Expectations in the East Final

Sunday's East Final will be in the hands of two knowledgeable football minds. The two Head Coaches in this game Marc Trestman and Wally Buono could make the biggest impact on the end result. Sure Casey Printers is back under the helm for the B.C. Lions and Anthony Calvillo is coming off another MOP candidate season, but Trestman and Buono are definately the masterminds of their chess pieces.

B.C. Lions chess pieces aren't as nice as Montreals however do not underestimate Wally Buono because he knows how to win. As stated on an earlier MFG post, Buono is a 4-time Grey Cup champion and a 3-time CFL coach of the year. Looking at Marc Trestman's CFL career it's a little less distiguished and alot shorter. Trestman was a finalist for Coach of the year last year and watched the Coach Hufnagel grab the grey Cup from him in his first year as a CFL bench boss.

However, you can put all the awards, stats, records and game planning to the side. For both coaches one of their biggest tasks will be to set the mentality of the dressing room heading into kickoff tomorrow at 1pm at the Big O. The B.C. Lions finished the regular season at 8-10, including losing their last three games before defeating the Hamilton Ti-Cats in the Crossover East Semi-final only because the Blue Bombers lost their final regular season game at home. No one likes saying backing into the playoffs, but that is pretty close to a definition. Whereas the Alouettes clinched their playoff spot after week 13.

Expectations can drive a team and can also hamper a team. The East final has two teams on the opposite side of the spectrum when it comes to expectations. This is why it is so important for both coaches to make sure their teams can mentally handle their expectations or lack there of in this years CFL Playoffs. Wally Buono has been head coaching in the CFL since 1990 and Trestman is finishing his second year as a head coach ever let alone in the CFL. So in regards to handling the dressing room you cannot throw away the fact that Buono out experiences Trestman in that regard.

However, players and coaches on the Montreal Alouettes are not looking past the B.C.Lions or Wally Buono. Marc Trestman knows what has to occur prior to even considering to book a flight to Calgary next week.

The first quarter will be the biggest indicator for both coaches to see how the opposition is handling their respective expection level of the East Final. See if one team gets up big early and you'll have your answer. If it's still close, then you know both coaches got the job done.