Stampeders will have a lot of reloading to do to return to Grey Cup
Calgary head coach Dave Dickenson didn’t know whether to laugh or cry when I told him Las Vegas oddsmakers have picked his Stampeders to win the 2018 Grey Cup. “Well, thanks for that,” he chuckled. “Please don’t do us any favours. This team doesn’t need to be focused on that. What we need to worry about is getting better in training camp.”
There are big questions to be answered at the Crowchild Corral. With Jerome Messam back in Saskatchewan, who will be the running back? With the unexpected retirement of Andrew Buckley, who will back up Bo Levi Mitchell? And, with the surprising arrest of Roy Finch, who will be the return guy? If that isn’t enough, Dickenson must replace two thirds of his secondary.
No team in the league is better at anticipating personnel changes than Calgary but, said Dickenson, “The thing that caught us off-guard is we got a lot of unexpected retirements. I don’t ever remember being involved with a team that had so many guys retire, at least eight by my count: three offensive linemen, fullback, quarterback , Marquay McDaniel, Deron Mayo, Josh Bell.”
So, despite being picked to win it all, is this a rebuilding year?
“I’m not into that term. Certainly there has been a lot of change. The names on the back of the jerseys will be different but the standards won’t. I think we’ve got good players, yes I do. I feel good about our team. We’re really looking forward to the season.”
Gone from the offensive line is the great veteran right tackle, Medicine Hat’s own Dan Federkiel, retiring after five seasons in red and white with three Grey Cup appearances and one win. He also won a Super Bowl championship with Indianapolis.
“We kind of thought last year he might retire,” mused Dickenson, “so it wasn’t a shock for us. He told us before last season ended he was going to retire. It was tough losing the Grey Cup the way we did knowing it was his last game. He was underrated. I thought he was a great athlete.”
Despite three retirements, the O-line will be excellent with Derek Dennis (left tackle), Shane Bergman (left guard), Ucambre Williams (centre), Brad Erdos (right guard) and Spencer Wilson (right tackle). Said the coach: “We signed good draft picks. We’ve got good depth.”
Last year Mitchell had his poorest year since becoming the starting quarterback in 2014. His struggle with an injured shoulder was dramatically illustrated when he tried to throw to the corner of the end-zone near the end of the Grey Cup game but was intercepted when he couldn’t get the ball that far. His coach played with a bum shoulder the entire 1999 season and understands what he was going through.
“He showed a lot of heart and grit the entire year. It wasn’t anything structural but certainly he didn’t feel like himself in many games. We’re going to baby him in training camp, take a cautious approach and make sure he doesn’t throw too much. I think he looks good, actually.”
Holdover Ricky Stanzi and newcomers Tyler Rogers and Nick Arbuckle are competing for the backup position.
The receiving corps — with DeVaris Daniels, Kamar Jorden, Reggie Begelton, Anthony Parker and Juwan Brescani — is average.
Rookie American receiver Nick Truesdell, 6-foot-6 and 235 lbs., could be the surprise of the year. The only returning running back in camp is Terry Williams. The retirement of fullback Rob Cote is a huge blow.
Calgary’s strength will be the defensive front seven, despite losing Charleston Hughes. “We’re solid inside,” said Dickenson. We’ve got four strong Canadians. Micah Johnson had a great year. We have a healthy Cordero Law back, Ja’Gared Davis and James Vaughters are solid. We want a lot of depth because you win or lose a lot of games with your D-line.”
Defensive player of the year Alex Singleton returns in the middle with Jameer Thurman and Maleki Hareris on the outside.
The secondary, with more holes than swiss cheese, might feature four new faces. Dickenson: “To me, the best thing for a secondary is a good defensive line to pressure the quarterback.”
Rob Maver and Rene Parades give the Stamps the best kicking in the league.Troy Stoudermire should be the return man.
Graham Kelly has covered the CFL for the Medicine Hat News for 46 years. Feedback for this column can be emailed to sports@medicinehatnews.com.