Montreal Alouettes Win 97th Grey Cup

It's a moniker no professional player wants. To be associated with losing championships, and never being able to close the deal, is a reputation no professional athlete deserves. However, society and sports fans demand winners and asks no quarrel for losing. It can easily make or break the career and legacy of professional athletes. Be an average player on a championship winning team, and you will forever be associated with winning. Be a high quality player on average teams that always lose, and you're forever associated with failing. This is never more true than for those who play quarterback on football teams. Regardless of the records, their wins, and their successes, some are forever linked with losing, coming up short or never being able to come through in the clutch. It's the reality of the position. No other position on the field is more scrutinized, dissected and criticized than the position referred to as the field general.

Painful losses year after year:

For Anthony Calvillo of the Montreal Alouettes, this was destined to be his legacy. Leading good teams to the Grey Cup and always coming up short. His record before this last Grey Cup game was an abysmal 1 win and 5 loses. He had the stats and the records, but only one ring to show for it. Players play their entire careers never once getting a chance to win a championship, but Calvillo had taken his team to 6 and came away only winning once. Along the way, they would lose one by 2 points after failing a 2 point conversion in 2000 at the 88th Grey Cup, lose again in 2003, yet another loss in overtime against the Edmonton Eskimos in the 93rd Grey Cup game in 2005, and then two more subsequent losses in 2006 against BC, and 2008 when the game was played in their own backyard at Montreal's Olympic Stadium against the Calgary Stampeders. One championship after another eluded Calvillo and his team, yet he continued to come back to give it one more shot. Of course, Calvillo's play in these games was as unpredictable as the CFL game itself. A consistent theme was the teams slow starts, failing to move the ball, and coming away with little to no points in the first half of each championship game. A high powered offense known for moving the ball, just never seemed to be able to do it when it mattered most. Time and again, they would fail and fall short. Their fans never giving up, constantly believing, but at the same time knowing that perhaps all of Anthony Calvillo's critics may indeed be right. It seemed the Alouettes and their fans would forever be linked with good teams that could never win the big game.

The 2009 Record Setting Season for Montreal:

This year would be different. This year, Montreal not only had the offense, but the defense to go with it. Defense wins championships and Montreal's was at the top of every statistical category in the league. Their 18 game season culminated in a 15 -3 record, a second East Division title where they dismantled the visiting BC Lions 56 to 18, a second consecutive trip to the Grey Cup, and their 7th visit to the big game in the decade. They were heavy favorites to win, and fans of the CFL had gone as far as sending letters to the coach of the opposite team asking for nothing more than a competitive game, citing the numerous records Montreal set and their guaranteed position to win. It seemed as though this year, the ghosts of Grey Cups passed would be put to rest. This year would be their year.

Saskatchewan Roughriders had other plans:

Entering the 97th Grey Cup, the Montreal Alouettes carried a record for futility and the weight of their fans on their shoulders. It was theirs for the taking. They simply had to do what they had done all season, dominate on both sides of the ball. Unfortunately, they once again started slow. Much in the same fashion they had in so many previous championship games, Montreal failed to move the ball. They had 4 straight possessions without a first down, fumbled the ball twice, had an all star punter whose 2 punts at the end of the half were an astonishing 22 yards and 7 yards, and fell behind 17-3 at halftime. It seemed like once again, Calvillo, the Alouettes and their fans would endure another heartbreaking loss. In a season of promise, their final game became a nightmare of mistakes. They were beaten and deflated. They were going to lose and every fan knew it.

Saskatchewan goes up 27-11 with 10 minutes to go in the fourth quarter!

As the game wore on, it became more and more evident that the Alouettes and Calvillo would once again miss out on a tremendous opportunity to seize the moment. While Calvillo had drove the Alouettes on a 9 play 74 yard drive that took 5:23 off the clock and resulted in a touchdown in the third quarter, Saskatchewan had responded with a touchdown of their own when quarterback Darian Durant scrambled into the end zone from 16 yards. It seemed a foregone conclusion that the game was over, and Montreal and their fans would once again miss out on a much deserved Grey Cup Parade. Saskatchewan had run the ball down the very heard of the defense that dominated against the run the entire year. They took the last piece of Montreal's identity and swallowed it whole. It was going to be their game.

Furious comeback, clutch passes and catches, and Calvillo comes through:

Entering the second half, the Montreal Alouette defense promised they wouldn't allow Saskatchewan a single first down on their first possession. Calvillo promised the defense if they got the ball, Montreal would score. They did, and in the fourth quarter, with the championship on the line, that promise would have to extend to two touchdowns, a successful 2 point conversion and a last second fieldgoal in what will forever be known as the strangest ends to a football game ever. Montreal answered the Saskatchewan touchdown immediately with one of their own as Calvillo drove them down the field on another 74 yard drive. The 2 point conversion was successful, and Montreal was still alive at 27-19. The defense came up big again as Montreal defensive back Jerald Brown intercepted a Durant pass on the next Roughrider possession. As Durant was scrambling to his right, the receiver should have broke stride and immediately head up field. He didn't and Brown was well positioned for an easy interception. Calvillo made the Roughriders pay on an 11 yard pass to veteran slotback Ben Cahoon. On the drive, Montreal went for a first down on 3rd and 3 instead of kicking the field goal. One the 2 point conversion, Jamel Richardson was clearly interfered with, but there was no call, and Montreal was still behind with only 1:14 left to play. Montreal's defense once again stood firm and forced Sasketchewan to punt. With only 40 seconds remaining, Calvillo stood up and delivered two consecutive clutch passes. One to Jamel Richardson for 23 yards and 17 to Kerry Watkins setting up a 44 yard field goal to win the game. Montreal's much maligned kicker and punter, who had handed 4 points to the Roughriders with horrible punts, came out to kick and missed! Destined to play the goat, all seemed lost.

Too many men on the field! Are you serious?

In what will go down as one of the biggest blunders in professional sports, the Roughriders were penalized for having too many men on the field. They had started to celebrate their victory only to be penalized 10 yards and having to endure another field goal attempt by Montreal to win the game. The extra man was in the end zone. Debate will continue as to who was that extra player, but the fact is, the player in the end zone had no reason to be there. In the CFL, a missed field goal not moved out of the end zone results in 1 point for the kicking team. Even if the field goal is missed, that 1 point lets Saskatchewan win 27-26. It took 10 minutes to erase a lead that Sasketchewan had built over 3 entire quarters. Just like that, Montreal roared back, and took it away. They'll forever debate who should have won, but there is no denying that when Montreal needed to, they put it together and took it away. At the end of the day, perhaps the greatest single tribute to Montreal's dominance was how it only needed that 10 minutes to erase the lead.

There was no reason for that player to be there, and no excuse for him not to call a timeout. The Saskatchewan special teams coach was classy enough to take the blame. However, that player was an Alouette the previous season and was cut after making a number of mistakes. Given 10 extra yards, Duval made good, Montreal won, the entire province of Saskatchewan was let down, and Montreal's ghosts of Grey Cup past were erased. It was never in doubt!