The end game remains the same for the Calgary Stampeders …
Show up and win out.
It doesn’t matter their circumstance, even though they’ve been eliminated from the 2024 CFL playoff race.
“We plan on winning out the next three games,” said Stampeders veteran receiver Reggie Begelton, who always stands up to bring commitment in the face of frustration and heartbreak.
“You’ve gotta understand that we get paid for a job to do, and our job is to play football games, right?” continued the all-star. “Everything is an evaluation, even for individuals who are not under contract for next year. I mean … you hopefully want to continue to play football, right? So your film is who you are.”
Begelton & Co. hope to put a successful show on film this weekend, when they round out the home schedule of the 2024 CFL campaign with the third instalment of The Battle of Alberta.
The Stampeders (4-10-1) host the rival Edmonton Elks (5-11) on Saturday at McMahon Stadium (1 p.m., TSN, QR Calgary).
“Guys that are professional and have pride … they’re going to give you everything they’ve got,” said Stamps GM/head coach Dave Dickenson. “And that does say a lot about the players.
“I guess, if you’re really looking for future, you see how guys play in games that don’t necessarily have meaning for playoffs, then usually you can tell who really loves the game and who’s professional.”
That said, it’s strange to see The Battle of Alberta — with both teams eliminated from the Grey Cup competition — count only for pride and not for position in the standings.
“Professionally, yes,” said Begelton, when asked if the year has been among his most difficult ones. “But I’ve dealt with adversity where we’ve had — you could say — losing seasons or we’ve been struggling. But it’s all about you representing everything and why did you play football, so you don’t let the circumstances dictate how you play.”
Unfortunately, a lack of wins has dictated the season.
That current absence has reached seven straight games without one, with last Friday’s 32-15 drop to the host BC Lions a true microcosm of the lost campaign — the franchise’s first without playoffs in 20 years.
“It’s just kind of what’s been happening all year,” said Begelton, recalling another fourth-quarter collapse underscored by three untimely turnovers on successive drives that turned a four-point deficit into a sudden 21-point hole.
“It’s the representation that we just can’t finish games, right?” continued Begelton. “Start off slow, get hot and then can’t finish. Or we’ll start off hot and go slow and still can’t finish. I mean … that’s just part of it. Execution, details and the game of football is about how many points more points will you score than your opponent?”
“It does seem like we find ways to lose games instead of necessarily winning,” agreed Dickenson. “And it was deflating — no doubt about it. We tried to keep our spirits up. But you know, we were playing hard.
“You know what I do, like, though, is that the defence kept playing right till the end. Our offence, we kept playing right till the end. And even though we were very frustrated and you could feel the air was out of the balloon after those couple of plays, we kept working.”
The work, however, isn’t translating into wins.
“Honestly, I can’t,” said Begelton, when pressed to answer why the team has struggled so much. “I come out here and do my job and try to do my job every day. I can’t really pinpoint why us as a team wasn’t able to get over the hump.
“It’s just one of those weird years.”
It’s one without playoffs that’s just so completely foreign to many, including Begelton.
“Yeah … consistency is the name of the game — being consistent and learning from your mistakes and not doing the same mistakes over and over again,” Begelton said. “At the end of the day, to keep doing that thing, you’re insane.”
“It’s not like we had a lot of good moments,” added Dickenson. “The team won’t quit, though. We’ll play hard.
“We’re working hard still — the guys enjoy being out here. You can tell they listen and they’re enjoying competing. Guys are looking forward to getting back on the field and seeing if they can win.
“Just, hopefully, we can turn a corner and win a ball game.”
Short yardage
Begelton is just six receiving yards shy of a second consecutive 1,000-yard season … WR Cam Echols (head) has been ruled out for Saturday’s affair, as has WR Ishmael Hyman (calf) … WR Clark Barnes (knee), WR Jalen Philpot (illness), DB Demerio Houston (illness) have all been deemed available to play against the Elks.