Courtesy TSN:

CALGARY - The Calgary Stampeders fired assistant head coach and defensive co-ordinator Denny Creehan on Monday.

Creehan joined the Stampeders prior to the 2004 season as part of then head coach Matt Dunigan’s staff. He was retained in 2005 when Tom Higgins was hired as the club’s head coach.

Calgary (6-6-1) is third in the West Division standings but lost a 42-9 decision to the B.C. Lions on Saturday.

The Stampeders came into the 2007 season with plenty of young new faces on their defence. But the unit has struggled to come together as the year has gone on.

Calgary’s defence leads the CFL in points allowed, giving up an average of 29 points per game. That’s up over eight points a game from last season.

With quarterback Henry Burris sidelined with a shoulder injury, the Stampeders desperately need their defence to tighten up and hold the opposition in check while the offence tries to make due without its leader.

Last season, Calgary’s pass defence was the worst in the CFL, giving up 277 yards per game. The Stampeders had improved marginally in that area, moving up to sixth this year (274 yards per game).