The Argos being terrible this season isn't a surprise. The Calgary Stampeders on the other hand...
Think about it: As bad as the Toronto Argonauts have been this year, sitting last in the Canadian Football League with a record of 2-5, the defending Grey Cup-champion Calgary Stampeders are only marginally better in the overall standings with a 3-4 record.
What's up with that?
This is a team that some people thought would go undefeated this year. Okay, it was funny guy Mike Toth that said that and he took a liberal license in that proclamation. That said, he has been enrolled in Perry's School For Peerless Prognostications.
But to think the Stamps would have more losses than wins to this point would have been as nuts as saying Mad Mike Kelly would go through the regular season without some kind of controversy.
The Stamps had every reason to continue the momentum they gained from winning the Cup last year and basically beginning the season with only a few changes in personnel.
Think about it, when general manager/head coach John Hufnagel took over the team last year, he began the season with 10 new starters on defence. Remember how he kept the media out of his practices leading up to that first game because of concerns the Stamps' schemes and personnel changes would be exposed or, dare we say it, leaked?
Well, it stands to reason that a team that is bringing back most of its starters should have no problem going forward. But it has been obvious of late the Stamps' defence has holes in it. Why else would the Stamps sign three defensive players during their bye week? Presumably the troika, which include Canadian Football League veterans Devone Claybrooks and Jim Davis, will be starting or seeing significant playing time Friday night in Toronto against the Argos. They weren't brought in for the scenery. Tim Johnson, the lone member of the three without CFL experience, is pencilled in to start at middle linebacker, the spot once occupied by JoJuan Armour - until his undisciplined behaviour resulted in his release in training camp. We've speculated Armour placed a curse on the Stamps upon his release, but we've been told by well-known people in the parapsychology/paranormal industry that this is, in fact, untrue.
Clearly the Stamps will miss defensive lineman Mike Labinjo, who is sidelined indefinitely with a leg injury. He was shifted to the interior this year and his stats haven't been nearly as glittering as last year when he was a dominant rush end in the league. But how many interior linemen have great numbers anyway? Most are double-teamed, leaving the ends to play man-on-man for the most part.
One player can't make that much of a difference on defence. Then again, how dominant was Cam Wake the last two years for B.C.? He contributed in so many ways and it stood to reason Labinjo would be equally as dominant this year. That said, moving him to the interior line was, I believe, a mistake.
Now that he's out, it means the absence of a standout player and one who is Canadian, thereby creating a possible ratio change. At the very least, his replacement won't be as effective.
After starting the season 0-2 and losing - egad - to Winnipeg in the second loss, the Stamps rebounded to score their first win of the season thrashing the Argos 44-9. Calgary followed that up with a 48-10 win over the equally inept B.C. Lions. It seemed to be a confidence builder for Calgary, but they've lost two of their last three, albeit those losses were by a combined four points.
The offence is clearly clicking for the Stamps. Quarterback Henry Burris is playing with the same poise and efficiency in his breakout season last year. The offensive line, which has gone through changes early in the season due to injuries, appears to be solid again. The receiving corps, despite the season-ending knee injury suffered by Ken-Yon Rambo and the fact Nik Lewis has yet to score a touchdown, is doing a good job. Veteran Jeremaine Copeland is playing like he did years ago when he was among the best at his position in the league.
But the defence needs to be better. And reliable kicker Sandro DeAngelis has had some uncharacteristic misses.
With a little luck, the Stamps could be 4-3 or 5-2. But the reality is they are not. There is no way the Stamps won't make the playoffs this year. Quite frankly, there some teams who are in far worse shape, even at this point.
But for now Calgary gets the stamp of disapproval for losing more than they've won to this point.
