CFL: Grey Cup Playoff Preview

The 2000 Canadian Football League season was highlighted by a couple of milestones. BC Lions quarterback Damon Allen broke the league mark in career passing yards and also surpassed the 50,000-career passing yard mark. Montreal Alouettes running back Mike Pringle broke the league's single season record for rushing touchdowns with nineteen.

It was also a season of farewells, most notably BC Lions kicker/punter Lui Passaglia. In his quarter-century of service, he will retire as the career leader in games played (408) and points scored (3,984). And he also scored the winning touchdown in the final game against Saskatchewan on Saturday night.

The 2000 regular season ended on Monday night, but the Grey Cup playoffs start on Sunday and many questions are about to be answered. Can Hamilton repeat as Cup champions? Will Calgary make it two Cups in three seasons? Will Montreal get over the playoff hump? Will upstarts Edmonton and Winnepeg and darkhorse BC make it to a Cup final?

These questions and many others will be answered in the final three weeks of this month. Let's take a look at each of the teams, starting in the East Division.

Montreal: The Alouettes were a point away from their first Grey Cup final since they arrived in Montreal after their time as the Baltimore Stallions. Their efforts of getting back to the playoffs have been undeterred, as they scored the second most points in the league this season and allowed the least.

There was no question that Anthony Calvillo would be the starting quarterback after Tracy Ham left. But how good would he be? This good: finished fourth in the league in passing yardage, third in efficiency, and threw only five interceptions compared to 27 touchdowns.

Mike Pringle has been a staple in the Alouette offense for six seasons. He led the league in rushing once again (1,778 yards) and ran for nineteen touchdowns. He has a sold supporting cast in a balanced offense that features receiver Ben Cahoon (71 receptions) and slotback Jock Climie (67 receptions).

The defense features defensive tackle Swift Burch, who had nine sacks, and defensive end Selvesta Miller, who had seven, respectively. But opponents should be more concerned about their secondary. Safety Lester Smith (eight INT) and cornerback Davis Sanchez (nine INT, two for TDs, league leader) are two players to look out for.

If the offense can't produce touchdowns, the Alouettes can depend on Terry Baker, who led the league with 220 points, including 46 field goals.

Hamilton: The Tiger Cats return to the playoffs to defend their championship, but come in limping after finally snapping a long losing streak. They finished at 9-9 with an overtime loss and second in the East Division.

Quarterback Danny McManus has been hampered by a sore hamstring and has been splitting time with backup Cory Ledbetter as of late. But come playoff time, McManus will be ready to go in full time.

Ronald Williams was second in the league this season with 1,267 rushing yards and ten rushing touchdowns. The Tiger Cats have an arsenal of receivers for whoever is throwing. There is an almost equal distribution between the three-headed monster of receiver Darren Flutie, running back Archie Amerson, and slotback Andrew Grigg.

Their defense is experienced. Linebacker Mike O'Shea was third in the league with ninety tackles this season and forced two fumbles. Defensive back Chris Shelling had four interceptions for the defense in the regular season. Linebacker Joe Montford had twenty sacks.

Paul Osbaldiston will be relied on to give the Tiger Cats conversions and field goals. His reliable foot scored 178 points this season.

Winnepeg: The Blue Bombers have had their fans bail them out of certain doom the past few seasons. Now that they're in the playoffs for the first time since 1996, they hope to give fans the perfect thank you gift: a Grey Cup championship.

Quarterback Khari Jones replaced longtime starter Kerwin Bell early in the season, which seemed to kickstart the offense. His 31 touchdowns were second in the league and his 4,142 yards passing were good enough to finish sixth.

The Bombers' main weapon besides Jones is Albert Johnson. He led the entire league with 3,211 all-purpose yards, most of them on kickoff returns (1,506). Robert Gordan and Milt Stegall were among the league leaders in receptions. Running back Cory Philpot will provide as another weapon on offense.

The Bombers were next to last when it came to defense, allowing just over 7500 yards on total offense. They were dead last in pass defense, but it doesn't mean they don't try. Linebacker Ryland Wickman and defensive back Tom Europe were among the league leaders in tackles.

Troy Westwood was among the league leaders in kicking. He scored 195 points for the Blue Bombers this season.

East Semifinal Match: Winnepeg at Hamilton: The Blue Bombers won three of their final five games to make the playoffs this season, while the Tiger Cats come in just after snapping a five-game skid. But the rule of the jungle is that an animal is most dangerous when it's wounded. The young Blue Bombers will give Hamilton's veterans the run around for a while, but the Tiger Cats will wind up scraping by in the end. Prediction: Hamilton 35, Winnepeg 33.

Now we'll move on to the West Division.

Calgary: The Stampeders are out to put another Grey Cup in their extended trophy, and with the 12-5-1 record they had this season, they look to have completed the first step. Now they want to win the Cup at their home, McMahon Stadium.

Quarterback Dave Dickenson was arguably the best quarterback this season in the CFL. His 36 passing touchdowns and 114.2 quarterback rating were tops statistically in the league. Those won't matter in the playoffs.

The Stampeders have an ample support of backs and receivers. Receiver Allen Pitts has been the go-to guy for so many years in Calgary and continues to be so. His heir apparent is Travis Moore, who had 1,431 yards and 15 touchdowns. Running back Kelvin Anderson eclipsed the thousand-yard mark with 1,031 this season.

The Stamps finished second in the league in total defense and second in rush defense. Linebacker Darryl Hall, who had 67 tackles, leads the defense. Defensive end Shonte Peoples was second in the league in sacks with twelve. Safety Greg Frers was third in the CFL with seven picks.

Mark McLoughlin was second to Montreal's Terry Baker in scoring with 199 points in 2000.

Edmonton: The Eskimos did much better than expected this season. They surprised critics by finishing 10-8 with an overtime loss in the West.

Nealon Greene has matured into a very good quarterback, and this season showed. His 22-6 touchdown-to-interception ratio was one of the best in the league. He also had the third-best completion percentage in the league with 62.2. He also had 762 rushing yards.

Receiver Terry Vaughn is Greene's favorite target; he finished second in the league with 94 receptions. Donnie Ashley was one of the league leaders in yards per kickoff return. Mark Nohra finished second on the team in rushing yards behind Nealon Greene with 520.

The defense is shaky at times, allowing just over 379 yards per game total. Players to watch are in the secondary, particularly defensive back Chris Hardy. He led the team with six interceptions. Linebacker Grant Carter led the team in tackles.

Sean Fleming has been one of the most consistent kickers in the league for a good time in Edmonton. He finished with 185 points.

BC: The Lions have been streaky throughout the entire season. They won their first two games, proceeded to go on a four game skid, won two, lost two, then split their final eight games to finish 8-10 with an overtime loss.

Damon Allen is reaching in age, but still has the arm to lead the Lions. He led the league in passing yardage this season and surpassed several career-passing records as well. His backup is Doug Nussmeyer, who fared well in several games for the Lions. The Lions finished first in total offense.

Robert Drummond and Sean Millington share the rushing duties for the Lions. The team lead the league in rushing yards per game with 139.2, very good for a pass-happy league. The favorite receiving target of Allen is Alfred Jackson. His 53 receptions lead the team.

The Lions are shaky defensively, giving up 368 yards per game. They have to produce turnovers in the playoffs, as their giveaway/takeaway ratio was only one. Cornerback Central McClellion led all starters with five picks, while defensive end Herman Smith had seven sacks.

When in doubt, there's always veteran Lui Passaglia to put points on the board for BC.

West Semifinal Matchup: The game will be played at Commonwealth Stadium in Edmonton, and the fans will be rocking in the cold, cold weather. The Eskimos won the series this season, including a high-scoring overtime win on October 1. The Lions come in winning their final two games, while the Esks lost their last two. It'll be another high-scoring affair and an upset will be in the works. Prediction: Lions 44, Eskimos 37 (OT).

The road to the Calgary starts in Hamilton and Edmonton, respectively, on Sunday afternoon. May the best team win.