STAMPS ROLL OVER ARGOS
Rough night for Toronto’s Ricky Ray
The Calgary Stampeders TORONTO insist they’re not playing as well as they want to be. No, really. Despite hammering the Toronto Argonauts 41-24 on Thursday night in a game that was significantly more one-sided than the already one-sided score line would indicate, the Stampeders (5-1-1) headed into their bye week insisting that there was still a lot to work on.
“I thought we played hard, I thought the effort’s there. Just execution-wise, it wasn’t our best,” said Stampeders head coach Dave Dickenson.
“There’s a lot for us to work on. These guys can go on break, watch the film, make sure to stay strong and come back motivated to keep going.”
If the Stampeders do come back in a week and a half looking better than they did Thursday night, the rest of the season could be a nightmare for opponents.
At BMO Field, the Stampeders survived a shaky opening couple minutes in which a Roy Finch fumble gave the Argonauts (3-4-0) the ball on the Stamps 32-yard line, allowing Toronto quarterback Ricky Ray to work his magic and find S.J. Green for the game’s opening score.
It wasn’t the start the Stamps wanted, not by a long-shot. But they would respond by putting together an overwhelming four quarter performance in which the Argos’ only other touchdown came in the game’s final seconds, when most of the Calgary starters were resting on the sidelines.
In between, it was all Stampeders.
Finch made up for his fumble by bursting downfield for a 55-yard kickoff return the next time he got his hands on the ball, and added his second return touchdown in as many weeks when he took off for 103 yards in the second quarter.
Bo Levi Mitchell did what Bo Levi Mitchell does, spreading the ball among his receivers and finishing by completing 19 of 24 passes for three touchdowns and 249 yards.
Jerome Messam rumbled for 76 yards on 10 carries, while Marquay McDaniel had eight receptions for 77 yards and DaVaris Daniels had four catches for 76 yards, including a highlight-reel 29-yard TD reception on the Stamps’ final drive of the first half.
The defence was solid, as well, with the starters limiting the Argos to field goals for the vast majority of the game.
They also managed to get in Ray’s face, as the 37-year-old completed only 15 of 26 passes for 139 yards and was picked off by linebacker Jameer Thurman.
“You ask anybody in all three phases, none of us will say our phase is playing amazing,” Mitchell said. “I don’t think our offence is playing great. I think we’re playing good but can play better.”
Whether they’re playing perfect football or not, the Stampeders have been on a tear since dropping their first game of the season against the Alouettes in Montreal in Week 4.
Between Thursday’s game and last week’s 60-1 smashing of the Hamilton Tiger-Cats, the Stamps have outscored their opponents by a terrifying 101-25 margin over the past two games.
Bigger challenges lie ahead, for sure, as the Stamps will return from their bye week and take on the B.C. Lions in Vancouver on Aug. 18, and two of their next three games will be against the West Division-leading Edmonton Eskimos.
“I think it was a big win for us, the last two actually, two east teams, (because) you know you’re going to start to get your meat and potatoes in the west,” Dickenson said. “You’ve got to stay in the same area code as Edmonton. They’re playing well. I do feel we’re in a good spot. Not exactly where we want, but I think this is a great start to the season and hopefully we can build on it.”
The coming month could go a long way toward establishing who finishes where at season’s end, and unfortunately the Stampeders will be without a couple key weapons on offence.
After Kamar Jorden was placed on the six-game injured list after getting hurt against the Ticats, the Stamps may have lost Canadian receiver Lemar Durant to a long-term injury as well.
Dickenson didn’t have a postgame update on Durant’s condition, but acknowledged it could be serious.
It’s a big loss, and the Stampeders aren’t trying to sugar-coat the challenge they face in trying to replace two of their top receivers.
“It hurts, it definitely hurts,” said Daniels. “Outside people looking in won’t know how important Lemar is to our offence.”