First highway victory of 2024 for Calgary membership a slump-stopper to ship Purple and White into low season on excessive word
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It’s one for the highway for the Calgary Stampeders …
A win away from house — for his or her first one of many CFL marketing campaign — and a victory to ship them into the sundown feeling no less than a bit higher in regards to the debacle that was the 2024 season.
“For the fellows, I feel it was glorious,” Stampeders GM/head coach Dave Dickenson informed Stamps TV, moments after Saturday’s 27-12 overcome the host Saskatchewan Roughriders at Regina’s Mosaic Stadium.
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“They performed laborious, they usually performed good soccer.”
Reality is the Roughriders didn’t have a lot to play for coming into the sport.
Actually, the air went out of the day for them simply forward of their tilt with the Stampeders, when the Winnipeg Blue Bombers secured high spot within the CFL’s West Division. The Bombers’ 28-27 last-second fringe of the host Montreal Alouettes locked the Riders out of the race for first place and solidified them within the West’s second slot for the upcoming post-season, leaving them with out loads of motivation for the regular-season finale.
However the Stamps will take the win to snap a nine-game winless skid, ending the ugly 5-12-1 yr with a little bit of pleasure.
Go-catchers Clark Barnes, Cam Echols and Marken Michel every hauled in landing throws from QB Jake Maier. The primary two — of 33 and 9 yards, respectively — got here within the second quarter to provide the Stamps a 14-3 halftime lead, and Maier’s 67-yard strike to the ever-clutch Michel was insurance coverage early on within the fourth body.
The loss drops the Riders to 9-8-1, however they host the West semifinal towards the 9-9 BC Lions subsequent Sunday.
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Listed here are three Stamps takeaways from Saturday’s Week 21 win in Regina:
A WIN IS A WIN
Dickenson wished the win to snap the lengthy winless skid that has felt like a freefall for the ages.
“It’s wonderful,” Maier informed Stamps TV. “It hasn’t been the nicest yr to us, clearly.
“Successful this recreation, whether or not it meant something to the league or not, it meant the world to us, simply because it’s been such a long-time. Now we will go to mattress at evening figuring out we didn’t hand over and we performed properly in our remaining recreation.”
The Stamps’ final victory got here all the way in which again on Aug. 4 in a 27-23 takedown of the visiting Toronto Argonauts at McMahon Stadium. And at the moment, they had been nonetheless within the playoff hunt with a 4-4 file.
However 9 straight video games with only one tie — that in a weird 19-19 affair with the juggernaut Alouettes — to assist them within the standings created a misplaced marketing campaign for the Purple and White.
“Not less than you completed on the correct word,” Dickenson mentioned. “Definitely the fellows responded.”
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The five-win yr is the worst since 2004, the final time the Stamps — then 4-14 — missed the CFL playoffs.
MAIER SOLID
OK, so it got here towards a Roughriders defence — with loads of its starters resting — which may not have carried a lot motivation into the competition.
Nonetheless, the veteran Maier proved strong within the season finale.
“I’m tremendous grateful that (Dickenson) gave me that chance,” Maier mentioned. “As the sport bought going, I actually felt the adrenaline kick in … And because the recreation went on, I bought increasingly more snug.”
The twice-this-season-benched QB managed three TD throws in just one different recreation on the schedule. And in that one, he rolled up 307 yards with no interceptions for — most significantly — a win in a 25-24 fringe of the visiting BC Lions.
The stats had been comparable Saturday, with Maier ending 19-of-26 for 293 yards with that trio of TDs and 0 INTs.
Make no mistake about it … that’s a successful stat-line in most video games.
However such performances have come too few and much between by Maier, whose premature turnovers have damage the group.
“I known as him in earlier within the week once I thought Matt (Shiltz) wasn’t going to play, and I mentioned, ‘Jake, I feel you give us the perfect likelihood to win. Are you prepared to step in there once more?’” Dickenson mentioned. “And he mentioned, ‘Heck … yeah … I need to play — I need to win. And he did have a superb recreation.’”
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Though he had it going Saturday, it was probably not sufficient for the always-upbeat Maier to maintain his job for 2025.
CH-CH-CHANGES
So who else’s job is in jeopardy?
With simply 5 wins in 2024 and solely 11 within the final two seasons, wholesale adjustments need to be on the horizon.
Whether or not which means Dickenson is part of these adjustments stays to be seen, however pundits alike consider it’s been an excessive amount of for him to work each the GM and head-coaching gigs.
Definitely the teaching employees can’t proceed because it at present exists, given the dearth of latest success and a reversal of fortune for the franchise since its 2018 Gray Cup triumph.
And there are requires improved management among the many gamers within the dressing room.
“They know change is coming,” added Dickenson. “That is the final time this group is collectively.”
Keep tuned for all that with the low season now off and working for the Stampeders.
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