Hufnagel Says Lions 'All-Star Team' Heading To Final
10/11/2008 05:37
His team posted the CFL's best record and finished atop the West Division standings. Yet Calgary coach John Hufnagel figures it's the Stampeders who will have to beat an all-star squad to reach the Grey Cup.
After all, the B.C. Lions placed 13 players on the West Division all-star team, more than twice as many as first-place Calgary (which had six). A dominant B.C. team emphatically stamped its ticket to the West final, forcing seven turnovers in downing the Saskatchewan Roughriders 33-12 at Mosaic Stadium on Saturday.
"They have great personnel on defence, that's why they're the all-star team they are," Hufnagel said. "Really, it's the Calgary Stampeders playing the CFL all-stars in this game.
"The bottom line is don't turn the ball over. B.C.'s defence didn't do anything different from what it's done for 18 regular-season games."
Hufnagel said his all-star reference is neither a shot against the Lions nor an attempt to use it as a motivation for the Stampeders. Rather, he's simply showing respect for a very formidable opponent.
"I'm just stating a fact," he said. "I'm stating how good of an opponent we're facing.
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SWIVEL HIPS SAYS:
I must agree with Hufnagel that the Lions look awfully good right now and looked particularly good in routing the Saskatchewan Roughriders on Saturday in the Western Semi-Final. SWIVEL HIPS calls the Lions to beat the Stamps by five points this Saturday in the Western Final.
Catch all of the action of the conference finals starting at 11:00 a.m. local time this Saturday on TSN and TSN-HD.