Stingy Stampeders defence up to task
Calgary faces another tough test after impressive second half against Eskimos
There’s an argument to be made the Calgary Stampeders defence had its best half of the season after halftime in the Labour Day Classic.
There have been other awfully impressive stretches this year, of course, but considering the calibre of competition and the fact that the Stamps held the Edmonton Eskimos to only a field goal in 30 minutes of football, the second half of Monday ’s game might just be the best of the bunch.
Oh, and they also forced three turnovers for good measure.
“I think so, it was one of (the best halves),” said defensive tackle Micah Johnson. “Especially going against that offence and the playmakers they have. If you hold them to three points in a half, you’re doing something right.
“Especially with their quarterback and their offence, I think we are clicking. That’s the scary thing about us, though, we can still get better in a lot of different ways and we understand that.”
It’s easy to start sounding like a broken record when speaking about the Stampeders defence this season. Everyone knows it’s a dominant group, especially because it leads the CFL in everything from yards allowed to yards per play to first downs allowed to forced turnovers.
But Monday’s game — and Saturday’s rematch in Edmonton — might represent their biggest tests of the year.
And with the exception of one drive late in the first half, they passed the first part of that test with flying colours.
Eskimos quarterback Mike Reilly is leading the CFL in passing yards with 3,546, but the Stamps held him to only 250 yards through the air in Monday’s game. It’s also worth noting that 88 of those yards came on that late second-quarter touchdown drive, which included a 45-yard pass into the end zone that was caught by Duke Williams.
At the time, that drive put the Eskimos up heading into halftime and felt like a momentum shifter.
That’s not how it played out, though.
“Our guys came into the locker-room and adjusted and they communicate well,” said Stamps defensive backs coach Josh Bell. “They take the coaching and take it to the field and talk everything out. That’s one reason we’re a good team: you’re not going to beat us for four quarters and if you do you deserve to win.
“We expect to be dominating every time we play the game and we didn’t dominate in the first half, but in the second half we dominated and we got the turnovers to show.”
Largely, the Stamps defence managed to take control of the game by doing what they’ve done all season. They put pressure on the quarterback, never let the Eskimos receivers get behind them and tackled with a purpose.
That caused an interception and two fumbles, which was more than enough to give the Stamps offence the opportunities it needed to squeak out a 23-20 win.
“We did some good things defensively, still a lot of room for improvement, though,” said Stamps defensive back Brandon Smith. “We know they’re a big-play offence, but if you limit their big plays, you can make life tough for them.”
NO CLARITY
There were few conclusions to be drawn about availability for this weekend’s game at Wednesday’s practice and there weren’t many more answers Thursday, either.
Johnson appears good to go at defensive tackle after taking part in both days of on-field activities, while it appears that both Bo Levi Mitchell and James Vaughters have survived their injury scares and will be playing against the Eskimos in Edmonton.
The two big question marks are running back Don Jackson and corner Ciante Evans.
Tay Glover-Wright practised in Evans’ place Thursday, taking first-team reps, while Jackson only participated in the opening portion of the session with Romar Morris taking first-team reps at running back.
“(Evans) and Don are the two tightest ones. I’m hopeful, but not overly optimistic,” said Stamps head coach Dave Dickenson. “I do think they’ve got a chance, it’s just so tough on a five-day week. I’m sure (the Eskimos) have the same problems.
“You don’t need them out here cutting and showing everything they’ve got. At least (Evans and Jackson) are in the meetings and doing a little bit of stuff. If they can go and I feel faith that they can finish the game, I’ll play them.”
Dickenson also insisted that the Stampeders’ 9-1 record will have no effect on his decisions regarding who plays.
“I’m not much for cushions and all that,” Dickenson said. “I think if you’re healthy enough to play, we play. I only (rest players) when I feel like ultimately we’ve done what we want, which is win the west. For me, it’s still important to go up there and play well.”