Stamps rarin’ to go after bye week
There’s something about coming off a bye week that agrees with quarterback Bo Levi Mitchell and the Calgary Stampeders.
Calgary (3-0) returns from the bye Thursday night in Ottawa against the Redblacks (2-1) in a matchup of division leaders.
The Stampeders are16-0 coming off the bye since 2005, their last loss following a bye week coming July 1, 2005, when they hadn’t yet played a game that season.
Calgary has outscored its opponents 567-346 over that span, winning by an average of 13.8 points. The Stampeders’ last in-season, post-bye loss was in July 2004 in Montreal.
Mitchell, in his fifth season as Calgary’s starter, said consistency and not deviating from routine are two keys to the Stampeders’ bye-week success.
“Honestly, man, we just don’t change our approach to any game no matter the week or situation,” he said.
“We stick to our schedule, we stick to what we do and I think we’re very good at what we do, it’s something the guys can trust in.
“They know exactly how the week is going to work out every single week ...
“But this week is a little bit stressful and different for us because you’ve got a team you just played and it’s always very very hard to beat anyone twice in a row.
“We know it’s going to be a battle, we know it’s going to be a chess game.” Prediction: Calgary. Toronto Argonauts vs. Edmonton Eskimos (Friday night)
At Edmonton, James Franklin looks to give Toronto (1-2) a sweep of the home-and-home series after leading the Argos to last weekend’s 20-17 win.
Franklin threw for 217 yards and a TD and ran for another in his Argos debut but it was James Wilder (21 carries, 120 yards, TD) who helped anchor the win.
Mike Reilly had 370 yards passing and a touchdown for the Eskimos (2-2) but fell to 2-6 all-time versus the Double Blue. Prediction: Edmonton. Winnipeg Blue Bombers vs. B.C. Lions (Saturday night)
At Vancouver, Matt Nichols looks to lead Winnipeg (2-2) to the home-and-home sweep.
Nichols threw for 162 yards and a TD in last week’s 41-19 win, his ’18 debut coming off a knee injury.
But he got help from running back Andrew Harris (109 yards rushing) plus some assistance from former Lions linebacker Adam Bighill (six tackles, two interceptions, one 55-yard TD return).
It’s unclear if Jonathon Jennings or veteran Travis Lulay will start for B.C. (1-2).
Lulay, 34, is coming off major knee surgery.
Jennings hasn’t thrown for over 200 yards this season and was 15-for-24 passing for 105 yards last week. Prediction: Winnipeg. Last week: 2-2 Overall: 10-6