EDMONTON — The Saskatchewan Roughriders, who had difficulties counting in the 2009 Grey Cup game, don't have any problems with accountability.
That has been the tone as the Riders concluded their preparations this week for Sunday's Grey Cup rematch (5:30 p.m., TSN, CKRM) with the Montreal Alouettes. The Alouettes beat the Roughriders 28-27 in the 2009 CFL final after a penalty for too many men on the field gave placekicker Damon Duval a second chance at a game-winning field goal. Duval didn't miss the 33-yard attempt and the 13th man took on a new connotation across the nation.
The identity of the 13th player is a secret the Riders have vowed to never reveal. That was until this week. Cornerback Omarr Morgan told reporters that he was the 13th man. Defensive halfback Lance Frazier said he was the 13th man.
"He was sticking up for me,'' Frazier said after the Riders concluded their final outdoor practice Friday at Commonwealth Stadium. "He's a veteran and he wants to take the heat off the younger guy. He took it over for me and I appreciate it, but Lance Frazier was the 13th man.''
Not so fast. Special-teams captain Mike McCullough said Frazier and Morgan are both wrong.
"I was the 13th man,'' McCullough stated. "It was everyone's fault. No one counted and it doesn't matter who was out there. None of us did what we were supposed to do and the play failed.''
Frazier, Morgan and McCullough have never been identified as the 13th man. Replays on TSN singled out linebacker Sean Lucas, who earlier in the season confirmed that he was one of 13 men on the field. Alouettes veteran defensive halfback Jerald Brown agreed with the Riders' team-first approach to the gaffe.
"It takes a bunch of stand-up guys to do that and not place the blame on one man,'' Brown said. "Everyone is accountable for an extra guy on the field.
The Riders have taken steps towards reducing the possibility of a similar error taking place on Sunday. McCullough said that each player is responsible for counting the number of Roughriders on the field. In the past it was the middle linebacker making sure there weren't too many players on the field.
"There isn't really an assigned guy now,'' McCullough said. "We all do it. I just count. I don't want to make it more difficult than it seems. It was a blunder on our part and it won't happen again.''
There was some irony to the Riders being penalized late in the Grey Cup game. Since Ken Miller took over as head coach in 2008, the Riders have posted the fewest penalty yards in the league. In 2008, they were first with a CFL-low 1,092 yards. Last year, the Roughriders were penalized a league-low 1,208 yards.
In 2010, the Riders finished the season as the league's least-penalized team (136 infractions). They were also second to the Toronto Argonauts in the fewest yards penalized (1,179). Toronto was flagged 138 times for 1,058 yards.
"That's playing smart football and we take pride in not making mistakes,'' said Riders linebacker Jerrell Freeman.
Sunday's game brings together teams at different extremes in regards to penalties. The Alouettes led the league in yards penalized (1,952) and were seventh with 195 penalties. They maintained that trend in the playoffs when they were flagged 12 times for 92 yards, yet still beat the Argonauts 48-17 in the East Division final.
"It's not a concern, but it's a legitimate gripe that I've had with our team,'' said Alouettes head coach Marc Trestman. "This is going to be a game where teams are very similar and we all know what's at stake here. The team that can limit penalties, will put itself in a much better position going into the fourth quarter.''
That could explain the Riders' recent playoff run. The Roughriders have been penalized a total of 10 times for 55 yards en route to victories over the B.C. Lions in the West Division semifinal and Calgary Stampeders in the division final.
"The coaches don't even talk about penalties,'' said Riders middle linebacker Barrin Simpson. "We police ourselves, so the coaches don't even have to mention that we should stay away from penalties.''
Frazier wasn't surprised to see the Alouettes were among the league leaders in penalties.
"They have some guys who like to play head games,'' Frazier said. "They are an aggressive bunch and they will get after you. They are going to hit you after the whistle and mouth off. That's a sign of a confident ball club and they are just trying to get into your head.
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