Montreal beats Calgary in Grey Cup rematch
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07/02/2009 - Calgary, AB (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Chip Cox returned a fumble 81 yards for a touchdown late in the fourth quarter, sealing Montreal's 40-27 win over Calgary in the season opener for both teams, a rematch of last year's Grey Cup matchup.
The Stampeders posted three wins over the Alouettes last season, including a 22-14 victory in the Grey Cup title game. This time, though, Montreal (1-0) used its defense to turn back Calgary (0-1) to cap the Canada Day contest on a rainy night.
Anthony Calvillo completed 24-of-32 passes for 255 yards with a touchdown and was picked off once for the Alouettes. Avon Cobourne had 107 yards rushing with a touchdown.
Damon Duval was 5-for-5 on field goal attempts for Montreal.
Titus Ryan returned a kickoff 104 yards for a touchdown for the Stampeders. Henry Burris, last year's Grey Cup MVP, connected on 17-of-33 passes for 247 yards with a TD and an interception in defeat.
Duval kicked a 13-yard field goal just over a minute into the last quarter, capping a 12-play, 83-yard drive, to give Montreal a 30-27 edge.
A 37-yard field goal from Duval with nearly 10 minutes remaining made it a six-point margin, and the Als thwarted a Calgary drive when Mark Estelle picked off a Burris pass in the end zone with 6:06 remaining.
Instead of moving the ball and killing the clock, disaster struck for the Alouettes as Tristan Black plowed through the line to block Duval's punt, giving the Stampeders the ball at the Montreal 23 with four minutes left. It was Calgary's second blocked punt of the night.
But Montreal came back with another huge defensive stop. Keron Williams knocked the ball out of Burris' hands just as it was coming forward on a pass attempt and Cox scooped up the loose ball, raced the other way for the sealing score with just over two minutes left. Replay was used to confirm the ruling on the field.
Calvillo threw 37 yards for a touchdown to Kerry Watkins, who made a one- handed grab, just over two minutes into the game, and it became 14-0 a short time later on a 10-yard TD run by Cobourne. Duval's 48-yard field goal made it 17-0 with less than five minutes remaining in the opening quarter.
Even after Duval connected from 36 yards away early in the second, the 20-0 lead wasn't safe for the Alouettes.
Ryan rumbled down the left sideline for his 104-yard return, and a Burris to Jermaine Copeland four-yard scoring strike had Calgary within 20-14.
Duval was true from 32 yards away and after his single later in the second, he added a 15-yard field goal for a 27-14 margin. Sandro DeAngelis drilled a 33- yard field goal try just before the half ended.
Burris scored on a four-yard run in the opening minutes of the third quarter and DeAngelis made a 41-yard field goal with under 4 1/2 minutes left in the same period to tie the game.
Game Notes
Montreal has had a great deal of success opening the season on the road since 1996, winning all six such contests...Ben Cahoon had six receptions for 65 yards for Montreal, while Nik Lewis made four catches for 87 yards for the Stampeders.
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FOOTBALL BETTING : Cassel Signs Contract
Kansas City, MO - Kansas City has not officially named Matt Cassel its starting quarterback, but there can be no doubt now.
NFL Betting
After praising his leadership and work ethic through spring workouts, the Chiefs announced Tuesday they had signed the 27-year-old Cassel to a multiyear contract. Terms were not disclosed, but he will almost certainly be one of the highest-paid members of the team.
"We are excited to be able to reach a long-term agreement for Matt Cassel to be a Kansas City Chief for many years to come," owner and board chairman Clark Hunt said in a statement. "His proven leadership on and off the field will be a tremendous asset to the organization."
Patriots made him their franchise player, meaning his salary for this season will be about $15 million.
New head coach Todd Haley, taking over for Herm Edwards after a 2-14 season, refused to name a starter at any position during offseason workouts. But it was obvious to everyone the team belonged to Cassel.
"I go out there each and every day with that focus that I'm the starter," Cassel said during a June minicamp. "Competition brings out the best in everybody."
The signing will come as welcome news to Cassel's new coaches and teammates. Amiable and hardworking, online football betting he appeared to win over everyone at minicamp.
"I think he's got some unique leadership qualities. I think his teammates like him and have respect for him. I think he's doing a pretty good job on the field, too," Haley said last month. "He's doing everything that I'm asking him, that our coaches are asking him to do. I don't have one single complaint how he's carrying himself."
After one workout, wide receiver Devard Darling declared Cassel "a breath of fresh air."
"He has a lot of swagger, a lot of confidence. It's good for us," said Darling. "We trust in him that he's going to go out there and lead us all the way."
nse to accommodate his specific abilities.
Trapped on the bench behind Heisman winners Carson Palmer and Matt Leinart at USC and then unable to unseat Super Bowl MVP Brady at New England, Cassel seemed destined to be a backup all his life. As Brady was helped off the field last September, Cassel seized the opportunity he'd been waiting for since high school.
In his only sustained action since his teens, he hit 349 of 555 passes for 3,949 yards at New England. He had 23 touchdown passes and 13 interceptions as the Patriots, who had gone unbeaten through the regular season the year before, finished 11-5 and out of the playoffs.
Chiefs general manager Scott Pioli, who had been Bill Belichick's assistant in New England, engineered the trade after the Patriots became convinced that Brady would recover fully from his knee operation.
"Since Matt arrived in Kansas City, he has embraced the team and the community," Pioli said. "His work ethic, his ability and competitive presence is what we expect from our players."
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