The Rise and Fall of a Empire

The rise and fall of the Montreal Alouettes was truly remarkable especially when you consider how much it mirrored the rise and fall of the Roman empire.

Like all great empires they had too overcome a lot of adversity before they could wear the crown losing to the BC Lions in the Grey Cup in the year 2000.

After losing in the East Semis in 2001 they finally tasted success by winning the 2002 grey cup against Edmonton but just like the Punic Wars between Rome and Carthage Edmonton was a old empire that would not be as easily defeated in the future.

And it didn't take long for them to strike back as they defeated the Als the next season in 2003.

They then suffered a humiliating loss at home in the East Final to their rival Toronto in 2004 who would go on to win the grey cup.

In 2005 they got another shot against the old empire from Edmonton who beat them in a thrilling overtime thriller just as Carthage sent Hannibal and coming from the west defeated the Romans every time in battle the Als would find defeating their western opponents just as daunting.

  They would lose once again to the west in the grey cup this time to the Lions in 2006 where they ass you can see got a little carried away with the cup.

In 2007 with Anthony Calvillo they would lose once again to the west as this time Winnipeg beat them in the East Semi Final ( I know the bombers are in the East division but who are we kidding we all know they they are part of the west.)

Then in 2008 they suffered the mot embarrassing and painful loss having Calgary beat them at home in the grey cup  in front of 66,000 fans. Similarly the Romans suffered the same humiliation having Hannibal cross the Alps with his army destroy all of northern Italy and lay siege to the city of Rome itself.

Then amazingly the tide for both the Romans and the Als turned on a technicality the Romans defeated Hannibal not in battle but by cutting a side deal with the senate in Carthage thus removing Hannibal financial support and thus winning the war. The Als benefited also from a technicality with the infamous 13th man play at the end of the 2009 grey cup against the Riders. For the Romans with Hannibal out of the way they went on to totally dominate the known world and exploited all of their weaker neighbors, similarly once the monkey of losing was lifted off their backs the Als went on to dominate the CFL for 2 years also exploiting their weaker East division opponents.

In 2010 they steamrolled the league including a dominate 48-17 win in front of 59,000 plus at The Big O.

They then topped it off with their second consecutive Grey Cup Championship in 2010.

The dynasty was at its peak and the Als ascended to the throne as the kings of the CFL.

The empire started to fade as the Romans started to lose control of the Germanic tribes to the north in France and Germany. The Als in 2011 due to a outbreak of injuries to their defense started to decline and lost in the East Semi Final in a overtime shoot out which had them lose 52-44 to Hamilton. ( You know that had to be a sweet victory for Avon Couborne (22) pictured above against his old team .)

In 2012 the Als looked liked they returned to form clinching the #1 seed in the East, just as the Romans continued to beat back the Germanic tribes from the North but lo and behold the peoples they had subjugated in France and Germany started to learn from the Romans and devised schemes to defeat them.

Well....................

 After years of being Montreal's punching bag the Argos learned from the Als and began to adopt their philosophy first they get Montreal's offensive coordinator Scott Milanovich and make him Head Coach bringing with him the Als offensive system. Then they get a quarterback similar to Anthony Calvillo to operate the system in Ricky Ray and well the punching bag grew arms and legs and strapped on a AK-47.

The Argos had to enter the belly of the beast in the 2012 East Final and finally put an end to the reign of their rivals, and you guessed it the the Germanic tribes came to the very gates of Rome looking to once for all slay their oppressors.

A fierce battle ensued as the fate of the two empires were at stake the Romans put up one last stand trying to defend their home, legacy, and honor. The Als were looking to do the same in front of 50,000 plus of their hometown fans at the Big O.

The game went back and forth as the giant would not go down easy.

But then with the clock ticking down the end of the reign of the Alouettes came off the hands of Brian Bratton in the end zone a play that would of tied the game and sent it to overtime.

The Argos vanquished the Als in the most stunning fashion doing the unthinkable just as the the Germanic tribes did the unthinkable by sacking the heart of the Roman Empire the city of Rome. Now that the Als were dethroned someone had to fill the power vacuum well.............

After being tested through the fire of adversity as well a new power has rised in the East as the Argos won the 100th Grey Cup at home dismantling the Calgary Stampeders.

 Could we be witnessing the birth of a new dynasty the Argos have all the factors needed to be a true dynasty they have great coaching, smart leadership in the front office, a nice balance of both youth and experience on their roster, and most importantly they have a elite quarterback in his prime. Also throw in they happen to represent a city that everyone in Canada loves to hate in Toronto and you have all the ingredients needed to be the team to beat in the CFL with some notoriety because of their city and maybe become the Miami Heat of the CFL. But hold on their is one other team that seems to have all the necessary ingredients as well and has some notoriety of their own...... 

You guessed it the Saskatchewan Roughriders with great talent on their roster, great coaching, and arguably one of the best GMs in the league in Bradan Taman they certainly will have something to say about who takes over the league. But lets not forget what sets them apart from the others they may not hail from a city with a lot of notoriety but they do have..........

  Rider Nation their fan base is the envy of the whole league could you imagine if the Riders become a dynasty the hate for them around the league would skyrocket and they would definitely be the the Miami Heat of the CFL.

But a midst all the speculation maybe I am wrong maybe GM Jim Popp has some tricks up his sleeve and can revive the sleeping giant maybe the Empire will strike back.

Let your voice be heard who do you think will be the next dynasty? My pick is the Argos solely because unlike the Riders they have little to no competiion in the East where as the Riders have to deal with the Stamps and Lions.

Week 7 Recap

Saskatchewan Roughriders 27 @ Calgary Stampeders 42

Jon Cornish (9) was the player of the game Friday night with 175 yards rushing and 4 TDs

Kory Sheets (1) was held in check early in the game but still managed to finish with 133 yards rushing.

Darian Durant (4) was under immense pressure all night from the Stamps defensive line.

This was a hard game for me to watch as a Rider fan but I have to ive credit to the Stamps they came out with focus and determination and running back Jon Cornish really set the tone early with with big runs in the first quarter. The Riders battled back in the third quarter but then in the fourth the Stamps took control and ran away with it. An interesting fact from this game is that the Stamps beat the Riders by the same amount 15  as the Riders beat them earlier in the season which means these two are in a tie for first cant wait for the deciding game in October back at McMahon Stadium here we come Go Riders Go!!!!!!

Toronto Argonauts 38 @ Montreal Alouettes 13

After suffering a knee injury 3 weeks ago Ricky Ray came back with a vengeance completing 83% of his passes and throwing 3 TDs.

 Chad Owens (2) the league's reigning MOP was outstanding with a 118 yard missed field goal return which put the Argos up 21-0 and was the nail in the coffin. 

Boy was this game over real quick and so we may have just witnessed the passing of the torch from the former kings of the East to the new ones. Montreal enjoyed a run of dominance which spanned 12 years dating back to 2000 which may never be repeated in the CFL ever again. The Argos have now put themselves in the driver seat for the #1 seed in the East and should be hosting the East Final.

BC Lions 12 @ Toronto Argonauts 38 UPSET ALERT!!

All the talk heading into this one was the injuries to QB Ricky Ray (right) and RB Chad Kackert (left) and could th guys filling in for them step up well.......

 Enter QB Zach Collaros who was absolutely amazing out there making plays right and left this was truly an entertaining performance.

Collaros went 21-25 253 yards and 3 TDs no interceptions.

He frustrated the Lions defense all night dodging and evading tackles all night.

These are the type of plays I have been expecting from Jason Barnes (81) this was one of the many Argo highlights.

Curtis Steele (29) also had a coming out party filing in at running back for the injured Kackert.

The man of Steele took flight for his first TD look at the Lions defender Gordon Parks (26) face he is like dang that boy flew.

Steele had 109 total yards and 2 TDs.

Man speed kills.

Marcus Ball (6) came up with a huge interception which really swung the momentum of the game.

Khaliff Mitchell (96) had a sack against his old team and helped in a great defensive effort by the Argos defense they really set the tone in the second half and really flustered Travis Lulay.

This was a great game I really enjoyed watching this one Zach Collaros was electrifying and was making plays constantly he seemed to breath life into his teammates and really showed the REDBLACKS that he too along with Calgary's Bo Levi Mitchell is capable of being a franchise QB. Curtis Steele live up to his nickname Man of Steele with a high flying TD as he really showcased his abilities as well.The Argos showed some championship swagger as they sent a message to the league and show that they are still contenders. What an atmosphere at Rogers Centre tonight the attendance my have been 20,064 but they were loud and caused several penalties on the Lions. Big shout out to the Argo Lifers in section 134b and by the way checkout my friend Frank Stanisci podcast Candid Frank Live every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday at blogtalkradio.com.

Zach Collaros to get the start against Lions

Zach Collaros will start Tuesday night at home against the BC Lions. I am really excited to see what he can do the guy has a lot of talent he can evade pressure with his wheels and has a knack for improvising and making something out of nothing. This has been a great week for REDBLACKS GM Marcel Desardjins in which he has got a good look at a lot of the quality back up QBs in the league I think it comes down to Bo Levi Mitchell of Calgary and Collaros both are in their early twenties and both have showcased a lot of talent and potential. Bo really had a big game last Friday and currently is the top option in my book but Zach can change that with a good performance against a strong BC Lions defense. Good luck young man your future awaits.

Week 5 Saskatchewan Roughriders 32 @ Hamilton Tiger Cats 20

Geroy Simon (81) Superman caught his first TD in Rider Green he had his first big game of the season with 125 yards receiving.

Drew Willy (5) had a efficient games with 269 yards passing and 3 TDs  showing that the Riders really have great depth at every position especially the most important at QB. REDBLACKS GM Marcel Desjardins has a really tough decision in the upcoming expansion draft at the QB position.

Kory Sheets (1) had another big game with 140 yards on the ground and now has a league leading  712 yards rushing on the year he is still the leading MOP candidate in my book. Go Riders Go!!!!

The Riders are 5-0 and head into the bye really on fire and are clearly the best team in the CFL. The Ticats meanwhile are headed in the complete other direction and are a mess on defense but even with their deficiencies they are still in the hunt for the last layoff spot in the east and could still beat out the Bombers and the Eskimos who are equally as bad. The Riders get a well deserved bye next week before their huge showdown with Calgary I am really looking forward to that game,   

Week 5 Calgary Stampeders 37 @ Winnipeg Blue Bombers 24

Justin Goltz (18) and Jade Etienne (88) really played great in the first quarter but the offense flat lined the rst of the game.

It was great to see Etienne have a breakout season so far sadly the Bombers still have not won at home in the brand new IGF Field.

What up Bo!!! Man Bo Levi Mitchell looked like a franchise QB on Friday he had 376 yards passing and 3 TDs no INTs. Look at the colors he has on I think we know who is going to be the REDBLACKS starting QB in 2014.

For the second week in a row the Stamps start slow then steamroll there opponents they head into the bye and rest up for another HUGE game in two weeks at home against their bitter rivals the Riders on Friday Night Football.