STAMPS IN SEARCH OF THEMSELVES IN HOME-OPENER VS. BOMBERS

For the Calgary Stampeders, Saturday night’s home-opener against the Winnipeg Blue Bombers is about finding their identity.

A Canada Day double-header in the CFL finishes at McMahon Stadium on Saturday, where two Western rivals are coming off losses and looking to get back in the win column.

The Bombers are hoping things are different this year while the Stamps look to continue their dominance in the wake of a 14-4 season – yet in last weekend’s 20-18 loss to the BC Lions, the Stampeders didn’t look like the Stampeders.

“Come out and create an identity. Find out what it’s gonna be,” Bo Levi Mitchell told Stampeders.com.

“Right now it’s just finding out as an offence what we’re gonna rely on and what’s gonna be that explosiveness that we had. Create that identity in the game and really just let it happen.”

The Stampeders haven’t started a season 0-2 since 2009, while the last time they lost two regular season games in a row was the first three weeks of 2012. Mitchell, 28-7 in his career as a starter including 5-1 against Winnipeg, has never lost two in a row.

Yet despite leading 17-6 with one play left in the third quarter, Mitchell and the Stamps failed to do against the Lions in B.C. what they’ve done so well the last decade or so: close out games.

The Stampeders had chances to put the game away in the first half and didn’t, and in the end a 73-yard punt return touchdown by Lions return ace Chris Rainey ended up being the difference.

The Stamps scored just twice in five red zone opportunities, turning the ball over twice and also missing a key fourth-quarter field goal.

“When you have opportunities early, take advantage of them,” said rookie head coach Dave Dickenson, who dropped to 0-1 in his coaching career. “You’ve got to extend that lead.

“They were the ones making plays in the fourth quarter. We’re onto the next week, we know we’ve got a good challenge and we expect to come out here and win.”

Second-year receiver Lemar Durant will not play for the Stampeders after appearing to suffer an injury on a highlight-reel grab in the second half as he fell to his back. Meanwhile, the secondary will get some reinforcements as safety Josh Bell, the quarterback of DeVone Claybrooks’ defence, is back in his usual spot.

Cam Thorn will start at centre in place of rookie Roman Grozman as the Stamps wait for Pierre Lavertu to return from injury, but in the end it’s hard to pinpoint what exactly the Stamps need to do better.

Their defence held Jonathon Jennings pretty well in check with 248 yards on 42 passing attempts and an average of 10.3 yards per completion. Special teams allowed the game-changing touchdown in the fourth but also blocked three punts in the first half.

Some wondered why Jerome Messam had only seven carries (he rushed for 16 and a touchdown), while instead of Eric Rogers and Jeff Fuller catching all the passes like in the past, this time it was Durant and Kamar Jorden carrying the offence.

“We know the reason we haven’t dropped two in a row for a long time is we remind ourselves early on in the week to really lock in,” said Mitchell. “We always come back with a different kind of attitude after we’ve lost a game.”Against a new-look Bombers team with some added flare to its lineup, for the Stampeders Saturday night is about finishing. Above all, they need to do the things they’ve done in the past to avoid losing two in a row.

Both the Bombers and the Stamps have a different feel about them this year following an off-season of change, but the Blue and Gold can expect more of the same from the Stampeders coming off a loss.

They know things didn’t go right in game one and they know it’s only the beginning of a long season. Yet this week there’s the feel of some urgency for the Bombers, a team focused on changing the culture in 2016.

Whether it was Drew Willy or Andrew Harris, no one wearing royal blue is afraid to take responsibility for what happened in a 22-14 loss to the Alouettes in Week 1.

“I put it all on me and I hope Drew puts it all on him,” said Offensive Coordinator Paul LaPolice in an interview with BlueBombers.com. “And I hope Darvin Adams puts it all on him.

“And Andrew Harris . . .” he continued. “We talk about how we’re all responsible for everybody. Mike (O’Shea) does a tremendous job of making sure we are one team, but we all have to look internally about what we can do better.”

The Bombers got behind the eight ball early while an hour-long delay due to lightning in the area sucked some of the wind out of the team and the opening-day crowd. But in the end it was the inability to sustain drives early that allowed Kevin Glenn and the Alouettes to play keep-away, holding Winnipeg to a league-low 26:41 of possession including just 10:23 in the first half.

Losing Weston Dressler to injury in the first quarter didn’t help, but by the time the Bombers showed some life with a highlight-reel Darvin Adams touchdown in the fourth quarter it was too little too late.

They’ll be without Dressler again this week, who has been on the field for the last couple of days and appears close but could not be cleared for action.

Thomas Mayo, who had stints with the NFL’s Oakland Raiders and New York Jets and bounced around the indoor game, will start in Dressler’s place.

The 6-foot-2, 204-pound Mayo brings size and athleticism to the Bombers’ receiving corps, something LaPolice and O’Shea were looking for to complement their smaller and speedy receivers from the outset of camp.

“Besides the frosted tips (in his hair)?” said LaPolice with a chuckle. “He’s such a good kid and he gets better every week. He’s fast for a big guy. He’s not afraid to go hit somebody.

“Coach O’Shea talked about it in a meeting one time,” LaPolice recalled. “We had Mayo on a screen pass to Andrew Harris for a touchdown in the pre-season. Mayo came across the field and lit up a player – just destroyed the guy. Mike says, ‘Do you know who that guy is?’ And Thomas is like, ‘I don’t know’. And it was Kyries Hebert, one of the best players in the league and Thomas goes, ‘OK, whatever’.”

Darvin Adams moves into Dressler’s old spot while Mayo bumps inside, but the Mayo-for-Dressler switch is just another change to an offensive unit trying to build some chemistry with new receivers in Ryan Smith and Jace Davis, a new left guard in Jermarcus Hardrick along with a new tailback in Harris.

Dressler took just eight snaps before his exit against Montreal (catching three passes), causing a ripple effect through the receiving corps. The silver lining this week is that Mayo has been in the attack since the first day of practice.

Harris got stronger as the game progressed in his long-awaited Bomber debut, finishing with 13 carries for 80 yards (6.2 per carry) with another 40 through the air. Adams had a game-high 105 yards on five catches including his 63-yard touchdown.

The defence was solid considering the amount of time it spent on the field, so on Saturday for the Bombers it’s about picking up a few missing pieces.

“Just overall consistency on offence,” said Willy. “Get off to a faster start, put points on the board in the first quarter. Just really go out and make sure we don’t have any mental mistakes there.”

“Clean up the mistakes,” added O’Shea. “I thought there were too many mistakes.”

TICATS, LIONS CLAW FOR CANADA DAY VICTORY AT TIM HORTONS FIELD

Ask anyone in the Hamilton area what they have planned for Canada Day and you’ll probably get the same answer – going to the Tiger-Cats’ home opener.

Tim Hortons Field is typically a nightmare for the opposition. The stadium is always packed with loud, proud fans showing their support for their favourite tabbies. Despite having one of the louder stadiums in the league, Hamilton’s head coach Kent Austin doesn’t think that it’s only the fan support gives a team home field advantage.

“Obviously we know that the crowd’s going to be behind us,” Austin told Ticats.ca. “It’s going to be a packed stadium, they’re going to be loud, (we know) those things are consistent. That doesn’t overcome poor play. If we play well in a tough environment for the other team then you have an advantage.”

The Ticats hope to carry the momentum from their impressive 42-20 victory over the Toronto Argonauts last week at BMO Field into Week 2 against the BC Lions in the first half of a CFL Friday night double header.

The defence, led by Week 1’s Shaw CFL Top Performer Simoni Lawrence, wowed in the season opener in taking down Argos’ pivot Ricky Ray five times and Argos pivots six times in total. Lawrence collected seven tackles – including two of the six sacks – a fumble recovery, an interception and a touchdown.

“I have to pass all the credit to my teammates, of course,” said the linebacker. “In a team game like this it’s so hard to take individual awards because you know you’re depending on 11 other guys to do their jobs so you can be successful. I feel like our defence did a great job and we got this team award.”

Lawrence and the rest of his defenders will tackle a BC Lions offence that just doesn’t quit. The Lions fought hard in Week 1 to come from behind to defeat Calgary 20-18 after trailing 17-6 heading into the final play of the third quarter.

“They’re a very good team,” said Lawrence. “They know it’s our home opener and they know we’re going to be very hyped up so they’re going to come in and try to ruin our party like we did Toronto’s.”

Bryan Burnham will also be looking to make an impact after he led the Lions receivers with 88 yards on five catches, one of eight different targets for quarterback Jonathan Jennings last week. Shawn Gore had seven receptions for 67 yards and Emmanuel Arceneaux grabbed four receptions for 39 yards. Jennings ending with 24 of 42 completions for 248 and no interceptions.One of the biggest challenges for Hamilton will be containing Lions running back Chris Rainey, who had quite the game against Calgary. Rainey scored the go-ahead touchdown on a 73-yard punt return in the fourth quarter to help ensure his team a 1-0 record.

Scoring early and often will be on the forefront of the Lions’ game plan come Friday night, but most of all they’ll want to get off to a better start than they had in their home-opener against the Stampeders. Jennings and company were stymied by Calgary’s defence throughout a large chunk of the game, scoring only three points in the first half and 13 offensively all game.

And while special teams won the game in the end for the Lions, they nearly coughed it up in the first half when Richie Leone had three of his punts blocked. In their first road test of the season, the Lions will have to avoid big negative plays like that but also put points on the board to keep the Ticats’ home crowd at bay.

“Every drive you want to go out there and score,” said Gore. “We want to come out there first play and make an impact. We started out a little sluggish last week and we’re not looking to repeat that.”

Wide receiver Tiquan Underwood returns to Hamilton’s lineup after being sidelined from an injury during the pre-season. Underwood, in his second season in the black and gold, will be another option for Hamilton quarterback Jeremiah Masoli to throw to when they hit the field.

“Whenever you’re playing and you have a chance to be up or start, you’re going to be excited about it,” Underwood said. “I’ve just got to put my best foot forward and help the team get a win on Friday.”

Masoli was striking in his season debut against the Argos, throwing for 318 yards on 27-of-37 passing. He also made 15 straight completions in the second half going 15-for-15 to four different receivers, Chad Owens, Luke Tasker, Andy Fantuz and Brandon Banks.

“Right now Masoli is playing well,” Defensive Coordinator and Defensive Backs Coach Mark Washington told BCLions.com. “He’s controlling the offence, he has good mastery of the offence and they’re showing a lot.

“The receivers (including) Owens are really playing hard for those guys. (C.J.) Gable is a great running back so we’re going to have our hands full. I’m sure our guys will be up for the challenge.”

Friday night will also be the fans in the Hammer’s first look at Owens, who nabbed his first touchdown in the black and gold against his former team last week.

As for the questions surrounding whether or not Brett Maher would be a good enough replacement for the CFL’s most accurate kicker Justin Medlock, who was signed by Winnipeg on the first day of free agency, Maher silenced them all in Week 1.

In his Ticat debut, Maher went 4-for-4 on his field goal attempts including a 50-yard kick, the first 50-plus yard field goal of his CFL career.

BC’s bench boss, and the CFL’s winningest active coach, Wally Buono is fully aware of the atmosphere of the enemy territory he and his lions will be prancing into and it doesn’t faze him one bit.

“It is a hostile environment, that’s what’s going to make the win hopefully that much sweeter.”

BACK ONBOARD: BOATMEN REBOUND WITH VICTORY IN RIDERVILLE

Ricky Ray completed a pair of touchdown passes on his opening two drives which was enough to stave off the Saskatchewan Roughriders and lead the Toronto Argonauts to a 30-17 win in the final home opener at Mosaic Stadium.

Friday night marked the official start of the Chris Jones era in Saskatchewan after a much-publicized off-season move from Edmonton to Regina just days following his leading the Eskimos to a Grey Cup victory.  It too marked the return of Darian Durant who was seeing his first meaningful reps since the first quarter of the 2015 season where he suffered a season-ending injury.

The Argonauts were coming off an opener that was electric while opening up BMO Field as their new turf but struggled against a well-prepared Hamilton Tiger-Cats club.  The biggest challenge for Toronto in Week 1 was the slow start, something that was not an issue in the opening moments of this one.

After getting a quick two-and-out on the Riders’ first possession, the Argos were set to get the ball with good field position but veteran returner Larry Taylor ensured that Ray had the ball inside the Saskatchewan 5-yard line after taking a punt 59-yards.

Ray promptly found SB Andre Durie in the flat on the next play who stretched across the goal line for the Argos touchdown and a quick 7-0 lead.

The Riders countered with a 48-yard gain but their drive stalled inside the Argos 30-yard line when they turned the ball over on a QB sneak that didn’t reach the first down marker.  Ray wasted no time expanding the lead.

The very next play, Ray stepped into a deep ball on a pump-and-go, spotting sophomore receiver Vidal Hazelton wide open for an easy 56-yard touchdown.  A total of 98 yards on three passes and Ray had the Argonauts up by two scores early.

As the second quarter began, Ray cooled a bit as the Riders took away the deep ball that burned them in the first frame and forced Ray underneath to checkdowns.

A pair of consecutive stops on defence eventually netted the Riders some momentum.  An 8-play, 76-yard drive, aided by 30 yards in Argos penalties, was capped off with a 7-yard touchdown pass from Durant to former Argo WR John Chiles who cut the lead to 14-7.

However, as soon as momentum swung in Saskatchewan’s favour, the Argos literally scooped it back.  Already with a turnover on downs the Riders looked to convert another third-and-short QB sneak but a fumbled snap between centre Dan Clark and backup QB Bryant Moniz resulted in a fumble and a 37-yard touchdown scamper by DB Matt Black.

The 8-year veteran DB was forced into the every-down safety spot after Jermaine Gabriel left the game with an injury.  Black’s third career touchdown put the Argos back up by 14 points and they took an 11-point lead to the locker room at halftime after the Riders closed the quarter with a 27-yard Tyler Crapigna field goal.

As the second half opened, so too did the Riders offence.  Durant put together a pair of first downs before connecting with WR Ricky Collins down the sideline for a big gain.  The Texas A&M product’s 35-yard athletic snag set the Riders up inside the redzone but he Argos once again held tough and forced Crapigna to hit a 15-yarder.

The Argos countered with a 28-yarder of their own on the ensuing drive to keep the lead at 11.

Ray took control of the Argos offence when the fourth quarter began, methodically putting completions together to try and eat some clock.  A 50-yard field goal from Lirim Hajjrullau

After the Riders made good on a field goal and also sent one wide left, the defences battled back and forth, bending but not breaking as the Argos looked to kill the clock and the Riders tried to mount a comeback.  Taylor all but sealed it for the Argonauts with 2:34 left in the contest when he fielded a punt in his own zone, cut across midfield and romped down the Saskatchewan 25 yard line.  Two plays later Hajjrullau knocked through a field goal to close it out for the Boatmen.

The Argos will stay on the road for Week 3 as they take on the Lions at BC Place while the Riders head to Edmonton where Chris Jones will face his old Eskimos squad.

HARRIS STELLAR ONCE AGAIN AS REDBLACKS TOP ALS IN MONTREAL

The star power of Trevor Harris continued to grow on Thursday night in Montreal.

The Ottawa pivot was once again a difference-maker for the REDBLACKS, who edged the hometown Alouettes 28-13 to move to 2-0 on the young 2016 campaign. Harris consistently shredded the Montreal secondary, completing 20 of 26 passes for 395 yards and a trio of passing touchdowns.

Thursday proved to be a tough night for kickers in Montreal, and the theme began early when Ottawa’s Chris Milo pulled his 35-yard attempt wide right just over five minutes into the ballgame. Als return man Stefan Logan took a knee, and the REDBLACKS took a 1-0 lead.

The visitors nearly scored the game’s first major midway through the opening quarter, when Harris hit Brad Sinopoli over the middle for a lengthy pickup; Sinopoli seemed destined for pay dirt, but Chip Cox stripped him deep in Als territory. Montreal recovered, and the REDBLACKS were left to wonder what could have been.

Montreal kicker Boris Bede then levelled things up with a 52-yard punt single late in the first quarter.

Bede’s miss from 36 yards early in the second quarter — his first career miss from less than 40 yards — tacked on a single, and Montreal led 2-1.

Ottawa surged back on its next possession, with running back Travon Van stringing together a series of slicing runs, highlighted by a 28-yard dash down the right side into the Montreal red zone.

Trevor Harris then hit a wide-open Ernest Jackson steps from the end zone two plays later, and the REDBLACKS led 7-2 following a missed two-point convert.

Montreal’s receiving core took a blow midway through the second quarter, when S.J. Green (leg) was forced out after falling awkwardly on a 50/50 ball against Jerrell Gavins.

The injury bug continued to make its presence felt, as Ottawa special-teamer Olivier Goulet-Veilleux went down with a serious leg injury which placed the game in a lengthy delay.

Another steady Ottawa drive late in the first half was wrapped with an exclamation mark by Harris, who rolled out to his right before threading a needle to receiver Greg Ellingson in the end zone. With the PAT, Ottawa led 14-2.

Bede was able to redeem himself somewhat on the final play of the first half, a field goal he drilled from 53 yards to cut the Als deficit to nine at halftime.

Montreal clawed its way back into the game at 7:41 of the third quarter; quarterback Kevin Glenn found receiver Duron Carter, who took a hard hit but hung on to the ball, in the end zone for the hosts’ first major.

Carter’s consequent celebrations sent him barreling into Ottawa head coach Rick Campbell; after a dust-up and some gentlemanly group discussion, Carter and Ottawa defensive back Jerrell Gavins were both ejected.

Bede added a single on the ensuing kickoff to cut the Ottawa lead to 14-13.

Milo countered just two minutes later with a field goal of his own from 30 yards out to push the REDBLACKS lead to four.

The Ottawa kicker split the uprights again, this time from 41 yards, four minutes into the final quarter to open the REDBLACKS lead up to 20-13.

Harris put the game on ice for Ottawa at the 6:35 mark of the fourth quarter, when he hit Chris Williams deep in Als territory; Williams had torched Jovon Johnson, and would not be caught en route to the big house. Milo added the PAT and the visitors had their insurance cushion, up 27-13.

A late-fourth quarter punt single from Milo polished off the scoring on the night and pushed the Ottawa lead to 15.

The Als’ comeback efforts were hampered by the absence of receivers S.J. Green (injury) and Duron Carter (ejection); Montreal’s packages were limited and the REDBLACKS were able to key in on Nik Lewis.

Injuries hurt Ottawa, too, as running back Travon Van was forced from the ballgame after a promising 86-yard, 12-carry start with a lower-body injury. Canadian Kienan Lafrance was decent in relief of Van.

Week 3 will see the REDBLACKS return to the nation’s capital to host their home opener, another Thursday Night Football showdown on July 8th against Calgary, while Montreal will have an extra week to reflect on the defeat before a Week 4 matchup against Hamilton.