Why have Calgary Stampeders been so solid on defence to start 2025 CFL season?
It seems silly to mention mystical mantras such as 'Hocus Pocus' or 'Abracadabra' to reason away the sudden coming together of the Calgary Stampeders' defence.
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That's hardly a word thrown around in football circles, where talent, hard work, repetition and long hours are tools of the trade.
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'No …' voted Stampeders defensive coordinator Bob Slowik, slowing shaking his head to underscore the laughable idea of sorcery being behind the success of his staunch charges so far in the 2025 Canadian Football League season.
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'I don't think there's anybody that's ever going to tell you they go on the field thinking and just go walk out there and things gonna happen magically.'
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It's an answer to be expected from a longtime student of the game.
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But then how does anyone explain the quick gelling of Slowik's defence, an all-new unit with 12 fresh starters in place compared to last fall?
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And … yes … the 'D' has certainly found chemistry in the blink of an eye of newt, fast becoming the best of the CFL with the Stampeders (5-1) next hosting the Montreal Alouettes (4-2) on Thursday at McMahon Stadium (7 p.m., TSN, CHQR 770 AM/107.3 FM the Edge).
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Success, as it has come for the Stamps, just doesn't happen this quickly for the defence.
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'No … and who knows why?' admitted Slowik. 'It's a little bit surprising because of the fact that there's so many new players to the defence. The thing most surprising is the fact that the chemistry within the unit itself is making for one of the best chemistries I've ever been around. That's what led to them gelling and being able to play together so quickly.'
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And play together oh-so magically.
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Indeed, the Red and White defence has allowed just 111 points on the season. That's a scant average of 18.5 over the six games of the schedule, of which four came against arguably the top offensive teams in the CFL.
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Stingy stuff.
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Nobody comes close to rivalling that season-long stat, with the next-toughest defence belonging to the Winnipeg Blue Bombers — you'll recall the Stampeders stomped them twice in three weeks — which has allowed 135 points against.
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To boot, compare the per-game points allowed by last year's Stampeders defence, which surrendered nearly 30 a contest.
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What a turnaround.
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'Credit to our players, first and foremost,' said Stampeders GM/head coach Dave Dickenson. 'I mean … they're playing hard, they're tackling well, they're making plays.
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