Sean McEwen is rejecting all excuses.
A very short week to prepare?
Doesn’t matter, says the Calgary Stampeders veteran centre after the offensive line was at the centre of criticism over Sunday’s loss to the Ottawa Redblacks.
Injuries to key members of the o-line?
Punt, shrugs McEwen.
“You can make every excuse you want,” said McEwen, the undisputed leader along the Stampeders o-line. “But at the end of the day, we didn’t execute.
“The people who are out there playing the game, it’s their job to execute, and we did not do that, especially up front,” continued the 31-year-old. “So we’re owing that, and we’re looking forward to getting better this week.”
They’d better, because it doesn’t get any easier for the Stamps (3-4), as they host the Toronto Argonauts (4-3) on Sunday at McMahon Stadium (5 p.m., TSN, QR Calgary).
The best thing the o-line can do for itself — and, really, the team can do in general — is throw away the ugly 33-6 loss to the Redblacks, which came just five days after a sweet home win over the B.C. Lions.
Just don’t look back at the fact quarterback Jake Maier was constantly under pressure and was sacked four times during the loss.
“You just have to learn from it,” McEwen said. “Obviously it was not up to our standard
“But … yeah … you can’t dwell on it too long,” continued McEwen. “You’ve got to move on. There’s another opportunity facing us this week. So we’re going to get after it.
“There’s no room for pessimism in this sport if you want to be successful. So you’ve got to move forward optimistically and go out and take care of what we can take care of. It’s all about look at that man in the mirror and saying, ‘What can I do better to make our team better?’”
With what personnel, we’re not sure yet.
It doesn’t help that for their first practice — Wednesday — back at McMahon following the most recent loss, Zack Williams (calf) was seen leaning on crutches and fellow guard Bryce Bell (personal) was absent from the field. That potentially means the guys on either side of McEwen won’t be lining up against the Argonauts.
“It’s muscle,” said Stamps GM/head coach Dave Dickenson of the Williams injury. “But it doesn’t mean it’s not serious.
“Zack’s a really tough guy, and he assured me he heals really fast, so we’ll see what happens.”
What they don’t need to happen is a rash of injuries along the line — the likes of which hampered the club severely last season.
“It is what it is,” continued Dickenson, who was pleased to see veteran CFL o-lineman Kyle Saxelid — fresh off a knee injury — participate in his full practice with the Stamps on Wednesday. “We’ll see what the roster looks like (later in the week).
“We have a little bit of a longer week, but … yeah … hopefully we can get some guys in there and we can have the best group we can.”
Until the Week 8 loss, the Stamps’ best has been pretty darn good on the o-line.
Of course, McEwen himself has been leading the charge for positive change on the revamped unit.
“We’re definitely playing with a lot of energy and good communication,” lauded McEwen. “With moving bodies around, we just need to be able to obviously work with the person next to us and trust that person. I know I’ve been guilty of that a few times of not fully trusting. So if we can get to the point where we’re playing cohesively like that, it just makes playing offensive line that much easier.
“There’s definitely going to be new bodies in there (against the Argos), but the standard does not change,” added McEwen. “We have a standard — this offensive line — that (offensive coordinator/o-line coach) Pat (DelMonaco) has set for years. And it’s up to those new people to play and those vets that have been there to carry them along to get them up to that standard. Just because there’s new people playing, we’re not making any excuses. It’s up to us execute.
“We’re definitely not going to play afraid — that’s for damn sure.”
SHORT YARDAGE
Injuries are mounting for the Red and White, although many guys listed with issues — OL D’Antne Demery (toe), WR Clark Barnes (shoulder), DL Elliot Graham (hamstring), DL Kelon Thomas, LB Micah Awe (hamstring) and DB Malcolm Thompson — did practise fully Wednesday … Those limited in practice were WR Jalen Philpot (hamstring), DL Kwadwo Boahen (back) and DB Nick Statz … And those skipping the session entirely were Bell, Williams, DB Ben Labrosse (ankle) and DB Kaylyn St-Cyr … The Stamps signed RB Kylin Hill on Wednesday, after the former standout with the NCAA’s Mississippi State Bulldogs attended training camp with the Redblacks earlier this year and saw action in two pre-season games, carrying the ball seven times for 43 yards and adding one reception for nine yards. The seventh-round selection by the Green Bay Packers in the 2021 NFL Draft and 10-game NFLer was on the Redblacks practice roster for the first month of the season before being released July 2. He also signed with the XFL’s Orlando Guardians before coming to the CFL. Hill, 25, played 40 games over four seasons with Mississippi State, rushing for 2,535 career yards and 16 touchdowns, including 1,350 yards and 10 majors in 2019 when he earned second-team all-SEC honours. The 5-foot-11, 210-pounder added 67 receptions for 631 yards and six pass-catching TDs with the Bulldogs and set a school single-game record with 15 catches in a 2020 game against the rival Kentucky Wildcats.
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