Stamps welcome pivot Sankey back into the fold

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Ben Sankey got the call early Tuesday morning, and it only took him a second to decide about returning to the Calgary Stampeders.

With backup quarterback Dave Dickenson sidelined the remainder of the regular season with post-concussion symptoms, Sankey was brought in to provide some veteran depth at the position.

The 31-year-old Sankey was only gone a little more than a month, so he quickly hopped on a plane and left behind his job as a personal trainer in Chicago.

"I'm the houseguest they can't get rid of," Sankey said yesterday. "I just got a five-game vacation. I got a chance to spend some time with my son and daughter.

"It was some reflection time to see if I wanted to still keep doing this. I realized I do. The fire still burns in me. I don't think I'm that old as a quarterback.

"It gave me time to reflect and think about the situation. It's a good situation here, with a good team and a great coach. I have a great relationship with them."

It appears Sankey and 25-year-old Barrick Nealy will compete for the backup job behind starter Henry Burris, who has recovered from the turf toe he suffered Monday.

Sources said the team doesn't have interest in Marcus Crandell, who was released last week by the Saskatchewan Roughriders, mainly because Sankey is familiar with the Stamps' system.

Sankey started two games last year when Burris was injured and spent all of training camp with the team before suffering a hamstring injury.

Nealy will be installed as the backup for tomorrow night's rematch with the Edmonton Eskimos at Commonwealth Stadium.

The third-stringer came in and went 2-of-7 passing for 20 yards against the Eskimos Monday when Dickenson went out.

After spot duty in two seasons, Nealy feels ready to take the role of reliable backup.

"I feel like I am ready," Nealy said.

"On Monday, I got the opportunity to get a few reps in, so I feel ready to do it. We'll see what I bring to the table.

"You have to be ready for all types of situations. It's been important to get in there when I can and get a few reps under my belt."

The Stamps would clearly prefer to keep Nealy in the development role and use Sankey when he gets up to speed.

Although he is familiar with the system, the playbook has grown since the start of the season, and yesterday's abbreviated session didn't provide him many reps.

On a short week, Burris took most of the meaningful snaps, but Stamps head coach John Hufnagel hopes to get Sankey ready quickly.

"I'm sure, if and when he gets on the field, all the previous experience he's had with this football team will be a benefit," Hufnagel said.

Hufnagel said the decision on who is No. 2 will be made in the next few weeks.

"We'll sit down with Ben and see how much he has retained," Hufnagel said. "I have confidence in both guys that they can go in there and do some good for us."

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Cautious optimism


Wally Buono, when he coached the Calgary Stampeders, used to call the Labour Day Replay the toughest game to coach if you'd just won the Labour Day Classic.

"I think the losing team on Labour Day in Calgary has a real advantage in the Friday rematch in Edmonton," said Prof. Buono.

"So much is made of the Labour Day game that the winning team goes into Friday's game too satisfied too often.

"And the losing team, it's always guaranteed, goes into that game growly. In the game of football, you've got to be growly."

If there ever was an Edmonton Eskimos team in danger of going into the Labour Day Replay too satisfied, you'd figure it would be this one.

They've missed the playoffs the last two years. Before Monday, you had to go back two seasons to find the last game they'd won on the road in their division.

NO CLUE

And 23 members of this team, having just played in their first Labour Day game, have no real idea, no clue, no concept of what they're dealing with here.

And, yes, Danny Maciocia is coaching his ass off this week at the same time that damn near everybody who wanted him fired last year suddenly wants him to be standing on the corner of Jasper Avenue and 101st Street (or is that a little too close to the Journal?), taking bows.

"There was a very real sense of satisfaction walking off the field at McMahon," said Maciocia. "And I'm thinking 'How do I tell these guys, 'Good job - now forget about it.'

"The game (tonight) is one most of these guys haven't witnessed. I've explained what we're dealing with here and I know guys like Ricky Ray and Jason Maas have been talking to our new guys telling them, 'He knows what he's talking about. He's not BSing you."

Maciocia is in his seventh Labour Day double.

"Of the first six, five were splits. The whole buildup and atmosphere creates a tendency to have a letdown. With such a huge emphasis on winning on Labour Day, there's a drop-off factor that works the other way."

It's not an easy sell, especially this season.

For the first time in two years this town is turned on by its football team.

The players can feel that on the street and you don't want to take any of their recently acquired swagger away from them. But lose this one, as so many Labour Day winners have done before them, and they're right back where they were, tied with Calgary for second place - just like they were back on Monday morning.

"You can still be confident," says Maciocia. "But you've got to be careful. That's our biggest challenge. I'm challenging this team between the ears. If you've got the mental side of it looked after. the physical side will look after itself."

There have been dozens of great quotes offered up about the Labour Day double dip, but maybe the best came from Stu Laird, who called it "almost demented" - adding "it's like being in two terrible car accidents four days apart."

Calgary got the worst of it Monday.

"Physically, that was the best game we played all year," said Maciocia.

"We took it to our opponent. In all facets, we won the line of scrimmage. That's why we made the changes we made.

IDENTITY

"That's the way we're building this team. That's our identity. We're building a very skilled team with a blue collar mentality. "

The challenge is to dominate physically from the opening kickoff to kill the will of a Calgary squad still sore from Monday.

"We're not taking anybody for granted," said Maciocia. "Calgary is a team with a lot of weapons. We played well ... but we caught them on an off day.

"That's why I've been very hard on our football team this week. I didn't give them a day off. I don't know how big a win this game would be from Calgary's point of view, but it's just as big for us."

Actually, that's probably not phrased quite right. A Calgary loss which would be huge for Edmonton.

Go back to 1995, when Buono's Stampeders, after winning on Labour Day and losing the rematch the previous two seasons, finally swept.

"We might as well go back to training camp," was Eskimo coach Ron Lancaster's memorable quote after the game.

John Hufnagel could be saying something like that after tonight.

 

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Maciocia says Esks not keen on Keith


The Edmonton Eskimos are not in the hunt for running back Kenton Keith.

At least that is the word from Edmonton head coach Danny Maciocia yesterday.

While media reports from outside Edmonton circulated yesterday morning suggesting the Green and Gold had inquired about Keith - who was recently cut by the NFL's Indianapolis Colts - Maciocia ended the speculation after hearing of the reports.

"We have not contacted anybody," said Maciocia.

Keith came to stardom in the CFL with the Saskatchewan Roughriders.

A shifty tailback who can cut on a dime, Keith played four seasons in Regina - gaining almost 3,900 yards.

He had two 1,000-yard campaigns during his time before he left for the NFL.

The Toronto Argos are rumoured to be the front-runners to acquire Keith, if he doesn't join another NFL roster.

It's believed Keith will command a salary of at least $50,000 for the second-half of the 2008 CFL campaign, plus there is speculation he might receive money up front.

Edmonton is rather thin at the tailback position after rookie AJ Harris and Calvin McCarty.

After Damien Anderson lost the starting running back job early this season, Harris put up 189 yards on Saskatchewan on Aug. 21 before rushing for 34 yards on his first six carries on Monday.

The youngster is battling a calf problem, though.

While expected to start tonight against Calgary, if Harris's injury becomes more serious, the team only has McCarty as a proven commodity this year.

Ron McClendon is on the practice roster, but he lost the starting job last year and hasn't taken a snap in 2008.

QUICK HIT: ANDERSON WAS SUDDENLY PLACED ON THE NINE-GAME INJURED LIST YESTERDAY WITH A TORN LABRUM.

It was a shock because he was healthy enough to take practice reps on Wednesday.

"There are different ways you can manage that," said Maciocia of the injury, which was apparently suffered earlier in the season.

"You take the route of surgery, or you can endure it.

"I'm not saying we are doing one or the other. He has to sit down with a surgeon and see what is (his) best bet."

By placing Anderson on the nine-game list, the Esks don't have to count his salary against the cap.

It also made a roster spot available for Adam Braidwood to come off the nine-game injured list and be placed on the 46-man roster tonight.

It's smart salary management, as the Esks want to use their remaining dollars to bring in more recruits.