By Geoff Crane
Stampeders.com

For the second week in a row – and third in four – the Calgary Stampeders will be facing a tough opponent coming off a bye week when they take on the Winnipeg Blue Bombers Saturday night at Investors Group Field.

Having withstood the efforts of a rested and desperate Saskatchewan Roughriders team a week ago, defensive captain Juwan Simpson knows the task will be tough but not impossible. 

“They’ve had two weeks to prepare, quite simply,” says Simpson following practice this week. “We understand that. We have to put extra work in the film room and work a bit harder on the practice field, just because we know they’ll have that extra step on us.”

If any team knows the benefits of coming off of a bye week, it would be the boys from Cowtown.

Since John Hufnagel grabbed the reins on 2008, the Calgary Stampeders have gone a sparkling 9-0 when coming off a bye.

Having extra time to prepare for an opponent and allow some bumps and bruises heal, generally leaves a team fresh and ready to get back to work.

Calgary quarterback Bo Levi Mitchell is interested to see what sorts of tricks the Bombers will have in their bag come Saturday when they try to exact some revenge on a Stamps team that snatched a victory earlier in the season despite being down by 16 points early in the contest.

“The challenge the bye week presents is it gives them more time to run different plays, try different things, different blitzes and move guys around,” insists Mitchell. “So while we may have film on them and their tendencies, they’ll give us some different looks this weekend.”

With the season in full swing now and teams finding their rhythm, the start to a game becomes critical, especially when facing a team like Winnipeg hungry to change their recent fortunes.

Starts haven’t always been great for Calgary this season. Early on, they found themselves trailing by the end of the first quarter in five of their first six games.

However, since the slow start, the team has found itself halting that trend and easing the anxiety of fans watching the game.

“No matter what, we get better each and every game,” says Mitchell. “I think we’ve done a good job of that lately.

“We have to make sure we come out, deliver that first hit, come out hyped up and be sure to not let (Winnipeg) come out and have more energy than us at the beginning of the game.”

Simpson agrees with his quarterback, a strong start and a consistent effort will be the team’s goal this weekend and every weekend going forward.

“We’ve played four quarters maybe once this year and we’re looking to just put it all together,” says Simpson. “We know the talent and tools it takes to get the job done. Our main goal is to go out there and play as one and come home with the W.”