Ottawa Redblacks head to Grey Cup to take care of unfinished business

For the fist time since the late 1960s Ottawa's CFL team is on its way to back-to-back Grey Cups.

In 1968 and 1969 a powerhouse Rough Riders team led by quarterback RussJackson won both championship games. This time out it's the agelesswonder Henry Burris looking for an Ottawa split after suffering aheartbreaking loss to Edmonton at Investors Field in Winnipeg lastyear.

"We weren't guaranteed to be back here this year, and so that's why each and every moment that we have to get back to the show, it means that much more because, I mean, I can't play till I'm 50," said Burris on Sunday.

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Fittingly, it was with Russ Jackson watching from the stands that theRedblacksvanquishedEdmonton to earntheir trip to this year's Grey Cup game atBMO field in Toronto.

Battlingweather conditions more common to northern Alberta thaneastern Ontario in November, Ottawa stunned the defending championswith as good a team game as they've played all year, resulting in a35-23 win in front of a chilly but rapturous hometown crowd at TD Place.

Sunday's celebration subdued

It's been duly noted that the Redblacks' own celebration was reserved onSunday. No hoisting the Eastern Conference trophy, no champagne showers.

This is a group that remembers all too well the sting of lastyear's Grey Cup loss to the Eskimos agame they led more than they trailed, only to let slip away on back-to-back pass interferencecallsin the fourth quarter.

Despite the fact they'll be big underdogs to the 16-2-1 CalgaryStampeders this timeout, they feel they have some unfinished businessto take care of on Sunday on behalf of Ottawa football fans everywhere.

"Our guys, immediately after [Sunday's win] ... they were talking about, there's one more to go," said Redblacksheadcoach Rick Campbell after Sunday's win. "Their minds switched to, let's go to Toronto to make sure we do everything we can to try and win a football game, not just be happy that we're there, and that'll be our mindset."

Most outstanding player candidates

For what it's worth, the Redblacks played well against Calgary this year, including a26-26 tie in a game they should have won at TD Place back in July, and a 48-23 loss in Calgary in September a game that was much closerthan the scoreline would lead you to believe.

The Stampeders are led by quarterback and most outstanding player candidate Bo LeviMitchell and league rushing leader Jerome Messam.

Ottawa has theEastern Conference MOP nominee in receiver Ernest Jackson, not to mention 41-year-old Burris, who'll be looking for his first GreyCup win since leading who else? Calgary to the championship in 2008.