Not everyone was smiling at the 2008 Gibson's Finest Player Awards on Thursday night in Montreal.
While the spotlight focused on the winners including B.C. Lions' Cameron Wake (Defensive Player), Edmonton Eskimos' Kamau Peterson (Top Canadian) and Montreal Alouettes' Anthony Calvillo (Most Outstanding Player), members of the Calgary Stampeders felt slighted.
"The thing is, we're the best team in the league record wise and nobody came away with anything," Burris said following the show.
Burris, who helped the Stampeders to a CFL best 13-5 record, was runner-up to Calvillo for the Most Outstanding Player award.
"It is what it is. Anthony had a great season, and I've said that all week long," Burris told reporters. "He's definitely as deserving as anybody. But we're here for one thing, and that's on Sunday."
The Montreal quarterback picked up 27 of a possible 46 first-place votes from a voting group consisting of the eight CFL head coaches and members of the Football Reporters of Canada.
"Oh, Henry's not smiling. Hey folks, I'm a competitor, that's what I do for a living, I compete," said Burris.
The Stampeders went undefeated against the B.C. Lions (13 All-Star selections) and Montreal Alouettes (14 All-Star selections) this past season.
"All I know is we're 6-0 against 27 all-stars," Nik Lewis explained.
Calgary had six All-Star selections (Burris - QB, Ken-Yon Rambo - WR, Joffrey Reynolds - RB, Rob Lazeo - C, Brandon Browner - CB and Sandro DeAngelis - K).
The Stampeders will have a chance to get even on Sunday at Olympic Stadium when they face the Alouettes for the Grey Cup (coverage begins at 3pm et/Noon pt on TSN and TSN HD).
"We've been slighted a lot as a team and hopefully we use this as motivation Sunday when it will be decided by our skill not somebody's opinion," said DeAngelis.
DeAngelis was runner-up to Toronto Argonauts' Dominique Dorsey in the Special Teams Award.
