CFL.ca Staff

CFL.ca presents its Road to the Grey Cup roundtable discussion.  Three veteran CFL beat writers will present their views on various topics along the road to the Grey Cup.

The panelists include Ian Busby of the Calgary Sun, Dan Ralph of The Canadian Press, and Ed Tait of the Winnipeg Free Press.

Ian Busby covers the Calgary Stampeders for Sun Media Corporation.  He is on the Calgary Stampeders beat and for the latest  news you can read his CFL blog and watch his CFL videos.  You can read the latest Stamps coverage online at calgarysun.com.

Dan Ralph is based in Toronto and covers the Toronto Argonauts and the CFL for The Canadian Press.

Ed Tait covers the Winnipeg Blue Bombers for the Winnipeg Free Press.  Fans can check out winnipegfreepress.com for extensive CFL coverage throughout the playoffs.

Question #1:  Which unsung player do you think will step up on Grey Cup Sunday for his team?

BUSBY:  With all the focus at receiver on the likes of Ken-Yon Rambo, Nik Lewis and Jeremaine Copeland, look for Brett Ralph to make things happen in one-on-one matchups. Ralph is about as unsung as you can get, especially because he’s so quiet you never notice him. He’s had a steady year and solid career so far, but the pride of Raymond, Alta., will prove he’s a big-game player. Watch for him to be top Canadian.

RALPH: Jeremaine Copeland. He's hardly unsung but much of the accolades that go to Calgary's receiving corps go to Ken-Yon Rambo and Nik Lewis. But this guy is definitely a big-play receiver, especially if Montreal concentrates on trying to shut Rambo and Lewis down and forgets about Copeland.

TAIT: The guy I like for Calgary is receiver Brett Ralph. He doesn't get a lot of ink with the likes of Ken-Yon Rambo, Nik Lewis and Jeremaine Copeland, but he's a solid route-runner and has that knack of being a guy Henry Burris looks for when a play breaks down and they need to move the sticks.

And for Montreal, defensive end Jermaine McElveen has really done some damage from his defensive end spot while sharing it with John Bowman. He really gets after the quarterback and posted six sacks in just eight games.

Question #2: Who do you think will be the most valuable player of the Grey Cup?

BUSBY: Henry Burris. This is one award no one can deny him in a one-game sudden death. If he plays great, the Stamps win and he’s the hero, simple as that. Not getting the most outstanding player award meant he can’t do the rare double-up, but he will have hardware this year.

RALPH: Henry Burris. He's just steamed enough about what happened Thursday night at the CFL awards banquet to take it personally and try to prove a point.

TAIT: Calgary QB Henry Burris - He's well-coached and the Stamps do a superb job of game-planning, but he'll have that little extra oomph after finishing as the runner-up in the Most-Outstanding-Player voting. He's got a lot of offensive weaponry who could stand up, but the man pulling the trigger for the Stamps will stand out above all else.

Question #3:  Who wins the Grey Cup and why?

BUSBY: The Stamps by a slim margin. If the visitors can get out to an early lead, score on their opening drive and quiet the crowd, the sailing will be smoother. This group has played well in loud environments before, so this shouldn’t be any different. The turning point could be the opening coin toss. If Calgary wins, they receive and must score.

RALPH: Calgary. Offensively, the Stamps can do so many things well, be it pass or run the football, and then there's DeAngelis' ability to nail field goals consistently. Defensively, this unit stuffs teams _ case and point against B.C. in the West Division final. The Stamps won't have to sack AC in order to be effective although Burris and Co. will have the noise to deal with. But get ahead early and the Stamps could effectively take the crowd out of the game or at least make it a minor factor.

TAIT: Calgary in a high-scoring thriller. Everyone gushes about their offence, and rightly so, but the Stamps defence under coordinator Chris Jones was dynamite this year. We expect this to be a bit of a track meet, given the weather won't play a factor and because of all the offensive skill on the field, but the Stamps 'D' is just that much better than the Alouettes. We're calling Stamps 35 Alouettes 33.