Courtesy Calgary Herald:

Ben Sankey isn’t sure if he’s done enough to land a quarterbacking job with the Calgary Stampeders, but he feels he’s done the best he can to impress first-year head coach John Hufnagel.

The 30-year-old from Chicago, who’s been in and out of the Canadian Football League since he first signed with the Stamps in July of 2000, is pitting his pinch-hit experiences against the raw, promising talent of young Barrick Nealy for the No. 3 assignment behind veterans Henry Burris and Dave Dickenson.

It is probably the highest-profile battle and both men, along with several others, will know their fates by 1 p.m. today when the club must reduce its head count to 53 players (46 active roster, seven practice roster).

“Have I done enough to be a part of the team? You never know,” said Sankey.

“You just put your best foot forward . . . obviously I make some mistakes, but I never felt like I couldn’t get something done.”

Less than 18 hours after a 39-35 loss to B.C. to complete their pre-season schedule, Hufnagel wasn’t tipping his hand after putting his troops through a brief rundown Friday at McMahon Stadium.

“I don’t think (Thursday’s game) made the decisions any easier, but obviously it gave us a bit more film to evaluate, so hopefully we have a little more confidence in the decisions we make,” he said.

The coach, when asked to single out some individuals who caught his eye, mentioned Nealy right off the bat.

“Again he did a nice job of moving the ball and moving it into the end zone.

“He’s a great athlete and obviously his athleticism shows,” said Hufnagel, a premier QB with the Stamps in his playing days in the CFL.

Read More….