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July 19, 2016

Gearing up for the long haul

Player introductions on Canada Day 2016 (Photo by Angela Burger)

Coming off an early-season bye week, the Calgary Stampeders are ready to hit the field running and, judging by their schedule, there is some serious hay to be made.

Right off the bat, the Stamps will play five games in a row and seven of their next eight against West Division rivals before finishing off the regular season with an East-heavy stretch.

With so many divisional matchups on tap, the ability to maximize wins will be crucial as each game carries potential implications to playoff seeding down the road.

“It will be important to come out of these next eight weeks with a winning record,” says Stamps linebacker Deron Mayo, who sees a benefit to having so many divisional games right away.

“It’s always nice to compare ourselves to the (other teams) in our division, teams you might face in the finals, and see what you need to do to win.”

Rob Cote, currently the longest tenured Stampeder – 10 years with the Red and White – was a little surprised to see such a heavy divisional schedule this early in the season and knows how important each victory will be.

Fullback Rob Cote during a game on July 1, 2016 (Photo by David Moll)

Fullback Rob Cote during a game on July 1, 2016 (Photo by David Moll)

“These are big games,” says Cote, who mentions how each game could impact the playoff standings towards the end of the year. “Things will be out of our hands (in the latter half of the season) because we won’t play teams again that we are in a race with, so there is no time to take it slow to get into the season.

“You’ve got to start winning games early and often.”

Adding to urgency to make the most of these division battles is the marathon that is the remaining Stampeders schedule. All 15 games to go will be played in a row before their second bye week.

It’s a daunting task to play so many games in a row, and one that is fairly new to the CFL since it became a nine-team league with the addition of the Ottawa Redblacks.

As grinding as the schedule may be, the Stampeders hope they can repeat the success of the Eskimos, who had a similar calendar last year and wound up winning the Grey Cup.

Cote says he’s not focusing on the long schedule and doesn’t buy into the thought that this could disadvantage one team over another.

“Fifteen is a lot but it’s a long season and everybody knows it,” says Cote. “To be honest, a week off is very nice mentally but it doesn’t really heal as many injuries as you’d like so, in the long run, I’m not sure it will be as big a deal physically as mentally climbing that hill from week to week.”

Mayo agrees with his fellow veteran that if one looks at the schedule as a whole, it can appear overwhelming. He says the trick to surviving a long grind is to break down the schedule into smaller groups.

Linebacker Deron Mayo talks to teammate Joshua Bell during a game on July 1, 2016 (Photo by David Moll)

Linebacker Deron Mayo talks to teammate Joshua Bell during a game on July 1, 2016 (Photo by David Moll)

As one of the veteran leaders on the team, Mayo knows it’s important to help the rookies who may not be used to this schedule to stay mentally prepared week in and week out.

“We meet before meetings even start every morning and, truthfully, part of becoming a professional is making sure you’re prepared every week,” says Mayo.

“This isn’t college anymore, it’s not high school — these guys are professionals and we get paid to do this. It’s our job.”

“Most guys come from CIS programs or college programs in the states where they are playing 8-10 games a year,” says Cote. “No matter where you are coming from, it’s an adjustment to an 18-week schedule.

“You can’t look ahead, you just have to look at each opponent and take every game as an individual component, try to get a win and move on to the next one.”

And next up for the Stampeders is a rematch of Week 2 when Calgary thumped Winnipeg on Canada Day 36-22 for their first win of 2016.

Even though they were the better team that day, the Stamps are doing their best to stay on guard going into this matchup on the road in front of a hostile Winnipeg crowd against a proud team looking for revenge.

Keeping in mind that every west division matchup is critical, Mayo says the coaches are doing a great job of preparing the team and keeping them focused.

“All we can do is focus on one game at a time,” he says. “Winnipeg is the next team in our way.”