Stamps may have next great in Tate

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Graham Hughes / The Canadian Press Archives Calgary quarterback Drew Tate is firmly installed as the starter. (CP)

The CFL is conducting a series of team preview conference calls in the weeks leading up to training camp. Today, the Stampeders. Tuesday, the Tiger-Cats.

The biggest change for the Calgary Stampeders actually occurred last October, when the club rebooted the offence with Drew Tate under centre.

That's not to say the club is through with the process of downloading Tate into the attack. At first recall, the way the 28-year-old assumed the position, replacing incumbent Henry Burris with three games left to play in the regular season and starting the West Division semifinal, it would appear Tate was through with his installation as the Stamps starter.

Listen to Calgary head coach and general manager John Hufnagel speak, however, and one gets the impression the upgrade to a newer, younger quarterback still has a few bugs to be ironed out.

"Drew did an excellent job for us when he took over the starting quarterback job, but he needs to have a full season under him," Hufnagel told a national conference call Thursday.

"I have full confidence in Drew's ability. The only thing I'm going to ask of Drew is what I ask of any quarterback that plays for me: Manage the game plan and make smart decisions; get the ball to the playmakers.

"Hopefully we can do that enough to win football games."

Tate, who missed the first five weeks of the season due to injury, was 101-of-158 for 1,346 yards (a 64 per cent completion rate) with eight touchdown passes and five interceptions in 2011. He won his first three games as a starter before stumbling in the playoffs against Edmonton -- a sign that maybe the learning curve still has some bend to it.

Hufnagel was hesitant to celebrate all things Tate with reporters Thursday, his yellow flag stemming from the fact that he doesn't want to put too much pressure on a relatively inexperienced No. 1 quarterback heading into a new year. It's a wise course to take, as it's easy to get caught up in what Tate can do rather than what he's actually done to this point.

There's bound to be a few hiccups along the way -- just ask Travis Lulay about growing into the role on the fly -- but Hufnagel likes Tate's spirit on the field, and doesn't believe he will get overwhelmed as the No. 1 guy.

"The game is very important to him," Hufnagel said. "Winning football games is very important to him and he'll do anything he can to help the team win. I'm very comfortable with Drew's attitude about the game (and) I'm very comfortable with Drew's understanding of our playbook.

"He doesn't have a lot of experience in the CFL, though when he's been on the field he's been very productive. I don't see that changing. Like any young quarterback, there's a little bit of intrigue and mystery to things."

It's not like the 6-foot, 192-pound Tate is on his own in the Stamps offence. He'll have fellow 2011 breakout star Jon Cornish in the backfield, and the receiving trio of Romby Bryant, Nik Lewis and Ken-Yon Rambo are all back for another tour. Don't forget, this club can score: Calgary (11-7) was one of only three teams who managed to crack the 500-point plateau in 2011.

Hufnagel didn't make many changes this winter -- the Stamps were riddled with injuries last year and will get most of those players back -- but he did make one key move, bringing in veteran Kevin Glenn from Hamilton in the Burris trade. The former Bomber lightning rod can still be an effective quarterback when called upon, so his addition protects the Stamps should Tate struggle.

Behind Tate and Glenn on the depth chart are Canadian Brad Sinopoli -- who stayed on the roster as the third-stringer in 2011 -- and newcomer Bo Levi Mitchell, who arrives via Eastern Washington.

Hufnagel said he'd like to keep all four quarterbacks on the roster, adding the No. 3 spot will come down to which player can be more effective as a third-down, short-yardage option.

adam.wazny@freepress.mb.ca

STAMP COLLECTION

CAN you name the two CFL clubs with the most regular-season wins since the start of the 2008 campaign? After Montreal (48) there's Calgary, whose 47 wins have come under the guidance of John Hufnagel. He's built a winning program but his teams have sputtered late in the year, failing to reach the Grey Cup since winning it all in 2008. Three points of interest in Cowtown:

1. It will be interesting to see what Jon Cornish can do with a full year in the starting lineup. The bullish tailback had 863 yards on 119 carries for 7.3 yards per carry average in 2011, but only started seven games for the Stamps. In those starts he came alive, rushing for 611 yards on 80 carries -- a 7.6-yard average per touch. That's a big number. Not too shabby for a Canadian back.

2. Injuries crippled this club in 2011, the more notable ones coming on defence. With the front seven in flux all year (an early season injury to defensive tackle Corey Mace hurt the most), the club had to use offensive lineman J'Michael Deane on both sides of the ball. Don't expect to see Deane (who is also coming off of a serious ankle injury) do that again, Hufnagel said Thursday.

3. Calgary's top pick in the draft was defensive lineman Ameet Pall, a fifth-overall selection out of Wofford. Not big by any stretch (he's listed at 6-foot, 240 pounds), Pall has already been penciled in by coaches to make an impact on the pass rush. Look for him to be a part of the line rotation up front. The Stamps could certainly use the help: They were last in the CFL with 27 sacks.

Republished from the Winnipeg Free Press print edition May 25, 2012 C6