Reggie Hunt had a great night in helping keep Henry Burris and the Stampeder offence silent for much of the night. He says it was a real battle and that he can't wait to play the Lions next weekend....
GM Eric Tillman says it was a great evening for the organization and he is very proud of his team as they get ready for the Western final......
Riders coach Kent Austin says the Stampeders really made his team work for the win and he gave them a lot of credit after the game......
DJ Flick says he is having the time of his life with the ride his team is on and he hopes it continues for a couple of more weeks. Flick talks about that and his touchdown on the first play of scrimmage that sent the Riders on their way to a Western semi-final victory....
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Show us your pride!
/=S=/!!!
Calgary coach Tom Higgins was very contrite when not only talking about his football team and its chances on Sunday but his future. As you know, Higgins is said to be out in Calgary with John Hufnagel taking over.
Good morning Rider Nation and welcome to a day you have been waiting for for 19 years. Today is the day you see your football team in a home playoff game. Will it be like 1988 or will this team move on to Vancouver for the Western final. Here's what I'll watch for on Western Semi Final Sunday
1. The weather. Word is it will be windy (35k) at kickoff with those winds diminishing throughout the day. Will it affect the two teams. Kerry Joseph says having to practice at Taylor Field in windy conditions helps him but you hafta think Henry Burris hasn't forgotten about those winds. Lets hope the day can somehow be like Saturday. Playing this game Saturday afternoon would have been perfect!!!!
2. The 13th man. 28-thousand 800 screaming Rider fans. Rider fans that know they have to be screaming right from the opening kickoff(except when Saskatchewan has the football!!). The tougher it is for Calgary, the better it is for Saskatchewan
3. Stopping Joffrey Reynolds. I think Reynolds is always the guy you want to stop when playing the Stampeders. If its 2nd and long, it will be a long day for Henry Burris. If its 2nd and short, Hank can cut you apart and he has the weapons to do it.
4. Corey Holmes. He is the tailback of the day because of the foot injury to Wes Cates. Corey gives them a little more of a dynamic presence in the backfield but Cates' blocking will hurt especially when you combine that with the fact Chris Szarka isn't playing.
5. Nerves. The Riders cant be nervous for this one as they go out knowing the support that is behind them can they. I guess we'll find out.
In the end, I say its off to Vancouver in the Western final. Your final score Sunday afternoon will be Saskatchewan 36 Calgary 21. ENJOY THE GAME!!!!!!
Kent Austin assures the Rider nation his offence will keep on rolling even without Wes Cates.
Tom Higgins was a very gracious man during his pre-game press conference with the national media today. This is someone who basically has been told that he will no longer be coaching the football team and may no longer have a spot in the organization as soon as what has been a disappointing season is over. It was my belief and that of several others in attendance that Higgins was saying good-bye. Higgins made it clear to everyone today that this will be the first time he has coached in the Western semi-final in which he has been the visiting team's coach. Thats pretty damn impressive if you ask me--especially when the last coach of the Riders for a home playoff game was John Gregory. The Stamps have had the reputation over the past few years of being the extremely cocky ones that you love to knock off. Higgins has not been that type of individual. He has always been very classy when I have dealt with him and his candour will be missed if he doesn't resurface somewhere.
Henry Burris is more than ready to try and silence the Rider Nation and ruin their holiday weekend.
What type of conditions do you the fans have to endure while cheering on your Riders. On Friday, I asked the best person possible to give out the answer. Without further adieu, here's CTV Regina's weather specialist Angel Blair
I had the opportunity to sit down with the voice of the CFL on CBC--Mark Lee. He talks about tomorrow's game --a game in which he sees the Riders winning---and what it will be like doing their last game for quite a while from Taylor Field seeing the league's contract with CBC is over at the end of the year.
Wes Cates will NOT even dress for tomorrow's west semi-final against the Stampeders. Wes has been held off the 46-man roster for tomorrow while his injured foot continues to bother him. Henri Childs has been brought off the roster as well meaning Josh Ranek will compliment Corey Holmes in the backfield while Holmes continues his kick returns.
Kent Austin gets quizzed about memories of the Roughriders last home playoff game and about the scrutiny he and his family are living under through the euphoria of Rider nation.
(Calgary Stampeder part-owner and president Ted Hellard)
Ted Hellard really needs to give his head a shake! The president and part owner of the Calgary Stampeders has done a remarkable job for the most part since taking over the reigns of that football team nearly 3 years ago, but his dealing of the recent turmoil swirling around Stamps head coach Tom Higgins is inexcusable!
Hellard could have denied the reports, which have indicated Higgins will be out at the end of the season and replaced by John Hufnagel. He could have defused the speculation as nothing more than fodder. But we never heard that denial from Ted, now did we? The fact that any-one in Stampeder management would go behind the back of a good man like Higgins who re-built this football team almost overnight in the wake of some awful times (see Matt Dunigan's coaching record), to hire somebody else right in the middle of a playoff run is nothing more than sheer stupidity.
Perhaps Mr. Hellard wants it this way! Maybe he wants his team to adopt an "us against the world" motivation to beat the Roughriders on Sunday, knowing full well it happened for Danny Barrett's Riders last November. However, it is worth pointing out that philosophy still wasn't enough to save Danny in the end and it probably won't be enough to save Higgins either. But should we really be surprised to see this kind of idiocy from the Calgary camp going into the playoffs? I mean after all, let's not forget it was Ted Hellard himself who made sure Gainer couldn't get a spot at McMahon Stadium last fall. A lot of good that did them didn't it!