Dave Dickenson wasn’t going to risk prying eyes ahead of the season’s biggest game.
Two days before they take on the Toronto Argonauts in the Grey Cup, the Calgary Stampeders chose to practise indoors at the University of Ottawa on Friday.
Dickenson was leery about the highrise apartment building that overlooks TD Place Stadium.
“The thinking is for me with those condo buildings right behind the stadium, I’m not comfortable knowing who’s going to be in those buildings,” the Stampeders head coach said.
“Nothing against Toronto actually. I think they’re very respectful,” Dickenson added. “But you just don’t know who’s there, and there’s enough information I think you can get from practice.
“It was just one of those things where we’ve been burned in the past, so we’d rather know who’s watching our practice.”
The Argos chose to practise at TD Place on Friday.
A resident of the building, whose Twitter handle is RedBlacksFan, tweeted a short clip of Toronto’s practice.
He later tweeted: “Yes. I’ve been here two years. Never given away a play by any team. This was taken during the media time.”
The media is only permitted to shoot video for a brief period of each team’s practice.
Dickenson kept his team indoors for day one, two and three of Grey Cup preparation because he didn’t trust potential eyes in condos that overlook the stadium. That appears to have been a wise decision.
The Argos were inside on Wednesday and Thursday, but Toronto went outside Friday to get used to the climate that they would be playing in on Sunday. Calgary elected not to and avoided any extra eyes – or cameras – on their team.
-with files from CP
