Depth on defence pays off
After six weeks of worrying about how the Calgary Stampeders offence would deal with injuries, the defence has taken a hit.
Fortunately, the Stamps (12-4) defence should still be effective, despite having key players missing from the active roster for Friday night’s game against the Winnipeg Blue Bombers (9-7).
The reinforcements should be able to more than hold their own, too.
When the Stampeders released their roster for Friday’s tilt at Investors Group Field, four major defensive contributors were moved to the one-game injured list.
Corner Tre Roberson, weakside linebacker Jameer Thurman, defensive tackle Derek Wiggan and defensive end James Vaughters are unavailable for the Stamps.
Wynton McManis will take over the starting linebacker job for Thurman, with Maleki Harris being added to the active roster as backup.
DaShaun Amos is in for Roberson, Folarin Orimolade is in for Wiggan, and Ese Mrabure will take Vaughters’ spot.
Each of the replacements have proven themselves capable this year, but when head coach Dave Dickenson was asked about Vaughters’ injury, he seemed confident the backups could get the job done.
“(Vaughters) was beat up last week,” Dickenson said. “He probably could have played. He and Jameer could have played, but we have quality backups, and they were running on fumes a bit at the end of the game (last Saturday against the Saskatchewan Roughriders). They were working hard, but I just didn’t feel their bodies were holding up.
“I felt we needed fresh bodies. We have to play well on special teams, we need everyone going 100 miles an hour, and hopefully those guys are feeling better for next week’s game.”
The starters are going to be missed, no question.
In his rookie season, Roberson has played at a level that should generate serious end-of-season awards consideration.
Thurman has quietly become one of the best defensive players in the league, while Wiggan and Vaughters have been rocks on the league’s best defensive line.
But unlike the offence, where the Stamps have had to bring in replacements to help fill the gaping void left by injuries to their star receivers, the Calgary crew has solid backup options who have been taking reps all year.
Orimolade has been in and out of the lineup, but he’s a tantalizing prospect. Amos was only signed on Oct. 3, but will be playing in his second game already, while Mrabure has been a consistent presence in the lineup.
McManis has come on strong, too, especially over the last two months.
He’s currently second in the CFL in special teams tackles and has performed admirably when he’s been called upon on defence.
“I have felt the improvement. There’s been opportunities where we need a big play and I’ve kind of upped my game,” McManis said. “I kind of take that personal, on myself, to give us that spark. It just comes with hard work and trying to stay focused.”
For a Stampeders defence that put in arguably its worst performance of the year against the Riders last weekend, none of this might seem ideal.
Continuity matters, but the Stampeders firmly believe they have the pieces in place to bounce back from their disappointing showing, and even Bombers head coach Mike O’Shea admitted he wasn’t game planning to take advantage of the mistakes the Stamps made last week.
“I don’t know if you game-plan around an anomaly, or a one-off. You game plan for who they are, what they do on a regular basis,” O’Shea said. “I don’t think you can effectively game plan, hoping that they miss a tackle or hoping that they make a mistake. It doesn’t work that way.”
NOT BUYING IN
The Stampeders have won nine straight games when they’ve ventured to Winnipeg to play the Bombers.
Does that matter? Well, Stamps QB Bo Levi Mitchell sure doesn’t think so.
“It doesn’t always carry over that way,” Mitchell said. “It’s kind of like the thing with kickers. You say, ‘He hasn’t missed a field goal in 50 kicks,’ and sure enough he misses that one. So (you) try not to focus on it and carry that confidence.”
NOT WORRIED
The CFL’s two leading tacklers will both play on Friday.
The Stamps’ Alex Singleton is currently leading the CFL with 107 tackles, while Bombers linebacker Adam Bighill isn’t far behind with 101.
If you think Singleton is even the least bit worried about winning the race, though, you’re sorely mistaken.
The Stamps need to clinch first place in the West Division. Everything else is secondary.
“I want to win this game and the next one,” Singleton said. “If the plays come to you, they come to you”