Johany Jutras/CFL.ca
Every week of the 2016 season, CFL.ca columnists Pat Steinberg and Marshall Ferguson debate over one of the league’s most contentious storylines. This week, we ask the question: should the Stampeders rest their players in Week 19?
All that’s left for the Calgary Stampeders to accomplish this season is a Grey Cup Championship.
It’s a precarious situation for Head Coach Dave Dickenson’s team, which is within two points of compiling the best record in CFL history at 15-1-1 heading into its season finale this weekend in Montreal.
The Grey Cup, of course, won’t be awarded this weekend, but what the Stampeders do in Montreal could have an effect on the outcome when they host the Western Final on Nov. 20.
The question: should Dickenson sit or start his star players?
How will Dave Dickenson manage the Stamps’ time off between games? (Johany Jutras/CFL.ca)
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It’s a dilemma seemingly brought forward every season, when divisions are clinched late in the year and teams are faced with the issue of whether to play starters and avoid rust or sit starters and avoid injury.
Such a case is particularly daunting for the Stampeders, who face a Week 20 bye to close out the season, ensuring a three-week gap between the final game of the season and the Western Final. If Dickenson were to rest his players on Sunday, the duration between Calgary’s previous game vs. Toronto on Oct. 21 and the Western Final on Nov. 20 would be 30 days.
That’s a lot of time off, but there’s something to be said for a rested and healthy Stamps team — one that hasn’t looked back since a season-opening loss to the BC Lions. Not to mention the odds, no matter how slim, of Bo Levi Mitchell of Jerome Messam getting injured in a meaningless game.
If you’re in Dave Dickenson’s shoes, are you sitting or starting your players in Sunday’s game?
The debate heats up in the latest Berg vs. Ferg.
| BERG VS. FERG: WEEK 18 RESULTS |
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CFL.ca |
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Steinberg – 2,164 (82%) Ferguson – 461 (18%) |
Steinberg – 277 (55%) Ferguson – 226 (45%) |
Steinberg – 2,441 (78%) Ferguson – 687 (22%) |
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FERG (8-6): NO GOOD CAN COME FROM PLAYING THE STARTERS
Marshall Ferguson, CFL.ca
@TSN_Marsh
The Calgary Stampeders have already accomplished everything worth attaining in the 2016 regular season.
Records are fun, numbers are cool, but none of them matter if you don’t bring home the hardware and resting their starters is a must if they’d like to do so in Toronto this November.
I was fortunate enough to be on some teams at McMaster which danced with this question of resting starters at the back end of the season. Each time, the message was consistent from then-McMaster head coach now-Tiger-Cats offensive coordinator Stefan Ptaszek. If the starters are in rhythm, feeling good and for the most part healthy after clinching a bye week and playoff berth then they have earned the ability to take a week or two in order to get their body fresh.
The Stampeders hit the nail on the head of all three of these checklist worth requirements to rest starters. The offence averages four more points per game than any other team (34.0) and the fewest points allowed (20.9).
What good can come from keeping your starters in all the way to the playoffs when you receive your bye week?
I understand the rest vs. rust argument and in some cases it is valid, but not with these Stampeders. The 20-week grind of a CFL season is longer than any other football league. As a result, players’ bodies, especially younger players, are not conditioned to stay healthy and productive the whole way.
The Stampeders need to start tapering as soon as possible. Heck, they can start game planning for the Western Final at this point and maybe advance scouting their possible Grey Cup foes should they make it to BMO Field in a month’s time. They’ve earned the right to do so and have nothing else to achieve in 2016 than a ring and a place in CFL history.
BERG (6-8): THE LEAGUE’S TOP TEAM NEEDS TO STAY SHARP
Pat Steinberg, CFL.ca
@Fan960Steinberg
Managing a situation like the one the Calgary Stampeders are in is not easy. In fact, the Stamps are in about as unique a situation as you can find because they haven’t really had anything to play for since their Week 16 win over the Toronto Argonauts. Balancing who to play and when to play them is delicate right now, but I think Head Coach Dave Dickenson needs to give his key players important reps in their final game of the season this weekend.
Part of the reason why I think it’s so crucial is because this is Calgary’s regular season finale. The Stampeders have a Week 20 bye and then an additional week off for the Western Semi-Final. As such, they’ll have 20 days between games and, with time off like that, it’s important to have key guys get at least some playing time under their belt heading into the break. As such, guys like Bo Levi Mitchell, Jerome Messam and others need to play.
But Calgary’s complicated situation goes beyond how its season ends. The fact that the Stampeders have 40 days between meaningful games adds another element to the whole mix. They clinched the West Division on Oct. 10th and have had only a chase for a 16-1-1 record to play for. Dickenson has already used his starters over the last few weeks to help chase down a record season, but also to keep his group sharp.
Look, the Stampeders are the league’s best team by a country mile right now and losing players to injury in their final game of the season would be awful. They’ve already lost Deron Mayo, a defensive captain, for the rest of the season, so some of these worries have already come home to roost. But there has to be a balance.
Can Calgary really afford to sit out its most important players when there’s such a long layoff coming? The Stampeders are going to have the question of rust come the Western Final regardless, but I think the Stamps need to give their starters some meaningful reps Sunday in Montreal. It doesn’t have to be the whole game necessarily, but Calgary ‘s top players need their reps heading into a long season-ending break.
DON’T SIT ON THE FENCE!
While both sides are pretty convincing, someone’s got to take it. Whose argument convinced you the most?
You can vote for this week’s winner both on CFL.ca and Twitter. Meanwhile, continue the conversation by tweeting @Fan960Steinberg and @TSN_Marsh.
The winner will be revealed in the following week’s Berg vs. Ferg.
