Apropos that Quick Six was putting in a rare non-game-day appearance at McMahon Stadium on Thursday morning, on hand for a scoreboard video shoot.
Because DaVaris Daniels can’t wait to get back on his horse, either.
And make one or two of those highlight-reel end-zone snags, sending the Stampeders’ four-legged cheerleader high-tailing it down the sideline in celebration.
“Oh, yeah,’’ agreed the acrobatic wideout, slated to return to active duty against the Saskatchewan Roughriders (Friday night, 7 p.m.) following a four-game absence. “At home, in front of our crowd, in a game that has a lot at stake. I’m pumped to be back and feeling good.
“It’s been real frustrating to be so close and then hear the decision to take another week off to get (a wonky knee) even better. You want to play. All the time.
“That’s the way we’re wired.
“But what can you do? Sometimes being cautious is the best policy.”
Daniels during the Labour Day Classic (Photo by David Moll)
The hard-to-wrap-your-head-around injury plague to Calgary’s receiving corps through an amazingly resilient 13-1-1 seasonal body of work so far has been thoroughly documented.
“It’s been kinda like Black Friday, right?’’ sighs Daniels. “Pick up what you can get.
“Whatever, it all works. You can’t cover everybody. K.J. (Kamar Jorden) is making plays. Marken (Michel) is making plays. Quay (Marquay McDaniel) is making plays. Whoever’s in the lineup, whoever’s out, we just keep rolling.
“You add the game plans Coach Dickie (head coach Dave Dickenson) and our staff come up with and it’s just hard for defences to stop everything.”
Returning the home-run-hitting Daniels into the lineup is, of course, like welcoming Aaron Judge back into your batting order.
He’s the guy capable of taking any catch and turning into a moon shot.
Predictably, though, a bit of a damper accompanied the Smiley Face emoji news on the Daniels front with confirmation that savvy slotback McDaniel is set to miss the tilt against the Roughriders.
That’s just the way the world has turned for the Calgary receiving brigade through 2017.
“It’s kind of a double-edged sword,’’ admitted Dickenson. “You lose a guy like Marquay and get DaVaris back. There’s good and bad with that.
“I think DaVaris is ready. I gave him the extra time. I think that was good and I feel like he now feels more confident in his leg.”
Photo by David Moll
Receivers coach Pete Costanza is becoming accustomed to this in/out, mix-’n-match, reload-replace scenario.
“The good thing is we’re kinda back to where we were leaving training camp, as far as who we thought was going to play,’’ said Costanza following Thursday’s walkthrough at McMahon.
“If it was a playoff game this week, Quay probably could’ve played. We’ll wait and see next week.
“But you get DaVaris back in there, and he’s such a threat to take it to The House every time he gets his hands on the ball.
“K.J.’s back, Marken’s playing well. Then there’s Rory (Kohhert), Bresc (Juwan Brescacin) and Parks (Anthony Parker).
“It’s a solid lineup. The guys all know their spots, know their roles, know what they can contribute. And it’ll really give teams matchup problems once we get a full complement of guys back in there.
“We’re looking forward to getting back to full strength and giving Bo (Levi Mitchell) all his weapons.”
Stamps celebrate a touchdown on July 29 (Photo by David Moll)
Riders-Stamps always carries with it a heightened degree of drama, of fireworks.
As Daniels mentioned, though, Friday’s clash provides other, tangible objectives to chase.
For Calgary: A chance to clinch first in the West, the playoff bye week and a division final home date.
For Saskatchewan: The opportunity to consolidate a post-season spot.
“It’ll be a battle,’’ assured Daniels, back on his horse at last and eager to put Quick Six into action. “It always is against those guys.
“Somebody’s going to have their party spoiled. We don’t plan on that somebody being us.”