NATHAN DENETTE/The Canadian Press
Ralph Holley began the season as an unheralded rookie on the practice roster but finished it leaving his mark on a Grey Cup title.
The 6-foot-1, 285-pound defensive tackle registered no individual statistics in the Toronto Argonauts’ 41-24 victory over the Winnipeg Blue Bombers on Sunday night. But he was involved in the play that significantly affected the outcome.
Winnipeg starter Zach Collaros was forced to don a glove on his right hand after requiring stitches to close a nasty cut on his index finger. Holley said Collaros’s finger hit him in the helmet as he followed through on a pass early in the fourth quarter.
After returning to the game, Collaros threw three interceptions – including Robert Priester’s 61-yard return TD that cemented the outcome – as Toronto outscored Winnipeg 24-11 in the quarter to earn a second Grey Cup win over the Bombers in three seasons.
“I was coming down and felt his hand hit my helmet,” Holley said. “I saw him shaking his hand after that, which ended up turning the whole game.”
Afterward, Winnipeg head coach Mike O’Shea said that if Sunday’s game been a regular-season affair, Collaros wouldn’t have returned.
“He really had an extremely hard time gripping the ball,” O’Shea said. “He put a glove on it and that’s not something he would normally do.
“So we put him in a very tough spot which he would demand to be put in.”
With four picks, Toronto tied the Grey Cup record for most interceptions in a game and set a new standard with 164 return yards. Winnipeg was making its fifth straight championship game appearance but suffered a third straight loss.
“Well, defence wins championships and we knew we had to score and that’s what we’ve been trying to do all playoffs,” veteran Toronto safety Royce Metchie said. “Just try to create turnovers and score.”
Toronto’s defence returned two interceptions for touchdowns in the club’s 58-38 semi-final win over Ottawa. It forced six turnovers (four fumbles, two interceptions) in a 30-28 East Division final win over Montreal.
The defence also played a big role in Toronto sweeping the regular-season series versus Winnipeg 2-0. It recorded a combined 12 sacks and nine turnovers (four fumbles, two interceptions, three times on downs) in the two contests.
Toronto sacked Collaros just once Sunday but the Bombers quarterback was just 15-of-30 passing for 202 yards. In addition to the four interceptions, Winnipeg also lost a fumble.
“It’s not all about sacks, it’s just pressuring him,” Holley said. “His mind was on us the whole game so we made sure we let him know we were there.
“We forced him to make decisions in crunch time he didn’t want to make.”
Toronto’s defence made life miserable for CFL quarterbacks this season, registering a league-high 48 sacks. The vast majority came from a defensive line anchored by Jake Ceresna and Holley (both had eight to finish tied for league lead), Folarin Orimolade, Derek Parish and Canadian Robbie Smith (all had six), Jared Brinkman (three) and Woody Baron (one).
Three of Ceresna’s sacks came during the regular season versus Winnipeg while Holley and Orimolade had two apiece. So it only made sense the unit would come up huge on the CFL’s biggest stage.
“That’s the thing, why not?” Holley said. “Everybody counted us out all year and our defence just stayed to what we knew.
“Keeping pressure on the quarterback and forcing him to make decisions he doesn’t want to make and executing at the end of the day. That’s what we do.”
The Grey Cup title capped an eventful rookie season for Holley.
The 25-year-old American began the year on Toronto’s practice roster. But injuries landed him on the active roster and ultimately the starting lineup.
“God put me in this position just to excel,” Holley said. “I’m so grateful to RD [head coach Ryan Dinwiddie], Maxie [defensive line coach Demetrious Maxie], both our defensive co-ordinators [Kevin Eiben and William Fields] for trusting me and bringing me along.
“The biggest thing is the camaraderie we have on the D-line and just being together.”
But Sunday’s game also showed just how quickly Toronto’s defensive players can go on the offensive once they get the ball in their hands.
“Oh, we’re in shape, we all get extra work in because we know how fast this game can switch and how big the field is,” Holley said. “Those guys [the Argos’ defensive backs] are fast, they’ve got great ball skills.
“I’m pretty sure some of them could play receiver sometimes. It’s a trust thing. They trust us to pressure the quarterback and we trust them to make the plays once he throws it.”