There wasn't so much as an overturned trash bin to be seen on the streets of Vancouver Monday morning. If there were rioters at work following the B.C. Lions' Grey Cup win, they must have come with the Good Housekeeping seal of approval and cleaned up after themselves.
Then again, maybe they saw all the carnage they needed watching the Lions beat the Winnipeg Blue Bombers.
Whatever the 34-23 championship game Sunday lacked in pulse-quickening drama, it made up for in decisiveness. The right team won; the weaker team got its windows kicked in.
The Lions, as they had during the regular season, overcame their rough moments with a punishing assault and a quarterback who did the right things when needed to lead his teammates. It was well after the game that head coach Wally Buono revealed the true measure of Travis Lulay as a quarterback.
Somewhere along the way, likely in the West Division final, Lulay had reinjured his groin. It curtailed him from running against the Bombers and made it harder for him to set up and throw properly. As a result, in the first half, Lulay misfired with several receivers open, leaving many to wonder if the Lions would come to regret those wasted opportunities. The players and coaches said that never entered their mind.
"Travis played hurt. Did it affect him? Yes," Lions coach Wally Buono said at his postgame news conference. "Did it affect his composure? No. Did the players around him and coaches understand what was going on? Yes. … There were throws there, there were opportunities, but in the end the character that got us through the regular season got us through this game."
Lulay played smartly enough to be named the game's outstanding player. He worked his offence, throwing to nine receivers for 320 yards and used Andrew Harris, voted the Grey Cup's top Canadian, to squeeze out a ground game. Polished at 28, Lulay has the makings to be the league's top quarterback for years to come. The rest of the Lions don't look so bad, either.
Offensively, B.C. will have all its major pieces back – receivers Geroy Simon, Arland Bruce, Shawn Gore, Kierrie Johnson, running backs Harris and Tim Brown plus an offensive line that is expected to return at least four starters. Defensively, what's not to love? The front four was a runaway locomotive, the linebackers were active and the secondary was tight. There are always personnel changes made during the off-season but the Lions' core is strong and ready for more championship runs.
The key question is: what of Buono? He is 63 and tied with Don Matthews and others for the most Grey Cup wins (five) by a CFL head coach. He has two years left on a contract with the Lions and may give up his head coaching title to concentrate on being the general manager.
The belief here has always been that defensive co-ordinator Mike Benevides would replace Buono, who has given no definitive word on what he plans, although last Friday in a quiet moment he did acknowledge he was leaning in one direction and would announce his decision soon since there were other people to consider, such as the assistant coaches.
He sounded comfortable with the way he was leaning. If that was his last game as a CFL coach – and it sure seemed like it when he hugged his wife and two daughters afterwards, watching them wipe away tears – Buono exits in style and on top, with a Cup-winning team to hand over. The testimonials to that team could be heard in the Bombers' dressing room, where the players' comments were unified: Winnipeg couldn't run the ball, couldn't get anything going offensively until it was too late and couldn't break down the Lions on either side of the ball.
As the Lions accepted their Grey Cup on the turf at B.C. Place, Winnipeg receiver Greg Carr stood from afar and watched it all. He later told a TV reporter he wanted to remember every moment so he could use it to empower himself next season.
Maybe then the Blue Bombers will win a Cup and knock over a few trash cans in celebration.