Latest news with #Stampeders
National Post
a day ago
- Sport
- National Post
Looking at the Calgary Stampeders' special start to the season
Those pundits who foreshadowed doom and gloom over the first third of the 2025 Calgary Stampeders schedule are likely scratching their tall foreheads these days … Article content With good reason. Article content 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. Article content Especially given what the early-season calendar looked like for a team in massive transition. Article content Thinking back on what has been a 5-1 start to the Canadian Football League campaign under the circumstances, it truly has been phenomenal. Article content But don't tell that to the Stampeders, who remain tunnel-visioned in a commitment to steer clear from over-confidence. Article content '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. Article content '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. Article content 'I think our guys can do that.' Article content 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. Article content Article content '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. Article content 'So that's something that as a team we've got to continue to do.' Article content Article content Let's look back at that, recognizing the adversity they've overcome. Article content • 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. Article content A surprisingly convincing win. Article content • 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.
Calgary Herald
a day ago
- Sport
- Calgary Herald
Looking at the Calgary Stampeders special start to the season
Article content Those pundits who foreshadowed doom and gloom over the first third of the 2025 Calgary Stampeders schedule are likely scratching their tall foreheads these days … Article content With good reason. Article content 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. Article content Article content Especially given what the early-season calendar looked like for a team in massive transition. Article content Article content Thinking back on what has been a 5-1 start to the Canadian Football League campaign under the circumstances, it truly has been phenomenal. Article content But don't tell that to the Stampeders, who remain tunnel-visioned in a commitment to steer clear from over-confidence. Article content '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. Article content '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. Article content 'I think our guys can do that.' Article content 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. Article content Article content '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. Article content 'So that's something that as a team we've got to continue to do.' Article content Article content Let's look back at that, recognizing the adversity they've overcome. Article content • 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. Article content A surprisingly convincing win. Article content • 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.
Ottawa Citizen
a day ago
- Sport
- Ottawa Citizen
Todd: As judgment day looms in Hockey Canada case, I'm thinking about right and wrong
Article content No matter what verdict Justice Carroccia renders, that is the question that will linger for me. That — and why Hockey Canada should have thought that buying off the victim in such cases was the way to go. Article content What were they thinking? Out West, the Stampeders are stampeding and the Roughriders are roughing people up. Article content In the east, the Hamilton Tiger-Cats are a force again with quarterback Bo-Levi Mitchell passing former Alouettes QB Tracy Ham for 10th on the all-time passing yardage list — albeit far below Anthony Calvillo. Article content The Alouettes? On the bright side, they're tied with the Ticats for first in the East. On the dark side, the decision to play dynamic quarterback Davis Alexander after he missed two games with a hamstring injury was doubtful at best — but the call to send him back out for a two-point convert after he reinjured the hamstring on a touchdown run was downright reckless. Article content Article content Whether Alexander aggravated the hamstring injury on the attempted convert (sure-handed Cole Spieker dropped a pass that was right in his hands) it was a terrible call. Now Alexander is on the six-game injured list, out for a third of the CFL season as the Alouettes prepare for the meat of the schedule, beginning with the Stampeders in Calgary Thursday. Article content With the Toronto Argonauts and Ottawa Redblacks floundering, the Als remain pretty much a lock for the playoffs, but the road to the Grey Cup will not be an easy one. Their fate is now in the hands of that magnificent slab of statuary McLeod Bethel-Thompson, the 37-year-old who throws a beautiful ball and moves about as well as I do. Article content The Als still have the vastly more mobile Caleb Evans waiting in the wings, but for now it's Bethel-Thompson. The Calgary sack squad has to be absolutely champing at the bit. Article content Article content A tip of the old Expos cap: To Terry Francona, whose injury-wrecked career with the Expos transformed into one of the great managerial careers in baseball history. Francona became one of only 13 managers to win 2,000 games last week while managing the Cleveland Guardians — and I personally will never forgive the Boston Red Sox for firing the man who finally broke the Curse of the Bambino. Article content Heroes: Terry Francona, Cole Spieker, Geoffrey Cantin-Arku, Wesley Sutton, Lwal Uguak, Shawn Lemon, Aaron Judge, Iga Swiatek, Jannik Sinner, Carlos Alcaraz, Cal Raleigh, Summer McIntosh &&&& last but not least, 15-year-old Aphrodite Deng. Article content
Globe and Mail
4 days ago
- Sport
- Globe and Mail
Stampeders continue CFL dominance with 41-20 win over Bombers
The Calgary Stampeders continued their dominance of the CFL on Friday night. Quarterback Vernon Adams Jr. completed 16 of 24 passes for 267 yards and three touchdowns to lead the Stampeders to a 41-20 victory over the Winnipeg Blue Bombers. Calgary improved to 5-1 and sits alone atop the CFL's West Division. Winnipeg dropped to 3-2 before a sold-out crowd of 32,343 at Princess Auto Stadium, an eighth straight full house. 'It feels great but the work's not done,' said Adams, who also threw one interception. 'We've got to get back tomorrow, watch the film, learn from the mistakes. I know I had quite a few out there, so I've got to get better from that and get back to work.' Calgary, however, has posted three straight dominant wins. 'Yeah, we've got confidence, for sure,' Adams said. 'We know we're a good team but we're not going to stop working. We've just got to keep working.' Adams completed TD throws of 37 and 42 yards to Damien Alford before finding Dominique Rhymes with a three-yard toss. Alexander stages last-minute comeback for Alouettes over Argos, but hurts hamstring Calgary's defence also picked off Winnipeg's quarterbacks four times, with Damon Webb intercepting a Chris Streveler pass and returning it 15 yards for a touchdown. The convert gave the Stamps a 38-13 lead early in the fourth quarter. 'The defence, man, they've done such a great job all year,' Adams said. 'I keep telling myself, if I can take care of the ball, they're going to give me a chance. They're gonna give us a chance to win.' It was the second time the Stamps stomped Winnipeg in the last three weeks. They beat the Bombers 37-16 in Calgary on July 3. Backup quarterback Quincy Vaughn also scored on a one-yard touchdown run. Rene Parades kicked field goals of 32 and 37 yards, and converted all five majors. Winnipeg quarterback Zach Collaros exited in the second quarter with what's believed to be a concussion after falling to the field from a big hit. 'None of us like to see that,' said Stamps head coach/GM Dave Dickenson, a former CFL QB. 'I've never coached him but I really like the way he plays. I get nervous for him. I've been there … You never like to see other quarterbacks go out with head injuries. I know that affected their team.' Before leaving, Collaros completed eight of 11 passes for 151 yards and a four-yard touchdown to Nic Demski, with two interceptions. Streveler then completed 16 of 25 passes for 130 yards and one late eight-yard touchdown to Kody Case, with two picks. Sergio Castillo kicked field goals of 46 and 58 yards, and converted both TDs. 'Losing never feels good, especially in front of our home fans,' Streveler said. 'We've got the best fans in the league and we didn't play up to our standard today. But we're going to use this feeling to fuel us to have a good week of preparation next week.' The momentum switched after Adrian Greene picked off Streveler in the red zone with the Bombers threatening early in the third quarter. The Stamps scored on the ensuing drive to take a 24-13 lead. 'Obviously, you can't throw picks in the red zone, right?' Streveler said. 'So, we've got to take care of the ball, especially in a close game like that. That's on me, I gotta be better.' The Bombers got beaten badly by the Stamps in two straight games. 'It's ugly,' said Bombers running back Brady Oliveira, who rushed for 68 yards on 15 carries. 'I'm not even sure about this one. It feels a little weird because it was so close. It's not like the last outing with them where it really got out of hand quickly into the game. But we're in it. We knew we had to go into the second half and fight, but it just got away from us. 'We need to give credit to Calgary. They've been playing really good ball the last number of weeks. And they were the better team out there tonight. It's unfortunate to have a result like that in front of our home crowd. We're so much better than that. I don't care what everyone else thinks, but deep down I know we're so much better than that. The only way you get out of hard times is work.' Fans welcomed Bombers legend Milt Stegall back with a standing ovation before the game. Stegall, who was on the sidelines, returned to the TSN panel this weekend for the first time since the sudden death of his son, Chase. 'That (tribute) was amazing,' Dickenson said. 'I actually had a tear in my eye.' The Bombers travel to Toronto to take on the Argos in a Grey Cup rematch on Saturday. The Stampeders return to Calgary to host the Montreal Alouettes on Thursday.
Ottawa Citizen
4 days ago
- Sport
- Ottawa Citizen
5 Takeaways as Calgary Stampeders crush Winnipeg Blue Bombers again, become Grey Cup front-runners
Article content They're not just the Red and White. Article content The Calgary Stampeders are the Red, White and Blew out the Canadian Football League's so-called best team … Article content Article content Again. Article content For the second time in three weeks, the Stampeders blew away the vaunted Winnipeg Blue Bombers on Friday night. Article content This time it came in Bombers territory, 41-20 at Princess Auto Stadium in Winnipeg. Article content The result moved the Stampeders to a wowzer 5-1 start on the season, matching their win total of a year ago. It widens the gap for them atop the CFL's West Division, as they have sped away from the Blue Bombers — now 3-2 — in the standings. Article content Article content The Red and White went into Winnipeg and beat a team that was an eye-popping 31-5 since the COVID pandemic. And … oh, yeah … that team has been West Division champs each of the last five years, twice winning the Grey Cup in that stretch. Article content Article content After all, the Bombers were humbled — humiliated even — by the upstart Stampeders two weeks back in the inaugural Stampede Bowl. Article content So the Horsemen had to believe a serious brush-back was coming from two-time CFL Most Outstanding Player Zach Collaros and the Blue Bombers on their own home turf in the CFL rematch. Article content Article content But they shook all that off and played their own game, dominating the Bomb and making themselves sudden front-runners to capture the Grey Cup. Article content Yeah … we said it. Article content 2) ZACH WHO? Article content Forget Collaros. Article content Vernon Adams Jr. is looking like the man at quarterback these days in the CFL. Article content In his first year as the Stamps pivot, Adams seems to be getting better with every passing game, underscoring his early season statement that he had yet to get comfortable with the offence in Calgary. Article content V.A. was a solid 16-of-24 for 267 passing yards and three touchdowns to best the Bombers. Article content While the stats aren't eye-popping, the plays he makes — both timely and worthy of the highlight-reel — certainly make heads spin, especially those noggins on the defence.
