R.J
11-17-2011, 05:12 PM
Found this great article (http://www.montrealgazette.com/sports/football/montreal-alouettes/Changing+guard+good+appeal/5725128/story.html), and figured it was post worthy. Not very big on Dynasties unless those teams are named the Bombers or Argos :).
The story of the Canadian Football League playoffs isn't only about one dynasty ending.
It goes deeper than just the Montreal Alouettes, with their ridiculous string of eight Grey Cup appearances since the turn of the millennium, stopping short of making it nine. It's that all the teams in this season's final four were watching at this time last year, and the four who made the 2010 conference finals are all on the sidelines a year later.
Four out, a different four in.
It hasn't happened since 1950, and it's small wonder, considering that for most of that time the CFL has been either an eight-or nine-team league.
We're not saying it's been a while, but 1949 was the year helmets were made mandatory, and the conference finals were Calgary vs. Saskatchewan, Ottawa vs. Montreal.
In 1950, it was Winnipeg-Edmonton and Toronto-Hamilton, with the Argos beating the Bombers 13-0 in the legendary Mud Bowl to win the Grey Cup.
So what's happened in 2011? What does it say, if anything, about the league?
Or is it just a fluke, a oneoff ?
"That's the way it should be," B.C. Lions all-star defensive back Korey Banks said.
"It says a lot about player personnel guys and the talent they can bring in. Dynasties are meant to be broken up. I'm sure all seven other teams were saying: 'We can't let Montreal win.'
"But at the end of the day, football's about a couple of plays. You make 'em, you win. You don't, you lose."
So, a coincidence, then. First time in 61 years?
"Sure. If you look at Montreal, they don't lose their DBs, we're talking totally different right now," Banks said.
"But that's the way it goes. Forget a game of inches, it's a game of injuries. If you lose a guy, can the next guy step up and do that job?"
That's one opinion. "Well, I think this year it was parity. Five teams with the same (10-7) record, and let's face it, Hamilton should have had 10 or 11 wins," says Banks' head coach and GM, Wally Buono.
"So it's parity, and it's injuries, like Montreal had, and it's the salary cap . . . because today, you can't hoard all the best players, you can't buy all the best players."
The story of the Canadian Football League playoffs isn't only about one dynasty ending.
It goes deeper than just the Montreal Alouettes, with their ridiculous string of eight Grey Cup appearances since the turn of the millennium, stopping short of making it nine. It's that all the teams in this season's final four were watching at this time last year, and the four who made the 2010 conference finals are all on the sidelines a year later.
Four out, a different four in.
It hasn't happened since 1950, and it's small wonder, considering that for most of that time the CFL has been either an eight-or nine-team league.
We're not saying it's been a while, but 1949 was the year helmets were made mandatory, and the conference finals were Calgary vs. Saskatchewan, Ottawa vs. Montreal.
In 1950, it was Winnipeg-Edmonton and Toronto-Hamilton, with the Argos beating the Bombers 13-0 in the legendary Mud Bowl to win the Grey Cup.
So what's happened in 2011? What does it say, if anything, about the league?
Or is it just a fluke, a oneoff ?
"That's the way it should be," B.C. Lions all-star defensive back Korey Banks said.
"It says a lot about player personnel guys and the talent they can bring in. Dynasties are meant to be broken up. I'm sure all seven other teams were saying: 'We can't let Montreal win.'
"But at the end of the day, football's about a couple of plays. You make 'em, you win. You don't, you lose."
So, a coincidence, then. First time in 61 years?
"Sure. If you look at Montreal, they don't lose their DBs, we're talking totally different right now," Banks said.
"But that's the way it goes. Forget a game of inches, it's a game of injuries. If you lose a guy, can the next guy step up and do that job?"
That's one opinion. "Well, I think this year it was parity. Five teams with the same (10-7) record, and let's face it, Hamilton should have had 10 or 11 wins," says Banks' head coach and GM, Wally Buono.
"So it's parity, and it's injuries, like Montreal had, and it's the salary cap . . . because today, you can't hoard all the best players, you can't buy all the best players."