STAMPS MAKING A FAMILIAR TRIP: TO THE GREY CUP
Calgary taking an ‘us-against-the-world’ mentality into third straight title game
They talk about do-overs a lot in this city, where they hosted an Olympics 30 years ago and just spent almost that long and millions of dollars talking about hosting another Olympics, which they aren’t going to do after all. The Stampeders, in a show of civic unanimity, or unity, or whatever, are getting another do-over in the Grey Cup game in Edmonton. The Stamps won their 17th West Division final on Sunday in rather methodical and trademark defence-first style, beating Winnipeg 22-14. It’s a great accomplishment, and speaks to their consistent excellence. But as soon as the final whistle blew, it became less about the game they win so often, and all about the one they lose too often for even their own peace of mind. So this do-over, this third straight appearance in the Grey Cup, is going to have to be different. You can’t keep doing the same things and expect a different result. Because that’s just insane. “Problem is if you don’t win one, it just doesn’t feel like you’ve accomplished anything,” acknowledged Calgary’s clever head coach Dave Dickenson. “You look back and you really have, but it’s not enough. It’s not enough. “So it’s up to me to kind of think about some different types of things. It’s going to be a different venue. We’re happy to be out west. We’re hoping people show up. It’s going to be tough, I know Edmonton, but we’d love to get some support from you guys. We’ll see.” We have already seen a different Dickenson. Strategy-wise, Grey Cup week apparently started mere minutes after the Stamps beat the Bombers. An enemy has been sighted and it’s not really the Ottawa Redblacks. At least, not until they meet in Commonwealth Stadium. Dickenson and his players have taken aim at the rather nebulous “they” who apparently don’t want the Stampeders to win another Grey Cup. It’s a classic, though unrefined coaching strategy. Us against the world. Bunker mentality. Yada yada. According to Dickenson, nobody wants the Stamps to finish the journey they are on again. According to Dickenson, nobody thinks they have good players because they aren’t up for many CFL awards. And everybody around the league wants new storylines, not the same old black and white and red all over Grey Cup week. It is important to note that Dickenson delivered his pointed statements with a relatively straight face. “It’s out there,” he said, when asked where he was getting that perception. “OK, do you root for Tiger Woods? Do you root for the guy that’s in that position every year? I think they enjoy seeing us fail. Let’s be honest about it. “Guess what, we’ve got to get over that hump. We don’t really care what other people think, it’s a family, but I do. I’m hoping to rally the troops a little bit. I’m hoping that people understand the journey we’re on, the team we’ve got, the type of players we have and appreciate it for that.” Well, when he puts it that way, they sound lovable. Hey everybody, root for the Stamps. Hey, Edmonton, open up that Eskimos dressing room and open up your hearts and minds for the Stampeders. “Never been in there,” Dickenson said of the Eskimos’ room. “This is like the first time I’m ever looking forward to going to Edmonton as well.” Oh, Dave. You almost had us on the bandwagon. “We all understand people want change,” said quarterback Bo Levi Mitchell. “You want to see up-and-comers changing the game. I’ve spoken on it a couple times. Of course you don’t want to see us out there. … It’s not that certain people have come out and said that, it’s the feeling we take and whether it’s warranted or not, football teams and professional sports teams in general try to take things from the media and spin it in a way to give a team motivation.” It’s going to be an interesting week if this mantra has already spread throughout the locker-room, because the Stamps are a quotable group. For the record, we don’t hate the Stamps. We love a good story. So, if coach Dickenson is going to stoke a few different fires than he normally does, I can hardly wait until he answers the sex-beforethe-big-game question. And what if Mitchell doesn’t win the Most Outstanding Player award on Thursday? Will that just sharpen the Stamps’ focus, or also their tongues? “There’s a lot of hoopla there but guess what, we’re not up for hardly any awards,” Dickenson said. “Nobody thinks we’ve got good players. Nobody is on our side. So I’m excited to get up there and work instead of listening to the media tell us how good we are. So it’ll be easy. You guys can stay the course and our guys will be ready to go.” Sounds like a deal, coach. Eventually, there will be a game to play. And it won’t matter who wants Calgary to win. It will be up to the Stamps to do the do-over better than they have done the do-over. “As a coach, I think you’re stupid if you don’t look at maybe changing something up, doing something different,” Dickenson continued. “There’s got to be something there. You’ve got to solve this riddle.” And that’s just it. If the Stamps finally solve the riddle and beat the Redblacks in a rematch for the ages, that’s a good story. Stamps win. Media wins. Is it too late for a do-over on that Olympic thingy?