Bell set tone early in big win over Riders
Stampeders defender was having none of pre-game shenanigans
When Josh Bell turned on the highlights of Saturday night’s game against the Saskatchewan Roughriders, he was surprised to see himself front-and-centre in the clip that kicked off the game recap.
Instead of any number of big plays from the Stampeders’ 27-10 win, it was a clip of Bell pushing Riders receiver Duron Carter during warm-ups that led the TSN SportsCentre highlight package.
The context: Carter had crossed into Stamps territory and was running his mouth, and Bell reacted by shoving him back across the 55-yard line.
“It was kind of surprising to see that as the first thing I saw on TV,” Bell said. “You don’t realize cameras are around, sometimes.”
When Bell was asked whether he would have done anything differently if he’d thought about the possibility that cameras were on, he said no, and while Carter clearly crossed a line — both literally and figuratively — with the Stamps safety, it doesn’t sound like we’ll ever know the full details of what transpired.
“What goes on in the arena among the gladiators, I think stays there when it comes to the verbal,” Bell said. “I think everybody who sees and knows, they know anything can be said on the green. So we’ll keep it there. I live by that code of conduct and honour among the gladiators.”
The incident came after a week in which trash-talking and spying were major news items in the lead-up to the game, including in this very publication, and Stampeders head coach Dave Dickenson said Sunday that the bad-blood between the Stamps and Riders was a little blown out of proportion.
“I didn’t pay much attention to (the Bell-Carter incident) when it happened, I think all that stuff is overrated, just people talking too much,” Dickenson said. “We backed up our talk more than they did, but to me it never really plays much of a factor in the game.”
GOOD NEWS
For the most part, the Stampeders escaped from Saturday’s game without any new injury concerns.
Considering the way this season has gone, that’s a minormiracle.
Bell left the game in the third quarter with what appeared to be an ankle injury and didn’t return, but that appears to be the only real concern.
“No update yet, we’re checking to see,” Dickenson said about Bell. “Doesn’t look super serious but we’ll have to see. We’re going to get some imaging done and see how it looks.”
HE WANTED ONE MORE
Charleston Hughes made a serious impact on Saturday night’s proceedings after missing two weeks with a leg injury.
The defensive end burst back onto the scene with a three-sack night, terrorizing Riders QB Kevin Glenn and providing a reminder of why he’s as good as it gets in the CFL when it comes to making life hard for offensive linemen.
Hughes was certainly happy with his performance, but there was one thing bringing him down: Three sacks is great, but Hughes firmly believes he should have been credited with a fourth.
“I missed the fourth sack in that game; both of his knees were on the ground in the backfield and then he threw,” Hughes said. “They didn’t give me the sack.”
NOTHING TO SEE HERE
Seeing Bo Levi Mitchell take a late-game hit as he prepared to launch a ball downfield may have had Stampeders fans fearing the worst, but it sounds like the reigning CFL Most Outstanding Player is doing just fine.
Mitchell tweeted that his arm was OK following Saturday night’s game, and Dickenson confirmed his quarterback’s selfdiagnosis on Sunday.
“That’s tough on a quarterback, when you’re (winding up to) throw one deep and you get hit and pulled back,” Dickenson said. “Sounds like everything’s good, but I’ll monitor it during the week.”
Mitchell finished Saturday’s game with 253 passing yards, his lowest total since Week 1 of the 2016 season when he finished with 233 yards in a loss to the B.C. Lions. Largely, his low passing total was the result of the Stampeders’ strategy of pounding the ball on the ground through Jerome Messam.