Looking at the Calgary Stampeders' special start to the season
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With good reason.
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It wasn't supposed to play out this well for the Stampeders after two lousy ones amounting to just 11 wins in 36 games. Even the most optimistic fan of the Red and White couldn't have predicted such a sensational start to the year.
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Especially given what the early-season calendar looked like for a team in massive transition.
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Thinking back on what has been a 5-1 start to the Canadian Football League campaign under the circumstances, it truly has been phenomenal.
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But don't tell that to the Stampeders, who remain tunnel-visioned in a commitment to steer clear from over-confidence.
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'No reason for us (to get over-confident),' said Stampeders GM/head coach Dave Dickenson. 'You'll get humbled quickly. The key is just don't read too much into when it's bad or when it's good.
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'You just try to understand why you're winning, what's helping you succeed and just try to put the foot on the gas just a little bit more each and every week.
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'I think our guys can do that.'
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They'll run with that gameplan again this Thursday, when the 4-2 Montreal Alouettes — the Stamps' fourth straight foe with a winning record — visit McMahon Stadium (7 p.m., TSN, CHQR 770 AM/107.3 FM the Edge), knowing full well they can't rest on their laurels.
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'We don't look too far forward, and unfortunately, you really only look back when you're done,' added Dickenson. 'I just think we've got to get better. I think our energy has been good — we've shown up to play every week. We have continually gotten better.
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'So that's something that as a team we've got to continue to do.'
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Let's look back at that, recognizing the adversity they've overcome.
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• The Week 1 game brought the return of Stampeders legend Bo Levi Mitchell looking to avenge last year's first loss in another uniform at McMahon, with the Red and White themselves fresh off a significant overhaul of the roster in the off-season.
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A surprisingly convincing win.
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• The Week 2 affair took them away for their first road contest of the season — another tough first for a still-finding-itself crew — against the defending Grey Cup-champion Toronto Argonauts.
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