If CFL games were only thirty minutes long, this might be a very different season for the Edmonton Eskimos.
For the second game in a row the Eskimos watched a fairly successful first half of football give way to a Stampeder comeback, with the Eskimos once again coming up on the losing end by the time that full time was called.
Edmonton saw drives come up short, having to settle for field goals and saw field goal tries go wide on two occasions, a margin that would come back to haunt them as the final minutes played out at Commonwealth stadium.
The first possession of the second half for Calgary brought back immediate memories of the Labour Day comeback, as Henry Burris lead the Stamps 78 yards down the field for a touch down and a tie before the crowd had even made the trek back from the half time concession stand run.
The Stamps would go ahead for good by three quarter time and then hold on as the Eskimos closed the gap but couldn’t catch Calgary. With a 20-17 lead through the latter stages of the fourth quarter the Stamps knuckled down and held off the Eskimo attack, sending Danny Maciocia and his charges off the field to a chorus of boos from the frustrated and very vocal Edmonton fans.
The Edmonton coach has had a rather rough time of it lately, as the passionate Edmonton fan base vent their anger through the open line sports shows. It would be wise for all Eskimos to make sure that they have an iPod attachment for the car radios, they don’t want to be listening in for the next little while as the locals are more than a little anxious about their green and gold.
While injuries have certainly played their part, there seems to be some trouble with the offence. With the season now past the half way mark, the Esks still seem to be having problems getting on the same page as their new offensive co-ordiantor Jacques Chapdelaine, stalled drives, poor route choices and a negligible running game have cause no shortage of stumbles for the Esks. Combine that with the defensive miscues that allowed the Stamps to battle back and take control of the game and there seems to be much work to be done and not much time left to do it in.
The Calgary victory marked the first time since 1998 that the Stamps have won both ends of the traditional Labour Day week back to back games, a year that they won a Grey Cup in. The back to back wins will be an achievement that will make them wild in the Stampede city and even more ornery than usual in the capital.
For the second game in a row the Eskimos watched a fairly successful first half of football give way to a Stampeder comeback, with the Eskimos once again coming up on the losing end by the time that full time was called.
Edmonton saw drives come up short, having to settle for field goals and saw field goal tries go wide on two occasions, a margin that would come back to haunt them as the final minutes played out at Commonwealth stadium.
The first possession of the second half for Calgary brought back immediate memories of the Labour Day comeback, as Henry Burris lead the Stamps 78 yards down the field for a touch down and a tie before the crowd had even made the trek back from the half time concession stand run.
The Stamps would go ahead for good by three quarter time and then hold on as the Eskimos closed the gap but couldn’t catch Calgary. With a 20-17 lead through the latter stages of the fourth quarter the Stamps knuckled down and held off the Eskimo attack, sending Danny Maciocia and his charges off the field to a chorus of boos from the frustrated and very vocal Edmonton fans.
The Edmonton coach has had a rather rough time of it lately, as the passionate Edmonton fan base vent their anger through the open line sports shows. It would be wise for all Eskimos to make sure that they have an iPod attachment for the car radios, they don’t want to be listening in for the next little while as the locals are more than a little anxious about their green and gold.
While injuries have certainly played their part, there seems to be some trouble with the offence. With the season now past the half way mark, the Esks still seem to be having problems getting on the same page as their new offensive co-ordiantor Jacques Chapdelaine, stalled drives, poor route choices and a negligible running game have cause no shortage of stumbles for the Esks. Combine that with the defensive miscues that allowed the Stamps to battle back and take control of the game and there seems to be much work to be done and not much time left to do it in.
The Calgary victory marked the first time since 1998 that the Stamps have won both ends of the traditional Labour Day week back to back games, a year that they won a Grey Cup in. The back to back wins will be an achievement that will make them wild in the Stampede city and even more ornery than usual in the capital.
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The fans while not probably thrilled with losing football games no doubt expect to come up short from time to time, but losing to their bitterest rivals not once but twice in less than seven days, that’s the kind of stuff that can get people fired!
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