Courtesy Rod Pedersens blog:

Somewhere over the past couple of days, a blog-reader asked for an update on injured Rider wide receiver Matt Dominguez. Here’s the update from Riders head therapist Ivan Gutfriend..

“That’s interesting you’d ask that because I went to one of the hot tub places to get some supplies for the hot tub and the owner asked me about Matt because he’d heard he was out catching balls and stuff like that. I says, ‘yeah he has, he tried it’ but Matt came to realize that his knee is not the same. Yes, he did catch a few balls but Matt Dominguez does not feel that he can do it. He pushed it last time and hurt it more and the facts are there that he has a problem in his knee and he’s not ready to play. And it looks like he won’t be playing in the foreseeable future. I know fans are excited to get him back, but the reality is he has a knee problem.”

Copeland Hurt in Practice

Courtesy The Calgary Herald

Another weapon went missing from the Stampeders’ offensive arsenal on Wednesday afternoon, but coach Tom Higgins hopes the absence will be only temporary.

Slotback Jeremaine Copeland, second on the team in receptions and receiving yardage, left practice on Wednesday and didn’t return after twisting his back while making a catch.

“It’s OK,” insisted Copeland, who described the injury as a pinched nerve. “I just turned the wrong way, it tightened up and Patty (Stamps athletic therapist Pat Clayton) didn’t want me to go any more. I’ll be all right; I’ll be back out there (today).”

That’s good news, considering the Stamps are breaking in a new starting quarterback. Akili Smith will start for the Stamps Saturday night in Vancouver against the B.C. Lions in the absence of the injured Henry Burris.

“To miss a practice, that’s fine, and Pat Clayton doesn’t feel it’s anything serious,” said Stamps coach Tom Higgins. “And other people getting reps is not necessarily a bad thing. But I’ll be very concerned if he doesn’t practise (today). We’d like to get (Akili Smith) as many reps as possible with the people who are going to be there.”