Back in Calgary after the Stampeders’ two-game road trip, head coach and general manager John Hufnagel spoke to the media on Saturday at McMahon Stadium. Here are excerpts of his comments:
On what he saw after reviewing the game film of Thursday’s 33-32 loss in Montreal:
I saw a defence that played pretty well for a large portion of the game. I saw an offence that struggled in the first half and then got things together in the second half and was able to move the football and put points on the board. I saw some penalties that I didn’t like to see and that we didn’t finish the game.
On how the offence got going after an unproductive first half against the Alouettes:
We made some slight adjustments. Not a great deal. I think we got a little bit more comfortable with the looks we were seeing that day and they played better football. We got into the transition from the huddle to the line of scrimmage quicker and we were able to execute better.
On quarterback Kevin Glenn and the critical fourth-quarter interception that helped set up Montreal’s game-winning score:
That last interception is obviously tough for any player but Kevin is a strong-willed veteran and he’ll be ready to play the next game. We just want to put Kevin in the best possible position to succeed. As we go along, we’ll learn more about Kevin and Kevin will learn more about our offence and we’ll get better.
On the current state of the team:
One thing that I liked about this football team is that they are resilient and they do play hard. They have fought back from adversity and right now we are going through some adversity. I like the character that I’ve seen demonstrated so far by the football team. It’s still a long season. This next game is very important because it’s the next game and we need to do what we can do to get back to our winning ways. I like this football team a lot. I really do. We’re going through some adversity but we’ll fight through it and we’ll continue to work hard to get better.
On the message he will deliver to the team when practice resumes on Sunday:
Just regroup. They were two very disappointing losses — you can’t sugarcoat that. They were games that we had every opportunity to win — especially the second game — but we came out on the short end of the stick. We need to become a football team that finishes games in the fourth quarter when it’s tight.
On the status of injured quarterback Drew Tate’s shoulder:
I wish I could set the record straight. Right now Drew is doing a lot of contemplating on what the procedure should be. He’s not comfortable yet making the decision on whether he should have surgery now or wait until after the season — hopefully meaning that if he elects to play, he doesn’t re-injure himself. That’s entirely his decision. He’s getting as much advice as possible and it’s going to take him a little bit longer to come up with that decision.
On the situation if Tate decides to postpone surgery and return after an estimated four to six weeks of rehab:
He would have to wear a harness and that would alter his throwing motion. If he does elect to play, he would be in a harness and how that affects his throwing, I’m not quite sure.
On rookie quarterback Bo Levi Mitchell’s readiness should he be called upon:
“He does a pretty good job on short-yardage situations. Bo has shown that he can go out on the field and make plays, as he did during the pre-season. If Bo gets in, we would make sure we structure the game plan and play-calling to make it as easy as possible . . . but there’s no such thing as easy in professional football, especially at the quarterback position. We’ll cross that bridge when we get there.