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The score was closer than first glace. Only 12 point difference to the lowly Winnipeg Bombers who have Edmonton's old third stringer at the helm. He threw for less yards than burris, but the difference in this game was....well everything. Calgary played terrible--period. There were no heroes, no standouts, no gamers.

Winnipeg, with Stefan Lefors at the helm, simply outperformed Calgary, but had a lot of help. 5 turnovers charged against the Stamps, that's enough to give the opposition the W.


Offence was abysmal. 14 points were scored by Nealy late in the fourth when the game was over. Only FOUR points in the first half, that's shameful. The Grey Cup Champions luckily have the entire season to work out the problems, but it's clear, they are two steps short of being game ready.

For the second game in a row they have come out of the gate slow. The offence refuses to use the run, receivers are consistently dropping passes and cutting off routes, as a result Burris is throwing INT.

The defence is no better. Only 1 sack in two games. Just like the past couple of years, the save money rookies are inserted into the D and it shows for the first 9 games of the season. Expect the same this year as Calgary exposes offensive weaknesses.

Special teams were non-existent too.

The only two positives of the game was Tim O'Neil's first start at center, he preformed well, and Barrick Nealy throwing for two touchdowns late in the fourth. Without Nealy's points, the score would have been closer to 18 - 42 for Winnipeg, which is a better reflection of this pathetic game.

A Chance for a turn around? Yes, no need to jump off the bandwagon, but fans can surely shake their head at a team that simply isn't prepared come kick-off.

Stamps Brutally Fail in Season Opener

With much at stake from bragging rights to 2009 confidence, the Montreal Alouettes destroyed Calgary in all facets the game except for special teams.

of July 1st, 2009 marked Canada Day and the launch of the 2009 CFL season. In fitting style, the Montreal Alouettes visited town for the re-match of last year's Grey Cup Final which saw Calgary claim the Championship in Montreal.

Both teams experienced changes during the off-season, and somehow, Calgary yet again opted for the 'let's overhaul the entire defense and start from scratch'. Fans were eager to see what the new Stamps would show, dominance on offence, renewed energy on defence, etc. That wasn't anywhere close to what transpired.

The Stampeders were absolutely embarrassed at home in the first half in their home opener. Not a single component of the game was working, and the team/coaches looked unprepared and confused. One 1st down in the 1st quarter and 17 points down. Good start--not.

Titus Ryan Explodes for Kick Return in Second

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There's nothing more that needs to be said, the Calgary Stampeders entered the season with little respect from opposing teams and media. They started down the road to achieving respectability status tonight as they were crowned Grey Cup Champions over the Montreal Alouettes.

Montreal, fat over their league all-star awards and cocky from the home town hype and Eastern achievements were high on their abilities coming into the game. Calgary, on the other hand, despite dropping the best record in the CFL this season, received zero accolades or recognition. The response? Calgary responded with a similar game as their Western Division game against BC, and with a similar outcome.


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64 total yards, that was it, for the first half. 3 first downs, dropped balls, no interceptions, zero running game, and that about sums up the first half. Calgary can thank their defense for preventing any major scores which kept the game close. A late touchdown from Burris to Rambo gave the hometeam life and also put them within a fieldgoal from the lead. If you erase the first half, the second half numbers were better, still had problems, but the simple matter is they got the job done.


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The Stampeders won the Western Division Final because of their defense. Full stop. BC dominated offensively hanging onto the ball for 20 minutes in the first half and rolling for 243 total yards. Calgary amassed less than 60 yards heading into the final three minutes of half time yet the score was only 9-2 in favour of BC. The Lions started almost every possession with a short field, around their 40, and managed to dominate the middle of the field gaining big yards running. Every play seemed to be 12-14 yard gains. Calgary's run defense was tested and essentially lost allowing over 140 yards total on the ground. However, in the red-zone, where it counts, Calgary stood tall, very tall.

Labinjo Shows Wake How It's Done

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Cocky BC Lions Loose

Special teams played an important role in the field position battle that saw Calgary only scrimmage behind their own 20 three times. Summers and Howell both combined for almost 250 return yards, most by Summers on the kick off. Everytime he touched the ball there was a subsequent Calgary offensive scrimmage on the 40. Starting near mid-field everytime certainly took the pressure off of Calgary.

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The Calgary Stampeders can thank one side of the ball for the opportunity to play in this year's Grey Cup. Zero major scores by the BC Lions despite holding the offensive play in the entire first half. Cameron Wake who? Mike Labinjo more like it. 3 sacks, 8 tackles. Wake? 1 sack, tackles, point BC. Goal line stands and the winning play of the game, interception by Brandon Browner, combined to give Calgary a chance when the offense failed to click.

Stampederes Beat BC for the 4th Time - Team Summary

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Stampeders did what some thought wasn't going to happen, win in a game that meant nothing. BC Lions came into town to close out the CFL regular season with a lot on the line. If you're a BC owner you just lost tens of thousands of dollars by losing a home game against Saskatchewan. If you're Calgary, you don't really care, you wait to see who we'll play in two weeks time. Interesting notes in this game:

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The Calgary Stampeders have clinched first place in the West Division which means a bye to the Western Division final and a home game (get your tickets fast). It was essentially a gimmie, some people hyped up Hamilton's abilities, but in reality they had no chance against the Stamps. However, all is not in place for the Stampeders just yet, a slow start and a sputtering offence in the first and fourth quarter.

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The Calgary Stampeders have now beat every team in the CFL this year at least once after their dominant win against the Winnipeg Blue Bombers. Sure, some may say Winnipeg had nothing to play for, but Calgary nonetheless embarrassed a team and showed them how big the gap between West and East play really is. Here are some notes from around the city:

• Al Cameron rightly notes the run game is sub-par.
• Burris with five touchdown passes (no field goals!).
• Armour on the defensive game.
• Lewis on breaking Pitts' record on consecutive game catches.