Jamie Nye: Rest is not best for the Stampeders this week

The Calgary Stampeders have an interesting conundrum ahead this Sunday in Montreal.
 
Do they play to set the CFL’s all-time mark for a regular season with a 16-1-1 finish and play Bo Levi Mitchell, Jerome Messam, Charleston Hughes and other integral pieces to the puzzle?
 
A win Sunday would give the Stamps 17 straight games without a loss and a 15-game winning streak. But lets look ahead to Calgary who have their second and final bye of the season next week and then follow that up with resting during the semi-final weekend.
 
That would put three weeks between Sunday’s game and the West Final on Nov. 20. Just how much rest or rust do you want for your star player, in particular the quarterback.
 
I’ve debated teams’ rest before. The final goal is the championship after all, but four weeks of rest is too much. And it’s not even about the record, it’s about keeping your players as crisp as possible.
 
The Eskimos had to play their players last year despite having the same three-week break. They were still playing for first in week 19 of the season. Mike Reilly didn’t get hurt, neither did Bowman or Walker and they hoisted the Grey Cup.
 
I say Dave Dickenson does the same. Play all the way to the end of the season, rather than playing safe.