Riders, Bombers brace for busy Grey Cup week

The Saskatchewan Roughriders and Winnipeg Blue Bombers arrived in Toronto on Tuesday carrying the hopes of their provinces on their backs, and baggage far more onerous than the suitcases in their hands.

Both teams have long frustrated their fans with lengthy championship droughts, and the dry spell will end for one of them in Sunday's Grey Cup (CBC, 5:30 p.m. ET).

Kent Austin is all smiles Tuesday as the Roughriders arrive in Toronto.
(Adrian Wyld/Canadian Press)

That will add another dimension to Sunday's all-Prairie matchup, particularly for veterans who have endured years of disappointment.

"It's special for our province and our franchise because it's been a long time since we've been there," said Riders offensive lineman Gene Makowsky, who played on the last Saskatchewan squad to reach the Grey Cup in 1997.

"People are really excited, but we've got one more game to go. We're excited about it and excited to have our fans come to Toronto to watch us."

The Riders were crushed 47-23 by the Toronto Argonauts in the 1997 Grey Cup, and have had enjoyed nothing but playoff frustration since.

They last won it all in 1989, when head coach Kent Austin was their quarterback in a 43-40 win over the Hamilton Tiger-Cats.

Winnipeg's last Grey Cup appearance, meanwhile, was a 27-19 loss to the Calgary Stampeders in 2001, and their last title came in 1990, when they pounded the Edmonton Eskimos 50-11.

The players are determined to shed history.

"I know what's going on, I know our fans as well as Saskatchewan fans, they want that Grey Cup because they haven't tasted it in a while," said Bombers wide receiver Milt Stegall, who played in the 2001 Grey Cup. "The fans will be talking about it all week long."

Hype for the 95th edition of the Grey Cup got off to a slow start as only two fans — a young women and a middle-aged man waving a massive team flag — were on hand to greet the Riders when they arrived at Pearson International Airport in the early afternoon.

"Rider Nation will be here," Riders head coach Kent Austin said. "You can almost count on that."

The Blue Bombers got even less fanfare when they touched down in Toronto in the evening, although no one seemed worried about it.

"Shucks, Saskatchewan, Winnipeg? Man, there will be so many cows and horses and I'm about to buy some stock in Molson because they're not going to have enough beer out there," Stegall said. "It'll be a great atmosphere."

A busy week of parties, festivities and media scrutiny awaits both sides in a city still getting over the Argonauts' elimination last Sunday.

All business

Plenty of fans from Saskatchewan and Manitoba are expected to paint the town red in the coming days, though the players are not.

"We know we're here for what we started the season off for and that's the Grey Cup," said Riders quarterback Kerry Joseph, the West's nominee for the CFL's most outstanding player. "You know what's at stake and the opportunity that you have.

"You want to enjoy this moment because it's not easy getting here, to this point. You just have to keep focused and keep the distractions to a minimum."

The bevy of social activities available to his players was of little concern to Austin, who has no plans to install a curfew to keep his team out of trouble.

He's treated them like men all year and sees no reason to change his approach now.

"We've got a lot of character guys on our team," he said. "I told them right from the beginning, if I have to have a set of rules for them and have to continually enforce those rules, then I don't have the right guys."
  
A top priority for the Riders was to get some rest.

They've barely had a second to catch their breath since beating the B.C. Lions 26-17 in Vancouver on Sunday.

They flew back to Regina that night and celebrated with 1,000 fans who greeted them at the airport at 1:30 CT in the morning.

They had a short Monday at home before heading back to the airport Tuesday for a flight at 7 a.m. CT.

"People were still asleep," Joseph said. "It wasn't too bad.

"We had a lot of fans on the flight with us that were coming out early. But there wasn't too much hoopla because I think everybody was still sleeping."

Dinwiddie in spotlight

The Blue Bombers are still coming to terms with the loss of quarterback Kevin Glenn, the East's nominee for most outstanding player, who broke his left arm in Sunday's 19-9 win over the Argos.

Rookie Ryan Dinwiddie will make his first career CFL start for Winnipeg in the Grey Cup.

"That's what your job is as a backup," said Dinwiddie, who threw just 24 passes during the regular season.

"You always want that opportunity. You have to be ready for it."

Oddsmakers aren't so sure he's up to the task — the Riders are early 11-point favourites.

"Those folks in Vegas don't know what's going on," Stegall said. "That's why they lost their CFL team so many years back, they have no idea the oddsmakers in Vegas."

The Bombers and Roughriders split their two regular-season meetings.

They face off in the Grey Cup for the first time, with Prairie bragging rights and the end of a title drought on the line.

"It's always been a good rivalry," Riders defensive tackle Scott Schultz said. "It's got the makings of a good [game], that's for sure."