Destiny

It just felt right, didn't it?

From the moment the Roughriders took to the field on Sunday, you could just tell it was going to be a magic day.

And why not? It has been a completely magical season.

Take the bottom of the barrel team - a team who despite having talent on their roster don't have enough chemistry to light a candle - add in a salary cap, a new rookie head coach, a new general manager and enough injuries to make even seasoned coaches wimper - and well, you have a recipe for a bucket-ful of disaster.

Instead, the combined guts and faith of Tillman and Austin managed to inspire this incredible green machine to take their game to the next level. And it started by marking one date on the calendar... Nov. 25.

They did it. One game at a time.

That's not to say it was easy. Winnipeg didn't go down without a fight.

[Aside: And huge kudos to Dinwiddie for starting in his first professional game and having a stellar night. Had he not kept his head about him, the scoreboard could have told a vastly different story. Now if they can teach him some patience and a dash of humility he might come out of this a darn-fine QB!]

In fact, it looked downright scary for the first quarter as the boys in green felt the full weight of the hopes of Rider Nation bearing down on them.

But a couple of key plays and they all managed to shake off those nerves and looked what happened.

James Johnson's FIRST interception run back for a TD would certainly be the first turning point of the game.

After that, as one of my friends noted, Kerry Joseph threatened to run the ball every play and holy cow... some football happened!

Even though the score was probably too close for most Rider fans... (We like our point-cushions big and fluffy, thank you! Too many times we've seen sure victories turn into defeat in the dying minutes of a game...!) ... but really the end result was never in doubt.

You could feel it.

Rider Nation would not be denied.

The Roughriders deserve every accolade we heap upon them. For the years of drought and doubt they've played through... for the years of stinging losses... for the years when hope seemed a cruel joke... they deserve to be 2007 Grey Cup Champions.

Now, the only question I have is... how many more days til training camp?

God bless Rider Nation, wherever she sleeps...