Cornish Hasn't Forgotten What D-A Said

Dwight Anderson isn’t allowed to be Dwight Anderson.

But give it some time.
In the least surprising news of the march to the 2013 Grey Cup, Saskatchewan Roughriders head coach Corey Chamblin has reportedly told his players to keep their mouths shut in the days leading up to Sunday’s West final clash at McMahon Stadium (2:30 p.m., TSN/News Talk 770).
And D.A. is likely the reason why.
Not long after the Calgary Stampeders strolled off the McMahon Stadium turf Tuesday, following their first practice session of the work week, running back Jon Cornish was reminded of the Saskatchewan Roughriders defensive back’s outburst while standing on the same field only 18 days earlier.
“We’re coming here, and we’re going to beat them. Period,” Anderson said at the time of a potential rematch, after the Stamps clinched first place in the CFL’s West Division with a 29-25 win over the Riders. “We’re the better team. Calgary sucks!”
Cornish didn’t need to be reminded, though, even if D.A. backtracked Sunday night in Regina, saying the Stampeders are “the best team right now” after the Riders’ semifinal win over the visiting B.C. Lions.
“That’s enough — certain words are never forgotten,” Cornish said. “I’m not saying that’s the only motivation for this week. I have a lot of respect for the Roughriders, and they’ve had a really good season, and they had that losing streak. But apart from that, they had a really good season, so I’d never disrespect something like that. I tend to harbour sentiments for a long time if I haven’t had the opportunity to settle the score.”
This one will definitively settle the score.
Riders GM Brendan Taman built his team with a berth in their homefield Grey Cup at Mosaic Stadium in mind, and the disappointment that would come along with not getting a chance to fulfil that expectation isn’t a secret to anyone.
“It’ll be pretty sweet for Sask to be the team that we beat to go play the Grey Cup at their place — you know what I’m saying?” Stamps wideout Maurice Price said. “Be in their locker-room on Grey Cup Sunday and rubbing it in their faces a little bit. It does make for a good little story.”
After losing to the Roughriders in Week 2, the Stamps rattled off a pair of regular-season wins against their bitter rivals. And while the Riders may have shut down the trash-talk for the time being, Cornish has no problem reminding the Riders and Anderson of the off-field fuss Anderson’s comments started ... or continued — whichever you prefer.
“That’s one thing you don’t do in football,” Cornish said. “You don’t do it in most sports. Trash-talking is not really something you do, especially when the team that you’re going to be playing against has the opportunity to hit you. In basketball, they can’t hit you and take out the anger. But if you make a football player mad, they have the opportunity, within the rules of the game, to come back at you. I was anticipating that they wouldn’t say anything this week, and it looks like they won’t.”
Whether it was a premonition, heat-of-the-moment trash talk or a calculated effort to get under the skin of Stampeder Nation, only Anderson knows.
Thirteen years in the league has allowed Stamps starting quarterback Kevin Glenn to turn the other cheek, no matter what’s said.
“That’s him. That’s what he does,” Glenn said. “That’s why he was rated (the best) trash-talker of the league. That’s part of his game. That’s what he does. I don’t have nothing against that. That’s what this game is about. The game is about being mentally tough, so he could be doing that to try to get under people’s skin and use it as an advantage.
“But you gotta be mentally tough and block all that stuff out. You gotta still play the game, and he’s a very good player. Him saying that, I didn’t take anything by it. That was just Dwight doing Dwight.”
And the buildup is just beginning.
“This is our fated meeting,” Cornish added.

(Calgary Sun)