Lions Dickenson, McCallum recognized
In the aftermath of B.C.'s 25-14 Grey Cup victory over the Montreal Alouettes on Sunday, Lions quarterback Dave Dickenson admitted there was a more worthy choice for outstanding player honours.
"Honestly, the defence won this game," Dickenson told the CFL on CBC's Steve Armitage, referring to the group that held Montreal to just 95 net yards in the first half. "They should be the MVPs [most valuable players]."
Lions kicker Paul McCallum was named the game's top Canadian after nailing all six of his field-goal attempts in Winnipeg to tie a Grey Cup record shared by former Alouette Don Sweet (1977), Paul Osbaldiston (1986) and Sean Fleming (1993).
Dickenson had plenty to celebrate, including his first Grey Cup win in three starts.
"Offensively, they just give it [the award] to your quarterback when you win," he said. "I'll take it. I'm going to take [all my teammates] out. We're going to party in Vancouver."
Dickenson completed 18 of 29 passes for 184 yards and ran for another 53 just a week after throwing for 274 yards and three touchdowns against Saskatchewan in the West final.
"I look at the game, and I can't really think of one guy who necessarily played over their head or an outstanding game," said Dickenson, who backed up Jeff Garcia when Calgary defeated Hamilton 26-24 in the 1998 Grey Cup in Winnipeg.
"As a quarterback ⦠you get too much credit when you do well and you get too much blame when it goes wrong."
An ankle injury and post-concussion syndrome limited Dickenson to only 13 regular-season games this season. But he made the most of his chances, completing 238 of 338 pass attempts for 3,032 yards, 22 touchdowns and seven interceptions.
McCallum's last field goal midway through the fourth quarter on Sunday was his longest at 47 yards. The 36-year-old also connected from 34, 35, 24 and 30 yards.
"It's a group effort. The guys did really well," McCallum told Armitage after the final whistle. "They got me into position [to make the kicks]. I was just doing my job.
"It hasn't really sunk in yet. Going from such a low a couple of years ago to now, it's kind of indescribable. I think I proved I can still play."
McCallum probably left some wondering during the 2004 West final when, playing for Saskatchewan,he missed two field goals, including an 18-yarder in overtime, to allow B.C. to prevail 27-25 overthe Roughriders.
Some Roughriders fans pelted McCallum's house with eggs, dumped manure in his yard and threatened to burn his home in Regina.
Seeking a change of scenery, McCallum signed with the Lions as a free agent last winter and helped them to a 13-5 record in 2006, tops in the CFL.
"I'm just happy I got a [Grey Cup] ring finally," McCallum said.