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Canwest News Service
MONTREAL – You can talk about the veteran leadership of Anthony Calvillo, or the athleticism of Casey Printers, who suddenly appears to have caught lightning in a bottle.
You can ruminate over the big-play explosiveness of Jamel Richardson, or the consistency of Geroy Simon; the darting elusiveness of an Avon Cobourne or the sheer power of Martell Mallett, one of the few players to rush for 200 yards in a game.
Football can be a complicated sport, but in its basic element, usually comes down to one simple tenet – control the line, where everything seemingly begins and ends and a team is going to be successful more often than not.
"You can use all the cliches in the world," said Montreal Alouette guard Paul Lambert. "If we don't get under their pads and dominate, our offence won't have a chance.
"Our defensive line has got to get to (Printers) and we've got to protect (Calvillo). That's where it begins and starts."
If only it was that simple.
The B.C. Lions, who will attempt this Sunday in the East Division final to impede the Als' seemingly annual trip to the Grey Cup, led the league in sacks this season with 45 – three more than Montreal.
Defensive end Ricky Foley, who had the unenviable task of attempting to replace Cameron Wake, now plying his trade in Miami with the Dolphins, was the league leader, with 12 sacks – the primary reason why the six-foot-two, 256 pounder is the West Division nominee as outstanding Canadian. Brent Johnson, who occupies the other end, chipped in with six sacks.
The Lions' linebackers aren't bad either. Anton McKenzie produced six sacks, while JoJuan Armour had four. Korey Banks, a hybrid who oscillates between the secondary and linebacker, had five.
In last weekend's semifinal victory at Hamilton, the visitors dropped Kevin Glenn five times – three sacks by Johnson and two by Foley.
"They have talent," Lambert concurred. "They've faced adversity and come back. They're a veteran group up front, and they seem to recognize the play before it happens. They do a good job of figuring out what's coming. Every team has got something like 20 games on film, so we've got to do something to catch them off guard."
When the Lions and Als met twice this season within a nine-day span, Calvillo was sacked three times in both games, each team winning once.
"Their defensive line is No. 1 in sacks, and they got a number of hits on A. C.," said Montreal head coach Marc Trestman.
"We've got to do a better job of protection."
While Calvillo has among the quickest releases of all CFL quarterbacks, it's no secret the 37-year-old no longer runs with the grace of a thoroughbred. Disrupt Calvillo's timing, flush him out of the pocket, and he takes on the appearance of a fish removed from water.
"A.C. is the lifeblood of our offence," said guard Scott Flory, the East Division nominee as the outstanding lineman. "He's a 16-year vet and he's an amazing quarterback. Give him time and he'll make the difficult throws. We've got to control the line."
The Als were decent up front this season, allowing 35 sacks – fourth-fewest in the league. Winnipeg surrendered the fewest, and the Blue Bombers didn't make the playoffs. Neither did Toronto, which saw its quarterbacks dumped the most. So how much stock should one place in it?
We also know this much: Through Montreal's first nine games this season, the team allowed only 11 sacks, including four games when not one defender threw Calvillo to the ground. So most of the damage occurred during the last nine games when the Als were missing tackle Josh Bourke and Lambert for extended periods due to injuries.
"The Lions have got a good scheme and they play really hard," said offensive-line coach Jonathan Himebauch. "They have great motors and good pursuit to the ball.
"But we're back at full strength, so we feel good. It feels great that we're back at full speed."
Montreal Gazette
hzurkowskythegazette.canwest.com
