The Calgary Stampeders have set some kind of a record for soul-crushing losses with defeats in 2016 and on Sunday.
Just when you thought 2016 was the most difficult loss ever, along came the 2017 game.
Pass-and-run plays for 100 yards are very rare in the Canadian Football League (CFL) but the Stampeders gave one up. Tough as that play was, the team appeared to recover from it.
Later in the game, they fell victim to a fumble and a 110-yard fumble return. How many of those are there? Not many.
Somehow, the Stampeders combined two “once-in-a-generation” plays into the same game. Pretty inexplicable, but they happened and they killed the Stampeders.
Those plays masked a solid effort by the team. They led in time of possession. They held Ricky Ray largely in check (save for the 100-yard bomb). Offensive stats were tilted heavily in Calgary’s favour.
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Yet, on Monday morning that was all irrelevant.
With the 2016 Grey Cup, there was at least the recognition the team got off to a poor start, although they eventually caught up.
Plus, they were playing a Hall of Fame-bound quarterback suiting up for his last game in Henry Burris.
None of those factors were in play at this game: Stamps were in charge most of the game and Ricky Ray was adequate, at best.
Still, the Stamps lost.
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We’ll have to wait to see how the team handles things once they return to training camp in May.
Will there be scars, yet unmended? What does coach Dave Dickenson say to a team that is good, knows they’re good and struggles to finish?
Once again, the Stampeders will enter next season as a strong favourite.
Their challenges will not be physical. Bo Levi Mitchell is under contract for another year. The team has a top-flight coaching staff and is blessed with a deep array of talent.
No, the challenge will be for the team to believe they can be rewarded for their work.
After two straight stunning finishes, Dave Dickenson will have to convince the club that the sacrifices will pay off in the end.
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