Alouettes Win Grey Cup...or Did Saskatchewan Lose It?

If you didn't see the Grey Cup game yesterday, you missed out on one of the most unforgettable finishes to a football game since the Stanford band made their early entrance onto the field back in 1982. Montreal kicker Damon Duval missed a field goal on the last play of the game, only to be given a mulligan when the Roughriders were called for having too many men on the field. Having been handed a second chance at glory, Duval made good on the 33-yarder with no time on the clock. Now the question must be asked...did Montreal win the game, or were they handed victory by Saskatchewan?

Certainly Montreal gets full credit for continuing to battle and fight, even when at times it looked as though once again they were going to fall short in the Championship game. They were able to overcome both their own ineptitude and Saskatchewan's 1st half dominance. Clutch plays were made down the stretch in all 3 phases....offense, defense and special teams. But was it Montreal's dogged determination, or a choke-job by their opponent?

Look, I've been on both sides of games like this. It seems like the outcome is inevitable, then slowly but surely the tables start to turn, and soon they can't be stopped. Saskatchewan has to wondering today how they let their 16-point lead get away from them....was it the 2 interceptions tossed by Darian Durant in the 2nd half? The inability to stop Avon Cobourne from picking up crucial 1st downs in the 4th quarter? The questionable play-calling that led to a 2-and-out with just over a minute to play, when a single first down would have gone a long way to securing victory? Or did it simply come down to arguably the biggest mental blunder in Grey Cup history?

Saskatchewan played lights out in the first half, but weren't able to close the deal. Their off-season will be spent running all of the "what-if" scenarios through their minds. This game will be stuck in their minds at least until they get back in the field in 2010, if not longer. In the meantime, Montreal will be partying with Lord Grey's cup for weeks and months to come.