It was a perfect day at McMahon Stadium: 30 degrees in the sunshine and a season-high crowd of 28,437 in attendance to see the Calgary Stampeders host their archrivals from up the No. 2 highway, the Edmonton Elks.
Before the game, a pair of jets flew over the stadium as the last notes of “O Canada” filled the air. A second pass occurred as the teams lined up for the opening kickoff.
With the Stampeders winning 10 of the last 11 Labour Day Classic matchups, I was satisfied that the result would be the same. So, having seen the flyover, I left to go home, comfortable in the knowledge that Calgary would decimate the Elks and put themselves squarely into the picture for the West Division title.
Sadly, no part of that last sentence is true.
I stayed. I watched. I saw an awful display of football that made me question how much further this once proud franchise can fall.
After the game, head coach and general manager Dave Dickenson called the effort “embarrassing” and suggested that changes are coming for a team that was playing on 18 days of rest but was still blown out 35-20.
Below are my thoughts on the game.
Bad omens
The Stampeders won the coin toss, kicked off, and promptly gave up an 87-yard punt rouge on the game’s first series to trail by a single point. The rouge itself was not a precursor of things to come, but it did exhibit a pattern of behavior that would come into play as the game got into its later stages.
On Calgary’s first series, the team had two receivers beat their defenders deep and then collide as both went for a pass that either could have taken into the end zone with ease.
“We should have had a touchdown but a guy has a mental error and runs the wrong route,” said Dickenson after the game. “You don’t get those opportunities back.”
Maier sets career high
I’ve been a Jake Maier defender in this space before but Monday’s performance was indefensible.
The veteran went 22-of-34 with four interceptions — one of which came on a desperation late-game third-down gamble that should be somewhat discounted — against a single touchdown with 297 yards. It was the first four-interception game game of Maier’s career.
It wasn’t just the picks that were bad, though — it was how they happened.
Twice, Maier floated balls into double coverage inside the 10-yard line that were picked off. Another was a throw into a very tight window that was eventually corralled by one of many defenders in the area on the ensuing tip drill.
If you excuse the last one as a desperate quarterback trying to make a miracle happen, you can, but every other throw looked bad the moment it left Maier’s hand.
Logan Bonner was brought in with just over a minute left and went four-for-six for 33 yards in a mop-up effort.
Dickenson was non-committal when asked point-blank after the game if Maier would be starting next week. If a change is made, having the same opponent in back-to-back games would give the Stampeders a true apples-to-apples comparison of each quarterback’s performance.
Matthew Shiltz, the veteran passer brought in during the off-season for just this reason, remains on the six-game injured list with an ankle injury he suffered in practice.
Defence battered and bruised
The Stampeders came into Monday’s game as the league’s worst against the run and, while they allowed Edmonton to rush for 102 yards, that total came on 23 carries for a 4.4-yard average, which is a significant improvement from where they’ve been.
However, while they were able to pressure McLeod Bethel-Thompson in the passing game and hit the pivot frequently, he never had the ball when they did. Calgary recorded zero sacks against a team in the middle of the pack, starting their far less mobile quarterback.
This is now becoming a trend for the Stampeders. They have the fewest sacks in the league — just 17 through 11 games.
Bethel-Thompson had plenty of time to pick the Stampeders apart, garnering a career-high 486 yards and three touchdowns in one of the worst performances by the Calgary secondary this season, who held Vernon Adams Jr. to less than 450 yards in two games total earlier this year.
The silver lining to the darkest of clouds
In what momentarily offered some hope to fans in attendance at McMahon Stadium, Peyton Logan scored the first punt return touchdown of his career with a 104-yard dash in the fourth quarter.
Logan has long been viewed as a threat every time he gets the ball and though he has scored a kick return touchdown before, this was the first punt return house call.
It came off the foot of Elks punter Jake Julien, who forewarned of his leg strength with an 86-yard rouge on the game’s first series.
Julien routinely hammered the ball downfield for a 61.5-yard average but kicked beyond his coverage to help facilitate the Logan return. One has to wonder if the Elks special teams coaches might ask him to turn down the power next week.
Edmonton’s net punt average was just 21.5 yards after the three rouges were placed back at the 35-yard line.
Paredes goes the distance
Stop me if you’ve heard this one before, but Rene Paredes made all his kicks.
While that isn’t news, Paredes set a personal best when he booted a 57-yarder through the uprights in the second quarter.
Paredes is the most accurate kicker in the league this season, hitting 28-of-29 field goal attempts and 15-of-16 converts.
The hot seat
While this would have seemed crazy to write at one time, you have to start to wonder if the seat isn’t getting hotter for head coach and general manager Dave Dickenson.
Once one of the winningest coaches of all time, Dickenson said on Monday that he feels some of his players have become too comfortable and that changes will need to be made as a result.
However, as Dickenson holds two such critical roles, the warts on this team are magnified as he is ultimately responsible not only for the team’s performance but also for its makeup.
If Calgary can’t win next week in Edmonton and the team falls to the bottom of the West Division standings, the question of Dickenson’s future may have to be asked.
With John Hufnagel moving from team president to special advisor, the end of an era may be approaching in Calgary after a generation of success.
The Stampeders will travel to Edmonton on Saturday for the annual rematch of the Labour Day Classic in what has now become a must-win game.
