Let’s face it: there have been years where the Labour Day hype has felt, well, a little forced. Not this time.
With half the season in the books, it’s a three-way dogfight for Western supremacy, and the next two weeks will write the storyline of who’s hunting and who’s hunted.
While the Calgary Stampeders are on top in the standings going in, there’s no denying its been a weird year for the big white horse.
A tie, a sloppy win, a convincing win and a loss to start the year, followed by five straight wins that have been a equal mix of Rembrandts (dropping a 60-burger on Hamilton) and velvet Elvises. (BC. August 18th. Uuuuuuuuuug-leeeeeee)
This is a team to be reckoned with, but it’s also a team that’s yet to put its best foot forward with any consistency.
For Edmonton, the year was a run of unparalleled success, followed by a rapid return to earth.
As good teams will, the Eskimos found ways to overcome injury after injury on their way to a seven-game winning streak, only to crash back to earth with two straight losses when the injury burden became too much to bear. Having 20 guys on the six-game will do that to you.
Sympathy for Edmonton? I think not.
The Stamps have survived injury challenges of their own and are still thin in key areas like the receiver and offensive line. Back-to-back games against an injured opponent presents the Stamps with a golden opportunity to essentially finish off an opponent and make the west a two horse race with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers.
Opponent down? I say kick, kick, kick away!