THE CANADIAN PRESS
Thanks to their spectacular 44-41 overtime victory over the BC Lions on Friday night, the Calgary Stampeders are alone on top of the CFL’s West Division. For many, 2016 was supposed to be a year of transition for the Stamps and yet here leading the division once again, albeit only six weeks into the season. We shouldn’t really be surprised, though.
Same old story
Yes, the 2016 off-season was one of change in Calgary. For instance, Dave Dickenson replaced John Hufnagel, DeVone Claybrooks replaced Rich Stubler, and the Stamps said goodbye to the likes of Eric Rogers, Juwan Simpson, and Keon Raymond. Change doesn’t necessarily equate to negative results, though. There were plenty of reasons to expect Calgary to remain the perennial powerhouse they’ve been for the last decade.
The biggest trump card for the Stamps just happens to be the league’s most consistent quarterback over the last two plus seasons, at least in my opinion. Since taking over as Calgary’s starter in 2014, Bo Levi Mitchell hasn’t won an MOP nor has he led the league in passing yards. Instead, he’s just gone about his business, which is nothing but a good thing for the red and white.
In the 41 games the Stamps have played since the start of 2014, Mitchell has missed less than a handful of starts. Durability like that is something we haven’t seen from peers like Mike Reilly, Zach Collaros, Henry Burris, and Ricky Ray over that same span. Almost always healthy, Mitchell routinely finds himself near the top of the league in passing yards and touchdowns. Having a 26-year-old durable, high end quarterback like Mitchell was always going to give the Stamps a chance this season.
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Bo Levi Mitchell was instrumental in the Stamps’ come-from-behind victory over BC in Week 6 (Johany Jutras.CFL.ca)
But let’s not forget this defensive group. Yes, losses like Simpson and Raymond were important ones this winter, but let’s also not forget they are 32 and 33 years old, respectively. Instead, it’s been Deron Mayo and Taylor Reed getting the job done at linebacker. In fact, the stellar personnel depth the Stamps boast made losing two veterans a whole lot easier to withstand.
Returnees like Charleston Hughes, Micah Johnson, and Jamar Wall just added to the arsenal for Claybrooks. For a first time DC, that’s a pretty good group of weapons to go to work with on a daily basis. Oh, and it’s not like Calgary hired Claybrooks at a job fare. He did a stellar job for four years guiding the team’s defensive line and earned his shot at the top of the heap.
The Stamps have only played four games so we’ll stop short of any anointments in early August. They are back in their familiar position on top of the West Division, though, and I think they’ll be fighting for that perch all season long.
Well deserved
The 105th Grey Cup will be played in November 2017 at TD Place in Ottawa and I can’t think of a more deserving honour. Let’s not pull punches here when we talk about the prior CFL incarnation in our nation’s capital; it wasn’t pretty. As such, I had a healthy amount of skepticism when the league returned to Ottawa to start the 2014 season. That skepticism disappeared in short, short order.
Commissioner Jeffrey Orridge announces that the 107th Grey Cup will be played in Ottawa (The Canadian Press)
Owner Jeff Hunt did it right. Remember, Hunt’s ownership group was awarded a franchise more than eight years ago. Instead of rushing it, though, Hunt preached patience because he knew cutting corners would lead to the same unfortunate fate as the Renegades. Shortcuts were replaced by a calculated, measured, and sometimes difficult long game. It has culminated in a well-deserved Grey Cup showcase in 2017, though.
Getting a deal done to renovate Lansdowne Park was not a smooth road. It took a few marathon city council meetings to get an agreement done and even then legal hurdles delayed the start of construction until 2013. Staying patient couldn’t have always been easy, but Hunt did and now he has a jewel of a stadium with a really good team to boot.
The REBLACKS story is one of the most resoundingly positive ones the CFL has seen in quite some time. From the low that was the Renegades just ten years ago, I never saw this coming. Ottawa plays in front of regular packed houses, they played for a title in year two of their existence, and potentially look better in 2016 despite their setback last night. It’s tough not to feel good about this group.
Whether the REDBLACKS are fortunate enough to play in front of their home crowd next November nobody knows. We do know two things for sure, though: Ottawa is hosting the 2017 Grey Cup showcase and they are 110% deserving.
Still the best bet
Marshall Ferguson and I went toe-to-toe this week on the future of the quarterback position in Saskatchewan. I believe Darian Durant will be, and needs to be, the man under centre once again next season while Ferg believes the Riders will be moving on. After witnessing Montreal’s 41-3 win over Saskatchewan on Friday night, my belief got even stronger.
As I said in Berg vs. Ferg, there’s no question the Riders are looking for Durant’s heir apparent with him turn 34 later this month. Head coach and GM Chris Jones has shuffled the quarterback deck significantly since arriving in Regina for just that reason. But the Riders don’t have their successor to Durant in the fold right now.
Mitchell Gale was a nice story when he helped Saskatchewan to a big 30-29 win over Ottawa in Week 5. One week later he looked very ordinary against the Alouettes. Now, I’m not saying Durant would have made a huge difference in a 38-point loss, but I do think the offence works best with him at the helm.
My case for Durant hinged on two things: Saskatchewan’s need for immediate success and Durant’s solid performance prior to his injury a few weeks ago. Durant can still play and looked as good as he’s ever looked before going down with a bad ankle. Jones and the Riders want to win right now and Durant is by far the best quarterback on the roster. It seems like the right fit to me.
