Jack B. Bedell
MontrealAlouettes.com
GREY CUP EDITION: Saskatchewan Roughriders
Edmonton – Since the final gun sounded at the 97th Grey Cup in Calgary last year, the Saskatchewan Roughriders and Montreal Alouettes have been on a collision course for this year’s championship.
Both of the teams’ match-ups this season have been classic, give-and-take affairs. And there’s no reason to believe this weekend’s Grey Cup game will fall short of the same high-drama football.
Just as it was heading into the Als’ week 1 game against the Riders, the real key to competing with Saskatchewan is putting a lid on the Riders’ aerial assault.
In just two tilts against Montreal this year, Darian Durant completed 64 of 106 passes for 926 yards and seven TDs. A whopping 323 of those yards and two of the majors went to Wes Dressler on 22 receptions.
At 15 yards per completion against the Als, Durant’s ability to push the ball downfield to Dressler and Dressler’s knack for catching balls in stride to rip off massive YAC gains absolutely gashed the Alouettes’ secondary.
Without a doubt, limiting the number of times Durant and Dressler are able to hook up on explosive pass plays this Sunday will go a long way towards tilting the field the Als’ way in the game.
Many of Saskatchewan’s deep passes come directly from Durant’s gift for extending plays by escaping immediate pressure and flushing outside the pocket where he and his receivers can exploit space, indecision, and confusion in the secondary.
As I wrote before week 1’s game, pressure isn’t always the top priority when it comes to keeping Durant under wraps. Sometimes contain is even more integral to short-circuiting Saskatchewan’s effectiveness through the air.
Als’ rush ends John Bowman and Anwar Stewart have to watch their angles of pursuit and the depth of their rush carefully to keep Durant between the tackles where his passes have to come out on time and his escapability is a non-factor. Also, interior linemen Eric Wilson and Jermaine McElveen, and linebackers Shea Emry and Diamond Ferri, have to be very disciplined in their assignments to take away Durant’s lanes of escape and to pounce on him when he steps up to avoid outside rush.
Often, getting the ball out of Durant’s hand early can be every bit as effective in shutting down the Riders’ big, downfield passes as getting him on the ground. The flip side of Darian Durant leading the league in passing yards this season has been his propensity for throwing interceptions. The 22 picks he’s thrown in 2010 are also tops in the CFL, and many of those have come off rushed throws from the pocket.
No doubt, there will be opportunities for big plays in the Alouettes’ secondary regardless of the weather conditions. And it will be on Etienne Boulay, Mark Estelle, Billy Parker, Jerald Brown, and De’Audra Dix to snag any wayward balls Durant puts up under duress to keep yards off the Riders’ tally and points off the scoreboard.
With two teams as evenly matched, and as well-coached, as the Roughriders and Alouettes, the Grey Cup just might come down to ball security and field position. If the Als’ defence can rush Darian Durant effectively enough to stifle his big-play production, they stand a good chance of making sure the game is played on Saskatchewan’s side of the field. And they just might force a turnover or two to swing the scoreboard Montreal’s way in the end.
The Alouettes faceoff against the Saskatchewan Roughriders this Sunday at 6 p.m. at Commonwealth Stadium for the 98th Grey Cup (RDSHD,TSNHD,NRJ,CJAD)
