Forums » Suggestions
special teams. Notes: The Stamp
-
CALGARY -- The battle for playoff positioning in the CFLs West Division kicks into high gear when the Calgary Stampeders host the B.C. Lions on Friday. You can watch the game live on TSN at 8:30pm et/5:30pm pt and get in-depth player stats, Twitter Trender and more on our GameTracker. The Stampeders, Lions and Saskatchewan Roughriders have all secured playoff spots, but order of finish will be determined in these final four weeks of the regular season. Each week features a head-to-head matchup between two of them while the other faces the Edmonton Eskimos. At 11-3, Calgary is the frontrunner to finish first in the West with the Lions and Roughriders chasing at 9-5. The top team gets the division final at home Nov. 17 plus a weeks rest, while the second seed hosts the third seed in the semifinal Nov. 10. "The good thing is its in our hands," Stampeders quarterback Kevin Glenn said. "We dont need help from anybody else. Its set up for us pretty good. All we have to do is go out and handle our business now." The 3-11 Eskimos are at the bottom of the division. They have been all but mathematically eliminated from a crossover playoff spot in the East Division. The combination of a Calgary win Friday and an Edmonton upset victory over the Roughriders on Saturday would translate to the Stampeders finishing no worse than second in the division and a home playoff date. The Stampeders and Lions were 1-1 heading into the third of their four meetings this regular season. The two clubs close out the campaign against each other in Vancouver on Nov. 1. "B.C. has a really good defence, but its important for us to establish dominance," Stampeders running back Jon Cornish said. "If we want to win the West, we have to show to the other best teams in this league, Saskatchewan and B.C., were No. 1." Calgary downed the Lions 44-32 in the season opener, but lost 27-22 in Vancouver on Aug. 17. "A lot of the things we looked at and discussed throughout the week was the last time we played this team," Lions head coach Mike Benevides said. "This is an outstanding football team with tremendous balance. Its going to be a huge challenge for us. "You cant undersell the value of this game. Its a huge game for both teams." Calgary is coming off a 38-11 win over the Winnipeg Blue Bombers with Cornish running for a career-high 208 yards. The New Westminster, B.C., is 42 yards away from breaking his own record of single-season rushing yards by a Canadian running back. B.C.s running game stalled in a 31-17 loss at home to the Roughriders last week. The Lions mustered just 80 yards on the ground with their leading rusher Andrew Harris held to 10 yards on six carries. Benevides took some of the blame for that low number upon himself, but Harris says the offence has to commit to the running game. "The biggest thing is the want to," the Winnipeg native. "The offensive co-ordinator has to want to do it, the offensive line has to want to do it and I have to be the guy who delivers and hits the holes and makes plays. "The run game is very important and its something we need to catch fire on. Calgary is definitely a team we need to knock off." The Stampeders will get their first look at Lions quarterback Thomas DeMarco, who is 2-1 since Travis Lulay was sidelined with a shoulder injury. DeMarco has averaged 221 throwing yards in his three games and has four touchdown passes. He was intercepted three times by Saskatchewan last week. "Thomas DeMarco, Im ready for him," Stampeders sack leader Charleston Hughes said. "Hes a good quarterback. Is he ready for me is the question." Calgarys depth at quarterback gives the Stampeders a distinct advantage over their western rivals down the stretch. Glenn is 2-1 in three starts since returning from injury and 7-2 overall this season. Drew Tate will dress for a second game since his return from a throwing arm injury in Week 2. Waiting in the wings is Bo Levi Mitchell, who is 3-0 in starts this season. Calgary had to plug injury holes at quarterback, at receiver, on the offensive line and in the defensive backfield this season. Now, its the special teams turn. The Stampeders lost linebacker Alvin Bowen and running back Wilkerson DeSouza to anterior cruciate ligament knee injuries in the Winnipeg game. Receiver Chris Bauman was on the verge of returning to the lineup after breaking a bone in his wrist during training camp, but also injured his ACL this week. Running back Clifton Smith and linebacker Glenn Love were activated from the practice roster for this game. Linebacker Malik Jackson is rotating back into the lineup after a broken arm and may see time on special teams. Notes: The Stampeders and NHLs Flames have home games starting at the same time Friday in Calgary. The teams have the same ownership group. ... Temperatures are expected to hover near the freezing mark at McMahon Stadium for game time. ... Lions kicker Paul McCallum will play his 304th career regular season games and tie Paul Osbaldiston for sixth on the all-time list. ... At 95.3 per cent made, Calgary field-goal kicker Rene Paredes is on pace to break McCallums single-season record of 94.3. ... B.C. hasnt lost two regular-season games in a row since July 2011. Jesse Lingard Jersey . -- New York Yankees centre fielder Jacoby Ellsbury was sent for an MRI Thursday of his ailing right calf, which was negative. Cheap Manchester United Jersey .Y. -- Major League Soccer has agreed to new measures to protect gay players from discrimination and harassment as a result of meetings with New Yorks attorney general. http://www.manunitedfcpro.com/Kids-Eric-Bailly-Jersey/. They named Mark Washington as their defensive co-ordinator on Thursday and appear to be closing in on an offensive co-ordinator. Daley Blind Jersey . -- So much for concern that running back Marshawn Lynch would be absent from the Seattle Seahawks minicamp. Phil Jones Jersey .Shipulin pulled away from Martin Fourcade of France, Simon Eder of Austria and Fredrik Lindstrom of Sweden to finish in 35 minutes 16.8 seconds. Fourcade was 1.2 seconds back in second place to reclaim the overall World Cup lead, with Eder another 0.SAN JOSE, Calif. -- The San Jose Sharks have signed free-agent forward John Scott to a one-year, $700,000 contract. The addition of Scott on Wednesday gives the Sharks another enforcer after re-signing Mike Brown to a $2.4 million, two-year contract last month. Scott has two goals and four assists in 236 career games for Minnesota, Chicago, Buffalo and the New York Ranggers.dddddddddddd He had 125 penalty minutes last year for the Sabres despite getting only 378:16 of ice time. Only Colton Orr and Tim Jackman had less ice time last season while committing at least 100 minutes of penalties last season. General manager Doug Wilson says Scotts presence can serve as a "deterrent" to help protect younger players. Cheap Nuggets Jerseys Cheap Timberwolves Jerseys Cheap Thunder Jerseys Cheap Blazers Jerseys Cheap Jazz Jerseys Cheap Warriors Jerseys Cheap Clippers Jerseys Cheap Lakers Jerseys Cheap Suns Jerseys Cheap Kings Jerseys Cheap Mavericks Jerseys Cheap Rockets Jerseys Cheap Grizzlies Jerseys Cheap Pelicans Jerseys Cheap Spurs Jerseys ' ' '