By Geoff Crane
Stampeders.com

To anyone paying attention late last season, Monday night’s performance by Calgary Stampeders receiver Eric Rogers should not be a surprise.

Building off last year’s Grey Cup win, during which he caught over 100 yards en route to victory, Rogers again found himself a popular target for Bo Levi Mitchell, racking up 114 yards on six receptions and one touchdown.

“It was big for us to get those touchdowns in the second quarter,” says Rogers, refusing to bask in his praiseworthy stats. “We responded and the defence held (the Argonauts) to two field goals in the second half and we got the win. It was great.”

In a game that featured the loss of fellow receiver in Simon Charbonneau-Campeau and both offensive tackles, Rogers felt the pressure to make big plays for the team.

Down by seven early in the second quarter and backed up on the Stamps’ own eight-yard line, Mitchell found Rogers down the sideline for a 43-yard reception. That would kick off a 10-play, 112-yard drive capped off by a three-yard touchdown catch for Rogers.

That drive seemed to spark the Calgary offence that had seemed slightly out of sync in it’s first two regular-season matches.

“I try to be a big-play receiver,” says Rogers. “I don’t like to miss on opportunities. I think about those more than the plays I do make in the game.”

It’s that drive for perfection that has endeared Rogers to his QB in Mitchell.

“Just watching what Eric does, he’s a basketball player,” says Mitchell. “He knows how to box people out, he knows how to use his body against people and go and make some big plays.”

It was that big play to start the second quarter that seemed to turn the tide for the Calgary offence. Rogers noted that Mitchell coached the receivers to win the one-on-one battles and turn to look for the ball as it would be coming sooner than normal as the team adjusted to a patchwork offensive line.

“The thing is, he’s intelligent,” says Mitchell in regards to Rogers. “He stepped up and knew exactly what to do.

“He’s not just a guy who goes out and makes plays. It’s honestly because of the way he works.  I saw Eric the entire time on practice roster – non-stop – working his tail off, working on his routes, not just trying to give the defence a look but trying to beat the defence I our practice. That’s why he earned a spot.”

Blessed both physically and mentally, Rogers is swiftly becoming an important cog in Calgary’s offensive machine. When teamed up with the Red and White’s other game-breaker in Jeff Fuller, Mitchell predicts big things in the Stamps future.

“Jeff and Eric are two guys who can make some big plays and I think they’re both 100-yard-a-game guys,” he says.

With the offence seemingly having found it’s groove, it will be up to Mitchell and his big-play receivers to keep the good times rolling in a tough draw in the Winnipeg Blue Bombers on Saturday night at McMahon Stadium.