View from the Cheap Seats is kind of an extension of the newsroom. Whenever our three regular reporters, Calvin Daniels, Thom Barker and Randy Brenzen are in the building together, it is frequently a site of heated debate. This week: Who will win the Grey Cup this year?
Riders, duh
This should be an exercise in analysis and reason, but when it comes to the Cheap Seats and sports I intend to continue my tradition of going with my sentimental choice.
So far, I am zero for three. I picked the Blue Jays to win the World Series and in May, damned if it didn't look like they could go all the way. Then there was the June losing streak from which they never really recovered finishing a dismal five games off the wild card pace in the American League.
I picked Ottawa to win the Stanley Cup; they did not make the playoffs.
I picked the Raptors to win the NBA Championship, a long shot to be sure. But they made the playoffs and took the Nets to a very close seven games. This year, they are going all the way.
So, obviously, despite the losing spree to end the season, an injured Darian Durant, a 41-year-old Kerry Joseph, a defence that looked impenetrable to start the season that is looking more like a sieve week-to-week and stupid sloppy penalties galore, I still believe the Riders are going to repeat as Grey Cup champions.
Vegainsider.com currently has us second to last in odds at 12/1.
Then again, they still have Calgary at 1/1, which is increasingly less likely given the status of Jon Cornish.
Money is on a Montreal - Edmonton final at this point. They have the defences and the hot quarterbacks. But, let's face it, this is the Canadian Football League. It would be more surprising if things played out the way they are supposed to rather than just about any other way. Any team that is still in it is still in it.
If our defence can mount a return to first half of the season form and Couch Chamblin can instill some of that early season discipline that made the Roughies the least penalized team in the league, I think between Durant and Joseph we will be looking at a repeat championship.
And I'm going to pit them against Hamilton, just because I want to see Andy Fantuz play.
Hey, I told you it was going to be a sentimental pick.
-Thom Barker
Esky dreams
For the past few months the discussion has raged on within out newsroom.
"What discussion?" I hear you ask.
The one about who exactly will meet in the 2014 Grey Cup.
At the start of the season all the Rider fans were gloating about how they would see their team raise the Grey Cup in victory once again.
Heck, even the lone, scared and lost Winnipeg Blue Bomber fan was boasting about his team's chances of winning the most important trophy in Canadian football (no, not the Hec Crighton Trophy, although that's pretty important too) before their monumental collapse midseason and beyond.
Meanwhile I sat back, listened and rarely voiced my opinion on who will win the Grey Cup. Instead, I simply lit a short fuse in the form of trash talking Darian Durant's abilities (or lack thereof).
But now it's time for me to voice my true opinion. And it's really very easy to tell who will be in the Grey Cup.
The Edmonton Eskimos, led by Mike Reilly (broken foot or not) will take on the Jonathan Crompton led Montreal Alouettes.
Both teams have usually suffocating defences that will both be dominant throughout the playoffs. Offensively the Eskimos have been solid with a rejuvenated Adarius Bowman and a dangerous supporting cast with Nate Coehoorn, Fred Stamps and the like.
Meanwhile Montreal should call themselves the Phoenix instead of the Alouettes because Crompton has brought them back from the ashes and made them a very dangerous team once again.
So to wrap it up, Edmonton takes on Montreal in the Grey Cup. Edmonton wins.
Because we all know Edmonton fans need SOMETHING to cheer about.
-Randy Brenzen
Right to be wrong
Ah predictions, the realm of almost assured failure, especially when trying to determine who will emerge in a final after running the playoff gauntlet.
So here goes; the Grey Cup will feature the Edmonton Eskimos versus the Montreal Alouettes.
Out west the Esks have the league's top receiver Adarius Bowman, who if covered could open the door for Fred Stamps to have a huge playoff after a slow year.
John White at running back is frightfully good.
And Mike Reilly has emerged as the league's second best QB, behind Ricky Ray, although Reilly is more dangerous as a runner when needed.
There will be those dreaming Saskatchewan will prevail in the Western semi-final after their 24-17 win Saturday, but that was against the Esks 'B' team, and was not in Edmonton either.
It will be bye bye 'Riders as much as that pains me to predict.
That leaves the Western final a battle of two outstanding young pivots, Reilly for the Eskimos and Bo Levi Mitchell for the Stampeders.
Calgary's 15-3 record is stellar, but inflated by the luck on facing a lot of teams at times their premier quarterbacks were hurt, including a pair over Edmonton with Reilly out of action.
It will be a different story in the west final.
Montreal has the best starting three receivers in the CFL with Duron Carter, S.J. Green and Brandon London.
Tyrell Sutton is competent as their running back.
Jonathon Crompton is not the high stat quarterback you might expect to lead a team to the Cup, but since being handed the job all he has done is keep a nice TD-to-interception ratio, has played ball control football as needed, and won way more than lost.
That all adds up to an offence that will score enough points as the Al's very steady defence keeps the points against low.
Yes they lost to Hamilton in the season finale, but they will prevail in the East final after having dispatched cross over British Columbia in the finals.
In the Grey Cup I have to pick Edmonton by 17 over Montreal.
- Calvin Daniels
