Calgary Stampeders News

Stamps 38, Esks 33 - Sept. 5

September 6, 2008

For the seventh time in 10 games, the Calgary Stampeders played a football game decided by a touchdown or less.

The latest nail-biter was a 38-33 decision over the Edmonton Eskimos Friday night at Commonwealth Stadium. As usual, the game came down to the final minute and the Stamps secured victory by foiling an Eskimos onside kick attempt.

The Stamps improved to 6-4 and are tied with the Esks for second place in the Canadian Football League’s West Division. However, Edmonton holds an advantage because they won two of the three head-to-head games this season.

The night began ominously for Calgary when the first offensive play was a fumbled shotgun snap that was recovered by Edmonton linebacker Shannon Garrett and returned 25 yards for a touchdown.

But the Stamps, who lost 37-16 on Labour Day, showed great character and marched 81 yards for a touchdown on their next possession.

Both offences sputtered for much of the first half, as Sandro DeAngelis kicked a couple of field goals for Calgary and Burke Dales punted a rouge, while Noel Prefontaine answered with two field goals and a rouge.

The teams were tied 14-14 at the break and the first offensive play of the second half also resulted in a defensive touchdown. This time, Stamps linebacker Shannon James intercepted Ricky Ray and raced 27 yards for a touchdown. Prefontaine then kicked two more field goals in the third quarter.

The final quarter featured 30 points and Jeremiane Copeland started the fireworks with an eight-yard touchdown pass from Henry Burris. Ray then replied with a nine-yard touchdown run, but the Stamps answered right back when Ken-Yon Rambo made a fantastic 27-yard touchdown catch to give Calgary a 38-26 lead with less than two minutes remaining.

Edmonton made the Stamps sweat again when Mathieu Bertrand scored a two-yard touchdown run, but the threat was ended when Calgary recovered the onside kick.

Burris completed 19 of 36 passes for 323 yards, three touchdowns and no interceptions. The strike to Thelwell was Burris’ 100th touchdown pass as a member of the Stampeders.

Copeland had his best game of the season with four catches for 92 yards. James had a brilliant night with seven defensive tackles, a special-teams tackle, a sack, a forced fumble, a pick and a touchdown.

The Stamps defence had a season-high five sacks with defensive end Mike Labinjo responsible for three.

DeAngelis was good on all three of his field goal attempts and has now hit 14 straight.

The Stamps improved their road record to 4-2 before a crowd of 46,014.

Earl Lunsford passes away

September 4, 2008

The Calgary Stampeders are saddened by the loss of Earl Lunsford. He passed away Wednesday in his home at Fort Worth, Texas at the age of 74.

Affectionately known as Earthquake, Lunsford joined the Stamps as a fullback in 1956. He spent just one season in Calgary before serving two years in the United States military. He rejoined the Stamps in 1959 until 1963 and became a football legend.

During six seasons, Lunsford was so dominant that he earned a place in the Canadian Football Hall of Fame.

His 6,994 rushing yards still rank second on Calgary’s all-time list, his 1,199 carries rank third and no one has surpassed his 55 rushing touchdowns.

Lunsford’s best season came in 1961 when he led the Canadian Football League with 1,794 rushing yards and became known as “the first pro football player to run for a mile.”

It was a CFL record at the time and still is the second-highest single-season total in Stamps history. He had five 1,000-yard rushing seasons, including four in a row.

Lunsford scored a franchise-record five touchdowns in a game against Edmonton on Sept. 3, 1962 and he twice rushed for 200 yards in a game. He also had a team-record 28 100-yard games.

Lunsford was elected to the Canadian Football Hall of Fame in 1983.

As respected as Lunsford was on the football field, he was held in equal esteem as a person. A number of people who knew Lunsford described him Thursday as a man of honesty and integrity.

Thelwell Makes the Connection

September 4, 2008

Huddle up! John Gerlitz and Tom Logan from Calgary will be meeting and training with Calgary Stampeders player Ryan Thelwell and local personal trainer Heather Whelan on a regular basis over the next six weeks, as a part of the Making the Connection CFL Challenge, presented by Making the Connection and the Canadian Football League (CFL). They will be following their own customized 5-step plan to take steps towards improving their cardiovascular health with the help of their local CFL favourite.

"As an athlete, I approach my health like I do a big game - with a plan to follow," said Mr. Thelwell. "I'm looking forward to meeting John and Tom and working with them to take the steps necessary in managing their cardiovascular health issues like cholesterol."

Having worked 30 years in the stress-filled environment of the oil business where many bad habits are easily developed, John and good friend Tom are now nearing retirement age and would like to turn the page and enjoy their future years by looking to be re-educated on healthier choices. If Wally can do it, so can this pair.

"We’re excited about the opportunity to meet Ryan and Heather and putting our game plan into action to change our lifestyles and take charge of our health," said John. "We hope that what we learn through this amazing experience will become a lifestyle that we’ll continue long after the challenge ends."

A national winning pair will be selected from the program's eight pair finalists, which include John and Tom, and will be announced prior to the 96th Grey Cup in Montreal, Quebec on Sunday, November 23, 2008.

Those who did not have the chance to participate in the Challenge can still benefit from the program and will still have the opportunity to win a gym membership or even their own personal home gym by registering for their own personalized action plan at http://5step.makingtheconnection.ca.

About Making the Connection

Making the Connection is a program dedicated to educating Canadians about the risk factors associated with cardiovascular disease and to encouraging Canadians to take action to control them. The program is a partnership that includes the Canadian Lipid Nurse Network, the Canadian Association of Cardiac Rehabilitation, Diabetes Quebec, the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada, the Canadian Diabetes Association, Blood Pressure Canada and Pfizer Canada. For more information about the program, visit www.makingtheconnection.ca.

About the Canadian Football League

Building on a strong past toward a stronger future, the Canadian Football League (CFL) celebrates the best of Canada's game with fans across the nation. The 96th Grey Cup will be played in Montreal, Quebec on November 23, 2008. For more information, visit: www.CFL.ca.

About CFLPA Pro Players

PRO PLAYERS is the Sports Marketing arm of the CFL Players Association. Formed in 2003, PRO PLAYERS is proud to promote more than 450 active players and many memorable retired players in the communities, provinces and countries they live, work, and play. We are…. Pro Players! Visit us at www.proplayers.ca

Preview - Stamps-Esks, Sept.5

September 3, 2008

SETTING THE SCENE

The Calgary Stampeders and Edmonton Eskimos lock horns for the second time in five days in the annual Labour Day Rematch this Friday in Edmonton. Calgary and Edmonton traditionally play each other on Labour Day in Calgary on the Monday and since 1989, the two teams meet again the following Friday in Edmonton (except in 1992 when they played in Edmonton the week before Labour Day). Calgary is 6-12 in the 18 rematch games played since ’89 and is 2-4 in the last six, winning 20-17 last year and 16-11 in 2005. The Stamps (5-4 and in third place in the West) are looking for a measure of revenge after Edmonton (6-3, second place) came into McMahon and beat up on Calgary by a score of 37-16, its largest margin of victory since 1990 when it defeated the Stampeders 38-4. The Eskies are looking for the sweep of the Labour Day series and a sweep of the season series (they won the first game between the two teams in Edmonton 34-31 in Week 2) for the first time since 2004. One team has swept the other in these back-to-back Labour Day games eight times since they began with Edmonton turning the trick five times compared to three times for the Stamps. Calgary swept in 1995, 1998 and last year while Edmonton won both games in 1989, 1990, 2000, 2002 and 2004. Of those eight sweeps, the team taking both games has gone on to the Grey Cup four times; twice for Calgary (1995 and ’98) and twice for Edmonton (1990 and 2002). The last three teams to get swept have missed the playoffs all together; Calgary in 2002 and ’04 and Edmonton in 2007. Calgary is now 3-3 against the West and 3-2 on the road while Edmonton is the only unbeaten team at home at 4-0 and is 4-2 versus the West.

HOW TO FOLLOW THE ACTION

The Labour Day Rematch gets underway at 7 p.m. local time (4 EDT) on Friday, Sept. 5 at Commonwealth Stadium in Edmonton. The game will be televised on TSN’s Friday Night Football and is the second of five games Calgary will play on Friday night this year. The Stamps are 1-0 on Fridays this year after beating B.C. 36-29 in Week 9. The game can be heard on the radio at AM 770 CHQR77 (am770chqr.com) and it will also be broadcast on the Internet on CFL broadband at www.cfl.ca. and on TSN broadband at www.tsn.ca.

WHO’S SCORING ON OFFENCE

Calgary’s offence posted its lowest totals of the year in terms of total offence (268 yards) and points scored (16) in the loss to Edmonton and was forced to finish the game without starting quarterback Henry Burris who left in the second quarter with a foot injury. Burris had thrown for 81 yards on eight completions before giving way to Dave Dickenson who completed four passes for 75 yards. QB Barrick Nealy also saw action for the first time this year, going two for seven for 20 yards in the loss. Burris should be ready to go for the rematch and sports a 2-1 record in his three Rematch games despite throwing for a total of only 476 yards and four touchdowns in those games. The Stampeder receivers’ totals suffered due to the season-low passing total of 176 yards, but WR Ken-Yon Rambo still led the team with five catches for 54 yards and maintained his top spot in the league’s receiving derby. Rambo now leads the CFL with 52 catches and 776 yards and is 93 yards ahead of second place Romby Bryant of Winnipeg. Rambo is attempting to be the first Stampeder to finish atop the CFL in receiving since Allen Pitts in 1999 when Pitts had 97 receptions for 1,449 yards to lead all CFL receivers. Rambo also has 13 catches for 178 yards and two touchdowns in the three Labour Day Rematch games he has played in. SB Nik Lewis (one catch for 10 yards versus Edmonton) has fallen off his annual 1,000 yard pace and now is on target to finish the year at 998 yards as he looks to be the first Stampeder to post five consecutive 1,000 yard seasons. He is currently tied with Terry Vaughn (1995-98) and Travis Moore (1999-02) for the team lead with four straight seasons. RB Joffrey Reynolds also was forced from the game after his third quarter fumble due to injury and finished the game with 75 rushing yards and a touchdown. Reynolds should also be in the lineup for the Rematch however, and has 165 yards on the ground in the three Rematch games he has played in including 100 yards in last year’s win.

WHO’S HITTING ON DEFENCE

Calgary’s defence surrendered season highs in points allowed (36) and total offence (496 yards) in the loss, surpassing the previous highs of 34 points versus Edmonton in Week 2 and 450 total yards versus Winnipeg in Week 5. Calgary is now 0-3 in games in which they have surrendered over 30 points and 400 yards of offence. LB Shannon James led the Stamps’ defence with eight tackles and a pass knockdown while CB Brandon Browner had seven tackles and two knockdowns. James leads the team in tackles with 32 (12th in the CFL) followed by DE Charleston Hughes at 31. S Wes Lysack survived a big hit by teammate Rob Lazeo during the player introductions to grab his second interception of the year (his second consecutive game with a pick) and raised the Stamps’ team totals to seven. Calgary’s defence ranks in the top three in 13 of 25 defensive categories but that success hasn’t resulted in big numbers in the flashy defensive categories like sacks and interceptions. Calgary is eighth in picks with seven and eighth in sacks with 12 despite ranking third in points allowed with 216. That total leaves them on pace for 432 points allowed for the year, which would be an 84-point improvement over last year.

WHO’S SPECIAL ON THE TEAMS

The special teams that were a highlight for the Stampeders in the victory over B.C. in Week 9 made two costly mistakes on Labour Day that led to eight Eskimos’ points and gave Edmonton all the momentum it needed in third quarter to take the game over. Nate Curry fumbled a punt return that the Eskimos turned into a touchdown to take a 27-16 lead and Joffrey Reynolds fumbled the ensuing kickoff to keep Calgary’s offence off the field and unable to respond. On the positive side, K Sandro DeAngelis continued his hot streak of late with three more field goals (and 10 more points) as he has now kicked 11 straight field goals without a miss (over the last three games) and has made 19 of his last 20 attempts.

THE OPPOSITION

Edmonton’s offence came to play on Labour Day and racked up some impressive numbers on the afternoon. QB Ricky Ray (#15) passed for 376 yards on 26 completions (the highest Labour Day yardage total of his career) and had three touchdown passes as part of 496 yards of total offence put up by the Green and Gold. Ray has a 3-2 record in the Rematch and averages 311 yards passing in those five games with nine total touchdown passes compared to just four interceptions. His three leading receivers all had good numbers in the win on Monday; WR Kamau Peterson (#8) hauled in eight passes for 113 yards and a touchdown to take the CFL lead amongst Canadian receivers (636 yards on the year), SB Kelly Campbell (#71) had five catches for 106 yards and WR Fred Stamps caught four balls for 93 yards and two scores. All three receivers are in the top 11 in the CFL and all three are on pace for over 1,000 receiving yards for the year. The Eskies rushed for 120 yards as well as Canadian running back Calvin McCarty (#31) rushed 12 times for 73 yards to add to import RB A.J. Harris’ 35 yards and a score. The Eskimos have used five running backs over the last six Rematches with their average rushing total per game being 79.6 yards (Mike Pringle had back-to-back 100-yard games in 2002 and ’03). Harris sits sixth in league rushing with 486 yards, a 5.9-yard average and four touchdowns. The Eskies’ defence on Labour Day was led by LB Kenny Onatolu (#44) who had six tackles, a forced fumble and a pass knockdown while MLB Agustin Barrenechea (#39, a former Calgary Dino) and DE Brandon Guillory (#42) each chipped in with four tackles, a sack and a pass knockdown. The Eskimos knocked down five Stampeder passes on the afternoon, forced two fumbles and had two fumble recoveries as they limited the Stamps to 268 yards of total offence.

NUMBER CRUNCHING

Calgary’s defence enters the Rematch fourth in the CFL in total offence per game allowed with 382 yards, third in points allowed per game with 24, first in rushing yards allowed per game with 89.9 and is seventh in passing yards allowed per game with 306.7 yards. After comparing Calgary’s offensive numbers this year to their last six Labour Day Classic numbers, it’s time to compare Calgary’s defence to their last six Rematch games and see how they fare. Calgary is 2-4 in their last six Rematches and the average score has been 32-14 for Edmonton. The two wins for the Stamps have been low scoring, defensive battles (Calgary allowed an average of 14 points in the wins) while the four losses have all been blowouts with Calgary allowing an average of 40.5 points per game. The Stamps allowed an average of 425 yards of offence in those six games (378 yards in the wins, 449 yards in the losses) but the big difference is in the rushing totals. Calgary has averaged 123.8 yards per game along the ground over the last six Rematch games but allowed only 71.2 yards in the two wins and gave up over 150 yards per game in the four losses. In 2008, the Stamps allow only 76.4 yards rushing in their five wins but allow 113.3 yards in their four losses. Clearly, the Stampeders’ ability to shut down their opponents’ running game is a big part of their overall success, both this year and over the last few Labour Day Rematch games. What is less clear in terms of success are turnovers and time of possession, much like in the offensive numbers last week, but sacks show a more definite difference in Calgary’s victories. Calgary’s defence forced seven turnovers (an average of 1.75 per game), had three sacks (0.75 per game) and allowed Edmonton an average of 32 minutes and 52 seconds of possession in the four losses. They forced four turnovers (2 per game), had five sacks (2.5 per game) and allowed the Eskimos an average of 32 minutes and eight seconds of possession in the two wins. In 2008, Calgary has a league-low 12 sacks on the year, but 10 of those have come in the five wins while only two have come in the four losses. This illustrates that pressure on the quarterback is another key for the Stamps’ defence this year that also shows up in the last six Rematch games.

THIS WEEK IN THE CFL

B.C. and Winnipeg will try out their new running backs after this week’s blockbuster trade between the two clubs. Charles Roberts and the Lions (4-5) will travel to Hamilton to take on the Ticats (2-7) on Saturday while Winnipeg’s Joe Smith and the rest of the Bombers (2-7) host the Riders (7-2) in the rematch of their Labour Day battle on Sunday. The Argos (4-5) look to gain some ground on division leading Montreal (6-3) as they visit the Als in Sunday’s other game.

EXTRA POINTS

With his three touchdown passes against the Stamps on Labour Day, Eskimos QB Ricky Ray moved his career total to 143, one shy of the team record of 144, held by CFL Hall of Famer Warren Moon (1978 -’83). If Ray breaks Moon’s club record, he will be the only active QB in the CFL to be the career leader for his club in that category. Stamps’ QB Henry Burris is one TD pass shy of 100 as a Stampeder. The club record for Calgary is 140 set by Doug Flutie (1992–’95) and that leaves Burris only 41 TD passes shy of that mark. Should he stay healthy, look for Burris to break that mark towards the end of the 2009 season as he has averaged 26.6 TD passes from 2005 to 2007 and is on pace for 30 majors through the air this year. In fact, Burris has more TD passes (95) than any other QB in the CFL since 2005 with Montreal’s Anthony Calvillo in second place at 85. Calvillo is tied with Hall of Fame QB Matt Dunigan for third all time in CFL history with 306 but is second to another Hall of Fame QB in Sam Etchevery for the Alouettes club lead. Calvillo has 249 career TD passes as an member of the Alouettes, 68 behind Etchevery.

-Preview by Mike Hardiman

Stamps Make Roster Moves

September 3, 2008

The Calgary Stampeders have signed import quarterback Ben Sankey and import running back Lavarus Giles.

Sankey most recently attended Calgary’s training camp and spent the first three weeks of the 2008 season on injured reserve. He was with the team from 2000 to 2002 before rejoining the Stamps late last season. He last played at B.C. on Nov. 3, 2007. The Wake Forest product completed 21 of 26 passes for 328 yards and two touchdowns in the game.

Giles recently spent time with the St. Louis Rams and Jacksonville Jaguars before signing with the Stamps. The 22-year-old is a product of Jackson State University.

The Stampeders have placed quarterback Dave Dickenson on the nine-game injured reserve list.

The next Stampeders home game is Sept. 12 against the Montreal Alouettes. Tickets for this game and the following contest against the Toronto Argonauts (Sept. 20) are going fast so fans are encouraged to contact Ticketmaster at 403.777.0000 or go online to Ticketmaster.ca to get their tickets.

Be A Fan, Bring A Can

September 2, 2008

The Calgary Stampeders, their fans, and Homes By Avi teamed up to help Calgarians in need at the Labour Day Classic.

The groups joined forces with the Calgary Inter-Faith Food Bank for the 18th annual Be A Fan, Bring A Can food drive. Over $72,524 worth of food items and cash donations was raised throughout the program. including $58,384 at the McMahon Stadium gates at Monday's Labour Day Classic.

The one-day total collected on game day was the most in the history of the program.

“The Labour Day Classic food drive continues to play an important role in our goal of not letting Calgarians go hungry,” said Kristen Brown, development coordinator of community initiatives with the Calgary Inter-Faith Food Bank. “It has been a great partnership and we appreciate their effort.”

The Be A Fan, Bring A Can food drive is led by wives and girlfriends of Stampeders coaches and players. They’ were at the McMahon Stadium gates on Monday, wearing their significant other’s jersey and collecting the food and cash donations.

“This is a great initiative that brings the Stampeders football club and the community together to provide something substantial for the Food Bank,” said club spokesperson Peni Hufnagel, wife of head coach/general manager John Hufnagel. “I’m proud to be involved with the program.”

According to the Calgary Inter-Faith Food Bank, 87,212 Calgarians used the Food Bank to fill the basic need of food last year. Of those, 43 per cent were children. Last year, the drive raised $28,968 in food and cash donations, which increased the 17-year total to nearly $353,000. Including the success of this year's edition, the total now stands at approximately $425,500.

For every dollar raised the Food Bank can distribute four dollars worth of food.

Game sponsor Homes By Avi has been contributing to the cause by collecting donations since Aug. 9 at their head office and all show home locations. The Stampeders and Homes by Avi want to thank fans for their tremendous support.

Eskimos 37, Stamps 16 - Sept. 1

September 1, 2008

The Calgary Stampeders disappointed a sold-out Labour Day crowd Monday afternoon at McMahon Stadium, losing 37-16 to the Edmonton Eskimos.

The defeat dropped their Canadian Football League record to 5-4 and gave Edmonton (6-3) the season series between the clubs. Edmonton also won 34-31 on July 3 and they meet again on Sept. 5.

Ricky Ray led the Esks with three touchdown passes, including a pair to Fred Stamps, before 35.650 witnesses.

Edmonton’s first possession was an 85-yard scoring drive that was capped by a nine-yard touchdown run by A.J. Harris. Calgary answered right back with a 76-yard drive that ended with a 25-yard field goal by Sandro DeAngelis.

The second quarter highlighted the kickers, as DeAngelis kicked two more field goals, Noel Prefontaine added a pair of field goals and a safety gave Edmonton a 12-9 lead at halftime.

Starting Stamps pivot Henry Burris left late in the second quarter with a foot injury. Dave Dickenson replaced Burris and led Calgary on a 75-yard drive to start the second half. The key blow was a three-yard touchdown run by Joffrey Reynolds.

But Ray brought the Esks right back into the lead by firing a 24-yard touchdown pass to Kamau Peterson.

Returner Nate Curry, who was added last week, then fumbled a punt return for Calgary that was recovered by Edmonton and led to a 22-yard touchdown pass Ray to Stamps.

Ray then threw a 25-yard major to Stamps in the fourth quarter to account for the rest of the scoring.

Barrick Nealy replaced Dickenson in the fourth quarter for some playing time but, like his predecessors, had little success.

2009 Grey Cup Brand Unveiled

September 1, 2008

The 2009 Grey Cup Festival committee unveiled the 2009 Grey Cup Festival brand to a sold-out crowd at McMahon Stadium on Monday. Members of the Department of National Defence, the R.C.M.P., Stampeders alumni and amateur football players helped to unveil the brand in a special halftime presentation.

“It’s a uniquely Canadian tradition and celebration of our culture,” said Stamps president Scott Ackles. “Fans all come together, no matter what their team colours, to celebrate the great game of Canadian football and the national pride that comes with it. This is the essence of what our festival brand will capture.”

The Grey Cup championship and festival has become an annual tradition for fans, stretching Canada’s largest one-day sporting event into a week-long celebration. In 1948, Calgarians began the great tradition, when they made the trek across the country and took over Toronto with a party atmosphere that had never been seen before. The Stampeders went on to capture their first Grey Cup championship that week with a 12-7 win over Ottawa.

“Calgarians can take pride in adding an element of grandeur to the game which has made it the great celebration it is now,” stated chair of the 2009 Grey Cup Festival committee Malcolm Kirk. “Stamps fans rode horses into the lobby of the Royal York Hotel, hosted pancake breakfasts on the steps of Toronto’s City Hall, and created parades and festivities wherever they went. And that is going to be at the forefront of our celebrations next November.”

Fans are encouraged to visit 2009greycupfestival.com and register to receive 2009 Grey Cup festival event and ticket information and email updates.

“In 2009 Calgary will host the best Grey Cup Festival that has ever been staged in the 61-year history of the festival”, stated president of the 2009 Grey Cup Festival Greg Albrecht. “Our Grey Cup Festival staff, volunteers, committee and corporate partners will ensure a fantastic event that will leave a lasting legacy for the city and the province”.

Stamps go for gold on Labour Day

September 1, 2008

The Calgary Stampeders hit the field for warm-ups on Monday afternoon sporting a new (old) look for the Labour Day Classic.

Dressed in their usual red home jerseys, the Stamps are wearing gold pants for their showdown with the Edmonton Eskimos.

"We did it for a change because everyone expects us to wear black on Labour Day," said Stamps equipment manager George Hopkins. "Sometimes it's nice to do the unexpected."
The look is similar to the combination Hopkins broke out for games in the 2001 and 2002 seasons. Of course, the Reebok jerseys give it a completely different feel.

"The gold pants are actually part of our tradition because we wore them for six years in the 60's," said Hopkins, in his 36th season with the Stamps. "Labour Day has a lot of tradition and we're actually reaching into our past with these new pants."

Preview - Stamps-Esks, Sept. 1

August 31, 2008

Download official media game notes

Download depth chart and roster

SETTING THE SCENE

The CFL celebrates the halfway point of the 2008 season with its annual Labour Day matchups highlighted by the showdown between the Calgary Stampeders and the Edmonton Eskimos at McMahon Stadium. Both teams enter the game with 5-3 records and are tied for second place in the West Division, one game back of Saskatchewan. It’s the second straight year the two teams have gone into the Classic with identical records; last year both teams were 3-4-1 and tied for third place. Calgary won the game 35-24, then won the rematch in Edmonton 20-17. The Stamps finished the year with their third straight playoff appearance while the Eskimos missed the post season for the second consecutive season. Calgary is on a two-game winning streak on Labour Day after wins last year and in 2006, when they beat the Eskimos 44-23. The Stamps are 18-26-1 all-time on Labour Day and are 4-6 in the last 10 Classics. Calgary’s longest winning streak on Labour Day is six games (from 1993 to 1998) when they dominated Edmonton, winning the six games by an average score of 36 –15. Since then Calgary has only a .333 winning percentage, with the average score being 27-26 for Edmonton. The Eskimos have been pretty consistent in their last nine Labour Day games in terms of points scored; they scored between 30 and 33 points in each game between 1999 and 2001 and have scored between 22 and 28 points in each of the following six games. Calgary is a bit more unpredictable during the last nine Labour Day games, scoring a low of seven points in 2004 compared to a high of 44 points in 2006. This year, Calgary enters the game with a 2-1 record at home (they are tied with Montreal for the fewest home games played so far) and a 3-2 record versus the West while Edmonton is 1-3 on the road and 3-2 against Western opponents.

HOW TO FOLLOW THE ACTION

The Labour Day Classic gets underway at 2:00 PM local time (4:00 EDT) on Monday, Sept. 1 at McMahon Stadium in Calgary. The Classic will be televised on TSN this year for the first time and will be followed by the Hamilton-Toronto annual game. This is Calgary’s first afternoon game of the 2008 season and is one of only three afternoon start times for the Stamps this year. Calgary played four afternoon games in 2007 (all at home) and posted a 3-1 record in those games. The game can be heard on the radio at AM 770 CHQR77 (am770chqr.com) and it will also be broadcast on the Internet on CFL broadband at www.cfl.ca. and on TSN broadband at www.tsn.ca

WHO’S SCORING ON OFFENCE

QB Henry Burris failed to reach the 300-yard plateau for the second straight game and third time this year as he passed for 284 yards and two touchdowns in the win over B.C. Burris continues to sit in third place in league passing with 2,441 yards (he is second in TD passes with 15) and is still on pace for just under 5,500 yards for the year, so there is little concern for the Stampeders’ passing attack. In fact, the Stamps are 2-3 in games where Burris does pass for over 300 yards and 3-3 in games where he throws multiple touchdown passes. The strength of the Stamps’ offence is the balance that a strong running game brings to the aerial game. Calgary ran its record to an impressive 5-0 when they win the time of possession battle (32 minutes to 28 in the B.C. win), when they outgain their opponent (413 total yards to 324 versus B.C.) and when they have over 20 rushing plays (24 against the Leos). RB Joffrey Reynolds gained 124 yards for his third 100-yard rushing game of the season (second straight) and the Stamps ran their record to 3-0 in games that Reynolds eclipses that mark. Reynolds is third in rushing in the CFL with 706 yards and is involved in another close race for the rushing crown, this time with Wes Cates of Saskatchewan (729 yards) and Avon Cobourne of Montreal (715 yards). SB Ken-Yon Rambo continued his break-out season by regaining the league lead in both receptions and yardage (47 catches for 722 yards) and putting himself on pace to be the first Stampeder receiver to catch over 100 passes in a season since Dave Sapunjis and Allen Pitts both broke the century mark back in 1995. Rambo had five grabs for 106 yards, the fourth time this year he has surpassed 100 yards receiving in a game (Calgary is 3-1 in those four games). TE Teyo Johnson had his best game as a Stampeder hauling in four passes for seventy yards and providing solid blocking help when called upon. SB Nik Lewis caught his seventh touchdown pass of the year and leads all CFL receivers in that category as well as being tied with Reynolds for second place in total touchdowns, two behind CFL leader Wes Cates with nine touchdowns.

WHO’S HITTING ON DEFENCE

Calgary’s defence went into the game with the Lions needing to get pressure on QB Jarious Jackson after not registering a sack in its previous three games. The defence delivered that much-needed pressure led by DE Mike Labinjo and DE Charleston Hughes. Labinjo was named the CFL’s Canadian Player of the Week for his five tackles and one sack, while Hughes also had a sack to go along with his team-leading seven tackles and a pass knockdown. Labinjo also knocked Jackson out of the game with a finger injury in the third quarter and was a constant pain in the side of the B.C. offence all night. Calgary’s defence is finding its groove as the halfway point of the season approaches and has made only one change to the starting roster in the last three games (DB Julian Battle has replaced rookie Brandon Smith as the only change in the secondary for the entire season so far). This stability has resulted in the Stamps’ defence allowing just 336 total yards per game in the last three games compared to their season average of 368 yards and compared to the Riders’ CFL leading 351 yards per game allowed. JoJuan Armour has settled in nicely at the middle linebacking spot (five tackles versus the Lions) and is now fourth on the team with 22 tackles despite only playing four games in the middle (two games outside, one game injured and one game ejected). Armour’s fellow linebackers Shannon James and Duane Carpenter sit third (24) and seventh (15) on the team respectively in tackles and combine to give the Stamps one of the best trios in the West Division. S Wes Lysack got his first interception of the year (and first since 2005) late in the game off Lions’ QB Buck Pierce to seal the win for Calgary while DB Calvin Bannister had six tackles tying his season-high set in Week 5 versus Winnipeg.

WHO’S SPECIAL ON THE TEAMS

Special teams were a highlight for the Stampeders in the victory over B.C. last week as the unit turned in its best game of the year. K Sandro DeAngelis went five for five in field goal attempts (his first five-FG game of the year), scored 18 points to bring his season total to 93 (13 back of the league lead) and was named CFL Special Teams Player of the Week for his efforts. DeAngelis’ and DE Mike Labinjo’s Canadian Player awards were the first two Player of the Week awards for the Stampeders in 2008. The Stampeders also had their longest punt return of the year (55 yards) by Marcus Howell and their second longest kickoff return (44 yards) by Joffrey Reynolds with Reynolds’ return directly leading to the winning touchdown after B.C. tied the game at 29 points late in the fourth quarter. Howell will miss Labour Day due to a hamstring injury so Calgary has re-signed WR Nate Curry (#84), a former Ti-Cat and a late training camp cut of the Stamps this year, to fill in for Howell.

THE OPPOSITION

The Eskimos are enjoying a rebound season and have as many wins at the halfway point of the 2008 season as they had in the entire 2007 season. Their offence is led once again by quarterback Ricky Ray (#15) who leads the West in passing with 2,584 yards and needs just four TD passes to tie Warren Moon for the team lead in career touchdown passes. Ray is 3-2 in the five Labour Day games he has played in and averages just over 300 yards per game, despite throwing only five total touchdown passes in the five games. Ray is without his favourite target as SB Jason Tucker is out for the year with a neck injury and so Ray has had to lean on SB Kamau Peterson (#8) and newcomer Kelly Campbell (#71) to pick up the slack. WR Fred Stamps (#2) is also having a break out season as all three receivers are in the top 15 in the league. Peterson is sixth with 36 catches for 523 yards while Campbell sits right behind him in seventh spot with 521 yards on 25 catches. Stamps has 441 yards and should all three receivers pass the 1,000 yard mark by season’s end it would be the first time since 1981 that the team has accomplished that feat. RB A.J. Harris (#34) is coming off the biggest game of his young CFL career after peeling off 189 yards against the Riders in the Eskimos 27-10 win over Saskatchewan. He now sits fifth in CFL rushing with 451 yards on 73 carries. Look for two recent ex-Stampeders on the Eskimos defence as LB Scott Coe (#24) has joined the Green and Gold and DB Trey Young (#3) may see action as either a linebacker or defensive back. DE Dario Romero leads the Eskies in sacks with five and is coming off a Defensive Player of the Week award; Shiddeeq Shabazz (#28) leads Edmonton in tackles with 28 (after the Esks cut their former tackle leader CB Kenny Williams earlier this week) and has moved back to safety from his normal linebacker position.

NUMBER CRUNCHING

Calgary comes into the game second in the CFL in total offence per game with 428 yards, second in points scored per game with 29.9, second in rushing yards per game with 136.4 and is third in passing yards per game with 305.6 yards. How do those numbers compare to the numbers the Stamps have put up recently on Labour Day? Calgary is 3-3 in their last six Classics and as you would expect, have better numbers offensively in the three wins than in the three losses. Calgary has scored an average of 26.1 points per game in the last six Labour Day games; an average of 35.6 points in the three wins and 16.6 points in the three losses. Calgary has averaged 376 yards of total offence over that time and that number balloons to 441.6 yards in the wins and shrinks to 310 yards per game in the losses. The Stamps have averaged 304 passing yards in the three wins compared to 261 yards in the losses and rushed for 102 yards in the wins and only 57 yards in the losses. Those are the obvious stats and are great for showing the difference in performance from the wins to the losses but a look at some of the other supposed important stats show less of a clear edge in the wins. Calgary has 17 sacks in last six Labour Day games but has more in the losses (nine to eight) than in the wins and have given up six sacks in the wins compared to just five in the losses. Edmonton has eight interceptions in the last six games compared to just three for Calgary but it’s pretty even in both the wins and losses while Edmonton also has an eight to three advantage in fumble recoveries with the Stamps fumbling four times in both the three wins and the three losses. The last offensive indicator to look at is time of possession and Edmonton has had the advantage in four of the last six Classics, sporting a 3-1 record in those four games. Calgary has won two straight Labour Day games and has won the time of possession battle in both of them with both games ending up over 31minutes of possession for the Stamps. We’ll compare the defensive numbers for the last six rematch games in Edmonton next week.

THIS WEEK IN THE CFL

This is the Labour Day Weekend in the CFL and there are two other long time grudge matches being played besides the Calgary-Edmonton showdown. B.C. (4-4) and Montreal (5-3) start the week off on Friday Night Football before Saskatchewan (6-2) hosts Winnipeg (2-5) on Sunday in their annual battle. Hamilton (2-5) and Toronto (3-5) follow the Calgary game on Monday night from Steeltown in the latest chapter in their storied rivalry.

EXTRA POINTS

Penalties were a big issue for the Stamps in 2007 when they finished last in the league in both penalties taken (231) and penalty yardage (1,978). The Stamps have cleaned up their act for the most part in 2008 and sit in sixth and fifth spots respectively in those categories and are on pace to improve in both (they should finish with 167 penalties for 1,318 yards at their current pace). Their penalty breakdown so far this year is as follows:
23 offside/procedure/time count substitution penalties, 14 holding calls, nine no yards, seven rough play calls, seven pass interference penalties, six illegal blocks or interference penalties, five unnecessary roughness penalties, one time count, one illegal kickoff and one crack-back block call. In those last six Labour Day games we looked at earlier, Calgary took an average of 12.5 penalties per game for 95.1 yards but once again took more in the three wins than in the losses. Calgary averaged 15 flags per game in the wins compared to just 10 in the losses.

–Preview by Mike Hardiman