As a Canadian Football Hall of Fame quarterback, Dave Dickenson relied on his brains as much as his throwing arm to dissect opposing defences.
On the heels of a 5-12-1 season, the Calgary Stampeders head coach and general manager has concocted a new game plan to lift his team out of the West Division basement and back into playoff contention.
Gone are the days of the Stampeders playing it safe in free agency and on the trade market. A conservative approach just won’t cut it for a team intent on avoiding a lengthy, and painful, rebuild.
“We’ve been busier than ever,” Dickenson says. “Our theme has changed. We feel like we need to change.”
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(Krista Jasso/CFL.ca)
Change is indeed the rally cry at McMahon Stadium after the Stampeders failed to qualify for the post-season for the first time in 20 years.
Losing with frequency is foreign for Dickenson, who has a 84-53-3 record as Calgary’s head coach.
“We live in the moment,” Dickenson says. “When you feel like you’re putting in the time, you want to be rewarded with victories. You feel like you’re getting closer, and you’re finding different ways to potentially sabotage your product. We lose games in different ways.
“It gets frustrating, causes stress — definitely not as fun to be out in the community.”
Not that Dickenson is complaining. After all, football is a business measured by wins and losses. And fairly or not, quarterbacks and head coaches arguably bask in too much praise in victory and field too much criticism in defeat.
“We’ve got a plan, and we’re trying to execute that plan,” Dickenson says. “We’re going to look different.”
The makeover is already well under way. For proof, look no further than the quarterback position.
The Stamps dealt starter Jake Maier to Saskatchewan and traded draft picks with BC to acquire dependable veteran Vernon Adams Jr.
Adams went 6-3 for the Lions in 2024, completing 65 per cent of his passes for 2,929 yards, 16 touchdowns and nine interceptions.
He suffered a knee injury on Aug. 1. A couple of weeks later, the Lions re-signed Nathan Rourke after the CFL’s most outstanding Canadian in 2022 tried to catch on in the NFL.
When Adams Jr., 31, recovered, the Lions stuck with Rourke under centre.
“Vernon, in my opinion, when he’s going is as good as anybody,” Dickenson says. “He had quite the hot start last year and got injured, and then his year did not end at all like he probably saw it.
“I’ve always wanted to work with Vernon, and I think he’s going to be a positive influence on our team.”
The Stamps also traded for the negotiation rights to quarterback P.J. Walker, who finished the 2024 season on Calgary’s practice roster.
Walker, 29, played in 21 NFL games from 2020-23, starting nine of them for the Carolina Panthers and Cleveland Browns.
“I feel like he could be a heck of a player up here,” Dickenson says of Walker. “He just needs a chance. He needs to learn the game.”
Adams Jr. and Walker are both mobile quarterbacks who force the opposition to defend the run.
“For quarterbacks, you’re like a point guard,” Dickenson says. “You have the ball. You distribute it. You have a plan, trust what you see and then go play football.”
Adams Jr. and Walker can look forward to distributing the ball to Reggie Begelton. The star receiver signed a one-year contract extension that will keep him in Calgary through the 2026 campaign.
Named All-CFL for the third time in his career, Begelton finished the 2024 season tied for second in the league (92 catches) and fifth in receiving yards (1,150).
The Stamps hit the transaction wire again in early January by dealing veteran linebacker Cameron Judge to Toronto for ferocious defensive end Folarin Orimolade, who subsequently signed a contract extension through the 2026 season.
“We felt we needed to get a different type of pass rusher,” Dickenson says. “Maybe a guy with more speed.”
Orimolade played 31 regular season games with the Stamps over three years before joining the Argos as a free agent in 2023.
“We missed him when he left,” Dickenson says. “We weren’t really able to replace that production.”
But to get Orimolade, the Stamps surrendered a key National linebacker.
“I love Cam Judge,” Dickenson says. “He’s just had a baby, and it’s not easy when you highly respect somebody and know you’re going to change his life. It’s part of our business.
“I find it hard, though. I know I’m excited to get Flo, but I know I’m dealing with people’s lives.”
Come training camp, Dickenson will be surrounded by new faces on the coaching staff including his brother Craig as special-teams coordinator and Bob Slowik as defensive coordinator.
“Can’t just do it the old way,” Dickenson says. “We need to evolve, match our personnel and change it up in all three phases.”
Stay tuned for even more change for the Stamps.