Stamps @ Lions - August 27, 2010 Odds, Stats and Stuff

[WestCoastJoe]

http://communities.canada.com/theprovin ... vol-9.aspx

How Lowell Ullrich sees the Lions vs Stampeders game ...

Calgary at B.C., 7:30 p.m.

It's a wipeout, right? One team can't score. The other has a brick wall built in front of their goal line.

That kind of talk is John Hufnagel's nightmare. Under his watch as coach, the Calgary Stampeders haven't lost in eight tries against the Lions. It's probably no wonder that complacency has been a big topic this week.

"He lets us know every day that we can lose, we are capable of losing and if we come out and we don't play the ball that we can play, we will lose," Stamps linebacker Juwan Simpson told the Calgary Sun. "He makes that point in practice, in meetings, whatever. If he doesn't see us practising up to our potential, he'll definitely have something to say about it. He's done a great job of keeping that in our heads.

If there was going to be a week in which the Lions had a shot against a team they haven't beaten in more than two full seasons, it would figure to be a game in which the Stamps are coming off a win in Vancouver just three weeks ago, a pounding over Edmonton, followed by a bye. It hasn't reached the point of outright panic with the Lions that is appears to be the case in Edmonton, such is the aura build around Buono, even though he is experiencing the longest losing streak of his CFL head coaching career.

Still, Hufnagel's profoundly better ability than that of Buono to motivate players will be the difference when it counts. It's impossible on mere form to look at it any other way.

Province pick: Stamps.

"Still, Hufnagel's profoundly better ability than that of Buono to motivate players will be the difference when it counts. It's impossible on mere form to look at it any other way."

Motivation ... Big edge to Hufnagel

X's and O's (Schemes) ... Big edge to Hufnagel

Building a roster (Personnel) ... At this time, big edge to Hufnagel

Building a coaching staff (Coaching) ... Big edge to Hufnagel

Execution ... 6 and 1 vs 1 and 6. Big edge to Hufnagel

[Rammer]

Even the Esks won the second home game in a row against an opponent.....hey wait that was against the Lions, so perhaps it isn't so realistic to expect a win.

[longtimefan]

The execution will start when David Braley realizes he only has 10-14 thousand season ticket holders to fill BC Place next year.
I wonder whom he will start with?

[B.C.FAN]

Here's Mike Beamish's prediction:

Calgary at B.C., 7:30 p.m., TSN

The Lions will be trying to forget the fact they've lost eight straight times to the Stampeders with John Hufnagel as Calgary's coach. The Stampeders as well will be trying to operate with a blank slate in case the 8-0 record starts to play with their minds, too.

"He [Hufnagel] tells us not to talk about it, and not to think about it, and I think he's been moderately effective," Stampeder running back John Cornish told the Calgary Sun.

Still, it's a case of the CFL's best defence — Calgary — going up because the league's least effective offence — B.C. — and that should spell doom for the Lions.

Then again, there is such a thing as the law of probability. The losing has to stop sometime, doesn't it? Yes, eventually, but not this week.

Pick: Calgary

Link

[Solar Max]

As has been pointed out here many times before, doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result is folly.

The bye week will not have cured the same old, same old. Calgary wins by 10 if they're off their game, more if they're on.

[bclions16]

As has been pointed out here many times before, doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result is folly.

The bye week will not have cured the same old, same old. Calgary wins by 10 if they're off their game, more if they're on.

I may be splitting hairs, but it's not the same thing without the brain cramps and penalties.

[ziggy]

I'm surprised at all the positives people see in Calgary. It sure didn't look like a much better team at the game I attended at Empire, in fact it looked to me like neither team was keen on winning. We may have problems but Calgary isn't as good as their record and we aren't as bad as our IMHO. So lets not annoint Huffnagel as the second comming, he hasn't been here long enough to deserve the adoration he seems to be getting on here. Does anyone really think if he was our HC we would be 6-1? I don't!

[TheLionKing]

Does anyone really think if he was our HC we would be 6-1? I don't!

But our offence will be more exciting to watch.

[Rammer]

I'm surprised at all the positives people see in Calgary. It sure didn't look like a much better team at the game I attended at Empire, in fact it looked to me like neither team was keen on winning. We may have problems but Calgary isn't as good as their record and we aren't as bad as our IMHO. So lets not annoint Huffnagel as the second comming, he hasn't been here long enough to deserve the adoration he seems to be getting on here. Does anyone really think if he was our HC we would be 6-1? I don't!

Pretty sure that our team wouldn't be 1 - 6. An interesting counter to your theory that the Stamps didn't look much better than the Lions last time around, yet the Lions only mirror the Stamps in record of course. That has to suggest that Hufnagel is getting more from his horses than the Wally is, so one of the two HC seems to be better.

[ziggy]

I'm surprised at all the positives people see in Calgary. It sure didn't look like a much better team at the game I attended at Empire, in fact it looked to me like neither team was keen on winning. We may have problems but Calgary isn't as good as their record and we aren't as bad as our IMHO. So lets not annoint Huffnagel as the second comming, he hasn't been here long enough to deserve the adoration he seems to be getting on here. Does anyone really think if he was our HC we would be 6-1? I don't!

Pretty sure that our team wouldn't be 1 - 6. An interesting counter to your theory that the Stamps didn't look much better than the Lions last time around, yet the Lions only mirror the Stamps in record of course. That has to suggest that Hufnagel is getting more from his horses than the Wally is, so one of the two HC seems to be better.

I have to disagree Rammer, if he was getting more from his horses, assuming the horses have an equal amount to give, I'd of thought they would look much better in their win.Did anyone see a finely honed machine on either side of the field? Like many games this one broke down to a few big plays on the field and a few, dare I say, breaks. I guess you can spin it either way but to me the difference in the game I watched, was that one teams players seemed to rise a little more than the others, and I stress a little. Not sure the coaches were the difference?

[Rammer]

I'm surprised at all the positives people see in Calgary. It sure didn't look like a much better team at the game I attended at Empire, in fact it looked to me like neither team was keen on winning. We may have problems but Calgary isn't as good as their record and we aren't as bad as our IMHO. So lets not annoint Huffnagel as the second comming, he hasn't been here long enough to deserve the adoration he seems to be getting on here. Does anyone really think if he was our HC we would be 6-1? I don't!

Pretty sure that our team wouldn't be 1 - 6. An interesting counter to your theory that the Stamps didn't look much better than the Lions last time around, yet the Lions only mirror the Stamps in record of course. That has to suggest that Hufnagel is getting more from his horses than the Wally is, so one of the two HC seems to be better.

I have to disagree Rammer, if he was getting more from his horses, assuming the horses have an equal amount to give, I'd of thought they would look much better in their win.Did anyone see a finely honed machine on either side of the field? Like many games this one broke down to a few big plays on the field and a few, dare I say, breaks. I guess you can spin it either way but to me the difference in the game I watched, was that one teams players seemed to rise a little more than the others, and I stress a little. Not sure the coaches were the difference?

Exactly, Stamps facing a desperate Lions team on the road and they don't play their A game, yet come out with the W. Doesn't matter much, the records are what they are, and I do concede that the Stamps have the better talent and an "A list" QB, whereas we were playing with our 2nd or 3rd string QB pending the week we are discussing. What is better about the Coaching is that the Stamps O actually looks effective for 4 or 5 games this season, Lions not once.

[WestCoastJoe]

http://www.calgarysun.com/sports/footba ... 55811.html

All is peace and tranquility leading up to the game. No hostile tweets back and forth ...

Stamps, Lions still rivals?

Calgary has beaten B.C. past eight tilts as all's quiet in lead-up to Friday's game

By WES GILBERTSON

Don't we even rate as rivals anymore?

Heck, B.C. Lions receiver Geroy Simon even logged on to the social networking site to lob a compliment at Calgary Stampeders slotback Nik Lewis, saying, “He’s an awesome guy and a great player. He gets a bit wacky at times but that's why he’s a great player.”

That’s no way to talk about a fierce rival.

“They’ve been kicking our butts for the last few years, so I don’t know if you can call it a rivalry,” Simon said after Thursday’s walkthrough. “But we’ve had competitive games. It’s not like they’ve been blowouts. They’re a good team and we know that, but we know they can be beat.”

Peace and tranquility ... yawn.

Even Lewis, who has never been secretive about his dislike for the Lions, hasn’t seemed overly excited about Friday’s matchup.

“I’m guessing every team is our rival now. We just approach every team the same,” Nik Lewis said. “We just want to be the best, and we try to prove we’re the best every week. I don’t see it as a rivalry. I see it as going out and handling our business.”

In a polite way, this is more insulting than hostile tweets ... They are just taking care of business.

“They used to dominate us,” said defensive end Mike Labinjo. “Now, it’s our turn.”

You got that right. 8 in a row.