* * *  GREY CUP WEEK   * * *
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By Gary Lambrecht  
Baltimore Sun, Nov. 15, 1995 

   O.J. Brigance said a better script could not have been written. The only Canadian Football League team Baltimore has failed to beat during its two-year history is the Calgary Stampeders. And what better way to break that string than to knock off Calgary in Sunday's Grey Cup game? The Stallions will get the chance they have waited for since Aug. 6, when they dropped a 29-15 decision at McMahon Stadium. That day, Calgary quarterback Doug Flutie threw for 405 yards and a touchdown. Baltimore's offense was going into a slump it wouldn’t shake for three more weeks. And the opponents did not exactly face each other on equal terms. 
   Calgary came into the contest on nine days of rest. The Stallions were playing their third and final game of a nine-day road trip. They were four days removed from a 19-12 victory at Edmonton, during which they lost free safety Lester Smith to a broken foot for the season, and nearly lost quarterback Tracy Ham to a sprained ankle. The Stallions turned to backup Shawn Jones, but called on Ham in the first half, after Jones failed to move the offense consistently. Ham gave the Stallions a spark, but they tired in the second half, when their defense spent most of the time on the field, and Baltimore managed only two points. The slate has been wiped clean. The Grey Cup crown will be decided between the two teams with the best records in the CFL, and each team has seven days to prepare.  
   "It's a bit more of an even playing field, and that's all you ever want as a player," said Brigance, Baltimore's middle linebacker. "If we wrote the script, we couldn't have come up with anything better. We'll have a full week of rest this time around. I'm really looking forward to the two best teams coming in with the same amount of rest. And in a way, I'm kind of happy that Flutie is playing." Few teams would wish to see Flutie, but if they win, the Stallions do not want any perceived blemishes on their Grey Cup title. Four weeks after Baltimore's loss in Calgary, Flutie had the flexor tendon surgically reattached on his throwing elbow, and was expected to miss the rest of the season. But, while backup quarterback Jeff Garcia kept the Stampeders rolling atop the Northern Division standings, Flutie healed remarkably fast. He returned in the regular-season finale against the Toronto Argonauts, played poorly in the playoff opener against the Hamilton Tiger-Cats, then was brilliant in Sunday's 37-4 victory over the Edmonton Eskimos for the divisional championship.  
   "I'd rather be playing Ottawa, but the two best teams are playing each other for the Cup, and that's the ideal situation for the league and the fans," linebackers coach Daryl Edralin said. "All that's happened in the past is meaningless. This time of the year, you can't compare teams and players from three months ago. I think we're at the top of our game." So does veteran defensive halfback Ken Watson, who would like nothing better than to beat his old team with everything on the line. Baltimore is 0-2 against the Stampeders. "I wanted to play them," said Watson, who signed with Baltimore last year after playing for two years in Calgary, including a Grey Cup championship season in 1992. "For one, it's the best two teams with the best two records. Two, we've beaten everybody else except Calgary. And with him [Flutie] back in, that means they're at their best, and we want to beat the best." "We're a different team since the first Calgary game," added offensive tackle Neal Fort.  
   In the past three months, Baltimore has acquired free safety Chris Johnson to replace Smith. Cornerback Doug Craft has solidified the hole created by Karl Anthony's season-ending knee injury, and rookie Demetrious Maxie has replaced veteran defensive tackle Robert Presbury. The Stallions also have added veteran slotback Gerald Alphin to replace the injured Reggie Perry, and the entire team has fresher legs, thanks in part to a bye week in mid-October. "They're 2-0 on us. We have something to prove against them," Fort said. "I'm really excited to get them." 

THE RUNNING MAN  
Pringle profile: The driving force behind the Stallions offense and the CFL's best runner the past two seasons, Mike Pringle brings a physical approach to the game. 

By Gary Lambrecht  
Baltimore Sun, Nov. 16, 1995 

   When he was young, Mike Pringle didn't dream of playing professional football, but he quickly found out how much he loved the contact that came with the game. So what if he was breaking the rules by hitting people. He couldn't help it, even at the age of 8. "The first football trophy I ever got was in 1975, in a flag football league," said Pringle, 28. "I used to tackle people all of the time, and after that one year, they didn't want me to play anymore. I guess I was a little too physical." Some things never change. Twenty years later, Pringle is too physical for the average defender, yet the stakes are much higher now. Two seasons as the best running back, and arguably the best player, in the Canadian Football League, say plenty about his ability.  
   On Sunday, Pringle will take his blend of speed, power and controlled fury into the biggest game of his life, when he tries to lead the Baltimore Stallions to victory over Calgary in the 83rd Grey Cup. Before that, Pringle is expected to be named the CFL's Most Outstanding Player tonight, an honor that would come a year late. Last year, he set a CFL record with 1,972 rushing yards and led an expansion Baltimore team to the Grey Cup. This year, despite missing one game with a hamstring injury and sitting out most of another to rest up for the playoffs, he still piled up 1,791 yards and 13 touchdowns. In Baltimore's playoff victories over Winnipeg and San Antonio, Pringle has rushed for 347 yards, easily tops in the postseason. Come Sunday, when the weather at Taylor Field promises to be cold and windy, Pringle could prove to be the difference, even against the CFL's top-rated rushing defense. "This game is not about Mike Pringle," he said. "This is about victory." And Pringle will always be happy to take out anybody who stands in his way while he is carrying the ball.  
   Picture a miniature bulldozer in shoulder pads, and you've got the 5-foot-9, 195-pound Pringle. Baltimore coach Don Matthews talks about how much Pringle's vision has improved over the past two years, about how well he is using cutback moves in the open field to make big plays. But Pringle would still rather run over the nearest obstacle. "I've still got a bruise in my back from where he [Pringle] torpedoed me last week," Baltimore guard Mike Withycombe said. "He gets hit three or four times and he fights for that extra yard. He gets six yards, and he's ticked off that he didn't get that seventh. It's great blocking for a guy like that." His teammates marvel at his competitive fire, which Pringle carries over into the brutal off-season workouts. Pringle remembers learning about dedication from Vern Coley, his Pop Warner league coach when he was 9. "I think you can teach heart to people at an early age. He instilled it in us," Pringle said. "He would run us to the point where we wanted to quit, and he would tell us if we didn't want to run, stand on the sideline and watch everybody else run. When he blew the whistle, everybody ran."  
   Then there is his mother, Annie, who lives in Los Angeles, where Pringle grew up. She travels to see most of his games, and watches the others on a satellite dish she purchased after Pringle signed with Baltimore in 1994. "I look back on my career and I have to smile. I always knew I could do it," he said. "My mother is the biggest influence in my life. She has always believed in me." That hasn't always been the case with Pringle. Others have deemed him too small, not fast enough.  
   He started out at Washington State, but transferred to Cal State-Fullerton because he wanted more chances to carry the ball. As a senior, he rushed for 1,727 yards and led the nation in all-purpose yards with 2,690. In 1990, the Atlanta Falcons drafted Pringle in the sixth round, but he saw limited duty. In 1991, he was the last player cut by Atlanta. After splitting his next year between the Edmonton Eskimos and the World League champion Sacramento Surge, Pringle signed with the expansion Sacramento Gold Miners in 1993, when the CFL first expanded into the U.S. He started at fullback there, and contributed 1,438 yards from scrimmage. Yet, he was considered expendable enough to be traded to Baltimore in 1994. Since arriving here, Pringle not only has taken over the offense, he has turned CFL convention upside down. This is still known as a passing league, but not in Baltimore, where the Stallions march to the beat of their ground game.  
   "When we put this team together, we had a huge offensive line, and it was evident we might be able to change the way the CFL game is played, and I really think it has changed," said Matthews. "You'd have to say [Pringle] is the best [running back] that's played. Every time he carries the ball, he runs as hard as he can. he only plays at one speed. His approach to the game is so consistent." As are Pringle's results. In 19 games this season, he has gained at least 90 yards in 11 of them. "There's no question he's been the best football player in this league for the last two years," quarterback Tracy Ham said. "His durability is what amazes me. Playing with him has been a treat."  
   Pringle can become a free agent in February, and he is thinking about taking one more crack at the NFL. He said he intends to listen to all offers. For now, he is determined to correct last year's Grey Cup loss to British Columbia on Sunday against Calgary, the only team Baltimore has not beaten in its two-year history. "We're healthy, well-rested and this is the Grey Cup. What more can you ask for?" he said. "I'm not leaving anything on the sidelines. I'm just going to go 100 miles an hour on every play and see what happens." 

PRINGLE, WITHYCOMBE NAMED MOST OUTSTANDING 

By Gary Lambrecht  
Baltimore Sun, Nov. 17, 1995 

   Mike Pringle, who topped the Canadian Football League in rushing for the second straight year and led the Baltimore Stallions to the Southern Division title and a 15-3 regular-season record, was named the CFL's Most Outstanding Player last night. Pringle ended Calgary Stampeders quarterback Doug Flutie's four-year reign as the league's top player, and became the first player from an American-based team to win. Pringle defeated Calgary slotback Dave Sapunjis by a vote of 31-10. Pringle wasn't the only Stallions player who drew recognition at last night's awards banquet. Guard Mike Withycombe was named the league's Most Outstanding Lineman. One year after Pringle broke the CFL rushing record by gaining 1,972 yards, he came back to rush for 1,791 yards and 13 touchdowns. He did that despite missing one game with a ham-string injury, then sitting out most of the regular-season finale against Hamilton when coach Don Matthews decided to rest him for the playoffs. "I can't thank my offensive linemen enough," said Pringle, "They give themselves up for me all the time, and without them I wouldn't be able to get the yards that I get. Down and dirty football is what I like -- in the mud, slush, in between the tackles -- I'm like an offensive lineman. "I'd also like to thank [fullbacks] Robert Drummond and Peter Tuipulotu. They are the most unselfish backs I've ever played with. " 
   "This award means a great deal to me, and it's something I know my teammates appreciate as much as I do. I'm glad other people are noticing. I'm not going to change the way I approach the game because of this. I couldn't be happier about winning it." Pringle also led the CFL in yards from scrimmage with 2,067 and was fourth in all-purpose yards with 2,387. He was the major reason the Stallions led the league in net rushing yards (2,754). Pringle beat British Columbia's Cory Philpot by nearly 500 yards in the race for the rushing title.  
   Withycombe, a 30-year-old CFL rookie, became the second straight Baltimore player to win the lineman award. He follows teammate Shar Pourdanesh, who won the award in 1994. Withycombe, 6 feet 5, 300 pounds, came to the Stallions after several NFL and World League seasons, and he won the award as much for his versatility as his blocking skill. Withycombe began the season at left guard, but was forced to play two other positions. He started five games at center early in the season after Nick Subis broke two ribs. Later, Pourdanesh missed four games with stress fractures in both ankles, and Withycombe replaced him. Withycombe defeated British Columbia guard Jamie Taras, 27-14.  
   The Stallions had hoped for a three-player sweep at last night's banquet, but that did not happen. Edmonton receiver Shalon Baker edged Baltimore kick returner Chris Wright for Rookie of the Year honors. Baker caught 79 passes for 1,156 yards, ninth best in the league and tops among Edmonton receivers. Wright, who is the league's most exciting kick returner, broke the CFL record with 2,256 return yards. Edmonton linebacker Willie Pless won the league's Most Outstanding Defensive Player award for the second straight year and third time in four seasons. Sapunjis won the Most Outstanding Canadian award. He also won it in 1993. 

LOSING TOP ROOKIE AWARD RANKLES WRIGHT  
Return ace insists vote won't lessen enthusiasm 

By Gary Lambrecht  
Baltimore Sun, Nov. 18, 1995 

   Chris Wright consistently has let his actions speak loudly this year for the Baltimore Stallions One of the reasons Baltimore has won 17 of 20 games and is headed to tomorrow's Grey Cup is the outstanding play of its special teams. Great field position has taken pressure off Baltimore's offense, thanks largely to Wright's kick-returning ability. All year, Wright has responded humbly to praise from coaches, teammates and reporters. But he had to speak up after he was denied Rookie of the Year honors at the CFL awards banquet Thursday night. 
   Wright lost to Edmonton receiver Shalon Baker, who finished ninth in the league in receiving with 79 catches good for 1,156 yards and five touchdowns. Great numbers, no doubt. But stacked up against Wright's? All Wright did was break the CFL record for return yardage (2,256) set by Gizmo Williams, a legend in this league.  
   Even Wright could not resist a parting shot to the league's media voters, particularly those north of the border. "If you put his [Baker's] stats and my stats side by side, it's obvious who should be the winner," Wright said. "I can't control the Canadian voters' decisions. All I can control is what I do on the field. I'm proud because my teammates are proud of me. We can't let one award take away our enthusiasm for winning the Grey Cup. I'm not going to let them get me down." 

Early to bed  
   One of Baltimore coach Don Matthews' trademarks is his willingness to let his players be themselves. Offensive linemen have been known to wrestle on the sidelines at practice and rush end Elfrid Payton gets his space as the team's cut-up. Matthews normally isn't a believer in curfews - until this week. Matthews has imposed an 11 p.m. restriction on the Stallions, who are supposed to be in the team hotel at that time. "I just don't want them [members of the Stallions and Stampeders] running into each other in the city.", Matthews said. "Last night, they got back after the awards dinner, and because they were still hungry, we extended the curfew until 1 a.m." "This is six days out of our life to try to create a lifetime of memories. That's what we're trying to create, and the players understand that. It's one football game to get this done." Said cornerback Irv Smith about the curfew: "It is a big change, especially with Don. He knows how badly we want this game. And the curfew probably only affects about 10 percent of the team. In a way, it's brought the team closer." 

Tale of the tape  
   The players left an amusing message behind as they prepared to leave Baltimore on Monday. Name tags were removed from over each player's locker, to be transported to Regina. In a stunt that was orchestrated by running back Mike Pringle, names of current Cleveland Browns were taped over each home locker at Memorial Stadium. "One of the guys was saying that the Browns would be coming soon, and there was a Cleveland roster in the paper that day, so we did it," Pringle said. Pringle also made sure to leave his name behind. "I was clowning on my teammates," said Pringle, who has made no secret of his desire to get another shot to make the NFL. 

JUDGMENT DAY ARRIVES FOR STALLIONS  
Title game they've sought finally at hand, but Calgary tough too 

By Gary Lambrecht  
Baltimore Sun, Nov. 19, 1995 

   They went through most of their first season without a name, and nearly became the first American team to win a Canadian Football League crown. Soon, the Stallions could be leaving for a new home, yet they plan to make history by bringing the Grey Cup back to Baltimore before they start packing.  
   Today, Baltimore's 12-game winning streak and back-to-back divisional titles mean nothing. Since training camp opened nearly six months ago, the team has said it will judge the 1995 season as a failure unless it ended with a championship victory. The Stallions get the chance they have craved for a year, in the 83rd annual Grey Cup at Taylor Field, where they face the Calgary Stampeders, the only team they have yet to beat in their two-year history. It's a matchup that could not be more attractive. Two teams with identical, league-best 17-3 records. Baltimore's powerful running game, easily tops in the league, against the premier passing game in the CFL. Mike Pringle, the CFL's Most Outstanding Player, and quarterback Doug Flutie, maybe the best who has ever played the game up here. Two of the league's best kickers, defenses and head coaches, all put on display in front of an expected sellout crowd of 55,000. 
   The last time these squads met was on Aug. 6 in Calgary, when the Stampeders took a 29-15 victory under unequal conditions. Calgary was playing on nine days' rest, while Baltimore was facing its third opponent over that span. Plus it had just lost free safety Lester Smith for the season and nearly lost quarterback Tracy Ham, who did not start against Calgary. Today, the Stallions are as healthy as they've been since then. "All that game proved was who the better team was in August," Calgary slotback David Sapunjis said. "We're a hundred percent healthy, and they're not fatigued. But the game comes down to who has the composure to make the plays that count."  
   "Hopefully, we can stay healthy enough to bring this Cup home," Baltimore defensive back Ken Watson said. "I don't know where we're going to put it, but we want to bring it back with us." In order to take the Grey Cup from Canada for the first time ever, the Stallions must negotiate a number of obstacles, including an overwhelming home-field advantage that favors the Stampeders. The noise level could present problems for Baltimore's no-huddle offense, although the cold weather figures to favor the Stallions' potent ground game. Yesterday, Regina had its first sunshine in a week, as temperatures hovered around freezing, and the normally stiff wind was little more than a breeze. The forecast called for a cold snap in the low to mid 20s, with 30-mph winds and a 60 percent chance of flurries. "If it's raining or snowing, we can play in it," Baltimore coach Don Matthews said. "What will affect the game more than anything is the wind, because it creates a 30-minute game. That would make the coin toss and special teams play paramount for both sides.  
   All season, Baltimore has used punter Josh Miller and rookie kick returner Chris Wright to win the battle of field position, while kicker Carlos Huerta led the CFL in field goals. He is coming off a record-setting effort, having kicked seven in last week's 21-11 Southern Division final. Calgary has a dangerous return man in Marvin Coleman - who plays an equally fine right cornerback - and an outstanding kicker in Mark McLoughlin. Ultimately, though, the game will be decided up front. Baltimore's massive offensive line consistently has opened holes for Pringle, who rushed for 1,791 yards in the regular season and has 347 in two playoff games. However, he gained only 33 yards in that loss to Calgary, which boasts the CFL's top rushing defense. If the line gives Pringle enough room, and keeps linebackers like standout Alondra Johnson out of his path, Pringle will make it easier for Ham to find seams in the Stampeders' defense with the Stallions' lightly regarded passing attack. Look for Ham to do his share of running also.  
   "What their defense does better than anybody else is know what you're going to run. They prepare well and they guess well," Baltimore offensive coordinator Steve Buratto said. "We're going to try real hard to throw up some smoke screens, so they can't jump on what we're doing. We have to be judicious with our play-action passing. The key is to keep Flutie on the sideline." 
   No one has caused defenses more headaches over the past six years than Flutie, who is trying to complete a remarkable comeback from midseason elbow surgery. He returned to action three weeks ago, and is coming off a brilliant effort in Calgary's 37-4 victory over Edmonton. Field conditions could dictate how effective the Stampeders are, since they rely so heavily on the pass. Slotbacks Allen Pitts and Sapunjis each have caught more than 100 passes this year, which makes the play of Watson and fellow Baltimore halfback Charles Anthony critical. Calgary's running game, average at best for most of the year, has improved lately behind Tony Stewart. 
   But the Stallions' interior defense of tackles Jearld Baylis and Demetrious Maxie is probably the best in the league. If they hold their ground, and apply steady pressure up the middle, that will leave ends Elfrid Payton and Grant Carter with better chances to harass Flutie from the outside. Look for the Stallions to mix man-to-man and zone coverages, while disguising an occasional blitz, in an effort to confuse Flutie.  
   "Doug is going to put on his show. Our job is to contain him," Baltimore cornerback Irv smith said. For Matthews, today represents a chance to win his first Grey Cup since 1985, when he won as a head coach for the first time with British Columbia. Counting his days as an assistant coach, this is Matthews' 10th Grey Cup appearance. "When you get to this thing, you've got to act like you may never get here again," he said. "There are so many pitfalls along the way, you've got to cherish every one like it may be your last. This is going to be a great game."