The CFL is back, and we’re looking at a team a day leading up to regular-season kickoff on June 23. Today, the Calgary Stampeders.
The 2016 season marks the start of a new era for the Calgary Stampeders, but one that’s rooted firmly in the team’s successful past.
In eight seasons under coach John Hufnagel the Stampeders didn’t miss the playoffs once and won the Grey Cup twice. Last year, Calgary finished tied with Edmonton for the league’s best record before falling to their provincial rivals in the West Final. Hufnagel registered more than 100 wins at the helm, before moving into a position as the team’s full-time general manager and handing head coaching duties to Dave Dickenson for the upcoming season.
“I’m not afraid of change. If you’re afraid of change then you’re in the wrong sport and the wrong business,” Hufnagel told the press, answering concerns that coaching change might have a detrimental impact on the team’s success.
Dickenson’s promotion was expected. The former standout quarterback spent six seasons on the field with the Stamps and won a Grey Cup in Calgary in 1988. He’s been a coach with the team since retiring in 2009 and took over as offensive coordinator a year later. Since then, Dickenson has been a key part of the Stamps’ success.
En route to the Grey Cup in 2014, Calgary boasted the best offence in the league, leading the CFL in points scored, touchdowns, rushing touchdowns, rushing offense and average gain per pass. They also gave up both the fewest interceptions and the fewest sacks.
So, though Dickenson’s promotion marks a key time of change for the organization, the internal shuffling means is more about re-focusing than a complete overhaul, especially with Hufnagel sitting upstairs wearing the GM hat.
“We’re successful for a reason,” Dickenson said at a press conference when his officially introduced as the Stampeders coach. “No reason to change just to change.”
| Team outlook | Calgary Stampeders |
|---|---|
| 2015 record | 14-4 (2nd in West) |
| Incoming players | Bakari Grant (SB), Taylor Reed (LB), James Green (LB), Carlton Mitchell (WR) |
| Outgoing players | Jon Cornish (RB), Freddie Bishop III (DL), Jeff Fuller (WR), Eric Rogers (WR) |
The coaching change isn’t the only major transition in Calgary.
The Stampeders said goodbye to a stable of veterans this off-season. Beloved running back Jon Cornish announced his retirement in December. Defensive backs Juwan Simpson, Keon Raymond and Karl McCartney are all gone, as is long snapper Randy Chevrier, one of the team’s key leaders. Receivers Eric Rogers and Jeff Fuller left for the NFL, signing with the San Francisco 49ers and Seattle Seahawks, respectively. Defensive lineman Freddie Bishop III joined the New York Jets.
But despite those departures the new-look Stampeders still have a lot of talent to work with. Bo Levi Mitchell has been one of the most productive quarterbacks in the CFL since breaking into the lineup in 2013, and the 26-year-old is now the clear leader of the team. He won Grey Cup MVP in 2014, and has only gotten better since—he threw for 4,551 passing yards last season, good for second in the league.
Not that he’s resting on his accomplishments. While his passing stats were eye-popping, he ran for just 88 yards in 2015 after netting 232 yards non the ground the season before. This year, Mitchell returned to camp with a significantly thinner frame, hoping to regain his running game.
“I’m trying to find that happy medium,” Mitchell told the Calgary Herald during training camp. “Two years ago, I felt lighter on my feet and I was able to escape the pocket better the way I like to play the game. Last year wasn’t bad, I just felt a little bit heavier and, obviously, with our situation with the o-linemen going down, I put some weight on to take some more hits… I just wanted to change it up, try to come out here a little faster, and make a couple more plays with my feet.”
The double threat from his quarterback will be key to Dickenson’s plans for the Stampeders. He’s a ground-game specialist, and Calgary is expected to return to its strength with the departure of Rogers and Fuller at receiver.
More 2016 CFL season previews: BC Lions; Edmonton Eskimos; Saskatchewan Roughriders; Winnipeg Blue Bombers; Hamilton Tiger-Cats; Toronto Argonauts; Ottawa Redblacks; keep checking back for more as the regular season approaches
Cornish’s departure will prove a hurdle in getting the ground game going. He was banged up for much of last season, and the Stampeders fell to fourth in league rushing, averaging 96.6 yards per game.
Filling Cornish’s considerable shoes will be Jerome Messam, who played most of last year with Saskatchewan but came over to Calgary at the trade deadline. He’s coming off his second season rushing for more than 1,000 yards, but at 31 he’s the same age as Cornish, and Calgary will have to put a lot of faith in his ability to stay healthy. Messam’s six-foot-three, 245-lb. frame has been prone to injury in the past.
Defence will also be a key question for Calgary to answer this season as DeVone Claybrooks takes over as the team’s defensive coordinator after previously serving as coach of the defensive line.
The Stamps didn’t lose as many key parts on defence as they did on offense, but Claybrooks is expected to implement a more aggressive attack—rushing at opposing quarterbacks and trying to force mistakes. How the Stampeders defence adapts to that transition will be a huge factor in the team’s success this season.
So in Calgary it’s a new look, but with familiar faces. The Stampeders are vulnerable in a time of change, but hope to make the transition to a new era as seamlessly as possible. We’ll get a look at just how successful it will be when the Stampeders kick off the season against the BC Lions on Saturday.