STAMPS OFFENSIVE LINE YOUTHFUL BUT NOT THIN ON TALENT, POTENTIAL
There's a difference between being young and being inexperienced.
If you want to look at the Calgary Stampeders offensive line and say they're young, they won't argue with you. That's accurate.
But inexperienced? That's another argument entirely.
“We're absolutely a young team,” said Stamps guard Ryan Sceviour. “When it comes to inexperience, no. We have two all-stars on our line (Sean Mcewen and Ucambre Williams) ... so to say we're inexperienced is kind of insane.
“I don't think any other team would say that about a team with two all-stars at a position. With the rest of us, I've got a year under my belt now. Justin (Lawrence) has been with the team for two years and has game experience. We have a lot more experience than people out there are giving us credit for.”
If there's a perception that the Stamps O-linemen are inexperienced — or maybe unproven is a better word — it likely comes from the players they lost between the end of 2019 and the start of 2021 training camp.
Shane Bergman and Brad
Erdos retired. Derek Dennis moved on. Shortly before camp kicked off, Nila Kasitati retired, as well. That's three 2019 starters and Erdos, who has been a big piece of the O-line in the past but missed last season with an injury.
No question, there's a lot of talent that has moved on.
The group that's likely to begin the season as the Stamps' starters isn't exactly short on talent or game time, though.
Williams is likely to start at left tackle and was an all-star in 2017. Mcewen was an all-star centre with the Argos before joining the Stamps in free agency and should be a force in the middle, while Sceviour got better with every game in his first year as a starter in 2019. He'll start at one of the guard positions.
Lawrence and Zack Williams are likely the front-runners for the other starting guard job, and while they haven't played a ton of games, they're prized prospects who seem poised to make their mark.
At right tackle, Johnson is likely to step in for Kasitati. There was going to be competition between the two for that spot anyway.
“We love those guys, Bergy and Erdos,” Johnson said. “But Coach Pat (Delmonaco) is still here and what he's telling us to do is still what he's telling us to do. Us young guys, we've got to step up and fill the shoes of those legends, that's all it is.
“My intention is to come in here and play as a starter. Outside of football, Nila is our friend, he's our guy. We want to make sure he's in the best position mentally and everything. It was hard for him to go but you've got to make decisions in life and we support him and we respect his decision. I came into camp with the idea of trying to earn a starting spot ... my mentality is to start for this team and contribute to this team and lift (the Grey Cup) at the end of the year.”
If we say the starting five on the Stamps O-line will be Williams, Mcewen, Sceviour, Lawrence and Johnson, then it's worth noting that they've combined to play 167 regular season games in the CFL in their careers.
It's not as if the Stamps have had to piece together a starting line with new parts. With the exception of Mcewen, every offensive lineman who is expected to start in Week 1 has been with the Stamps and knows the system.
So yes, the O-line is young, and yes, they need to prove themselves as a collective.
But saying they're inexperienced isn't entirely accurate.
“I think of it as an advantage, actually,” Mcewen said. “Although we're young, we do have a lot of game experience and from my years of playing in the CFL, that is more important than anything. It doesn't matter if you are 32 or 24, if you have a bunch of games under your belt you're going to be out there and you're going to be able to play fast and kind of get after it.”
NOTES: Bo Levi Mitchell had a lighter practice on Wednesday with the Stamps giving lots of looks to the three guys fighting for the backup spot. Jake Maier, Dakota Prukop and Michael O'connor all got lots of reps. Nothing wrong with Mitchell, the Stamps are just aware of what he can do and thought it would be more beneficial to give the others more work ... Dashaun Amos is getting lots of looks at the boundary corner. Is he the replacement for Tre Roberson? Richard Leonard has played there as well during training camp. The Stamps want their DBS to be able to play every position, so best not to draw conclusions too early ... Players who didn't participate on Wednesday: DB Raheem Wilson, OL Ucambre Williams, OL Jaylen Guthrie, LB Cory Greenwood, DL Connor Mcgough, R Dorian Baker ... OL Jonathan Zamora also appeared to have some sort of arm injury.