THE CANADIAN PRESS
It is the question that has challenged Canadian Football League coaches forever.
Once a team is successful in capturing top spot in its division, it must figure out what to do with the off week before the division final.
In the case of the Calgary Stampeders, they chose to rename the week. Rather than calling it a bye week, the team called it a work week. And work it did.
The Stampeders went on the field for three sessions in bone-chilling cold. The workouts were shorter than the standard sessions. The focus was more on fine-tuning aspects of their game and running drills. Obviously, there was little work done on preparing for an opponent, considering they didn’t yet know their opponent.
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 The Calgary Stampeders hold a 3-0 series edge over the Edmonton Eskimos this season, but on Nov. 23 the Esks get a chance to settle the score. See the rivalry up close and personal, as the Battle of Alberta unfolds with a Grey Cup berth at stake.
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However, the team did achieve some notable things during its week-without-a-game.
First, Jon Cornish was on the field for the drills. All signs point to him returning to the field for the Western Final. Cornish left the Nov. 1 Winnipeg game following a head hit and sat out the season finale in BC.
Also expected to return to duty is fleet receiver Mo Price. Price was also dealing with concussion symptoms, but he has passed all the protocols and is ready to play.
The news is not quite as encouraging for defensive end Charleston Hughes. He has been battling an ankle/foot injury since mid-September. He was on the field in the final workout of the week, but was something less than certain he would play next week. Time is on the Stamps side but the injury has been stubborn and slow to heal.
After Sunday, the Stampeders know they’ll be playing their division rival, the Edmonton Eskimos, forthe fourth time this season. They took all three regular season meetings with the Eskimos, who will now make their first Western Final trip to Calgary in 16 years. That year, the Stamps defeated the Esks en route to the Grey Cup.
The Stampeders haven’t seen the Eskimos since the midway point of the season, after sweeping a Labour Day back-to-back. The weather was a little different then, while the Stamps’ recent struggles in cold conditions should place emphasis on being ready for what could be a frigid Western Final.
With the Western Final of 2013 still in their mind, the Stampeders welcomed the cold conditions of the past week. A point of emphasis this past week was ball security. A season ago, the Stampeders committed seven turnovers in the cold at McMahon Stadium, en route to losing the West Final. Fumbles also cost the Stamps in their final home regular season game against Winnipeg this year.
Preliminary forecasts for next Sunday suggest the temperature will be just below freezing with no precipitation. But anyone who can safely predict the Calgary weather a week ahead of time should also look at buying lottery tickets a week ahead of time. Fickle weather is a Calgary trademark.
For one last afternoon, the Calgary Stampeders can sit back and watch other teams run into each other. They know that soon the spotlight and focus will turn to them.
