett you can see a running back that has the speed, strength and determination to be one of the best at what he does.

To be a complete back one must be able to catch on the run, power through the offensive line and be there for your quarterback on blitz packages. Garrett continues each and every week to improve each stat and will only get better as time progresses.

Looking ahead to next season, Garrett will certainly return in training camp and while you hate to see players go out that way, this season may be the last for Fred Reid.

If true we’ll most certainly be seeing a battle between Garrett and Carl Volny next season in training camp, as the Bombers look to hoist a Grey Cup banner in their new stadium.

When it looked like Garrett would have to wait his time to play football again, he was recalled, activated and at the end of the day helped put his team in the grand finale.

As you look back on the 2011 season and what could have been on a full 18-game schedule, Garrett could have rushed for almost 2,000 yards in his first full season.

And come Sunday, Chris Garrett will look to be on the top of his game as he looks to help his team bring home a Grey Cup championship that has eluded their city for over two decades.

He is one win away from establishing himself as one of the premier backs in the league and has done so behind a hard work ethic and professional manner.

It has been ten very long years for the Winnipeg Blue Bombers football club since they were last fortunate to host the Eastern finals. If there was ever a time to host it, it could not have come at a better time than when the club is preparing to close down their stadium.

Since then, Winnipeg has been involved in two Grey Cups, losing to Calgary in 2001 and most recently to the Saskatchewan Roughriders in 2007.

The weather was what you have come to expect from Winnipeg in November with temperatures around -21 with the windchill. It was almost a guarantee that Winnipeg and Hamilton would look towards the running game.

Coming into Sunday's game, Winnipeg was on a two-game losing streak and had questions surrounding their offensive presence while their defense has been on fire consistently all season.

On Sunday, quarterback Buck Pierce managed the game clock effectively, holding onto the ball for 40 minutes, even though they were unable to put up any majors.

Earlier in the week, Winnipeg made the shocking announcement that they had released receiver Terence-Jeffers Harris who immediately signed with Hamilton. It became a question as to what Harris may be able to provide but at the end of the day made no difference in the outcome.

Regardless of what their game plan was, the Hamilton defense had no answer to Chris Garrett as he rushed for 190 yards on 29 attempts. Both numbers were a career high for Garrett and will certainly increase his stock for next season.

The leading receiver of the game was Bombers veteran Terrence Edwards who caught five catches for 80 yards. Meanwhile Garrett, since taking over the starting RB job from Fred Reid who was lost do to injury, has averaged over 100 yards each game.

During the week, Hamilton running back Avon Cobourne confirmed that the Tigercats would walk away victorious Sunday afternoon. Following 60 minutes of action, Cobourne finished the day with 67 all-purpose yards, 28 of those on the ground. This comes following Cobourne rushing for 97 yards against his former team a week ago in Montreal.

This was a big game for Winnipeg defensive tackle Doug Brown, who stated at the start of the season that this would be his last and he would be retiring at the end of the season. With the passing of assistant coach Richard Harris in July, Brown would love nothing more than to collect a win next weekend.

Looking over the tape, you would have to give the Bombers offensive line some acknowledgement for their hard work in opening holes for Chris Garrett while at the same time keeping Buck Pierce relatively standing.

Obby Khan was relegated to the bench for three weeks near the end of the season and has since paid off. Khan was able to rest his body and returned to the lineup this week, resulting in playing some of his best ball.

On the other side of the ball, Kevin Glenn came into the game looking for retribution after Winnipeg let him go three years ago and joined Hamilton. Hamilton has made the playoffs in the last three seasons; however, they lost the semi-finals in all three attempts.

Last Sunday, Hamilton went into Montreal and shocked the community by putting up 52 points after an overtime win over Montreal to put them one win away from the Grey Cup. The next week, however, the Winnipeg defense flanked all the receivers and held Avon Cobourne to just 28 yards rushing and the Tiger-Cats to three points.

Kevin Glenn left the third quarter following a leg injury and Quinton Porter took over, putting up 40 yards of offense on three completions after 11 attempts and one interception. Hamilton had the ball for 21 minutes and were only able to convert nine first downs.

In the end Winnipeg was mentally, physically and emotionally prepared for whatever Hamilton was looking to throw at them and succeeded in the trenches. This win earns Winnipeg a trip to the Grey Cup, their second in four years and will face a very stiff B.C. Lions team.

Offensive Player of the Game: Chris Garrett rushed for 190 yards on 29 carries for a career best and will look to take the starting job from Fred Reid should he return in 2012.

Defensive Player of the Game: Rodney Fritz came into the game with one sack and four tackles and finished the game with four tackles and two sacks.

Special Teams Player of the Game: Justin Palardy connected on both his field goals and an extra point to contribute seven points of Winnipeg's 19.

Canadian Player of the Game: Obby Khan was relegated to the bench a month ago after struggling for a few weeks. He was put back on the line this week and was effective in the trenches opening many holes for Garrett to rush through.

On Sunday, four teams will play their biggest game of the season when they head into the Eastern and Western finals. Two of those teams will relish the opportunity that eluded them a year ago.

For the Winnipeg Blue Bombers, their return to the Eastern final is one that took them four years in the making. They were close in 2008, however a loss to Edmonton at home is one they’d like back.

Then there was the 2007 Grey Cup which Winnipeg lost in a close battle with Saskatchewan behind a raw quarterback in Ryan Dinwiddie.

Buck Pierce has won a Grey Cup with B.C. in 2006 and would love nothing more than to return to the big game in B.C. against his old team with a win to prove the naysayers wrong.

Looking ahead to the game on Sunday, Winnipeg will play one of their main rivals once again in the Hamilton Tiger-Cats, a team Winnipeg defeated all three times in the regular season.

And while it is no easy task defeating a singular team four straight times in one season, it is possible and can be done. What remains is whether or not Winnipeg can meet that challenge and will be put to the test on Sunday against a hungry Tiger-Cat team.

If the game already didn’t have enough headlines, there was one more thrown in after Winnipeg announced that they had released slotback receiver Terence-Jeffers Harris for what was cited as team violations.

Within the same day it was announced that Harris was on his way to Hamilton, signed a practice-roster deal and was on the field 24 hours later in Black and Gold.

Harris will be ineligible to play Sunday but there is no question the brass has done anything and everything in their power to pick at what he knows of the Bombers offense and how they operate.

For Winnipeg, they will have three objectives Sunday afternoon.

Shutting down Hamilton’s run game starts with stopping the potent Avon Cobourne, which is not an easy task. Winnipeg was successful in limiting Cobourne during the regular season, allowing him an average of just 60 yards a game.

Cobourne finished with 961 yards for the season and only rushed for 100 yards or more twice. Cobourne fared no better as a receiver, hauling in 28 yards a game on three catches.

Next, the Winnipeg defense will look at the pivot for Hamilton, their former teammate in Kevin Glenn, who played for Winnipeg for five years before landing in Steeltown and has made the postseason in all three seasons with Hamilton.

It is, however, no secret that a key to getting Glenn off his game is to throw him curveballs and make him antsy. When Glenn is not on his game, he becomes a weaker player and the Bombers have fed off weaker players all season long.

Finally for Winnipeg to win this game they must take away the big play. Last Sunday, Hamilton’s success was set up primarily behind Marcus Thigpen’s returns, setting up the offense roughly near midfield for the majority of the game.

By pinning Hamilton deep and putting pressure on Glenn to drive the length of the football field multiple times, Winnipeg should come out the victor in the end.

On the other side of the ball Hamilton will be up against a fresh Winnipeg defense that had a week off to rest before grinding out a game plan for Sunday.

Glenn will need to make decisive reads quickly and accurately while keeping the defense guessing. Through the 2011 campaign the Bombers defense have registered one pick-six in each of the three contests and will look to make it four in a row.

Kevin Glenn will need to take care of the football, throw it out of bounds if nothing’s open and incorporate his receivers.

Quinton Porter saw very limited action in the semifinals although that could change in the finals Sunday depending on Glenn’s play. Porter is known to rush more if nothing’s open while Glenn likes to float the pocket.

Defensively the Tiger-Cats must be matched up well knowing that Pierce and company will look for the deep pass. Depending on the weather, those may be limited by the wind, so expect the line to open holes for running back Chris Garrett.

In the end it is hard for a team to win four in a row in one season over the same team; however it has been done before and could happen again on Sunday for Winnipeg.

The second game will feature the Edmonton Eskimos against the B.C. Lions in a very big Western Finals game.

For Edmonton, they return to the postseason after finishing dead last in the West a season ago saw the firing of Richie Hall and a major overhaul on their roster.

At the end of the day however, Edmonton had a key component behind center in Ricky Ray who simply makes players around him better.

That came true for receiver Adarius Bowman who was released by the Winnipeg Blue Bombers in the offseason and picked up by Edmonton. On the season, Bowman registered 62 catches for 1,153 yards and four touchdowns for his best season yet in the CFL.

Fred Stamps continued to be a playmaker for Ray when needed in crucial times while Jason Barnes emerged as another playmaker.

An issue throughout the season for Edmonton was the inability to incorporate all the receivers at different times. Only a select few would be able to put up numbers in different games. Against Calgary, however, Ray found eight receivers for the victory.

Edmonton will be down their powerful running back Jerome Messam in their game at B.C. on Sunday. Messam is out for the season after suffering a knee injury in their win over Calgary.

This will push Hugh Charles to the front of the depth chart and Edmonton is okay with that. Charles is no slouch in the backfield either and is considered a better receiver than Messam.

For B.C., they need to strike quick and hard against Edmonton and score first to set the tone of the game. B.C. made it to the Western final after starting the season winless after five games before winning eight straight and finishing the season at 11-7.

B.C. is on the hot streak going into Sunday's game having won their last two games, including one over Edmonton. In fact, B.C. has won the last three meetings against Edmonton including a 36-1 dribbling in Week 8.

In his last four contests, Travis Lulay has thrown for 1,266 yards for B.C., averaging 316.5 yards a game along with 12 touchdowns to just five interceptions.

Ricky Ray’s best game came for Edmonton came in their first meeting this year in which Ray completed 24 of 33 attempts and two touchdowns for 320 yards.

Statistically, everything points to B.C.’s favour but they will need to be more than perfect if they want to leave Sunday with a trip booked to the 99th Grey Cup.

Unfortunately this is B.C.’s destiny to play and host the Grey Cup and nothing Edmonton throws at B.C. will stick.

The Eastern and Western Conference CFL finals are now set with both the Hamilton Tiger-Cats and Edmonton Eskimos advancing, with Hamilton getting their first trip to the Eastern final in almost a decade while Edmonton makes a return for the first time since 2008.

The road to the Eastern final was certainly no cake walk for Hamilton, having lost their last two regular season games and being made a long shot to upset the defending Grey Cup champion Montreal Alouettes.

However on November 13, 2011 the Hamilton Tiger-Cats did just that in a thrilling Eastern semifinal that saw both teams score a combined 96 points—which became a CFL record—breaking the feat set back on November 19, 1956, ironically by the same two teams. That game saw a combined 89 points between the two clubs.

Kevin Glenn needed to be on his game and help the Tiger-Cats come out with a win in order to silence the critics.

He didn't disappoint.

On the day, Glenn completed 23 of his 32 pass attempts for one touchdown and one interception. Quinton Porter saw limited action in which he also threw a touchdown.

At the same time, this was a moral and personal victory for running back Avon Cobourne, who was released by Montreal in the offseason and signed with Hamilton. Cobourne succeeded in gaining more yards than Brandon Whitaker, who took over the starting role in Montreal. Cobourne finished with 97 yards and a touchdown while Whitaker had 79 yards with one touchdown and a fumble.

While neither defense seemed to have an answer for the opposing offense and had questionable tackling and poor overall defensive play, the two offenses had no problem shouldering the daunting task of winning the game.

Montreal actually was down a touchdown in the dying minutes before the usual play by Anthony Calvillo sent the game into overtime.

Hamilton took possession in overtime and struck first with a quick hit that set them up 1st-and-goal, which Quinton Porter took himself, before giving Montreal the possibility of tying it up. They failed to complete a 3rd-and-2 on a pass to Brandon Whitaker and Hamilton advanced to face the Winnipeg Blue Bombers this week in the Eastern final.

With all the excitement and entertainment that the Eastern final provided, it was going to be hard for the Western final to compare at any level but both Calgary and Edmonton attempted their best.

The Calgary Stampeders achieved just 174 total passing yards in the game between both Drew Tate and Henry Burris, who took over to start the second half after Tate struggled mildly in the first half.

A lot of people will question head coach John Hufnagel's decision to bench Tate in favour of Burris in the second half. The only way for Tate to grow as a competitor and build his confidence is to work through whatever may be eating at him.

Overall, Calgary did their best job to stay in the game even as they were down 25-9 at halftime. Jon Cornish rushed for 127 yards and one touchdown and Calgary were within one score, but after a late collapse and inability to get out of their own end zone, Edmonton took over deep and put the nail in the coffin.

Henry Burris was unable to find the end zone on any drive and Calgary were held to three field goals and under 100 passing yards in the second half. It is possible this could mark the final season for Burris as a Calgary Stampeder after being benched with three games remaining in the regular season.

Ricky Ray and his Edmonton Eskimos return to a game they've not played in since 2008 after failing to reach the postseason a year ago. Head coach Kavis Reed had his players buy into his system and this paid off tremendously, win or lose Sunday afternoon. Edmonton finished the season at 11-7, tied with Calgary and B.C.

Ray completed 19 of his 27 passes for 245 yards and a touchdown; however for Edmonton to defeat Calgary it would require the assistance of his receiving corps.

At times this season they've been stagnant, with only a select few seeming to show up at different games—but on Sunday Ray was able to find eight different receivers, with Adarius Bowman leading the way at 93 yards.

The road to the Grey Cup will get tougher for Edmonton when they face a hungry B.C. Lions team; they'll also be without their biggest ground weapon in running back Jerome Messam, who will be out the Western and Grey Cup—should the Eskimos advance that far—with a torn ACL suffered on a play against Calgary.

That said, Ricky Ray is a proven winner and will do what he can to keep his team in shape and focused for their trip to the Western final.

Offensive Player of the Week:

Bakari Grant led all Hamilton receivers with 130 yards and a touchdown and was clutch for Kevin Glenn at multiple opportunities.

Defensive Player of the Week:

Jamell Johnson recorded six tackles along with a forced fumble, interception and a sack in Hamilton's win over Montreal.

Special Teams Player of the Week:

Sean Whyte connected on all three field goal attempts and five extra point attempts to contribute 14 points as Montreal looked to advance to the Eastern finals.

Canadian Player of the Week:

Jon Cornish rushed for 127 yards and one touchdown on the day and continued to be a force in Calgary's backfield. Ever since taking over in the starter's role for Joffrey Reynolds, Cornish has been consistent and will do well in the years to come.

Kevin Glenn was playing for more than just trying to finally get the Hamilton Tiger Cats a playoff win.

Defeat by two-time defending champion Montreal would probably have ended his stay in Hamilton and possibly that of his coach Marcel Bellefeuille.

Ever since Hamilton finally fielded a respectable, competitive team, all they have managed to do is finish second with a .500 record and then be beaten on home field in the Eastern Conference semi-final.

This year, it seemed they took a step backwards by finishing with an 8-10 record, while releasing veteran star receivers, and ending with a two-man quarterback controversy.

All year the Tiger Cats have fielded two teams, each as opposite from each other as Mr. Hyde and Dr. Jekyll.

On one hand, this team could convincingly beat favoured Montreal, B.C. and Calgary, and then the next week look so lifeless like a limp noodle.

On this day, despite some defensive blunders, the Tiger Cats managed to beat the favoured Alouettes in Montreal 52-44 in overtime.

Glenn (with some significant help from back-up Quinton Porter, who today justified Bellefeuille's recent "two quarterback system") stopped being the "two-and-out" quarterback he usually is, and this time finished most of the drives he started.

When Montreal scored, Hamilton had an answer and never seemed fazed even when they lost the lead.

Gone were Glenn's streaks of cold play when lots of consecutive two-and-outs would wear down the Hamilton defence.

This time he looked like he had something to prove and it showed.

Glenn was ably assisted by his running game of Avon Cobourne and Marcus Thigpen.  Having a potent running attack took a lot of pressure off Glenn.

Ever since Hamilton became a competitive team again and then started spinning their wheels in the playoffs, management has been tinkering with every position on the team—except the significant position of quarterback.

The failure to develop Quinton Porter or bring in anybody else to take over from Glenn would have been front and centre this time if Hamilton had lost in the semi-finals for the third consecutive year.

The inconsistent Glenn would have been fighting for a spot next year, if he wasn't already released, and coach Bellefeuille probably wouldn't be coming back either.

But this win saves them both, at least for now.

Now it's off to Winnipeg and if the same Tiger Cat team and the same Kevin Glenn that showed up in Montreal appear next week, Hamilton may be off to Vancouver and the Grey Cup.