9 Thoughts After 9 Games - Calgary Stampeders https://www.stampeders.com Together We Ride Wed, 18 Dec 2024 23:36:02 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=5.9.1 https://www.stampeders.com/wp-content/themes/stampeders.com/images/icons/png/logo.png Calgary Stampeders https://www.stampeders.com/ 32 32 9 Thoughts After 9 Games https://www.stampeders.com/2024/08/14/9-thoughts-after-9-games/ https://www.stampeders.com/2024/08/14/9-thoughts-after-9-games/#respond Wed, 14 Aug 2024 13:48:07 +0000 https://www.stampeders.com/?p=485303 Midway point.

The Stamps are halfway through their 2024 campaign. Here are nine thoughts to mull over from the first half of the season and looking ahead to the second half.

1. On to Cincinnati, Ottawa

How do you put a tough loss behind you? Listen to the wise words of Bill Belichick and move onto the next one.

The 33-6 loss to the Redblacks in Week 8 has been flushed away, and now a couple of weeks later the Stamps have their chance to get even on their turf.

With a perfect record at home, Calgary will look to keep that stat intact with a Thursday-night matchup against Bob Dyce’s group and get back to .500 before their bye week.

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2. Sweet Home, Alberta

DL coach Juwan Simpson may argue Alberta doesn’t quite have the same ring to it as his beloved Alabama, but for the sake of this thought, it’s close enough.

As mentioned earlier, the Stamps are undefeated at McMahon Stadium so far this season, aka Calgary’s Biggest Outdoor Patio.

And that feat could prove advantageous over the next month and a half as, following the team’s road trip last week in Toronto, the Red and White don’t leave the confines of their home province again until they travel westbound to Vancouver in October.

The team will take on the visiting Redblacks Thursday, Aug. 15, then return to play following their bye week for the Labour Day Classic. Their lone road game in September comes against the Elks for the Labour Day Rematch in Edmonton on Sept. 7, then the Stamps remain at McMahon for a two-game homestand against the Alouettes and Roughriders.

Will the Red and White string together their first set of back-to-back wins over this stretch?

3. Looking at Labour Day

Back from the bye, all attention will be focused on the Labour Day Classic when the Stamps host their rivals from the north.

It will be the second annual ‘blackout’ at McMahon where all fans are encouraged to match the team’s game day attire by wearing black Stampeders gear of their own.

The Stamps were the first CFL team to introduce a permanent third jersey when they unveiled black jerseys for the Labour Day Classic on Sept. 6, 1994, and they capped the occasion with a 48-15 win over Edmonton.

Calgary and Edmonton have played 57 times on Labour Day since 1959, and the Stamps lead the series 30-26-1.

4. INT? Houston says ‘No Problem’

The free-agent acquisition sure has lived up to expectations when the Red and White signed the 2023 interceptions leader in February. Through six games played, Demerio Houston has four picks to his name and believes he could even have a couple more.

Through 10 weeks, Calgary sits second in the league with team interceptions, racking up a total of 11, only five fewer than the total they had throughout the entire 2023 season.

5. Welcome to ‘Bageltown’

Reliable Reggie Begelton has continued to be a consistent piece of the Stampeders offence, 61 games to be exact. The star from Lamar had a reception in a 61st consecutive game last week, moving ahead of Herm Harrison for the sixth best in Stampeders history. Nik Lewis, Calgary’s current receivers coach, holds the franchise record at 166 games.

Plus, Begelton needs 78 receiving yards to become the 12th Stamp to reach the 5,000-yard milestone.

He leads the Red and White in receptions (46), yards (477), yards after the catch (193) and targets (67). With three receiving touchdowns, he sits only behind Marken Michel.

6. Record-Breaking René

Longtime Calgary kicker René Paredes has moved into fourth place in franchise history with 220 regular-season games played. If he plays five more games this season, Paredes will pass President Jay McNeil and Larry Robinson to move up to second spot behind only fellow kicker Mark McLoughlin.

Major milestones are nothing new to El Matador, who reached 2,000 points scored in his career and 500 field goals made last season.

7. Staying Upright

There’s been a lot of movement amongst the offensive line this season and players enter and exit the depth chart due to injuries. Although the group has seen a different face nearly every week at the tackle or guard positions, they are second in the league in fewest sacks allowed with a total of 15, just one behind Hamilton’s 14.

8. We’ve Got Time

Calgary leads the league in time of possession halfway through the season, averaging a total of 31:55 minutes.

9. Tommy Time

Speaking of time, it would be remiss to leave the short-yardage king off of this list.

Tommy Stevens has 34 carries for 113 yards and five touchdowns. The Penn State alum is also one for two in passing for 24 yards. He has been called upon in 21 third-and-short situations and has successfully converted on 20 of those assignments with 16 first downs and three touchdowns on 20 carries as well as a 24-yard pass completion to Marken Michel.

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