Stamps have some holes to fill

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This article was published 01/07/2021 (1538 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

No team in the Canadian Football League has been more dominant over the last decade than the Calgary Stampeders.

The Stampeders have made the playoffs in each of the last 10 seasons — a streak now at 15 straight years — and have appeared in five Grey Cups, winning twice. Since 2010, Calgary has finished first in the ultra-competitive West Division six times and has recorded double-digit wins in every year.

Heading into 2021, however, the Stampeders will have their work cut out for them. In what is expected to be another photo-finish in the West, Calgary will have to rebound from significant turnover on its roster thanks to the exit of a number of key playmakers.

But count the Stampeders out at your own peril. It seems like every year, especially with the recent allowing of one-year deals, general manager John Hufnagel and head coach Dave Dickenson are forced to live with the reality of developing and then losing impact players. And yet every year they’re able to unearth a new batch of stars to compete for top spots on the roster. It would be foolish to suggest they won’t be able to do it again in 2021.

Here is an early season preview of the Stampeders, in what is the third instalment of a Free Press series titled, Around the CFL.

Three training camp stories.

Next man up: While the Stampeders have always adopted the next-man-up philosophy to filling holes on the roster, it’s hard to imagine their receiving corps coming anywhere close to the stellar group from 2019.

Eric Rogers, Reggie Begelton and Juwan Brescacin accounted for 2,692 receiving yards — nearly half of Calgary’s 5,622 total — and 23 of its 30 receiving touchdowns. With all three gone, that’s a lot of ground to make up.

With Kamar Jorden still not the same player he was before a gruesome knee injury in 2018, the Stampeders are going to need Hergy Mayala, who had a breakout rookie season in 2019, with 35 receptions for 562 yards and five touchdowns, Josh Huff (37-491-1) and Markeith Ambles (35-407-0) to take another step. Finding one or two more breakout American receivers will also be key.

Made in Canada: The Stampeders remain committed to playing a Canadian at middle linebacker. For years, that position was filled by Alex Singleton, arguably the best defensive player in the league before he jetted to the NFL.

Cory Greenwood took over the role for the Stampeders in 2019 but owing to a string of injuries was limited to just 12 games. Greenwood turned 36 this year and Hufnagel, during a conference call earlier this week, seemed non-committal, or at the very least unsure of how much Greenwood would contribute this year. He eventually said he hoped it would be a lot.

But given Greenwood’s age and injury history, that potentially leaves a massive hole up the middle. Can Fraser Sopik, a fourth-round pick in the 2019 CFL draft, take on such an important role?

Pass attack: The Stampeders struggled to get to the quarterback in 2019, finishing fifth in total sacks, with 35. And that was with the since-departed Cordarro Law and Chris Casher combining for 17 of those sacks.

While Mike Rose and Derek Wiggan are back to patrol the interior of the defensive line, they are bookended by a bunch of Americans new to the CFL. Chris Odom and Dadi Nicolas both have NFL experience, and Jarrell Owens, another option at defensive end, played in the XFL in 2020.

Even though the Stampeders are known to develop talent along the D-line, with no preseason games this year there’s inevitably going to be some growing pains to start the season.

Three players to watch

1) RB Ka’Deem Carey – Dickenson admitted this week he prefers a 65-35 split when it comes to throwing the ball versus running it. The Stampeders were pretty awful in the run game in 2019, jumping between ball carriers. Carey was better than Don Jackson and his stalky stature makes for a more punishing attack. He might not get the most opportunities, but it will be important that he seizes what he does get and can stay healthy. Otherwise, Calgary risks being one-dimensional on offence.

2) WR Kamar Jorden – he was far from impressive in his return to the field in 2019 for the West semi-final against Winnipeg, after more than a year off following a dislocated knee and tears to the ACL, MCL and PCL. He wasn’t ready to return then and it’s unclear if he’s 100 per cent now. But if he can get anywhere close to the player that he was in 2018, Jorden will be a lot to handle.

3) LB Jameer Thurman – he was among the most violent hitters in the game, a big reason for why he caught the eye of the NFL in 2019. But Thurman is back with the Stampeders and will desperately be needed to heal the loss of Nate Holley and Wynton McManis.

X-Factor: QB Bo Levi Mitchell

Mitchell is the best player in the CFL, and with an extended offseason to rest and repair an injured throwing shoulder, he should return to form after an up-and-down season in 2019.

At 31, Mitchell is in the prime of his career and has never lacked confidence. Everything runs through him, from scoring points to keeping the Stampeders defence off the field and rested. Calgary is also extremely thin behind Mitchell, no longer able to rely on Nick Arbuckle as a backup plan.

If Mitchell goes down, the Stampeders can kiss their season goodbye. If Mitchell stays healthy, they should compete for top spot in the West once again.

Final word

“I feel we have more than enough veterans to show people the Stampeder way. We talk about it, but we need players to have ownership and lead by example. We’re a very unselfish organization and team, where we like to believe the guy next to us is dependable and we’re about winning.”

— Head coach Dave Dickenson

jeff.hamilton@freepress.mb.ca

twitter: @jeffkhamilton