Domination at the Dome

Sunday’s Western Final was an event that was for all intents and purposes, over by the half time mark, a fragile looking and stumbling Saskatchewan squad never seemed to recover from its nervous start and before you could say Eagle Keys, the proud sons of the land of Gainer were done for the year.

All that would remain would be a second quarter of face saving, no real danger to claiming a Spot in the Grey Cup this week, but enough of an effort to at least send the notice that they were there for the day.

Sunday was Dave Dickenson’s day, the Lions quarterback who has seen more than his fair share of chances for a title slip through his (and a few receivers) fingers, played with the zeal of someone with a mission, his passes were laser beams, his play execution flawless. The Lions looking every bit as good as the fans of the league expected.

With Dickenson distributing the ball among his receiving corps, the Riders would be forced to not only worry about CFL All Star Geroy Simon but Paris Jackson and Jason Clermont as well, as the Lions receivers executed their routes to perfection, racking up yardage and points seemingly at will.

When Dickenson needed a change of pace Joe Smith would take the ball and collect some more yardage, blasting through a Rider line and schooling the once invincible Rider front four a bit..

When the drives would stall, Paul McCallum would deliver the message that the kicking game was fine in his hands, accounting for 19 points on the day for the Lions.

The 45-18 was the largest Lion victory in its Playoff history and the vast majority of the credit goes to Dickenson, who pretty well put the stamp on the season with his performance, confirming that when healthy and when protected by his offensive line, he is the best Quarterback in the CFL these days.

For Saskatchewan an inability to get their plays off in the first quarter sealed their fate, unaccustomed to the noise of a throng number over 50,000, Kerry Joseph repeatedly had problems getting his plays under way, let alone moving the team down the field. By the time the Riders could get on the same page the Lions would already have had three touchdowns on the board and were set to plan their trip to Winnipeg.

The Lions dominated the league for most of the season; the only troublesome team all year were these same Riders, who looked anything but troublesome on Sunday. The Lions were controlled every phase of the game, from offense to defense, special teams to coaching; there is not one spot on the checklist that would have been given to the Riders on Sunday.

Montreal will examine the film and develop their plan of attack for Sunday’s finale to the CFL season; the key will be how they approach Dickenson’s style of play and his patient ability to make the key play at the key time.

Their chances of denying the Lions what many believe is deservedly theirs this year hinges on an ability to shut down the pass, control the run and score some points of their own against a very tough defence, perhaps the best in the league.

Now that doesn’t sound like too much of a challenge, does it?