Stamps Insider Blog

INSIDER: Dickenson steps back

September 3, 2008

The Stamps placed quarterback Dave Dickenson on the nine-game injured-reserve list on Wednesday, two days after he was dinged in a Labour Day loss to the Edmonton Eskimos.

The move was a difficult setback for Dickenson, who has battled post-concussion symptoms in the past and said he felt woozy before he left Monday’s game in the fourth quarter.

“The perplexing thing about that game is that I didn’t take any hard hits,” said Dickenson. “When you’ve taken a normal hit and you don’t feel quite right, that’s telling you something. That’s concerning. That’s why I decided to take a step back.”

Dickenson gave way to Barrick Nealy and was reevaluated after the game.

“A number of our players have instruments inside their helmets that measure impact from contact,” said head coach/general manager John Hufnagel. “We looked at Dave’s readings after the game and they were nothing out of the ordinary. That was a concern. We felt the best thing to do would be to place Dave on the nine-game injured list, give him some time and re-evaluate him after nine games.”

While backing up Henry Burris this season, Dickenson has performed some of the duties of an assistant coach. His vast knowledge and understanding of the game is well documented and he will continue to perform his valuable off-field duties.

“I’m still thinking about this season and focusing on the task at hand,” said Dickenson. “I haven’t looked any further ahead. I have confidence in this team and I’ll continue to do what I’ve been doing. Unfortunately, I won’t be suiting up for a while.”

The Stamps also announced the signing of import quarterback Ben Sankey and import running back Lavarus Giles.

Sankey most recently attended Calgary’s training camp and spent the first three weeks of the 2008 season on injured reserve. He was with the team from 2000 to 2002 before rejoining the Stamps late last season. He last played at B.C. on Nov. 3, 2007. The Wake Forest product completed 21 of 26 passes for 328 yards and two touchdowns in the game.

Giles recently spent time with the St. Louis Rams and Jacksonville Jaguars before signing with the Stamps. The 22-year-old is a product of Jackson State University.

INSIDER: Dickenson loves the Griz

September 1, 2008

Stamps quarterback Dave Dickenson performed the ceremonial tip-off at the University of Calgary’s men basketball game on Saturday as the Dinos faced his alma mater, the University of Montana.

“It was fun to get back into the college scene a little bit,” said Dickenson. “It was great game and I enjoyed seeing how good the Dinos’ program really is. For me it was fun to see the alma mater and connect with some old friends that I went to college with that are now coaching that team.”

Dickenson is a hero at the University of Montana, where he led the Grizzlies to their first-ever NCAA Division 1-AA football championship in 1995. A three-year starter at quarterback, Dickenson won the Walter Payton award as the Division 1-AA outstaning player in 199 and left the Missoula campus with 26 school and seven league records.

He is still the all-time Montana leader in passing touchdowns (96), total yards offence (11,523), passing yards (11,080), passing attempts (1,208) and completions (813).

INSIDER: Stamps find shelter

August 31, 2008

The Calgary Stampeders provided an odd sight on Sunday morning when they held their pre-game walkthrough in the east concourse at McMahon Stadium.

"With the rain coming down and the wet field, we decided to get our work done in the shelter of the stands," said head coach/general manager John Hufnagel. "We've had a couple of players feeling under the weather this week, so we leaned to the side of caution.

"They were cramped quarters and it was an interesting sight, but we were able to get our work in and guys are looking forward to the game."

Monday's Labour Day Classic against the Edmonton Eskimos marks Calgary's first home game since an Aug. 2 loss to the Saskatchewan Roughriders.

Since then, the Stamps have won back-to-back road games against Saskatchewan and the BC Lions.

"We've been playing some good football and I'd like to see us continue," said Hufnagel. "We've still got a lot of room for improvement."

INSIDER: The league of slow starts

July 30, 2008

While much fuss has been made about slow starts by the Stamps in 2008, truth be known, only two CFL teams have scored more first-quarter points than Calgary this season. A trend around the league is one of slow starts.

First quarter scoring

	Team	1Q Pts
1	Montreal	59
2	Edmonton	26
3	Calgary	24
4	Winnipeg	17
5	BC	15
5	Saskatchewan	15
5	Toronto	15
8	Hamilton	6

As a whole, CFL teams are averaging just 4.425 points per first quarter. The Stamps are averaging 4.8.

Now, this isn’t to say the Stamps are lighting it up, but the tendency of teams taking a quarter to feel out the opposition has become a league-wide trend.

There have been 1,093 points scored in the CFL this season and just 177 have come in the first quarter. That works out to just 16.2 per cent.

A few further points of interest with regards to this trend:
• The Stamps have taken heat for “slow starts” but the truth is they’ve only trailed twice after the first quarter (11-0 in Mtl, 2-0 in Wpg). And only two teams have more first-quarter points.
• Montreal is the only team to score more than 10 points in a first quarter this season. They did it three times.
• Saskatchewan is 5-0 and only has one first-quarter touchdown.

INSIDER: Reynolds - the 5,000-yard man

July 23, 2008

Stamps running back Joffrey Reynolds (Reynolds bio) reached a special milestone last Thursday when he became the sixth Calgary player to rush for more than 5,000 yards.
Reynolds reached the mark with a two-yard run on his first carry, then proceeded to carry 11 times for 96 yards and three touchdowns in a 43-16 win. He now has 5,095 rushing yards and is close to passing James Sykes (5,357) for fifth place on the list. The full leaderboard is below.
After achieving this mark, Reynolds did a question-and-answer with Stampeders.com. We also have a highlight video of some of his best runs . . .

When you came to Calgary in 2004, did you think you’d ever rush for 5,000 yards with this team?
No, not really. I was a new guy and the team wasn’t very good then. I was just trying to take it one game at a time, hoping to stick on with the team. At that point, it was kind of early in my career and I bounced around a little bit. So I was just trying to make a name for myself.

When did you realize there was a chance you could do some good things here?
After the first five games, I had a little bit of success that year. The next year kind of added to that and after that it was just a matter of trying to improve as a player. I tried to enhance myself as a runner, then I wanted to get involved with the passing game a little more. Now it’s evolved so that I’m kind of a dual threat on both sides and I’ve added the kickoff returns to my arsenal, so I try to keep growing as a better football player.

Does it feel like you’ve rushed for 5,000 yards?
Until last week, when I found out I was one yard away, I had no idea that I was even close. But here it is. I really wanted to get that over with at the beginning of the game and just get on with winning. I told Geo (equipment manager Hopkins) that I didn’t really even want the ball. I just wanted to keep going with what we were doing.

So you never kept the ball?
I didn’t even get it. I just thought, “Hopefully there’s more to come.”

You’d keep it for 10,000, though, wouldn’t you?
(Laughs) I might keep that one, yeah.

What does reaching 5,000 yards mean to you?
Obviously, you need to have some longevity in your career. You have to be productive. I’m going into my fourth full season here, so I feel that I did it in a pretty good amount time. It feels good. But I’m looking to build on it. I’m definitely not satisfied. I want to hit 6,000, 7,000, who knows, 10,000.

Do you have a favourite run?
I would probably have to say against Edmonton last year when we were there. I had a long TD run. We were down that game and we were playing up and down, and we weren’t winning on the road. So that was a big run to get the team back in the game.

Do you remember a lot of your runs, or few?
Not many of them. Sometimes I see them on the replay screen and think, “Oh yeah, that was a nice one, I forgot about that one.” I don’t remember most of them. The 5,000 is kind of a blur. I find it hard to believe I’m in my fourth full year. Things kind of run together a bit.

Are you proud of the fact you achieved this under three different head coaches?
Yeah, I think that’s the amazing thing. Each time you have a new coach you have to establish yourself as a player again. I haven’t had the luxury of some veterans, where they say they don’t need to see you in training camp. I’ve definitely had to prove myself every year. We bring in good competition and I think that’s part of keeping you on you’re a game and making you a better player. You have to go out and prove to people that you are who you are. That translates to the production on the field.

STAMPS CAREER RUSHING YARDS
8,292   Kelvin Anderson (1996-2002)
6,994   Earl Lunsford (1956, 1959-63)
6,394   Lovell Coleman (1960-67)
6,234   Willie Burden (1974-81)
5,357   James Sykes (1978-83)
5,095   Joffrey Reynolds (2004-current)

INSIDER: Blackout clarification

July 18, 2008

For the record, the Calgary Stampeders lifted the blackout for Thursday night’s game against the Hamilton Tiger-Cats.

Judging by some reaction we’ve received since 7 p.m. on Thursday, it seems fans who watch CFL football on Bell Express Vu were unable to view our game against Hamilton.

This had nothing to do with the football club because the decision to lift a blackout leaves the door open for cable and satellite providers to broadcast the game. As far as we can tell, Thursday’s problem was solely an issue with the satellite provider. A similar scenario occurred earlier this season with a cable provider.

Under current Stampeders ownership, blackouts have been lifted for approximately 80 per cent of our home games. This is a far greater percentage than any other CFL West Division team.

League rules require teams to lift blackouts for any sellout, any long-weekend game and two other mandatory lifts per season (the club chooses the games). That usually leaves five-to-seven games at the club’s discretion and other CFL West teams rarely choose to lift the blackout in these situations.

We’ve received a lot of emails since last night and felt the need to clarify this matter for our fans.

Thank you.

INSIDER: Kids are all right

July 15, 2008

A major point of interest going into the Montreal game was whether rookie offensive linemen Dimitri Tsoumpas and Jesse Newman could hold up for 60 minutes against the Alouettes. It was Tsoumpas' third career start and Newman's debut.

"They played all right," said Stamps o-line coach Kris Sweet. "it was a good learning experience. They're young, physical guys with big bodies and updside. It's just an experience thing. They'll be fine in the long run but they have a lot of work to do."

Tsoumpas has earned a passing grade for his work at right guard this season and is looking like a solid long-term starter. The jury was out more for Newman, who was hurt on the second day of training camp and missed valuable time. He played left guard against Montreal, filling in for injured Godfrey Ellis, and also raised his stock.

INSIDER: Chris Jones Q&A interview

July 7, 2008

When the Stamps visit Montreal this Thursday (5 p.m., TSN, QR77), one of the most interesting subplots of this young CFL season will unfold.

Stamps defensive coordinator Chris Jones spent six seasons in Montreal, including the last five as the club's defensive coordinator.

A lot of Jones' friends and former players will grace the Als sideline, and they happen to be the hottest team in the land with a 2-0 record.

Jones isn’t interested in the under card — “it’s just a football game, it’s not about me and Anthony Calvillo” — but he understands the fans’ fascination and took time to do a Q&A with Stampeders.com on Monday.

What are your feelings about going back to Montreal? You spent a lot of time there and must have some great memories.

I had a good time there. One of my girls (six-year-old Jackson) was born there and it was certainly a good run. I got the opportunity to coach a lot of great players and I look forward to seeing some of my old acquaintances when I go. I look forward to competing against them.
Anwar (Stewart), I’m sure Ed Philion will be doing radio on the sideline, Benny the sideline guy will be there waiting on me, a bunch of guys.

How do you expect to feel when you get back to Molson Stadium?

Coaching’s coaching. Even though I’ve been in Stampeders red for the last four games, it feels the very same. It’s just a ball game, it’s what I do.

Players admit when they face and old team that it brings out certain emotions. Will you be feeling something different when game-time arrives?

I really don’t anticipate there being any more or less emotion. I prepare every week like it’s the Grey Cup and it crushes me when we lose a pre-season game.

Can you explain your relationship with Anthony Calvillo and how well you know each other? Will someone have an advantage?

I know the things that AC doesn’t feel comfortable seeing and we'll certainly try to exploit some of those if we can. But he’s smart enough to know the things that I’ve made people uncomfortable with before, and he’ll try to exploit those. The cat-and-mouse game is maybe a little bit overrated. Every week, you see what they’re doing and make adjustments.

Plus, he’s a tough guy to fool.

He’s seen it all. You don’t throw for 70,000 yard or whatever he has by luck. He, Dave Dickenson, Damon Allen, Hank, you don’t fool those kind of guys. They’re seen everything so many times that it’s old hat for them. You can maybe, hopefully coevr them up good enough and send pressure here or there. You just have to be solid.

They’re 2-0 and playing really well. Are they a different team than the one you left last year?

Yeah. In the CFL, teams get on a roll at different times of the year. They’re playing as good offensively right now as anyone in the league. AC is completing 80 per cent of his balls, Avon (Cobourne) is doing a great job on the ground and they’re protecting the quarterback. If No. 13 (Calvillo) remains upright, normally he has a pretty good day. If he’s on the ground for whatever reason and the d-line is beating his o-line, he doesn’t have as good of a day.

What are people supposed to make of the Stamps defence? There was the great game against BC to start the season but last week in Edmonton, things didn’t go as they were drawn up. Where exactly is the defence right now?

That’s a really good question. It’s tough to play every week at the level that we played against BC. The very next week, Edmonton played offensively like we played defensively the week prior. We’re capable of playing at a very high level. We need to expect that out of our defence and we played very poorly last week.

How do you stop Montreal and this roll that they’re on right now?

We have to do a great job of tackling, dropping in zones and man coverage. When the ball’s in the air, we have to see it and break on the football. We have to make it a very physical ball game.

INSIDER: Tough break for Jenkins

July 4, 2008

In his CFL debut, Stamps DE Julian Jenkins suffered a leg injury and had to be taken off the field by ambulance. Jenkins was diagnosed with a fractured tibia and is expected to be out for an extended period. Jenkins had three tackles against Edmonton before the second-half injury.

The Stamps have now lost three import defensive ends in two games. Funtaine Hunter and Juwan Simpson are the others.

INSIDER: Loving the grass

June 29, 2008

The Stamps spent a scorching Sunday afternoon practising on the lower grass field at McMahon Stadium.

"We play Edmonton on Thursday and they're the only team in the CFL with a grass field," said cornerback Brandon Browner. "So this was a chance to get used to the feel of playing on grass.

"It's definitely different because the FieldTurf is so fast and the grass feels slow. You have to be conscious about picking your feet up and being quick. It takes some getting used to, but I like it."

Sunday's practice provided the first look at newly-arrived non-import receiver Teyo Johnson. At six-foot-six, 250 pounds, Johnson is a unique sight as he gets down the field and runs routes. He definitely has the potential to create some mismatch possibilities, so it will be interesting to see how coaches choose to use him.