With the 2016 CFL season just about to start, it’s time to wrap up the Get Excited Series. So far, we have covered all the teams not to make the Grey Cup, save one. While the Ottawa Redblacks and the Edmonton Eskimos may feel a little left out, both made the trip to the ultimate showdown last year and have plenty for their fans to cheer about. All that’s left is to cover the final team to miss the championship game a year ago. It’s time to get excited for the 2016 Calgary Stampeders!
Reason One: Bo Knows Football
The debate as to who is the best quarterback in the CFL has been raging ever since Anthony Calvillo hung up his cleats in 2014. Ricky Ray, Henry Burris, and Mike Reilly all have legitimate claims to the crown and other candidates emerge yearly. Yet it is Bo Levi Mitchell, the 26-year-old QB out of Texas, who may have the best case for the top passer in the game. While the young passer has only started two and a half seasons for the Calgary Stampeders, Mitchell’s career résumé is dazzling to say the least.
In 35 games played over the past 2 seasons, Mitchell has 7940 yards and 48 touchdowns to only 21 interceptions. The Stampeders’ record during that span is a sterling 29-7. How about playoff success? Bo Levi is 3-1 in the playoffs and 1-0 in the Grey Cup. Named a CFL All-Star in 2015, Bo Levi can’t do much else to establish himself as one of the league’s elite quarterbacks and brightest stars.
That’s not to say there are not doubters out there. There is the argument that Bo Levi is a by-product of a great offensive system and a roster loaded with star power. While it’s good to bear in mind the talent Mitchell has had to work with, it is simply foolish to ignore Mitchell’s potential. Mitchell has shown poise, accuracy, and grit while generating fantastic production even when missing his key players. Remember it was Mitchell, not another member of his highly talented team, that won Grey Cup MVP in 2014. While some may need to see Bo Levi do it a third year in a row before they are completely convinced, Calgary fans can be excited that Mitchell is more than up to the challenge.
Reason Two: Winning Pedigree
While the CFL strives for parity amongst its franchises and promotes the idea that any team can win any game, there is one team that has defied the odds time and time again. Over the past 10 years, no team in the CFL has won as many games as the Calgary Stampeders. With a combined record of 119-59-2 and two championships in three appearances, the Stampeders have established a winning tradition at McMahon Stadium. While this season’s roster is not the same as those over the past decade, there is a certain measure of pride and reassurance that comes with being part of a franchise that’s been the best for so long.
Ask fans of the New York Jets, Buffalo Bills, and Miami Dolphins about trying to get over hump against division rival New England Patriots, Calgary’s best NFL comparison. When a team like New England or Calgary gets used to winning and does it consistently, it becomes that much harder to beat them. Players come to expect victory and learn what it takes to perform in the clutch. Coaches feed the ego of these players and reinforce the habits and strategies that got them there. Even ownership gets involved, setting the expectation of being a contender no matter the circumstances and bringing in those who will make it happen.
New head coach Dave Dickenson has been the offensive coordinator in Calgary for five years and has had a major hand in building the Stampeders into what they are today. Stamps fans should be excited to watch Dickenson put his own mark on the winning pedigree of the Calgary Stampeders in 2016 and beyond.
Reason Three: Injury Proof
One of the problems with being a perennial playoff contender is that the team can become top heavy. There is too much star power and not enough depth to handle the inevitable injuries that take their toll on starting players. Sometimes these unforeseen setbacks can cripple or even ruin a franchise’s season entirely. For many teams, this is certainly something to fret about – but not the Calgary Stampeders.
GM John Hufnagel has become something of a legend for his ability to shrug off key losses by finding diamonds in the rough every offseason. Last year, only two of Calgary’s starting offensive linemen started every game while injuries ravaging the line again and again. Offensive centerpiece Jon Cornish was lost for half the season with a litany of ailments which hobbled him even when he managed to play. Stalwart linebacker Juwan Simpson also struggled with injury and production issues for much of the year as well.
Despite these setbacks, there was never a shortage of capable players to take up the torch for their injured comrades. Part-time player Glenn Love became an impact contributor to the defense when it needed play-makers. Matt Walter and Troy Harrison covered admirably for Cornish in Calgary’s run game, never letting the offense become too one-dimensional. Finally, relative unknowns like Derek Dennis and Quinn Smith (a converted defensive lineman) came out of the woodwork to plug holes up front when Bo Levi needed protection. None of these players were superstars, but all filled a vital role in keeping the Stampeders’ boat afloat when disaster struck.
With injuries sure to strike again in 2016, Stamps fans can take solace in the knowledge that their team won’t derail due to a blown Achilles or two. At least, not on Huff’s watch.
Something for the Opposing Fans: Talent Drain
To clarify from the point from Reason Three, there is a difference between protecting your team from temporary losses and losing players entirely. Perhaps more than any other team, Calgary was slammed by a severe talent drain this past offseason. Superstar Eric Rogers found NFL employment down south along with fellow wide receiver Jeff Fuller, leaving the Bo Levi down two highly reliable targets. Freddie Bishop III (NFL) and Keon Raymond (Free Agency) are also no longer on the team, stripping the defense of two impact players and capable leaders. Even the Calgary special teams unit took a hit with the Stamps choosing not to re-sign Karl McCartney, the team’s leading tackler on returns for the past few years.
This of course doesn’t even cover the biggest departure the Stamps faced this offseason, the retirement of the CFL’s best running back in Jon Cornish. Cornish was a game changer of the highest caliber, and his retirement leaves the Stampeders’ offense lacking, regardless of the presence of fellow national Jerome Messam on the roster. As mentioned above, Calgary has a history of replacing star power better than any team in the CFL, but this year may very well be different. With so many veteran players lost to other teams or their own devices, Calgary may begin to lose its place among the West Division elite. The Calgary Stampeders will be hard pressed to keep pace with the rising Edmonton Eskimos and a host of improving Western franchises. The Stamps haven’t slipped up yet in the West Division arms race, but opposing fans will hope this is the year they stumble.
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