Time for Stampeders to look in mirror

You would think taking the best pass-catcher out of the Saskatchewan Roughriders' already beat-up receiving corps would make headlines in Calgary before Thursday's rematch between the CFL rivals.

Problem is, the Stampeders have too many of their own issues to worry about Riders wide receiver Matt Dominguez and his football future after he tore the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee during Saturday's 22-21 win at Calgary.

The Stampeders' to-do list starting at 8 p.m. MT Thursday in Calgary goes something like this: Play a 60-minute game, avoid dropped passes, stay disciplined and score early.

"We don't want [our record] to be 3-4, but we want to come out and play the way we're supposed to play," said quarterback Henry Burris, who completed 22 of 40 passes for 304 yards last week. "Drops and having penalties might have been partially because of the way they played, but that directly falls on us in terms of making good decisions and doing the right things."

Burris was among many Calgary players on offence that turned in a so-so performance against the league's top-ranked defence.

No Stampeder reached 100 yards in receiving, while running back Joffrey Reynolds — the CFL's third-leading rusher this season — picked up 46 yards on 10 carries.

Calgary also couldn't handle rushing leader Wes Cates, who ran 18 times for 139 yards against a defence that previously hadn't allowed a 100-yard rusher.

'A long day in the air'

Stampeders middle linebacker JoJuan Armour, who was mistakenly ejected from the game in the first quarter for running over an official, believes his absence was a big reason Cates and company piled up 175 total yards on the ground.

"They're going to game-plan to do better against the run," Cates, a former Stampeder, said, "but that's going to leave open things in the passing game.

"I mean, we've got a great quarterback [in Marcus Crandell] who reads defences as good or better than any quarterback in the league. If all they're worried about is stopping me and the run game, they're probably going to have a long day in the air."

And about the team's lack of a 60-minute effort, Randy Chevrier?

"We played poorly three quarters and did the same against Winnipeg [32-28 loss on July 24], and you can't do that in this league," Calgary's fourth-year defensive tackle told reporters Wednesday.

You certainly can't afford mistakes against Saskatchewan, the league's only undefeated team at 6-0, despite a rash of injuries.

Mike Washington will replace Dominguez for Thursday's game, and Canadian Michael Palmer will suit up at slotback, while receiver Weston Dressler will return from a hamstring injury. The Riders lost receivers Andy Fantuz and D.J. Flick earlier this season to broken legs.

So how do the defending Grey Cup champions continue to prevail with an injured list growing by the week?

"Play hard, play with great effort, that's what we usually do," first-year head coach Ken Miller said. "Sometimes we don't play with the greatest skill, but if you play with great effort, good things happen."

Past 10 meetings split

Saskatchewan will look to hand the Stampeders a third consecutive loss and could help themselves by duplicating last week's start.

A Luca Congi field goal and Marcus Crandell touchdown pass to wideout Adarius Bowman gave the Riders a 10-4 advantage that became a 21-7 lead by halftime.

In Calgary's three losses this season, it has trailed by 12, 14 and 14 points early on.

"[Eight] points combined in three losses all in under a minute — it's amazing that we're playing that bad and still had a chance to win at the end of every game," Burris said, adding he doesn't view Thursday's tilt as a redemption game.

The teams have split the past 10 meetings, but Calgary has a 109-83-8 edge all-time.

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Time for Stampeders to look in mirror

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