club and thank the owner and manager over at Wigan for letting this
in Mariah Carey Wed Nov 06, 2019 4:57 amby gf1234566 • 150 Posts
CALGARY -- The Calgary Stampeders are less crowded at quarterback this season, but there is still heavy competition for the starters job. The Stampeders employed a three-man rotation in 2013 mainly because of an early-season injury to Drew Tate. Kevin Glenn started the majority of games, but Bo Levi Mitchell was a busy third-stringer. He won his three starts and came off the bench to lead Calgary to another when Glenn was also injured. Glenn was taken in the off-season expansion draft by the Ottawa Redblacks and subsequently dealt to the B.C. Lions, which leaves Tate and Mitchell vying to lead the offence of a team that posted a league-best 14-4 record last season. "It brings out the best in us and I think that being said, we could be a starting point for the team," Tate said Sunday on the first day of training camp. "If the quarterbacks are battling, everyone else is battling kind of thing." Tate, 29, was anointed Calgarys starter two years ago when Henry Burris was dealt to Hamilton. But injuries have limited the six-foot, 190-pound pivot to 153 completions over the past two seasons. A throwing arm injury on July 6 last year and a subsequent setback sidelined him until October. Training camp reps will test the durability of the arm, Tate says. "Feels good right now. Just trying to be smart with it," he said. "I feel its all moderation with the volume we have. Its a lot of volume and its really hard to mimic that in the off-season, the kind of volume we have, especially in camp. "Ever since I was three feet tall, Ive only had one speed and getting injuries, it make you have to change your approach. So far so good. Its only the a.m. of Day 1, so a lot of ball left." Mitchell, 24, completed 69 per cent of his passes for 1,156 yards and 10 touchdowns last year. Six-foot-four and 204 pounds, Mitchell says theres no jealousy between he and Tate. "Were friends through and through, no matter what," Mitchell says. "When he makes a great play, Im not looking down saying Ive got to make a better one. Im going out there, congratulating him and slapping him on the butt and saying good play. "If you look at last year, we went with three quarterbacks. I know theres not many teams in the league that are going to play one guy for 18 games every single snap, so youve got to be ready. Were going to do whatever we can to help each other prepare for the season." The two Texans both signed contract extensions in the off-season and bring different qualities to the table, says head coach and general manager John Hufnagel. "I guess the best way I could explain it is Drew is more of a jitterbug," Hufnagel explained. "Hell make plays out of nothing, just because of his mobility and elusiveness and great vision and accuracy. "Bo is a little bit of a stronger-armed guy. He has the ability to move around and make plays, but hes more of a pocket guy and throw the ball down the field." The Stampeders lost in the 2013 West Division final to the Saskatchewan Roughriders, who went onto win the Grey Cup in Regina. In addition to taking Glenn in the expansion draft, the Redblacks also selected Stampeder offensive lineman JMicheal Deane and safety Eric Fraser. Ottawa also hired away defensive co-ordinator Rick Campbell to be their head coach. Rich Stubler replaced Campbell after two seasons as B.C.s defensive co-ordinator. Stampeder offensive co-ordinator Dave Dickenson signed a three-year contract extension in November. Hufnagel swung a deal with Ottawa to obtain the first overall pick the Canadian college draft in May and used it to choose Laval offensive lineman Pierre Lavertu. The hope is hes a fast adapter to the CFL as centre Brett Jones was in winning the leagues rookie award last season. Among Calgarys significant contract extensions in the off-season were CFL sack leader Charleston Hughes, receivers Maurice Price, Jabari Arthur and Joe West, as well as middle linebacker Juwan Simpson and linebacker Keon Raymond. To get some experience in his backfield, Hufnagel signed halfbacks Lin-J Shell and Josh Bell, who have experience working with Stubler in Vancouver, as well as former Hamilton Tiger-Cat Dee Webb. "In the defensive backfield, it will be interesting because of the loss of players weve had in the off-season," Hufnagel said. "Theres spots to be won." Running back Jon Cornish, the CFLs leading rusher for two seasons and most outstanding player in 2013, adopted the practice of tai chi, a Chinese martial art, in the off-season. "After doing six months of it, I understand that a lot of my movement patterns were not as efficient as they could be," said Cornish. "A lot of the things I could do on the field could be optimized. Thats what Im trying to focus on this year. "Mentally I felt I could add some aspects to my game." The Stampeders also have at camp running back Martell Mallett, the CFLs rookie of the year in 2009 when he played for the Lions. Calgarys off-season was not without its drama. The team suspended defensive back Quincy Butler nine days before main camp. He was charged with two counts of assault following an incident outside a Calgary casino. Hes due to appear in court June 26. Concordia defensive tackle Quinn Smith, Calgarys seventh overall pick in the college draft, tested positive for a steroid which he says he inadvertently ingested via a supplement. The Toronto native faces a two-year ban from Canadian university football. Smith is currently at Calgarys main camp and is subject to mandatory drug testing under the CFLs drug policy. And Price chose the first day of training camp to apologize both in a press release and in a scrum with reporters for remarks he made on Twitter over a month ago that criticized gay NFL draft pick Michael Sam. The CFL fined Price for those comments. "I just wanted to come here and be face to face with the guys and not do it from a distance," Price said. "Thats why I waited until this day to just apologize. Im aware my comments were offensive and I just want to apologize to the Stamps fans, the CFL and especially Mr. Michael Sam himself." The Stampeders are training on new turf at McMahon Stadium, which makes the pounding of two-a-days feel a little less painful. "Its a lot better, 1,000 per cent better," Price said. "Thats vacation for the joints, the ankles, the knees. Im glad they got that done. That old turf was worn out and hard. When it was snowing it was icy and hard and just rough on the legs." Wholesale NHL Jerseys China . Johan Franzen had two goals and two assists, Gustav Nyquist a goal and three assists and David Legwand a goal and two assists in the Red Wings 7-4 win over the New Jersey Devils. Fake NHL Jerseys . Solomon Elimimian did not make the trip with the team after suffering what appeared to be a right leg injury in the teams regular season finale against the Calgary Stampeders. https://www.chinanhljerseys.us/. He spent the rest of the game making up for lost playing time. Green scored a career-high 36 points, including eight in overtime, and the Phoenix Suns beat Denver 112-107 on Tuesday night to hand the Nuggets their fifth consecutive loss. NHL Jerseys China . Formula One Teams Association secretary general Oliver Weingarten says the organization collapsed over unpaid subscription fees and a failure to strike an agreement for 2014 with all 11 teams. Wholesale NHL Jerseys .com) - The Kansas City Chiefs activated linebacker Joe Mays from short-term injured reserve on Saturday.Bridgeview, IL (SportsNetwork.com) - After several weeks of speculation, the Chicago Fire announced late Sunday night the club has signed Scottish international attacker Shaun Maloney from English Championship side Wigan Athletic. Maloney joins the Fire as the clubs third Designated Player and will be added to the roster upon receipt of his International Transfer Certificate and his P1 Visa. Per MLS and team policy, terms of the deal were not disclosed. Shaun is a very experienced player, having played in both the English and Scottish Premier Leagues, and were very happy to have signed someone of his caliber, said Fire head coach and director of soccer Frank Yallop. His style of play fits in exactly with what were trying to do at the Fire. Hes a hard- working, attack-minded player who is really going to help this team and were excited to have signed him. Maloney joins the Fire after three-and-a-half years with Wigan, for whom he played a central role in their Cinderella run to the 2013 FA Cup title. He provided the assist on Ben Watson?s 91st-minute game-winning goal to upset Manchester City in the final and earn thee Latics their first major trophy.dddddddddddd Across all competitions, Maloney appeared in 91 matches, scoring 15 goals and adding 17 assists for the Latics. This season, hes made 22 total appearances and scored two goals. Im very happy to be joining the Fire, said Maloney. I owe a lot to the manager Frank Yallop and the owner Andrew Hauptman for getting this done. I certainly didnt expect it to get done this quickly, so I appreciate the faith that theyve shown in me. It?s a brilliant league and Im really hopeful that Im going to enjoy Chicago and be a big part of what the club is building. Id also like to show respect for my previous club and thank the owner and manager over at Wigan for letting this happen. Internationally, Maloney has been a mainstay for the Scottish national team since making his debut in 2005. He has earned 36 caps and scored four times for his country. He has played an integral part in Scotlands Euro 2016 qualifying campaign, starting all four matches, notching a vital match-winning goal in their 1-0 win over Ireland in November, and scoring in the away draw against Poland in October. ' ' '
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