History suggests Stamps, Ticats will go down to wire
Well, the fans are getting their money’s worth.
Almost every time the Calgary Stampeders and Hamilton TigerCats hook up, the game goes right down to the wire.
Six of the last eight clashes, including the 2014 Grey Cup, have been decided by less than a touchdown.
The Stamps have all of them, winning the half-dozen nail-biters by a total of 17 points.
“I feel like every game is close,” said Stamps head coach Dave Dickenson, whose club has won eight consecutive head-to-head matchups. “And we’ve been very fortunate to win all the close games.
“If you talk to them, they probably feel snake-bitten. They’ve outplayed us, but a play here or there goes the wrong way.”
Stamps kicker Rene Paredes, who has booted 23 straight field goals, has come through in the clutch for a pair of improbable wins in the last two meetings. He’d be fine with finding a comfy seat for the dying minutes this time when the teams hook up Sunday at McMahon Stadium.
“They’re a good team and their special teams are really good,” Paredes said. “Who knows, it might come down to a kick again.
“I don’t think it’ll come down to a field goal for the third time in a row, but we’ll see.”
The Tabbies haven’t won at McMahon Stadium since July 4, 2004, when Hall of Fame quarterback Danny McManus outduelled Marcus Crandell.
KEON COMING HOME?
Longtime Stamps defender Keon Raymond is back on the market after being released Thursday by the Toronto Argonauts.
Is there a chance he could find himself back in Calgary?
Stamps head coach Dave Dickenson didn’t pour water on the notion, but he wasn’t exactly fanning the flames either.
“We’re too locked into Hamilton right now,” Dickenson said. “I thought about it because I like Keon. He’s a good man.
“But football-wise, we’re just going to play this game and figure out future weeks as they come.
“I certainly wish him the best of luck as far as finding a job and what he wants, but I’m not sure where we’re going to go with that yet.”
UPON FURTHER REVIEW
The CFL made a rare mid-season rule change Friday.
With the frequency of coaches’ challenges skyrocketing, the league decided to eliminate the freebie.
A coach’s first challenge will now cost his team a timeout if he loses the challenge.
“We are listening to our fans,” commissioner Jeffrey Orridge said. “And while it’s unusual to have a rule change during the season, the league and our teams wanted to respond to fans’ concerns about the frequency of challenges.”