Ottawa Redblacks head to Grey Cup to take care of unfinished business
After the sting of last year's Grey Cup defeat, Henry Burris and his teammates won't settle for 2nd place
For the fist time since the late 1960s Ottawa's CFL team is on its way to back-to-back Grey Cups.
In 1968 and 1969 a powerhouse Rough Riders team led by quarterback Russ Jackson won both championship games. This time out it's the ageless wonder Henry Burris looking for an Ottawa split after suffering a heartbreaking loss to Edmonton at Investors Field in Winnipeg last year.
"We weren't guaranteed to be back here this year, and so that's why each and every moment that we have to get back to the show, it means that much more because, I mean, I can't play till I'm 50," said Burris on Sunday.
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Fittingly, it was with Russ Jackson watching from the stands that the Redblacks vanquished Edmonton to earn their trip to this year's Grey Cup game at BMO field in Toronto.
Battling weather conditions more common to northern Alberta than eastern Ontario in November, Ottawa stunned the defending champions with as good a team game as they've played all year, resulting in a 35-23 win in front of a chilly but rapturous hometown crowd at TD Place.
Sunday's celebration subdued
It's been duly noted that the Redblacks' own celebration was reserved on Sunday. No hoisting the Eastern Conference trophy, no champagne showers.
This is a group that remembers all too well the sting of last year's Grey Cup loss to the Eskimos — a game they led more than they trailed, only to let slip away on back-to-back pass interference calls in the fourth quarter.
Despite the fact they'll be big underdogs to the 16-2-1 Calgary Stampeders this time out, they feel they have some unfinished business to take care of on Sunday on behalf of Ottawa football fans everywhere.
"Our guys, immediately after [Sunday's win] ... they were talking about, there's one more to go," said Redblacks head coach Rick Campbell after Sunday's win. "Their minds switched to, let's go to Toronto to make sure we do everything we can to try and win a football game, not just be happy that we're there, and that'll be our mindset."
Most outstanding player candidates
For what it's worth, the Redblacks played well against Calgary this year, including a 26-26 tie in a game they should have won at TD Place back in July, and a 48-23 loss in Calgary in September — a game that was much closer than the scoreline would lead you to believe.
The Stampeders are led by quarterback and most outstanding player candidate Bo Levi Mitchell and league rushing leader Jerome Messam.
Ottawa has the Eastern Conference MOP nominee in receiver Ernest Jackson, not to mention 41-year-old Burris, who'll be looking for his first Grey Cup win since leading — who else? — Calgary to the championship in 2008.