TORONTO (SBP) – Calgary Stampeder quarterback Henry Burris has been named the starting quarterback for the CFL on CBC football panel for the Grey Cup.  Burris, who is the most valuable non-playoff player in the league right now, will be joining Daved Benefield, Greg Frers and Khari Jones, along with play-by-play man Mark Lee to watch the Not-The-Stampeders play the Winnipeg Blue Bombers in the 95th Grey Cup game.

“I am quite thrilled to finally be here at the Grey Cup,” said Burris, “and I look forward to leading the CFL on CBC panel in analyzing us through the championship game.”

Burris, who worked with the panel for the divisional finals, had a shaky start with the CBC crew as he kept throwing commercial spots to opposition sponsors like McDonald’s and Home Depot instead of the CFL’s regular sponsors, Wendy’s and RONA.

“Throwing” is television term used to describe when on-air staff segues into a commercial break.

“We kept telling him who the sponsors were that were on our side,” explained a CFL on CBC staffer, “but he kept throwing it to the opposition sponsors like that’s all he could read off the cue cards.

“It was quite frustrating to see that over and over again.”

Burris left Canada years ago for the US in an attempt to become a star on the ESPN football panel.  However, Burris ended up becoming a behind-the-scenes “go-for” who held clipboards and fetched coffee for the stars of the show.

“Even though I got very little on-air time, it was a valuable experience that I can now bring to my current role with the CBC,” said Burris.

Other challenges with Burris on the panel have been how he fumbles hand off questions to the other members of the panel.  The stumbles and fumbles come at critical times, especially late in the telecast when perfect execution is paramount to the success of the broadcast.

“We thought he had that cured when he worked in the states for a bit,” continued the CBC staffer, “Yes, those mistakes are costly to the on-air team but they all worked through it as best we could.

“Hopefully – and I stress hopefully – this will not happen for the biggest telecast of the year.”

The Grey Cup between the Not-The-Stampeders and the Winnipeg Blue Bombers will be broadcast on Sunday, November 25th at 5:30pm Toronto time.

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