Longtime Calgary Stampeders' quarterback Dave Dickenson announces his retirement from the sport in Calgary, Wednesday, Feb. 4, 2009.Jeff McIntosh
The message to the Calgary Stampeders this week has been simple: Go after the Montreal Alouettes. Hit them. Attack them. Give them a week's worth of lumps to nurse.
And those were the instructions for Calgary's offence. Imagine what the defence was told to do.
Coming off their worst, most lifeless performance of the 2010 CFL season, the Stampeders face the defending Grey Cup champions Friday in the first game of a home-and-home series. Should they lose both games - and the Saskatchewan Roughriders win their two-game showdown with the Toronto Argonauts - the Stampeders would lose their once iron-clad grip on first place in the West Division. They would also lose their faith at a time when they should be polishing their act for the postseason.
This is why the Stampeders' offensive game plan for Montreal has an edge to it. For one thing, the Stampeders need to regain their dominance after scoring just 10 points in last Saturday's 19-point loss to the B.C. Lions. For another, being tough is the best way to challenge Montreal's defence.
"We have to be physical," said Calgary quarterbacks coach Dave Dickenson. "We have to make sure they're sore. The offensive line has to handle their big guys. Saskatchewan will try to outscheme you with different [defensive]formations. But Montreal, they challenge your manhood."
The Stampeders had been manlier than the Old Spice guy up until two weeks ago, when their defence went to pieces in a 43-37 overtime loss to the Riders followed by the B.C. debacle. In that grim outing, Calgary quarterback Henry Burris threw two interceptions and fumbled once before being benched. Ace running back Joffrey Reynolds gained just 25 yards and also fumbled.
Dickenson said things got so bad, "We didn't even look like a pro team. We'd been so efficient, so good up until then. It was shocking to see us play that poorly."
Given only six days to prepare for Montreal, Dickenson had a chat with Burris - not about what went wrong, but about what plays would work best against the Alouettes, just to make sure the coach and quarterback were sharing the same signals.
Burris, who managed only 136 yards against the Lions, had already written off the B.C. game as one of those nights when a team can barely form a huddle, let alone score a touchdown.
"Everything went wrong for us. I guess this is our one hiccup this year," Burris said, adding there could be no further glitches against a team as well coached and seasoned as the Alouettes. "You really don't need any more motivation for this one. … We just have to play within our game."
What will help that game will be the return of slotback Nik Lewis, who sat out the B.C. loss with a sore knee but still got into a postgame shouting match with Lions defender Davis Sanchez. Lewis is not only his side's top receiver in terms of catches and yards, he's a mean-streak blocker and the fuse that lights the dynamite. Precisely what the Stampeders need to break free from the funk.
"Having Nik in there will help," Dickenson acknowledged. "He'll be up against [Montreal's]Chip Cox and that will be a good matchup. Nik will have to be on top of his game. We need him. It's never good to see him on the football field in street clothes."
Asked if he foresaw last week's face-plant, Dickenson said he'd had a bad feeling about the way the players were readying themselves without their usual level of enthusiasm. This week has been better, but having lost twice in a row, the Stampeders no longer appear as formidable as they once seemed, and what they do next will help determine how their season moves from here.
"You want to be feeling good about yourself and peaking at the end," Dickenson said. "If you're playing meaningful games, the odds are better on that happening. We're playing meaningful games now. … What's important is how we respond."
The Stampeders will return Canadian Mike Labinjo to their front four in the hope he'll fire up the defensive unit with his pass rushing. Alouettes receiver Kerry Watkins suffered a shoulder injury against the Winnipeg Blue Bombers and will not play in Calgary.