Dwight Anderson defeats his old team, prepares to face another old teammate

CALGARY— Roughriders' defensive back Dwight Anderson is no stranger to McMahon Stadium, as he played with the Stampeders from 2008-2010. During that time, he endured plenty of close losses to the Saskatchewan Roughriders, particularly in the 2009 West Final. Like this week's game, that 2009 final was a cold game, and Anderson said after Sunday's clash he was happy to be on the right side of the score this time.

"I guess Saskatchewan's got a knack for cold weather, so I'm glad I'm on this side now," he said.

That 2009 defeat was particularly bitter for Anderson, as it kept him and the Stampeders from playing in a Grey Cup at home. He and his teammates are thrilled to get the chance to do that in Regina this year.

"I had the opportunity to do it here, but Saskatchewan came and beat us here when I was in Calgary, so I never got the chance to go," Anderson said. "I'm looking forward to it right now."

Beyond that, though, reaching the Grey Cup is a rare accomplishment. Anderson's well-aware of that: despite playing on plenty of good teams in his career with Hamilton (2007), Calgary and Montreal (from 2011-2012), his only preceding Grey Cup appearance was when the Stampeders won in 2008. He said that's going to make him cherish this week.

"I'm like, wow, I've got another chance to play in the championship game again," he said. "A lot of people don't get this chance. It's so hard to get to this point."

Anderson's quite right there, as even establishing yourself in a bad CFL lineup isn't easy, let alone one that's still standing after the regular season and the playoffs. Lots of former stars from the NCAA and NFL ranks haven't been able to fit in here, so everyone who does is a pretty special football player. Anderson said the Riders used that idea for motivation this week.

"What we say is that every guy in here was a star somewhere else, high school, college, somewhere, so we just needed that five-star player to come out today," he said. "I think every man for themself, they came out and they played hard."

Anderson's well-known for his trash talk, as he's often been named the top trash-talker in the league in TSN's players poll. However, despite all the comments flying back and forth between the Stamps and Riders ahead of the West Final, he was relatively quiet before the game. He said that was intentional, as he wanted to do his talking on the field this week.

"In the end, I gotta say I got the last laugh," Anderson said. "All week, I put a gag order on myself, didn't say nothing to nobody, but I heard all the little stories they were talking over there. They got the camera in their face, they decided they want to talk, but now I got the last laugh."

He said people shouldn't view him as only a trash-talker, either.

"I can take all the heat that come my way, but I'm going to produce."

(Of course, Anderson has been drawing even more heat than usual this year thanks to the assault charges he's facing with teammates Taj Smith and Eron Riley in relation to an August incident at a Regina nightclub. That case has been adjourned until Nov. 26, two days after the Grey Cup.)

While Anderson helped vanquish his former team and some of his old teammates this week, one very prominent former teammate is up ahead. That would be Hamilton quarterback Henry Burris, who was the Stampeders' principal pivot during Anderson's Calgary tenure. Anderson said he's looking forward to facing his old teammate, and he has plenty of respect for Burris.

"That's going to be a great battle," Anderson said. "Hank's been in the league a while, I won a ring with Hank, so I understand what he can do. Hank's a great quarterback, and them boys is rolling over there the last three or four weeks."

However, while respectful of Burris' ability during on-camera interviews, Anderson and some of his teammates were yelling a bit about his less-than-stellar Riders' tenure at another point.

"Henry! Henry! Henry! We know he can't play in Saskatchewan!"