TORONTO — Four years ago, a Calgary Stampeders rookie named Juwan Simpson arrived at Olympic Stadium in Montreal to play in the Grey Cup.

He would make three tackles that day and celebrate long into the Montreal night with his Stampeder teammates after their 22-14 win over the Alouettes, and likely headed home the next day to Calgary believing that this might be a fairly regular occurrence in an eight-team league.

On Sunday, though, Simpson will make finally make his return appearance after three seasons of playoff setbacks with the Stampeders, and, rest assured, he knows now what he didn’t know then — trips to the Grey Cup don’t happen often, so you’d better take advantage.

“This ain’t my first rodeo,” said a pensive Simpson on Friday after the Stamps went through their final full practice in preparation for Sunday’s 100th Grey Cup when the Stamps take on the Toronto Argonauts (4 p.m. MST, TSN, QR77 Radio)

“I understand what’s going on here, I understand what’s at stake. I’m all in, man. We’ll have six months to think about this. Gotta get it.”

The Stamps arrive here riding an emotional wave, having won six straight games (four straight down the stretch of the regular season to finish with a 12-6 record and then twice more in the post-season), and having the sense that after having roadblock after roadblock thrown at them with injuries, they can accomplish just about anything.

The word “destiny” has been tossed around in the past few weeks, and it’s fair enough, because based on the way the Stamps have won games this season — three times, teams had a chance to kick game-winning field goals against the Stamps, and three times, they blew the opportunity — it’s hard not to wonder if there is something at work here.

But, suggested defensive tackle Corey Mace, the Stamps’ efforts to get better, to overcome injuries, to find ways to win, can’t be discounted.

“Some of those things this year, I’ve been like, ‘Oh my God — how in the hell did THAT happen?’ ” agreed Mace. “But at the same time you can’t just show up. You have to make your own destiny.”

And yet, even Mace has a sense that it was meant to be for the Stamps to be playing for a CFL title on Sunday.

“I feel personally like there’s a reason I’m here,” he said. “It’s been a long road to get where I’m at right now, and I just think the 100th is the one for me. No. 99 (his uniform number) and my first Grey Cup? Shoot, that equals 100. I don’t know. Just small things. Just a feeling.”

Simpson was new to the Canadian game when he arrived in Calgary for the 2008 season and didn’t have a sense of what winning a Grey Cup means. Rookie defensive back Keenan MacDougall, meanwhile, grew up in Saskatchewan and knows about the enduring heartache when it comes to this game. He also knows there are no guarantees.

“Exactly. Exactly,” he repeated. “You can’t take this kind of stuff for granted. Guys who were here who went to the Grey Cup in 2008 in their first year, and they think, ‘Oh, this is easy.’ But they haven’t been back since, right? So you have to make the most of it.”

Simpson, who’s become the emotional heart and soul of the Stampeder defence, knows that now. He couldn’t play last week because of an ankle injury, but insisted early this week that nothing would keep him off the field on Sunday, and he’s making good on that promise.

“I was talking about it to some of the guys — as a young guy coming in, I don’t think you really understand,” said Simpson. “The young guys (in 2008) came into a great situation — the first year and we’re winning. It must be EASY to get to the Grey Cup. It’s not until you’ve been through a lot of things, on the field, off the field, a lot of time, blood, sweat and tears into this football stuff. So now, you embrace and love everything about this week.

“Even talking to the media — it takes so long, but you learn to enjoy it. You realize, shoot, six teams are at home right now. Six teams just had (U.S.) Thanksgiving at home.

“As veterans, we understand that you might not get here again. So leave it all out on the field.”

The 2008 team was a steady group, a group that didn’t have to deal with a pile of significant injuries and simply built steadily to that memorable evening in Montreal.

This team, on the other hand, had to scrap its way to Toronto, but the achievement has been no less significant. The same can be said about the level of belief that this team belongs on the big stage on Sunday, and will take advantage of the opportunity.

“You don’t want to walk in that locker-room (after the game) knowing that you gave yourself the best chance to win for 21 weeks, and then let it slip away,” said slotback Nik Lewis. “It doesn’t come along very often. For a lot of guys, this is their first one. For a lot of guys, this is their last one. You just have to focus in and say, hey, let’s do it.

“If we’re a great team, then we should be great on Sunday.”

TORONTO — To Calgary Stampeders offensive lineman Obby Khan, it was a no-brainer.

At the final team meeting Monday before Tuesday’s flight to Toronto for the 100th Grey Cup, Stamps head coach and general manager John Hufnagel gave his troops two wardrobe choices for travel day.

“He said either westernwear or suit and tie,” chortled Khan early Tuesday evening in the lower lobby of the downtown InterContinental Hotel. “It’s no fun being in a suit and tie. Everyone wears a suit and tie. Not everyone’s a cowboy, so we thought we’d represent today.”

That they did.

While most of their teammates were looking more suited for Bay Street than Ranchman’s, Stampeder offensive linemen, along with safety Eric Fraser, were decked out in western gear after a Monday afternoon trip to a pair of Lammle’s locations — “We’re not easy to fit,” said Khan. “Surprisingly, size 13 python boots are hard to come by.” — where they dropped a good chunk of their game cheques from playing (and winning) the West Division final in Vancouver a day earlier.

How much did they spend?

“Lots,” said Khan. “Let’s just say they probably met their monthly sales quota in that one day by dressing all of us. But it was well worth it and it’s going to be fun wearing this around town and representing Calgary.

“I walked in there (to the Lammle’s store) and I looked like a bull in a china shop. I had no idea what was going on. This outfit was all picked by the ladies there. Thank you very much, ladies.”

Certainly the outfits caught the attention of the gathered media who showed up to chronicle the Stamps’ arrival — the team will hold its first practice of Grey Cup week behind closed doors Wednesday — and right guard Dimitri Tsoumpas was taking credit for the idea.

“Mastermind, right? I guess everyone’s calling me cerebral now,” said Tsoumpas with a grin. “That’s the word on the street. Hey, we’re football players here, so it’s not too often that you hear that.”

Not everybody was down with the wardrobe choices, however.

“Terrible,” muttered middle linebacker Juwan Simpson. “You have all the guys looking spiffy, like me, with nice designer seats. And you have those guys wearing those tight jeans and cowboy hats.”

But at least some of them got it right, said Simpson.

“I think (centre) Jon Gott looked the best; he looked like a higher-end type of cowboy. The one who calls the shot,” he said. “And Tsoumpas has the best boots. Those were real nice.”

CALGARY — They are opposites in terms of personality.

Juwan Simpson is loud, while Malik Jackson is quiet. Juwan Simpson loves the spotlight. Malik Jackson would rather be the guy aiming the spotlight than its target.

They’re two distinct people on and off the football field, but when they’re lined up alongside each other as part of the linebacking corps of the Calgary Stampeders, they form a partnership that’s among the best in the Canadian Football League.

More importantly, it’s become one of the most stable as Jackson, the short-side linebacker, and Simpson, who mans the middle, are in their third season playing together. Now approaching their 18th start of the season, they’ve been the bedrock of a Calgary defence that has featured a never-ending merry-go-round of injury replacements, a group that has featured 22 different starters.

“No question,” agreed first-year linebackers coach Dave Yanowsky on Tuesday, as the Stamps continued preparations for Friday’s regular-season curtain-dropper at Commonwealth Stadium against the Eskimos. “They’ve been here in this culture with the work ethic, the way the players approach the game, from the top down — it’s easy to see why they’ve been good. And it’s made my life easier. You have two guys who’ve been pros who understand how to prepare, how to work, and how to work at getting better.”

Simpson, 28, and Jackson, 27, might have opposing personalities, but they’re close in so many ways. Not just on the roster (Jackson wears 11, Simpson wears 12); not just on the field lining up next to each other, and not just as roommates at home and on the road.

They have the ability of longtime teammates to read each other’s instincts during a play without saying a word. That comes from endless hours on the practice field, in addition to watching tape together and simply talking football for hours on end.

“I enjoy playing by him,” said Simpson. “He’s not that big of a talker, but with that chemistry, that connection we have — it really does sound like we’re a couple, doesn’t it? I feel like I should be talking about my girl right now. We’re roommates, too, so it’s not only on the field but off the field, too. And it’s not just the four and a half hours at work, but it’s the hours at home. We sit at home after games and talk for hours.”

“It definitely gives you a good vibe knowing who’s next to you,” added Jackson.

Both raised their games this season after some injury-related struggles in 2011; they arrived in training camp with legitimate challengers in place for their jobs (Joe Lobendahn, Joe Henderson, Robert McCune), but made it clear early in camp that not only were they interested in keeping their jobs, Simpson and Jackson wanted to show they were getting better at them.

“Last year didn’t go the way we wanted it to,” admitted Jackson. “We just had to come in, wipe the slate clean and play football the way we know we can play. We had a good year in 2010, but football is football — you have good years and then you have years you know aren’t as good. So we had to come out in 2012 with a new mindset and know that our work was cut out for us to get the job done.”

That doesn’t always show up on the stats sheet. Simpson leads the Stamps in tackles with a career-best 81, but that’s just seventh highest in the league and 38 back of league leader J.C. Sherritt of Edmonton. Jackson, meanwhile, has 57 — eight off his career high.

The tackle numbers, though, can be misleading. With Edmonton’s offence so atrocious, Sherritt spends a lot of time on the field and, therefore, gets more opportunities to make plays. As well, the Stamps are more of a gap team, meaning each player is responsible for certain areas of coverage and is strongly discouraged from freelancing out of that area.

“I think as big a thing as productivity (in terms of tackle numbers) is how many times do you run out of your gap trying to make a big play, but end up causing a big play against you?” said Yanowsky. “There’s a yin and a yang about any statistic.”

Which doesn’t always make it easy to accept, said Simpson.

“I mean, you see these guys with crazy numbers,” he said. “Malik and I sit back and look at our film, and we’re grading out at 90 per cent or better and we’re still only leaving the game with only two or three tackles. It can be frustrating — definitely in mid-season. But I’ll trade tackles for wins any day. ANY day. I have one goal this year. It wasn’t to be defensive player of the year or anything like that. It was to go to the Grey Cup.”

acameron@calgaryherald.com

The Calgary Stampeders, on the other hand, insist they won’t let themselves get caught up in the hype machine.

Their approach when they hit the field against the Hamilton Tiger-Cats on Saturday will be simple: continue to build, continue to get better, continue to push for a playoff home game next month.

“This isn’t our first time playing Henry,” Stamps middle linebacker Juwan Simpson pointed out quite rightly on quite possibly the last warm-weather day of this Canadian Football League season. “I guess all the hype isn’t quite where it was (in August when the Stamps visited Hamilton). But him coming back here, we have to treat him like we treat any other quarterback — 12 guys (on defence) on the same page, trying to get the job done.”

This game, noted Calgary quarterback (and ex-Ticat) Kevin Glenn, is about a lot of things for both teams, but what it’s not is a mano-a-mano duel between Burris and Glenn, who were traded for each other in January.

“It’s two teams going out there to play, not two individuals,” he said. “And I think when you look at it like that, you stay more focused. You don’t try to go out and do things outside of the game plan to try to prove something to somebody else. You just go out and play football.”

Working in the Stamps’ favour is the indisputable fact that they’ve managed to maintain their focus this season despite any number of potential distractions caused by the truly staggering scope of the injury list.

Through it all, the Stamps have managed to keep the blinders on and refuse to buy into the excuses. They enter Saturday’s game with a 9-6 record (the Ticats are 5-10), tied for second-best in the league and potentially coming out of this weekend with a guaranteed playoff game (a win over the Ticats combined with a Saskatchewan loss earlier Saturday to Montreal would nail it down).

“We just want to get better as a football team,” said Stamps coach and GM John Hufnagel. “We’ve striven to do that from the first day of training camp. It’s been a little more difficult this year because of the mass of people we’ve had to play (due to injuries) and the youth of those players. But I’m very proud of the players in that locker-room because no matter what the situation they’ve had to deal with, they got themselves ready to play. It didn’t mean we won all of the games, but they realize if they’re not ready to play, we don’t have a chance to win. And for the most part, we’ve had chances to win those games.”

Saturday provides another test against a Ticats team that is playing for its playoff life, needing not only victories down the stretch, but losses by the Edmonton Eskimos to extend its year.

The Stamps, meanwhile, are playing to position themselves as best as possible for the post-season.

“You always want to get on a roll and get comfortable, and just know that you have a chance to win any game, here or on the road,” said slotback Nik Lewis. “So it’s very vital that we win this game. You don’t know how the standings are going to shake down. We have three games that we need to play very well in.”

“I know we’re not satisfied,” added Glenn. “We do feel that we’ve accomplished something, but it’s not done. We haven’t accomplished enough. That’s how you continue to get guys to play well, when you don’t settle. You keep striving to be the best. That’s what it comes down to. That’s the ultimate goal.”

acameron@calgaryherald.com

Today, Nik Lewis is in one of those expansive, seriocomic moods he’s prone to.

Given the right moment, and the right topic, you don’t even need to crank the invisible key protruding from the invisible slot on his back.

No assembly, no wind-up, required.

Just find an available chair, sit back and listen to him … talk.

As Week 16 approaches, the stocky slotback lurks just 66 yards shy of CFL leader Weston Dressler, 1,095 to 1,161, on the same number of catches, 88, with a posse of eminently capable candidates — Chris Matthews, Chad Owens, S.J. Green — lurking nearby in the shadows.

As preposterous as it continues to sound, Nik Lewis has never won a receiving title in this league.

He’s been close. In 2005, slotback Jason Tucker of the Esks latched onto a 40-yard pass — versus Calgary, no less, pouring lemon juice into an open cut — on the final play of a 43-23 Stamps’ blowout to close the season and pip Lewis by 32 yards, 1,411 to 1,379.

So now, in Year 9 of a standout career, might this at long last be the moment?

“I don’t give a damn about that,” protests Lewis. “Who cares? I help this team win. I produce first downs. Who gives a damn about … you know, Dressler’s a great receiver but he goes downfield a lot more than I do.

“I’ve gotten three corner routes turned my way this year. Three.

“So the moral of the story is: If they give me more opportunities to go down the field …

“I do what I do and I do it better than anybody else.”

Right on cue, quarterback Kevin Glenn, ball cap fashionably askew, strolls into the players lounge off the Calgary Stampeders’ dressing room in McMahon Stadium, unaware of the tempest awaiting.

“Kevin,” admonishes Lewis, without looking up, “should throw the ball to me more deep. But he doesn’t.”

Whose fault is that?

“Kevin’s.”

Glenn, accustomed to such banter, feigns mock horror.

As lighthearted as the tone undoubtedly is, it’s tough to tell where the act leaves off (“Naw, I’m only funnin’ with ya”) and a shard of acrimony actually creeps in. Given the widespread validation topping the receiving charts would bring, particularly after the stellar — and yes, somewhat underappreciated — career he’s enjoyed here, it’s impossible to believe that Lewis doesn’t, in fact, care.

“Oh,” smiles offensive co-ordinator Dave Dickenson lightly, “he cares. It matters. That’s not the reason he plays, I don’t think it consumes him or anything, but it does matter, believe me. He maybe doesn’t have those 200-yard games some other guys do, but he’s just so complete, so consistent. It’d be great for him. Leading in of those categories” — receptions, yardage — would be nice. He has an ego. And it’s always nice to be on top. I don’t care what it’s about.

“I’m pretty sure, no matter what he tells you, deep down, Nik feels the same way.”

Lewis is spot on when he says his style, largely fought inside the dirty areas, carving out the tough yards, doesn’t lend itself to long hookups for mega mileage. At 30, he isn’t Usain Bolt but has enough giddy up, still hits like a tree trunk, and rarely is charged with a drop.

“Whoa! Let’s not start with leading the league in receiving,” he cuts in. “Let’s start with trying to get a Player of the Week award. Let’s start small. I think I’ve gotten one over my career. One. Maybe one. I don’t even know if I have one.

“So let’s start small before we start talking about leading the league, OK?”

Now it’s Juwan Simpson’s and Corey Mace’s turn to wander in.

“Hey!” chides Lewis to the late-arriving pair. “They want to talk about leading the league in receiving and I can’t even win a damn Player of the Week award.

“I love my role on this team. They give me a great opportunity to make plays. And I make the plays they give me.

“But leading the league? I don’t get nothing extra for it. What do I get? I’ve been No. 2 receiver in this league and I didn’t even get a Western all-star. In 2005. I didn’t get a Western all-star. I didn’t get a CFL all-star. And I’m No. 2 … in the league?!”

Simpson, proving he has absolutely no future in a peacekeeping role at the UN, is all too happy to egg Lewis on, to keep the stream of consciousness flowing.

“That’s right, Nik!” he exhorts. “You tell him, Nik! Where do I co-sign, Nik?”

But Nik ain’t listening. He’s talking.

“People don’t value what I do. I do things other receivers don’t. But you want to vote people in for all-star teams and awards strictly on numbers. I am not the best receiver on this team by far. I’ve played with Ken-Yon Rambo, I’ve played with Jeremaine Copeland, I’ve played with Romby Bryant, Marquay McDaniel. Those guys need the ball, too.

“After Weston Dressler, there’s (Chris) Getzlaf. He’s a good receiver, but after Getzlaf you can’t even name a third receiver on that team.

“If I got 13 balls thrown at me every game like Weston Dressler does, course I’d probably lead the league in receiving. Jamel Richardson last year had over 200 balls thrown his way. I think I had 120-something. I was over 80 per cent on balls thrown my way. I think that’s the most valuable thing.

“I think I was the only receiver over 75 per cent and I caught 93. That’s a lot of (bleep)ing balls to catch and have an over 80 per cent average. The most consistent, efficient receiver is the best receiver, right?”

He may publicly disdain such superficial accolades but it’s there, the top of the charts, for the climbing. And three games left to sort things out.

“Lead the league?” teases an exasperated, incredulous Nik Lewis. “ME?!”

Hey, could just happen. The man’s long overdue. Remember, though, if it does, it is a matter of complete and utter indifference to him.

CALGARY — Two phone calls were placed to Charleston Hughes in late June 2008 that could have had a profound effect on his future.

The Calgary Stampeders should feel very fortunate that their call arrived first.

A couple weeks earlier, Hughes, a talented but raw rookie out of relatively unknown Northwood University — a few minutes away from his hometown of Saginaw, Mich. — had been among the Stampeders’ final training camp cuts, but had been told by the team that should an emergency arise on the defensive line, he’d be hearing from them.

In the days following his release, Hughes started asking himself some very hard questions. About football. About life.

“Oh, yeah, I was on my way to hanging up the cleats,” Hughes, 28, admitted on Sunday. “I started looking for work. It was just one of those situations where you’re stuck in limbo — a lot of players go through it when they leave a team, whether they should continue to search for more opportunities to play football, or give it up.”

With his degree in business management, Hughes started preparing himself for the real possibility that football was done with him, and started sending out resumes.

In fact, he even got a callback with a job offer from Verizon Wireless.

But here’s where fate stepped in — the Stampeders called first with their own job offer. Defensive ends Juwan Simpson (that’s where he made the team as a rookie) and LeMarcus Rowell had BOTH been hurt in the season opener against B.C., and the Stamps were in dire need of Hughes’s services.

Hughes immediately caught a plane back to Calgary and by now, you know the rest of the story: he’s been the Stamps’ most consistent defensive performer since he rejoined the team in 2008 (he would lead the league in tackles for a loss in his rookie campaign), and is in the midst of his finest season as a pro, inserting himself into the conversation as a West Division defensive player of the year nominee.

Well, who knows what might have happened if the phone company had been a little quicker with its phone call?

“It’s ironic, and a lot of players go through it,” said Hughes. “And most of them don’t even get that second opportunity. You see a LOT of good players come and go who just didn’t get that chance. It happens in the NFL, it happens here, where the circumstances don’t work out. I’m very thankful for the situation I’m in and that things turned around for me. I’m just blessed.”

So, it must be said, are the Stampeders, who in Hughes, have a rare breed of defensive end — one who has a wide array of abilities to deal with the run and pass game with equal ability, one with the speed and agility to drop back in pass coverage, and one with the discipline to avoid sloppy offside penalties while still managing to get an amazing burst off the line of scrimmage.

“Considering that we ask him to drop back in coverage 10 to 15 plays each game, he’s played some middle linebacker for us in our three-four alignment — as an overall, complete player, I think he’s the most complete defensive player in the league,” said Stamps defensive line coach DeVone Claybrooks. “When you look at his body of work, it kind of speaks for itself.”

That it does, but because Hughes is asked to show a broad spectrum of defensive skills rather than be a one-dimensional sack machine, he’s had to sacrifice numbers, which might have played a role in Hughes’ surprising snub in the TSN Top 50 poll just prior to the season.

This season, Hughes appears to be making up for lost time. He’s spent more time on the line of scrimmage with Rick Campbell’s defence than he did in the Chris Jones system (when he was dropping back into pass coverage far more often), and he’s benefiting statistically. He matched his career high in sacks (seven) on Friday, and still has five games to play to chase down B.C.’s Keron Williams and his league-leading nine. No defensive lineman in the CFL has made more tackles’ than Hughes’ 37. He’s second in forced fumbles (four, not including the obvious one he forced in Saskatchewan that CFL replay officials shockingly missed) and tackles for a loss (six).

“You can’t ignore the numbers,” shrugged Hughes. “I think I’m top two in a lot of categories, but when it comes down to it in this league as a defensive end, the only thing they’re concerned about is sacks. That’s pretty much my main focus, to get more sacks. I guess none of the other statistics are really acknowledged.”

By Allen Cameron

Postmedia News

CALGARY — There were plenty of items on the to-do list for Calgary Stampeders defensive backs coach Tony Missick when his team began its practice week Tuesday.

None of them involved veteran cornerback Keon Raymond.

Even with Raymond coming off what Missick described as “the worst game I’ve seen him play, by far,” the man he refers to as “Coach Raymond” has been through enough football wars to be able to pick himself up, dust himself off and move forward.

“It’s nothing that I have to bring up about last week,” said Missick on Thursday. “He’s one of those true professionals, who goes, ‘OK, I had a bad game last week. I’m going to have one of my best games this week.’ I don’t have to reassure him that he’s a pretty good player. He knows exactly what he has to do.”

And for Raymond, that not only meant taking ownership for his struggles against the Argos — mainly, two costly penalties that led to Toronto scoring opportunities — but taking on the role of being a leader for a defence that is still finding its way under first-year co-ordinator Rick Campbell.

So, early in the week, he and fellow veteran middle linebacker Juwan Simpson had a private talk and decided to address the rest of the defence during a meeting prior to practice.

“We just told the guys that this is not acceptable,” said Raymond, 29. “We can’t get too lax here. I told everybody, ‘This is our job. If you don’t want to be out here on this job, then I’m pretty sure Coach will find somebody else. There’s ALWAYS somebody else who wants to play your position.’

“It wasn’t to embarrass anybody or anything like that. It was just to make sure everybody knows that we WANT to be the best defence. If you don’t want to be part of one of the best defences in this league, then we don’t want you out there with us. And I think guys responded to it this week. It looked good.”

Those words carry more meaning considering Raymond has had to pick up the leadership slack in the secondary in the absence of Brandon Smith, who’s a week or two away from returning after hurting his shoulder during the win in Hamilton earlier this month.

It’s worth noting, too, that Raymond’s struggles against the Argos were notable mostly because of rarely they happen. He’s been one of the Stamps’ most consistent defensive performers since joining the team in 2008, and with that ability to perform comes the equally important ability to forget, because it’s just a fact of life for a professional football defensive back that you’re going to be burned on occasion.

“He’s a professional and I don’t have to worry about that carrying forward into this game,” nodded Missick. “He had a pretty good week of practice, and he knows where we have to be for not remembering the bad things and having them carry over. He’s fine.”

It doesn’t hurt that Raymond is tuning up this week for a return visit to Regina, a city in which he’s snared interceptions in two of his past three visits, including last year’s memorable team record 117-yard touchdown return in the Stamps’ 45-35 win.

“I’ve had some nice memories there,” said Raymond with a smile. “I tend to have some of my best games there, so I’m definitely looking forward to going back. It’s a great atmosphere. I could care less for the city, but the fans come out and support their team.”

Raymond still refers to that play on occasion when he’s talking football with his sons, Keon Jr. and DaShaun. They started tryouts this week with the Cowboys’ Atom program, which has Raymond and Stamps’ alums Wes Lysack, Marvin Pope and Will Johnson serving as occasional guest coaches.

“(The touchdown return) is on Youtube, and I’ll look at it sometimes. I tell my kids about making plays in the clutch, and I show them that one,” said Raymond. “They understand a little bit of that now, but I want to create some new memories. I want to have a new Youtube video by Sunday.”

2012-08-24T03:00:00-05:00

Hard to blame them, if you look at the balance sheet. The Stamps are coming off an 0-2 East Division road swing in which they gave up the winning points in both games in the final minute. They lost their starting quarterback.

And, oh yes, their next assignment is against the only unbeaten team in the Canadian Football League, the 3-0 Saskatchewan Roughriders.

Small wonder that what used to be a guaranteed sellout game now is a hard sell as the Stamps are pondering blacking out the game to local TV viewers with ticket sales hovering around the 32,000 mark — plenty of them promising to be clad in green and roaring in support of their surprising Riders.

“Oh, yeah. We know it,” nodded Stamps middle linebacker Juwan Simpson. “If you’ve been in the game long enough, you understand it. Even to the extent of people saying they’re not coming to the games. Hey, guys understand that. Look at B.C. last year. They went 0-and-5, and they came all the way back. It’s not about how you start, it’s about how you finish. And we have the tools we need to get the job done.”

If that refrain sounds familiar, it should, Four years ago, the Stamps sputtered out of the gate to a 3-3 start, and the skeptics were coming out of the woodwork. Rather than succumb to the critics, the Stamps adopted an us-against-the-world mentality that carried them all the way to a Grey Cup title in Montreal.

It’s early times yet, of course, but there’s a sense that the Stamps believe they are far better than the 1-2 record they’ve compiled to date, and that they would take a great deal of pleasure in silencing their doubters, beginning Thursday against the Riders.

“That’s the position and that’s the nature of this sport. You name me a professional athlete that doesn’t have doubters — there isn’t one out there,” said quarterback Kevin Glenn, who’s been subjected to them more than any of his teammates over the past week. “The great ones have had doubters. Michael Jordan had doubters at one point in his career. When he retired and came back, there were still doubters. That kind of stuff kind of comes with the territory. It’s one of those things that I can’t control, so I try not to even worry about it.

“Some people use it as motivation. Some people ignore it. Some people don’t listen to it. Some people use it as fuel to light the fire to prove people wrong.”

In fact, there’s a school of thought that a little early adversity thrown at a team is not a terrible thing. Look, for instance, at the 2010 Stampeders, who raced to a 9-1 record to open the year but were 4-4 down the stretch and lost the West final to Saskatchewan.

Two years earlier, a 3-3 start to the season was followed by a 10-2 stretch run and two more wins in the playoffs.

In the big picture, players will tell you that it’s not how you start, it’s how you finish. But in the here and now, there are panic buttons being pushed by fans.

“I would totally understand that mindset,” conceded slotback Nik Lewis. “And if we had any other (backup) quarterback other than Kevin going into this game, I would understand that mindset completely. But he gives us a great chance to win. Montreal is a great team at home and we had them on the ropes. It’s unfortunate we came away with two losses (from the East Division road swing), but we just have to take care of business from here on out.

“We understand where this team is and we understand where this team can go,” added Simpson. “We know it’s not going to happen overnight; it’s going to take a lot of hard work and dedication. But we’re prepared for it. It’s not like we totally got blown out of the water. The games we lost were two tough games. We could easily be 3-0 and everybody would be patting us on the back.”

Calgary Herald

As reliable a tackler as you’ll find in the Canadian Football League, the Stamps’ defensive captain was seemingly on the verge of making a crucial play in the fourth quarter of Thursday’s game in Montreal. He had Alouettes receiver Brandon London in his sights after a second-and-long reception, and it was a fait accompli that London would be deposited on his keister well short of a first down.

Except London somehow got away, and managed to scramble a few more yards for a clutch first down to extend a drive that would eventually end with a touchdown that would cut the Stamps’ lead to just five points late in the fourth quarter.

And we all know what happened next.

“It bothered me,” admitted Simpson on Monday after the Stamps wrapped up practice in preparation for Thursday’s showdown with the undefeated Saskatchewan Roughriders. “I put a lot of pressure on myself, and I felt like I had playing well. I just want to maintain a certain level. Me being a leader of this defence and a team captain, it bothered me. I’m supposed to make that play. No matter how you look at it, I’m supposed to make that play. But it’s something I don’t suspect will happen often. Have to have a short memory in this game.”

Simpson was hardly the only culprit in that game, of course; the tackling was suspect in both Stampeder losses during their eastern road swing, which was a stark contrast to the way the defence opened the season on July 1 against Montreal, limiting the high-powered Alouette offence to just 10 points.

“We have to be better, no question,” agreed Stamps defensive co-ordinator Rick Campbell. “I thought it was a little better in the Montreal game than Toronto, but the message is that offences are too good, and when you have a chance to get off the field, you have to get off the field, and whether that’s not taking a penalty or getting a guy down on a tackle, you have to get off the field when you have the chance.”

There’s nothing particularly complicated about the concept of finishing tackles. Lazy tackles — using arms instead of your whole body — can make you look foolish. Take the legs out. Swarm to the ball.

But it’s a given in football that not every tackle will be made.

“It’s tough; they (players on offence) get paid not to get tackled,” said safety Eric Fraser, who was burned on Brian Bratton’s first-quarter touchdown in Montreal. “But for the most part, on a big field like this, you’re trying to get to their legs and running your helmet through their legs. In the American game, on the smaller field, it’s a little bit more physical and you try to tackle guys up high. But here, you can get three or four more yards because if you hit somebody up high and there’s a struggle, another person might not be there to help you for a few more yards.”

Like any act of repetition, tackling tends to get better over time. Training camp offers the chance to work on tackling dummies, but that doesn’t come close to simulating what it’s like to tackle a real, live human being who’s using every bit of his strength to break the tackle.

“If you watch games throughout the league, there’s going to be a lot of missed tackles in the early part of the year,” said Simpson. “How many of those guys actually hit during camp? Nobody. The last time I hit someone before the first (pre-season) game was last year. It’s all technique. It only gets better and sharper with time. Knocking the rust off — it’s not something you just wash away in one game.”

Calgary Herald

But not the Calgary Stampeders.

As word started filtering in from Quebec that the Alouettes’ Hall-of-Fame-bound quarterback Anthony Calvillo was practising on Tuesday after missing Monday’s session to have a bruised left shoulder examined, nary an eyebrow was raised following the Stamps’ practice here.

Calvillo announced after practice that, “I’m feeling good and plan to play on Thursday.”

And be honest: did anybody expect him to say anything different?

“Did you?” shot back Stamps middle linebacker Juwan Simpson with a chuckle on Tuesday. “I knew he was going to play. He’s a competitor. I’ve been fortunate enough to be around him doing different things, and all he wants to do is win. I’m sure he’s got his health in mind, so he’s not going to be out there if he doesn’t have to. But we expected it. Nothing changes. We’re still preparing to play.”

Still, not having Calvillo in the lineup Thursday might have changed Calgary’s defensive approach. While Calvillo isn’t a terrible runner — beyond a doubt, he’s the best 39-year-old running quarterback in the CFL — his backup Adrian McPherson has legitimate wheels. Having said that, the Als wouldn’t have been able to overhaul their offensive game plan in two days to take advantage of that asset.

“McPherson would probably run a little bit more, but he has a strong arm,” noted Stamps defensive back Keon Raymond. “He’s a smart quarterback, he’s been in this league for a while, playing in the same system for a while. He knows the offence and he knows how to get up and down the field. But we’re preparing to beat them as a whole, as a team.

“We ran reps with Montreal (not a specific quarterback) in mind,” added Simpson. “I guess a lot of people don’t really know about McPherson, but he’s dangerous — he can run, he can throw. They’re both great quarterbacks. You have to be ready for both guys. At the end of the day, they still run an offence; it’s more than one guy, it’s 12 guys.”

Calvillo still strikes fear in the heart of defensive co-ordinators, of course; no quarterback is better at throwing quickly and accurately to beat a pass rush.

Having said that, the Stamps under coach and GM John Hufnagel have had a fair amount of success against the CFL’s all-time leader in completions, passing yardage, touchdowns and gushing stories from the media.

The Stamps have won four of their past five outings against Calvillo and the Alouettes, and are 6-3 (7-3 if you include the 2008 Grey Cup) since the beginning of the 2008 season.

Calvillo’s numbers in those games have been solid, but not spectacular; he’s averaged nearly 23 completions in 38 attempts for an average 304 yards per game against the Hufnagel-coached Stampeders.

But the numbers don’t tell the tale, and the Stamps have a healthy respect for Calvillo, and fully expected him to be in the lineup for Thursday’s game.

“I believe it when I see it, would probably be the right way to put it,” said Hufnagel of Calvillo’s potential absence. “Anthony is a very tough individual. If he has the slightest remote chance to play, he’s playing.”

Stamps defensive back Brandon Smith can identify with what Calvillo is going through this week; he, too, is battling a nagging injury after straining his knee on Saturday in Toronto, and there was a question about his availability for Thursday.

“You never want to leave your team out there battling without you,” said Smith, who went through a full practice on Tuesday and would appear to be ready for Thursday. “So I’m sure he did whatever it took to get back on the field. We look forward to seeing him on Thursday.”

But Calvillo or McPherson, it makes no difference as far as Smith is concerned.

“Our concern is more or less about what we do,” he said. “Whatever quarterback goes out there to play, and they’re both good quarterbacks, I’m sure they can both move the ball. So we just have to focus on what we do. Make sure we’re assignment-sound, make sure we cover guys down, stop the run, win our gaps.

“Just do what we do, and do it better, whoever is behind the centre.”

Calgary Herald

The Western Division of the CFL, like the rest of the league, has gone through a number of changes in the offseason. Most notably for the West, there will be a lot of new faces that are stepping up to lead the team. This offseason was a busy one and for a number of teams in the West it was not a buying year. Instead they decided to bring the new generation of players through to the starting positions. Two teams in particular did the most to inject youth into their teams as they focus on their young players to lead them. One of these teams is the defending champion B.C. Lions who are riding Travis Lulay, 29 years old, who will be in only his second full year as a starting QB in the CFL. Last year he guided them to the Grey Cup and this year he will be the face of the new breed of QBs coming up. Another team that is looking to a young QB is the Calgary Stampeders who traded their franchise QB Henry Burris in the offseason who had been replaced by Drew Tate, 28 years old. Tate will enter his first full year as a starter and will be an essential part to the new-look offence in Calgary. These QBs are the new generation of QBs in the CFL and when you play in the CFL the QB is the most essential position. The passing offence in the league requires a great arm and a great leader which has been shown in Montreal with Anthony Calvillo. There are plenty of other positions that will see young talent take over as well like in Calgary with a host of receivers like Anthony Parker looking to take over for players who will no longer be with the team like Kenyon Rambo. There is also Brandon west who will take over at running back for the Roughriders and Andrew Harris who will take over full-time as running back for the B.C. Lions. Despite these changes the focus will be on the QBs in the west as Travis Lulay and Drew Tate represent the new generation of QBs in the CFL while the Edmonton Eskimos and Saskatchewan Roughriders will be riding two veterans. The Eskimos made a big change at QB when they traded their longtime franchise QB Ricky Ray leaving a hole that will likely be filled by CFL veteran Stephen Jyles if he can stay healthy. Meanwhile in Saskatchewan it is the same guard as Darian Durant will remain at QB under their new Head coach. It will be a constant comparison throughout the season in the west as veteran leadership will be tested against the creativity and skill of the young QBs. If the young QBs can pick it up and lead their teams to the top veterans will be looked at as old and possibly out of date. If the young talent struggle this year then there will be endless scrutiny while the veterans will be seen as the way to go. There are a number of teams that have gone all out with the gamble in this year as they will look to young or unproven talent to guide them to the Grey Cup but if they pay off it will be worth it. The West is looking to youth and veterans as only one path will pay off and the fans will figure it out after 18 weeks of hard-fought football.

B.C. Lions

The B.C. Lions are sitting at the top of the heap in the CFL as they will act as the defending Grey Cup Champions. Last year the Lions began the season with a 1-8 start to the season before they had their bye week. After the bye week something seemed to change in BC as the team woke up including the defence. Thanks mainly to the defence the Lions began rattling off victories only losing one more game all season. The emergence of Travis Lulay and Andrew Harris also helped the Lions as the bolted to the top of the standings and finished the season in 1^st place in the west. This earned them the bye where they sat back comfortable in the fact that they would play at home for the rest of the season including the Grey Cup if they could make it. Against Edmonton in the Western Division Finals the Lions were able to dominate and overcome a very rough and chippy game to move on to the 99^th Grey Cup. There was not much of a challenge in the Grey Cup either as they got past the Winnipeg Blue Bombers to win their 6^th Grey Cup Championship. As they moved into the offseason the Lions went through a few changes including a new coach and a number of defensive losses.

The biggest changes for the Lions in 2012 will be the change of their head coach as legendary coach Wally Buono has stepped down to become the General Manager and Mike Benevides has stepped in to lead the team. Benevides is not a completely new face though as he served as a coach on the Lions staff since 2003. This will limit the amount of change to the Lions way of doing things as Benevides will bring some new wrinkles to the team but has learned all he knows from Buono. Benevides will need to work with a depleted defence as he will no long have CFL veteran Brent Johnson, the most feared hitter in the CFL Solomon Elimimian, and CFL All-Star Aaron Hunt. These are three essential parts of the defence that were not addressed in the offseason. A big part of the reason was that they believe that a number of players will step up in the absence of these players including Khalif Mitchell, James Yurichuk, and Keron Williams. Instead of focusing on these holes it was the defensive backfield that was addressed as the Lions picked up Lin-J Shell and Byron Parker form the Toronto Argonauts to help provide some veteran presence in coverage. These were two great moves to make their coverage much more physical this year. On offence the team remains the same as the one that won the Grey Cup last year. Travis Lulay will continue to lead the team along with Arland Bruce III and Geroy Simon who provide a one-two punch in the wings. Geroy Simon will be a big focus for the first week as he is close to 60 yards away from the all time receiving record, one he will break this year and likely break in week 1. At running back there will be a new face as Andrew Harris takes over the starting role after an impressive performance late in the year. On special teams Paul McCallum is back and will be a solid presence for them while the return game will not be as essential thanks to their offence. The Lions have reloaded but their defence has some questions especially in the front end. The biggest challenge for them though is that every team will be out to get them in order to say they beat the champions and if the Lions cannot handle that pressure they will likely not survive. Don’t expect them to miss the playoffs though as they will still be fighting for the top spot all year and may walk away with the title again if other teams plans fail to work out.

Key Addition:

Byron Parker, DB

- Parker is a big physical corner who has been a staple of the Argonauts defensive backfield for years and this year he will bring his 8 years of experience to the Lions who’s defensive backs were the only weak point of a great defence last year.

Key Loss:

Solomon Elimimian, LB

- Voted as the most feared player in the CFL Elimimian took his reputation to the NFL when he signed with the Minnesota Vikings and left a gaping hole in the linebacking corps that will no long have an intimidating force to scare runners away from the middle

One to Watch:

Andrew Harris, RB

- He will enter his first full season as a starter this year after winning the Most Outstanding Canadian of the 99^th Grey Cup but will he be able to handle the role as the starting running back or was his performance just a fluke?

Calgary Stampeders

In 2011 the Calgary Stampeders were a tale of two teams as they struggled to get anything going at the beginning of the season yet still finished strong. The first part of the year in 2011 was a challenging one for the Stamps offence as they seemed to be lost. Under Henry Burris the offence could not repeat their performance of 2010 and struggled to score despite having some top talent in the skilled positions. Despite the lack of offence the Stamps still remained in the fight for the top spot in the West giving them a good opportunity but if they hoped to win it all they needed to improve the offence. So the Stamps looked to make changes in the offence as they tried to get their offence back. The biggest change was that the Stamps decided to go with Drew Tate at quarterback as they sat longtime QB Henry Burris. Under Drew Tate the Stamps finished in third place making the playoffs with a much improved offence. In the semi-finals the Stamps could not get past their longtime rivals in Edmonton as their playoff run was cut short. This year they hope to continue their strong play from the end of the season and avenge the playoff loss as they look to a new leader for their chance.

This year the Stamps made one of the biggest splashes in the offseason as they determined 100% who they were looking to for leadership. Henry Burris made it clear that he would not play back up this year yet that was the path he was on as Drew Tate had been pegged as the starter for 2012. The Stampeders decided to trade their franchise QB to the Hamilton Tiger Cats for Kevin Glenn (QB), Mark Dewit (OL), and a conditional draft pick. Tate will take over and will have plenty of help on offence though as he will have a very deep receiving corps and a veteran presence in the backfield. The receiving corps will be led by Nik Lewis after Ken-Yon Rambo was cut from the team during the last round of training camp cuts. Along with Lewis will be Chris Bauman, Arjei Franklin, Jabari Arthur, Johnny Forzani, Larry Taylor, and Anthony Parker. There are plenty of options for Tate but he will need to get it to them to be effective. Behind Tate will be a familiar face as well with Jon Cornish taking over as full-time running back and will provide a stabilizing force in the offence. On defence the Stamps will be looking to a strengthened linebacking corps to lead the entire team. Juwan Simpson, and Malik Jackson will be joined by Joe Lobendahn to create a solid middle defence that should be the strength of the Stamps. The Stamps did not have any impact player on the line that could put pressure on the quarterback. This year they will get some reinforcements as Corey Mace returns from an injury that kept him out of the lineup all season. Mace along with Kenny Pettway and Charleston Hughes should provide a better presence on the defensive line. If these three cannot get pressure a lot of the workload will fall on Brandon Smith and the defensive backfield but they can only handle so much. The special teams have remained the same as the Stamps will likely go with a two kicker rotation with Rob Maver punting and Rene Paredes placekicking. The Stamps offence looks much more powerful than it did last year as long as Drew Tate can lead them. The biggest question will be on defence as they will need to get more pressure on the QB in order to take the pressure off of the defensive backfield. Overall the Stampeders look to be a good team this year that will make the playoffs but if Tate can’t get the offence going they may struggle even if Kevin Glenn steps in.

Key Addition:

Joe Lobendahn, LB

- The veteran linebacker was a key component of the Swaggerville defence in Winnipeg last year and his addition to the Stampeders will provide a great presence up the middle of the defence and create what could be the best linebacking corps in the lead

Key Loss:

Henry Burris, QB

- He was the face of the franchise for years as he led the Stamps to two Grey Cups in his career and his loss will be a major issue as he was the leader and veteran presence on the team that will leave some big shoes to fill

Who to Watch:

Drew Tate, QB

- He took over for Burris last year but this will mark his first year as the starter from week one and he will need to fill the shoes of one of the best QBs that the Stamps have seen the big question is whether or not he can handle that pressure?

Edmonton Eskimos

The Edmonton Eskimos had a very interesting season last year as they seemed to limp through the entire season. With a new regime in place the Eskies were expecting a rough start to the season. Instead Kavis Reed had his team in sync from the start of the year springing out to a 5-0 start to the season. Then came the 3 game losing streak but Reed would not let his team get down and rallied them for the Labour Day Classic. They moved on to finish the season with an 11-7 record taking the second place spot in the West after missing the playoffs the year before. They moved on to the semi-finals where they took on their longtime provincial rivals in the Calgary Stampeders. They easily got past the Stamps thanks in large part to Jerome Messam’s performance that he continue throughout the season. The moved on to the Western Division finals where they took on the B.C. Lions but their luck ran out as they were easily beaten by the Lions. Their season ended and a great turnaround was limited to the regular season. This year Reed has lost some key pieces of his offence but he will try to move on and continue to lead the Eskies to the top of the division.

The offseason for the Eskies was a big one as Edmonton was one half of the biggest deal of the season. This deal was the trade of the face of the franchise and franchise QB, Ricky Ray to the Toronto Argonauts. In exchange the Eskimos received Stephen Jyles (QB), Grant Shaw (K) and Toronto’s 1^st round draft pick in 2012. Ricky Ray was never the most popular quarterback in Edmonton as he had a long battle with Jason Maas for the starting job where many fans were cheering for Maas. Now the Eskimos are left without their QB who won them two Grey Cup Championships. In his place will be Stephen Jyles who struggled with injuries last year in Toronto and then struggled to find a rhythm with the team. This year he has a full camp and will be a starter from the first week meaning he will have a better opportunity to mesh with his wide receivers. He will have a mix of receivers some with experience and others with none, making the receiving corps a work in progress. The leader of the receivers will be the two slot-backs as Fred Stamps and Adarius Bowman will need to act as mentors to a host of young receivers. The highlights of the young receiving corps could be the last two draft picks as Nate Coehoorn and Shamawd Chambers who will play alongside Cary Koch and Greg Carr giving Jyles a young but untested group to through to. The Eskies also lost reigning Outstanding Canadian Jerome Messam, RB who moved to the NFL and is recovering from a knee injury. On defence the Eskimos do not really have any standout players as they did not add any big play names. Other than JC Sherritt, who could be a great defensive leader, the Eskimos seem to be a team first defence that have few individuals but are good as a team. On special teams the Eskies have many options for kickers with Grant Shaw, Derek Schiavone, and punter Burke Dales. The Eskimos have lost a lot this year and most of it was on their offence making them a big question mark. The Eskimos defence is not a strength either as they have no game changers on the defensive side of the ball. It looks to be a tough year for the Eskimos who will struggle to find a rhythm on offence and do not have the defence to make up for it. They will likely fight for a playoff spot at the end of the year and could be out of playoff contention unless their offence can click.

Key Addition:

Greg Carr, WR

- He is not the experienced receiver they need but Carr’s big body and solid frame has already played dividends in the CFL and his addition to the Eskimos receiving corps and could become a favorite target of Stephen Jyles

Key Loss:

Ricky Ray, QB

- The franchise was tethered to Ray and his two Grey Cup Championships and with his trade the Eskimos are without a proven CFL QB who has shown his ability to adjust and lead a team which will be missed in Edmonton

Who to Watch:

Stephen Jyles, QB

- Jyles has been in the league 6 years and has had one great year in 2010 when he was part of the Winnipeg Blue Bombers and last year he struggled with the Toronto Argonauts but this year he will be the key to the Eskimos offence and their playoff hopes

Saskatchewan Roughriders

The Roughriders began last season with some big hopes as they were coming off of two straight seasons where they went to the Grey Cup. Still they had lost both years and were not the best team in 2010 yet still made it to the Grey Cup. The 2011 season was a season where many expected the Riders to get back into the playoffs. Instead the Riders seemed completely lost as they came out to a 1-7 record. The season was a giant disappointment for the Riders as they couldn’t seem to get anything right all season. The season started off on a bad note as Andy Fantuz went to the NFL leaving the team without a big receiving threat. In his place would be Chris Getzlaf who did his best to fill the void but could not be the new Fantuz. On defence the team broke down completely as they were unable to stop anything. The cost was a head coach and a playoff spot as the Riders went from the top of the West to the bottom. The entire season was a wash as the Riders seemed to be out of it from the start and when the season ended that’s where then ended up. This year they will look to recover from the disappointing season last year and they will do so with a slightly reloaded roster.

The Riders this year will be under yet another new head coach after Greg Marshall was fired last year and Ken Miller finally stepped away from Football. So they go into this season with Corey Chamblin, former Hamilton Tiger-Cats defensive Coordinator, leading the way. He will try to recover the Riders back to the team they were two years ago. Darian Durant was not the same person as he used to be when Andy Fantuz was on the team. He will need to work out the chemistry between him and his wide receivers including Chris Getzlaf, Weston Dressler, and Rob Bagg if they hope to have a chance. Durant will have more time to gain that comfort level as they will have a revamped offensive line. The line is where the Riders made their most moves as they were able to land two of the best free agents in the CFL in Brendon LaBatte and Dominic Picard. These two signings plus the top draft pick in Ben Heenan create a brand new and very skilled line that will provide Durant with more than enough protection. At running back they will have to move on form a Rider staple in Wes Cates who was not resigned by the team as Brandon West takes over. On the defence the Riders made a number of changes to improve a very weak defensive effort last year. Their biggest addition is O’Dell Willis, the former “Mayor of Swaggerville” in Winnipeg. Willis is a solid defensive lineman who reached 13 sacks last season to tie for the lead in the CFL. They will need all the help they can get up front as they lost three linebackers last year with Jerrell Freeman signing in the NFL and Barrin Simpson and Sean Lucas retiring. In their place will be Shomari Williams, Abraham Kromah, and Tyron Brackenridge. All three linebackers will get their first chance to shine this year as they look to replace some great linebackers. On special teams Chris Milo will be the main kicker all season as a dependable leg for the team. It is clear that the Riders made some small improvements to look at their biggest holes and on offence it could all pay off but the question will be whether or not the linebacking corps can hold up. It is a big question but the Riders will be rebuilding the right way and it may take some time to get back to the old form. Still with some uncertainty in the West the Riders will be battling for a playoff spot and could take it unless the East can beat them.

Key Addition:

O’Dell Willis, DE

- his off the field issues are the reason he left Winnipeg but the Riders will take what they can get as Willis is a great pass rusher who totaled 13 sacks last year to tie him for the lead in the CFL as he looks to bring those 13 sacks to Saskatchewan

Key Loss:

Andy Fantuz, WR

- Fantuz did not play much last year after signing with the Chicago Bears and then suffering an ankle injury that kept him out of the season but it is clear he is one of the best receivers in the game and the Riders will miss him

Who to Watch:

Brandon West, RB

- Taking over for the durable fan favorite Wes Cates will not be an easy job for West but this is what he will be up against as he takes over the starting role full time and will try to be a go to guy on the offence this year

Prediction:

1. *B.C. Lions

2. *Calgary Stampeders

3. Saskatchewan Roughriders

4. Edmonton Eskimos

*playoff berth

The CFL season came down to the wire again but this time it was a little different as teams played for position not a playoff berth. Both conferences had found out their playoff teams a while ago but they were all still trying to find out who would be first. In the East the usually strong Montreal Alouettes had a challenge to their crown for the first time in years. The Winnipeg Blue Bombers were the worst team last year but turned it completely around this year. In a surprising season the Bombers rode their strong defence, known as Swaggerville, to the top of the Eastern Conference. With their series win against the Als the Bombers had the tiebreaker and they only needed two wins at the end of the season or to simply keep up with the Alouettes. The last week of the season saw Winnipeg take their chance to clinch as if they had won they would clinch the East but if they lost and Montreal won they would be forced into a semi-final game. The West was even more insane with all three teams making the playoffs eligible to clinch the conference crown. The B.C. Lions made their run late in the season with a late season push that some them lose one game from the Labour Day Weekend to the last week. Meanwhile Edmonton had fallen from their great start and Calgary had a disappointing season that saw former MOP Henry Burris lose his starting job. The west was a bit more complicated for this week as there were many different scenarios that could play out. The basic one was that B.C. wins and they earn the top spot no matter what else happened. Meanwhile if Edmonton won they would earn a home playoff game and hope for BC to lose in order to gain the top spot in the West. The Stamps would need to win and then hope that Edmonton losses to earn a home playoff game and hope that BC lost to get the top spot. With all of these possibilities in mind the last week of the regular season was an extremely important week.

Eskies squeak into Home Field

EDM 23 – 20 SSK

The Edmonton Eskimos have had a very up and down season as they marched into the playoffs mainly due to the lack of competition from the Riders and Argonauts. The Eskimos finished last year in last place but began this year the opposite as they came out fast to a 5-0 start. The Saskatchewan Roughriders did the opposite as they had a great season that saw them make the Grey Cup last year but this year have struggled to put together a significant winning streak. With both teams at the opposite ends of the Western Conference there was a lot to play for with both teams playing for something different. If the Eskimos won they would be able to play a home game in the playoffs and have a chance at the first place spot in the West that is if the B.C. Lions would lose. The Roughriders were playing for respect more than anything and to play spoilers in the race. The game started slowly with both defences imposing their wills in the first quarter but it would not last. Early in the second quarter the Riders got on the board with a TD pass from Ryan Dinwiddie (12/24, 193, 2 TD, 1 INT) to Chris Getzlaf (7 rec, 131 yds, 2 TD). The Eskimos wasted no time in answering the TD as almost a minute later Ricky Ray (22/32, 305 yds, 2 TD, 1 INT) threw a long TD pass to Adarius Bowman (10 rec, 226 yds, 2 TD). The Eskimos continued to role with that pairing as they marched down the field for another TD. At the half the score was 14-7 for the Eskimos who seemed to be winning the defensive battle for the game. The third quarter garnered only two field goals as the defences stood up again for both teams. The 4^th quarter started with both defences continuing to dominate as the Eskimos managed another Field Goal to make the score 20-10. The Riders started a comeback behind the arm of Dinwiddie tying the game at 20 with three minutes left. With little time left Ray guided the Eskies downfield as they looked to win the game. With 46 seconds left the Eskies kicked a field goal to put them ahead 23-20. The Riders had the chance to get back with 30 seconds left as they started to return a kickoff. The kickoff was then fumbled giving the ball back to the Eskimos who kneeled down and won the game. The Riders season finished at that as they look towards life without Ken Miller and try to recover from a very disappointing season. The Eskimos took the win and earned a home field advantage in the playoffs as they waited for the result of the B.C. and Montreal Game.

Leos Manage Their Destiny

BC 43 – 1 MTL

The B.C. Lions have been the hottest team in the CFL as they played terrible to start the season and then went on to win 9 of their last 10 games. Their late season push vaulted them into the conversation for first place in the Western Conference and entering the last week their fate was in their own hands. If B.C. could win against the defending Grey Cup champions they would ensure the first place spot in the West. Meanwhile Montreal had been challenged all year by the Winnipeg Blue Bombers as they continued to fight for first place in the East. With the Bombers losing earlier in the day the Alouettes had their fate in their own hands as well as if they won they would overtake the Bombers for first place. With so much on the line both teams were looking to come out strong but it did not work out that way. The defending champs seemed lost on the field against the Lions. From the start the Lions offence overpowered the Als defence behind the arm of Travis Lulay (19/30, 280 yds, 4 TD, 1 INT). Lulay’s favorite target was Andrew Harris (5 rec, 74 yds, 3 TD) who came out of the backfield multiple times and scored with ease against the Alouette defence. Lulay continued to role until the fourth quarter when he left the game with what the Lions claimed was a Charlie Horse. Meanwhile the Alouettes could not get anything going all game as nothing went right in any aspect of their game. The Als seemed to get nothing even when they kicked as they had a field goal blocked. The Lions cruised to a 43-1 win as the Lions dominated the defending Champs who limped into the playoffs. With the win the Lions earned the first place spot in the Western Conference. This also meant that the Calgary Stampeders would take on the Edmonton Eskimos in Edmonton. The loss by Montreal meant that Montreal would take on Hamilton in Montreal for the semi-finals while the Winnipeg Blue Bombers would take their bye week and await the winner.

Other Scores:

TOR 33 – 16 HAM

CGY 30 – 24 WPG

POW Awards

Adarius Bowman, WR (Offensive POW)

10 rec

226 yds

22.6 avg

2 TD

Juwan Simpson, LB (Defensive POW)

10 tkl

0 sck

0 INT

0 FF

Paul McCallum, K (Special Teams POW)

5/5 FG

4/4 XP

19 pts

Andre Durie, WR/RB (Canadian POW)

8 rec

144 yds

2 TD

Final Standings:

Western Conference:

1. y-B.C. Lions (11-7)

2. x-Edmonton Eskimos (11-7)

3. x-Calgary Stampeders (11-7)

4. Saskatchewan Roughriders  (5-13)

Eastern Conference:

1. y-Winnipeg Blue Bombers (10-8)

2. x-Montreal Alouettes (10-8)

3. x-Hamilton Tiger Cats (8-10)

4. Toronto Argonauts (6-12)

Next Week (Semi-Finals):

Hamilton Tiger Cats vs. Montreal Alouettes (November 13^th; 1:00 pm)

Calgary Stampeders vs. Edmonton Eskimos (November 13^th; 4:30 pm)

CALGARY — The short-term future for the Calgary Stampeders looks a wee bit better.

As for the long-term future? Awfully, awfully promising.

Drew Tate’s first starting assignment at quarterback was maybe not a thing of beauty, but the cool Texan did enough to guide the Stampeders to a 25-13 win over the Saskatchewan Roughriders before a crowd of 29,698 at McMahon Stadium.

That was good news in and of itself. The fact that it happened in a game the Stamps truly needed to win was icing on the cake.

Friday’s victory accomplished the following:

• Snapped a two-game losing streak;

• Kept the 9-7 Stamps alive in their bid to host a playoff game next month;

• And was a badly needed boost of confidence.

Tate played a significant role in that; he looked anything but rattled early on under the circumstances of trying to right the ship for a struggling football team, of replacing the CFL’s reigning most outstanding player Henry Burris, and doing it against the team that abandoned him three years ago after keeping him on the practice roster for the 2008 season.

Tate’s first half set the tone; he was 16-for-20 (including two passes that bounced in and out of the hands of Romby Bryant and Johnny Forzani) for 213 yards and a touchdown, connecting with nine different receivers. Burris, for the record, hadn’t gone over 200 yards in passing for the past five weeks.

And Tate’s touchdown pass was a thing of beauty. He escaped the grasp of Riders defensive end Kenny Rowe, and had the presence of mind to quickly get his bearings and fire a 13-yard bullet to Landan Talley with 4:30 left in the second quarter, giving Calgary a 14-10 lead.

Tate’s debut didn’t get off to a great start, through no fault of his own. His second attempt was caught by Bryant, but the Calgary receiver fumbled the ball, giving the Riders an early jolt.

On the Stamps’ next drive, Rene Paredes was wide right on his 39-yard attempted field goal.

But on their third drive, Tate’s 26-yard hookup to Johnny Forzani got the Stamps inside the five, and Bryant got in for the touchdown on an end-around.

The Riders (4-12)snapped their touchdown drought at a franchise record 286 minutes and 22 seconds when Darian Durant plunged in from six yards in the second quarter.

But all too typical of this disastrous Rider season, they shoot themselves in the foot just before halftime. The Stamps had seemingly fallen short in a late drive to get into field-goal position as time ran out, but former Stamp Tearrius George took an unnecessary roughness flag for hitting Tate late, giving the Stamps the ball at the Saskatchewan 30, and Paredes connected on his 37-yard attempt to put Calgary up 17-10 at halftime.

The Riders cut into that lead on Chris Milo’s 32-yard field goal early in the third quarter, and seemed to grab some more momentum when Nick Graham picked off Tate — the first interception of Tate’s pro career — but four plays later, Stamps defensive end Charleston Hughes returned the favour, snatching a Durant pass out of the air and rumbling 67 yards downfield to the Saskatchewan four. Jon Cornish finished it off with a touchdown rush.

The Riders turned it over again on their next drive when a Demetrice Morley, on a safety blitz, hammered Durant, jarring the ball loose and into the arms of Stamps linebacker Juwan Simpson. That hit ended Durant’s evening — one that should have never started, based on the angry comments from Rider fans via Twitter after the hit.

Tate would throw a second interception in the fourth quarter, with Mike McCullough doing the honours, but the Riders turned it over on downs after stalling at the Calgary 11-yard line.

The Stamps make their annual visit to Quebec next week when they take on the Montreal Alouettes. The Riders will host the Hamilton Tiger-Cats.

Calgary Herald

Linebacker Juwan Simpson, the reigning West Division defensive player of the year, will still be a starter on Friday night against the Saskatchewan Roughriders, but it won’t be at his accustomed spot in the middle; instead, he’ll be shifted to the weak-side linebacker spot formerly occupied by Malik Jackson, and for the past couple of games by Daren Stone, and Robert McCune will take his place in the middle.

Officially, it’s a good reason to get McCune on the field, and it’s a chance to give the defence a bit of a different look. But the fact of the matter, is that Simpson has struggled badly this year with consistency and his speed, thanks to a nagging knee injury, and he’ll be the first to tell you that it simply hasn’t come as easily this year as it did last season.

The Stamps’ linebacking in general was not great in Toronto, and it’s a big reason why Cory Boyd was able to run wild at the Rogers Centre. So there will be three different starters as a result: McCune in the middle, Simpson on the weak side and Brandon Isaac should be back at his strong-side position after missing two games with a leg injury. As well, the Stamps will give rookie linebacker Sean Ware his first shot, and he will be a situational player Friday against the Riders.

Meanwhile, Wednesday will be decision day on the status of slotback Ken-Yon Rambo. He’s missed the past two games with that Achilles problem that’s plagued him all year. He shared first-team reps with Landan Talley on Tuesday, and he’ll be assessed on Wednesday to see if he’s good to go on Friday.

And some good news on Tuesday, as Jon Cornish was named the CFL’s Canadian Player of the Week after his stellar evening in Toronto, which will spark an interesting debate for the next month or so: Cornish or Jerome Messam of the Eskimos as the West Division nominee for Outstanding Canadian? My vote is for Cornish, who, by the way, went through a full practice on Tuesday after sitting out Monday to rest a tweaked hammy.

CALGARY — Talent? An abundance of it, as much as anyone in the Canadian Football League.

Experience? The core group on offence has been together, in some cases, for six and a half years.

A winning environment? Just one CFL team has more wins over the past three-plus seasons.

Take all that into account and the Calgary Stampeders should be world-beaters this season. Instead, going into Saturday’s game against the Saskatchewan Roughriders, they are the league’s biggest enigma, a team that has been, in equal measure, entertaining and confounding this year.

And good luck trying to explain why.

“That’s an answer, I think, that everybody wants to know,” nodded middle linebacker Juwan Simpson on Friday, after his team’s walk-through practice. “And I don’t know. Everybody’s looked at themselves. Look at the roster — maybe I’m biased, but I definitely feel like we have what it takes to get the job done week in and week out.

“And regardless of what’s happened in the past, I still feel the same way. We still haven’t clicked as a team. We still haven’t played four quarters of football as a team. And there’s a positive side, because it’s going to happen. It’s going to happen.”

And there’s no better time for it to happen than Saturday against a Riders team that had won three straight before getting hammered 42-5 by the visiting B.C. Lions last week.

For all of the Stamps’ issues, they still boast a 7-5 record, tied for tops in the West Division, and a win Saturday would not only clinch the season series with the 4-8 Riders, it would also build up some breathing room on a traditional nemesis and make their playoff mountain a little higher to climb.

“This is as an opportunity to bury the Roughriders,” said Stamps quarterback Henry Burris. “If we get this win it puts them in a very tough position to catch us … And we have those kind of stakes; you want to put it to them and do what you can to get our mojo back. We know they are coming in with the same mentality. We want to do what they did to us in the West final, which was bury us at home.”

All noble goals, of course, but the Stamps have issues to take care of in order to accomplish them. For instance, they, like the Riders, are still stinging after an embarrassing loss: last week’s 55-36 debacle against Hamilton in Touchdown Atlantic.

While that loss was particularly galling, it once again exposed the same shortcomings that have caused, in large part, the Stamps to lose three of their past four games. They haven’t protected the football, committing 12 turnovers in that four-game stretch, and they’ve taken too many penalties.

In short, suggested Stamps coach and GM John Hufnagel, this team’s failings aren’t due, necessarily, to a scarcity of talent.

“I believe that the amount of turnovers we have and the undisciplined play have led to the reasons why we haven’t won, and in both of those categories, I believe it’s a mental thing,” gently lectured Hufnagel. “Every game is a mental battle. Your message from the first day of training camp is to win football games (and) you have to be mentally prepared and physically prepared. If you’re shy on either one, your chances of winning that game aren’t very good. If you have both? It improves your chances of winning, but it doesn’t guarantee a win.

“But I like our chances when our team is mentally and physically prepared.”

Saturday’s game begins a stretch that will see the Stamps play Saskatchewan twice on home turf in the next four weeks, with back-to-back road games to B.C. and Toronto in the middle — four teams that sit below the Stamps in the standings and teams they traditionally feasted on when they were playing with their typical confidence.

“Sometimes I think we forget that,” said running back Jon Cornish. “It’s something we need to understand — we need to come out in every game excited, with that swagger, and play like the Calgary Stampeders. For whatever reason, we haven’t had as much (swagger) as we’ve needed to. I wouldn’t say we’re a cocky team, but we’re a confident team, and when we don’t play confidently we’re not as successful.

“So that’s the No. 1 thing (Saturday), to come out with that wind at our backs, come out wanting to beat up on some Roughriders.”

Calgary Herald

Bombers slotback Terence Jeffers-Harris, who has had trouble holding onto passes this season, had five catches for 107 yards and two touchdowns in Saturday’s win in Toronto. “I still didn’t play half as well as I know I could,” he told the Winnipeg Free Press this week. The performance helped the Winnipeg offence break out of a slump. The Bombers should be able to build on the effort on Thursday against the Lions, who rank near the bottom of many defensive statistical categories including average gain allowed per pass (9.6). Both offences have struggled this season as the Lions and Bombers lead the league in punts (30). Pick: Bombers

MONTREAL AT HAMILTON
Friday, 6:30 p.m. ET

Alouettes safety Etienne Boulay (concussion) will miss the game. He will be replaced by Jeff Hecht or Tad Crawford. Receiver Kerry Watkins, who underwent off-season sinus surgery and missed the first four weeks of the season, will make his 2011 debut. Left tackle Josh Bourke (knee) will also return bolstering an offensive line that has allowed the fewest sacks (three) this season. Hamilton’s defence has recorded the second-most sacks in the CFL with nine. Linebacker Jamall Johnson leads the team in quarterback takedowns with three. He also leads the league in tackles with 26. Montreal has not lost consecutive regular season games since October of 2008. Pick: Alouettes

TORONTO AT EDMONTON
Friday, 9:30 p.m. ET

No team has controlled the ball as much as the Eskimos, who lead the league in time of possession per game (33:36). The Argos are last in that category (24:39). Toronto will likely be without halfback Evan McCollough (hamstring) and linebacker Anthony Cannon (groin, quad). Dee Webb will plug the hole in the secondary while veteran Kevin Eiben will reclaim his starting outside linebacker spot. The Eskimos have also been bitten by the injury bug as receiver Adarius Bowman (ribs) is out and will be replaced by Ray Fisher. Edmonton quarterback Ricky Ray has thrown just one interception this season while the Argos defence has picked off just three passes through four games. Pick: Eskimos

CALGARY AT SASKATCHEWAN
Saturday, 9:30 p.m. ET

Defensive lineman Robert McCune will replace the injured Juwan Simpson (knee) as Calgary’s middle linebacker. McCune is not unfamiliar with the position having played it during college. “He’s played it before and he’s played it well,” head coach and general manager John Hufnagel told the Calgary Herald. “I don’t foresee any problems.” The Roughriders need to get more from their return game. Saskatchewan is last in the CFL with only 59 punt-return yards. Calgary is second with 217, which should allow the Stampeders to control the field-position battle. Saskatchewan has not lost three straight home games in a season since 2001. Pick: Roughriders

Last week: 1-3 | Season: 7-9

• Email: mmasters@nationalpost.com | Twitter: @markhmasters

CALGARY — All through the pre-season, the Calgary Stampeders insisted they would be able to fill the void left by the off-season departures of all-star cornerbacks Brandon Browner and Dwight Anderson.

Friday night, we find out if they can back up that claim.

The Stamps raise the curtain on their 2011 Canadian Football League season against the Toronto Argonauts at McMahon Stadium on Friday, hoping to silence any lingering doubts the departures of Anderson (to Montreal) and Browner (to Seattle) created.

And if they’re to do that, it’ll be up to veterans such as halfbacks Brandon Smith and Keon Raymond, along with fellow four-year veteran safety Milt Collins, to lead the way.

“People say we lost two all-star corners,” said Raymond. “But I tell people that with Smitty and I playing halfback, look, we gained two all-star halfbacks. I think we’ll be able to step up this year.

“I think the biggest thing for us is to just come out and play football. I’ve been playing football since I was six — all these guys grew up playing football. And we can’t change what we do. Remember, there was a four-way tie in interceptions before the last week of the regular season last year (Smith, Raymond, Browner and Anderson all had four; Anderson and Browner each had a pick in the last game). We just have to step up and play ball and do what we do.”

Taking over for Anderson and Browner will be veteran newcomers Greg Fassitt and Geoff Tisdale, and while both are physically capable players, the Stamps also had to fill the leadership void left by Browner, a defensive captain last year, and Anderson.

And while the leadership role would seem to land by default on the shoulders of the remaining veterans, Smith, for one, says there’s no added pressure on him.

“We had two outspoken guys last year, but Keon and I did a lot behind the scenes,” said Smith. “We don’t need the attention, we don’t need the flash, we don’t need any of that. We just go out and do our jobs. We don’t need to be out there doing a whole bunch of raving or hooping and hollering. We lead by example. We make sure everyone in the secondary knows their assignments, knows their alignment, and just go out and keep everybody motivated to play hard.”

Defensive co-ordinator Chris Jones mixed and matched defensive backs throughout training camp, looking for an ideal alignment; the only constant was the former Ticat, Tisdale, at Browner’s old spot on the short side of the field, while Fassitt basically won Anderson’s old job with his performance last week in Edmonton.

In the end, suggested Jones, the foundation left behind by Anderson and Browner was strong enough to withstand their loss.

“When they were here, we won games without both of them,” he said. “So it’s not like we won games because of those two guys. We have a core group of defensive people that all lean on each other. No one person is above anybody else.

“And we have enough people who talk and communicate,” added Jones with a laugh. “(Defensive captains DeVone) Claybrooks and (Juwan) Simpson, my goodness, they talk enough for anybody.”

Stamps coach and general manager John Hufnagel said Friday that losing players in the off-season is just a fact of life, but losing two all-star cornerbacks was a bit more of a challenge to overcome.

But there are those who suggest the situation was more media hype than anything.

“Oh, yeah. Definitely,” nodded Smith. “But they were a big part of this team, so I came in this year knowing it was going to happen. But it doesn’t bother me too much.

“I really don’t buy into the hype on losing those guys. I understand where the media is coming from because we lost those two guys. But they’re gone. It’s the fact. In football, we move on. We wish them the best, but we still have a job to do out here.

Added Raymond: “We still have guys who can play, too, and can step up and fill that void. And I can definitely take a hold of the 10 interceptions left behind by Dwight and B.B.”