Jul
Stamps preparing for double trouble
Courtesy Calgary Herald:
Short of spending time at a dude ranch, the Calgary Stampeders would be hard-pressed to find a finer herd of thoroughbreds.
These have two legs, wear black, orange and white, and have been a thorn in the side of many a defence in the Canadian Football League. They’re also known as the B.C. Lions’ receiving unit.
“They pose a huge problem for a defence . . . and for our defence,’’ conceded Stamps’ head coach and GM John Hufnagel, whose club prepared for the final time at home for its contest at B.C. Place on Friday night. “Geroy (Simon) is a special receiver and you have to make sure he doesn’t ruin the game for you. Paris Jackson, because he’s now the inside receiver, is enjoying success there. They have a well-rounded receiving corps.’’
Lining up against the likes of Simon and Jackson is a juicy challenge for any defensive back.
“They do have one of the better receiving corps in the league, beside ours,’’ acknowledged Dwight Anderson. “We’re ready for that, the speed that B.C. is going to come with. Me, having played B.C., I kind of expect that. It’s the newer guys that I’m trying to show some stuff to keep them on their toes.’’
“They’ve got some good receivers over there,’’ agreed outside linebacker Shannon James. “They catch the ball very well and run good routes. They’ve been in this league a couple of years. More importantly, they’ve been running the ball very well.’’
The Lions have made it clear that Buck Pierce will get the start at the controls on Friday night, but there is also the expectation that it won’t take long for Jarious Jackson to make an appearance should Pierce falter early. Regardless, the Stamps are ready for whoever is standing behind the centre.
“They’re both good quarterbacks, so with either one we’ll have our hands full,’’ noted James. “They’re both great competitors.’’
“They have a little bit of a different style,’’ explained defensive lineman Mike Labinjo, “but they’re both good athletes, they’re both capable of running the ball at any time, and that’s what we have to be concerned of. We know they have excellent receivers; they have speed across the board. We don’t want to put that much pressure on our DBs.
“With the little streak against them, we know they’re going to come out fired up. But we need to make a statement on the road, as well.’’
Calgary beat the Lions four times in total last season, three victories coming in the regular season and again in the West Final, en route to the Grey Cup championship.
Yet there is still a muted sense of urgency, as there was prior to the last game versus Toronto. Battling another 1-2 club that has had a slow start, the time is ripe for the defence to leave its mark on the opponent.
“That’s the way we want to come out every week,’’ suggested James. “Our mentality is the same … go out and get the job done, whether we were 3-0 or 1-2.’’
“Hey, you know once we step on that field, B.C. and the Stamps, it’s going to be a helluva game,’’ added a smiling Anderson. “Dogfight, scratching and clawing. We don’t like each other – point blank! Let’s put it out there. They’re in the same conference we are. They want to be number one; we want to be number one. I got a lot of friends there too, so there’s a lot of trash talking going on, but it’s always fun and you know you’re going to have a great game.’’
It will also be an opportunity for the Stamps to notch that elusive road win, something they were adept at last year.
“It’s a road game, it’s our first Western Division foe and it’s our next game,’’ Hufnagel listed. “The most important game is our next game. It happens to be against the Lions. We’d better be ready to play.’’
INJURY UPDATES: Receiver Nik Lewis, bothered by a bad hip, was wandering about the field on Wednesday, but not doing the really heavy lifting. “He took part in the individuals this morning. He looked good, we’ll evaluate it tomorrow and make a decision,” said Hufnagel. Meanwhile, offensive lineman Jeff Pilon, who missed practice on Tuesday with a neck infection, was back at work.
