Stampeders defensive back Jeff Hecht gives a flex for the camera during a Stamps walk-through practice on Thursday. Friday’s game versus the Saskatchewan Roughriders will be a heavyweight encounter.
Photograph by: Ted Rhodes , Calgary Herald
During
the dog days of summer in the Canadian Football League, some games in
August have little meaning to the season standings and even less
implications on what happens in November come Grey Cup week.
But Friday night’s clash — the Calgary Stampeders (4-1) versus the undefeated Saskatchewan Roughriders (5-0) at McMahon Stadium — is not one of those games.
“As far as wins and losses are concerned, you’re playing a game where you’re in the business of winning,” Stampeders’ starting quarterback Kevin Glenn was saying Thursday, as the team completed last minute preparations for the upcoming invasion of the Green Army. “I don’t think it matters what the other teams wins and losses record. You just want to go out and win. It will be a good spoiler. To come into our house with an undefeated team in front of our home crowd and give them a loss. But most importantly, we need to get better as a football team and get another win under our belt. It’ll push us closer to them in the standings and help us with the head-to-head battle.
“Once it gets late in the season, those wins early in the season help.”
For both outfits, fresh off their bye week breaks, whatever happens in Week 7 is sure to go down as one of those defining games of the 2013 campaigns as the test and implications are big on both ends.
For the Roughriders, it could be their first loss of the CFL season, a blip in a year they’re hosting the 101st Grey Cup in their own backyard and extend their regular season losing streak at McMahon Stadium to 1,470 days. Or it could vault them even higher and stitch them closer together.
For the Stampeders, a victory would be continuing proof of their depth and response as a team to adversity (and injury). A loss could be a cause for concern and an entirely different game plan against a team that has handed two of two losses so far in 2013.
Whatever the outcome, purchase tickets if you haven’t already, set the PVR for TSN at 7 p.m. Mountain Time, or switch your satellite radio to QR77 instead — and enjoy.
“If I was on another team and this game was coming on, I’d be tuned in to watch this game,” Glenn said. “I would have to tell the wife and kids, ‘Daddy’s watching football tonight because the Riders and the Stamps are playing.’ I mean, this is what professional is about. You’ve got two teams, fighting in the standings. One team is undefeated. We have one loss, to this team. It’s played up very well. For writers, for media, for fans in general.
“We want to go out and give a good outing for the fans and for everybody else.”
Keon Raymond agrees.
“Oh, most definitely,” said the Stampeders linebacker, who is itching to play the Riders, having been injured during the Week 2 meeting of the teams. “I’m telling you. Any fan out there, if you love football, if you love competitiveness, a fight, this is the game you want to watch. This is the game you want to be at. This is a game you’re going to enjoy. Because, both teams, I think we’re going to give everybody a show. Everybody sees this as just a football game.
“But we’re in the business of entertaining. I think we’ll definitely give the fans and everybody watching this game a show.”But Friday night’s clash — the Calgary Stampeders (4-1) versus the undefeated Saskatchewan Roughriders (5-0) at McMahon Stadium — is not one of those games.
“As far as wins and losses are concerned, you’re playing a game where you’re in the business of winning,” Stampeders’ starting quarterback Kevin Glenn was saying Thursday, as the team completed last minute preparations for the upcoming invasion of the Green Army. “I don’t think it matters what the other teams wins and losses record. You just want to go out and win. It will be a good spoiler. To come into our house with an undefeated team in front of our home crowd and give them a loss. But most importantly, we need to get better as a football team and get another win under our belt. It’ll push us closer to them in the standings and help us with the head-to-head battle.
“Once it gets late in the season, those wins early in the season help.”
For both outfits, fresh off their bye week breaks, whatever happens in Week 7 is sure to go down as one of those defining games of the 2013 campaigns as the test and implications are big on both ends.
For the Roughriders, it could be their first loss of the CFL season, a blip in a year they’re hosting the 101st Grey Cup in their own backyard and extend their regular season losing streak at McMahon Stadium to 1,470 days. Or it could vault them even higher and stitch them closer together.
For the Stampeders, a victory would be continuing proof of their depth and response as a team to adversity (and injury). A loss could be a cause for concern and an entirely different game plan against a team that has handed two of two losses so far in 2013.
Whatever the outcome, purchase tickets if you haven’t already, set the PVR for TSN at 7 p.m. Mountain Time, or switch your satellite radio to QR77 instead — and enjoy.
“If I was on another team and this game was coming on, I’d be tuned in to watch this game,” Glenn said. “I would have to tell the wife and kids, ‘Daddy’s watching football tonight because the Riders and the Stamps are playing.’ I mean, this is what professional is about. You’ve got two teams, fighting in the standings. One team is undefeated. We have one loss, to this team. It’s played up very well. For writers, for media, for fans in general.
“We want to go out and give a good outing for the fans and for everybody else.”
Keon Raymond agrees.
“Oh, most definitely,” said the Stampeders linebacker, who is itching to play the Riders, having been injured during the Week 2 meeting of the teams. “I’m telling you. Any fan out there, if you love football, if you love competitiveness, a fight, this is the game you want to watch. This is the game you want to be at. This is a game you’re going to enjoy. Because, both teams, I think we’re going to give everybody a show. Everybody sees this as just a football game.
Raymond, having long been back in the lineup, is set to be joined be defensive end Charleston Hughes who is back in the lineup after missing playing time with a wrist injury and is key to stopping Saskatchewan’s potent and well-rounded attack.
He, for one, can’t wait to get a crack at shutting down the league’s hottest running back, Kory Sheets, who is a large part of the reason the Riders have been able to average a league-high 417.2 yards per game.
Sheets, alone, has had five straight 100-yard performances — a streak which Hughes could see ending Friday.
“I don’t think he’s going to be able to rush over 100 yards against us,” said Hughes who has registered 12 tackles, four sacks, and a forced fumble in three starts this season. “It’s going to feel good hitting him. I don’t think he’s been hit yet this year, so he needs to get hit . . . he needs to get hit for sure. I don’t think he can take a hit.”
Along with trying to flatten Sheets, the Calgary defence are also going to be interested in forcing turnovers — something which the Roughriders haven’t done on offence this year (as they remain plus-14 in giveaways/takeaways). To date, Saskatchewan has only committed one turnover on a kickoff return against the Toronto Argonauts.
It’s almost an eerily similar situation to 2012 when the Roughriders arrived at McMahon Stadium early in the season with a perfect 3-0 record and no turnovers.
Somehow, the Stampeders managed a stunning 41-38 overtime win after being down by 17 with six minutes left to play and the victory lifted them to 2-2. En route to the late comeback, they forced Saskatchewan quarterback Darian Durant to throw a turnover.
Calgary head coach and general manager John Hufnagel hadn’t forgotten.
“They had a very similar type of record,” he said Thursday. “Fortunately, we were in the right place at the right time and Malik Jackson came up with a big interception which gave us momentum to allow us to come back and win that football game.
“But (in 2013), they’re doing an outstanding job protecting the football with their ball security. You just play hard and hopefully you can force the other team to make a mistake or two.”
