Stampeders hope to get mojo back in time for battle against Alouettes

The Calgary Stampeders will aim to put an end to their two-game losing streak on Friday in Montreal as they play the Alouettes.

Who is going to start at quarterback for the Calgary Stampeders against the Montreal Alouettes on Friday night?

It was the big question all week at practice.

Starter Vernon Adams Jr. was hurt in the Stamps’ last game against the B.C. Lions and had to be pulled.

Here’s what Adams had to say on Tuesday:

“It’s my back, so I’ve just got to keep going each day.”

On Wednesday, Adams looked better and took more of the first-team reps at practice.

Head coach Dave Dickenson says he’s good to go.

“He looks good, so it feels good that he’s passed all of the hurdles that he needs to,” said Dickenson.

“V.A. is our guy. Good decisions and be tough out there because we’re going to get hit. We’ve got to make some plays and make sure we come out of there with a win.”

No time to panic

On offence, the Stamps have struggled of late, and Adams hasn’t been particularly happy with his game.

The Stamps have lost two in a row, but receiver Dominique Rhymes says it’s a long season and now is not the time to panic.

“It’s just one of those things; you have to stay the course,” he said.

“If you’re running a marathon, you can’t just run a few miles and stop like you’re done. You have to keep going, and it’s going to hurt, and sometimes it’s going to hurt more than others, but then once you keep going and you get to the finish line, you’re going to be happy with the results.”

Tough times for defence

The defence that was so good early in the season has also struggled the last two weeks.

In losses to the Elks and Lions, the defence gave up a whopping 103 points.

Veteran linebacker Derrick Moncrief says it’s important to remember what got you here and stay the course.

“Just stick to the fundamentals and stick to the basics,” he said.

“Everything that we’ve been doing from our foundation that we laid early in the season, from training camp and all the way into now, we’ve just got to refocus. It’s all about the small details.

“Just put your hat on every day and work it.”

Tough battle ahead

The Als have been playing better of late; they’ve won two in a row.

Dickenson knows it’s going to be a challenge on Friday night.

“We’re going up against a team that’s on a bit of a winning streak themselves,” he said.

“We’ve just got to go and play our game and get better and hopefully come out of Montreal with a win.”

Kickoff for Friday night’s game between the Stamps and Als will be a little after 5 p.m.