Calgary Stampeder Thread

[jerrym]

Calgary may now have a weakness. With both RBs Don Jackson and Terry Williams injured, the Stampeders have had to use Romar Morris who, in the three games he has played, has 36 carries for 106 yards, only a 2.8 yard average.

[jerrym]

The Oakland Raiders have waived former Stampeder International DB/LB Shaquille Richardson who had 48 tackles, four interceptions, a forced fumble, a TD and a sack with Calgary.

[jerrym]

Kamar Jorden, whose fumble on the Argo one yard line turned into a 109 recovery and return by Cassius Vaughn that led to the Toronto's victory in the 2017 Grey Cup game, has been named CFL Player of the Week after gaining 185 yards and scoring a TD against BC. He also leads the Stamps with 37 receptions for 580 yards. It's good to see he has not let his fumble haunt his future play.

[jerrym]

Two of the players, John Helton and Herm Harrison, who are being honoured in weeks 10 and 11 in the Diversity is Strength campaign followed a similar path to the Stampeders for similar reasons. One indication of the racial tensions existing in the US during the 1960s and 70s when Harrison and Helton were attracted to Canada was that inter-racial marriage which had been illegal in 43 states at one time or another only became legal everywhere in the United States with the 1967 Supreme Court decision in Loving vs. Virginia, which ended it in the last seventeen states where inter-racial marriage was still illegal.

the two men that grew up three hours apart in Pennsylvania — Harrison was eight-years older than Helton — had both chosen to play their college football at Arizona State University, had eschewed NFL interest and opted instead to pursue a pro career with the Stampeders.
Harrison would play tight end for the Stamps from 1964 to 1972; Helton was a defensive lineman in Calgary from 1969 to 1978. They shared a Grey Cup win together in 1971 and both went on to cement themselves as Canadian football hall of famers and all-time greats in the team’s history. ...

When they retired from football, both stayed in Calgary to raise their families. Leaving ASU in 1964, Harrison was exploring his options. Then-Stamps GM Rogers Lehew convinced him to come north.
“Even though dad was (pursued) by multiple NFL teams at the time,” recalled Harrison’s daughter, Tamara Thurman, “(Lehew) said that the racial atmosphere of the U.S. during the 1960s was not good at all. He really highly recommended Canada to my dad.” ...

Helton was taken in the seventh-round of the 1969 NFL draft by the Buffalo Bills. He knew Harrison at that point and knew how highly he spoke of Canada, too.
“If I had played in the NFL, I would have made the roster and perhaps my athleticism would have allowed me to start. However I think that there’s more to life than what I call the hype scenario of NFL football,” Helton said from his home in Kelowna, B.C. “I could not see for me personally, playing in the States because there weren’t a lot of places that I felt like I’d like to live. ...

In his time in Calgary, Harrison established himself within his team as a go-to for incoming American players, helping them adjust to a new city and country. ...

“I think the reason how that happened was that Herm could be a friend to anybody who needed a friend. Herman could get along with anybody,” Helton said. “I found that Herm was always just an easy kind of man. Don’t do anything that’s not right and you’ve got it made. It didn’t matter who you were.

Thurman said that her father came to Calgary seeking a better quality of life. “He decided to (come to Canada) and then he met my mom and of course I came along,” she said. “Being biracial in Calgary at that time (the early 1970s) was definitely leaps and bounds, too. But him feeling comfortable and them as a couple feeling confident in that, it was definitely…kind of cutting edge as well back then.”

https://www.stampeders.com/2018/08/0...nfl-prospects/

[OV Argo]

The Oakland Raiders have waived former Stampeder International DB/LB Shaquille Richardson who had 48 tackles, four interceptions, a forced fumble, a TD and a sack with Calgary.

This guy is a very good D player - be a great addition for the Stumps to get him back, and make their tough D even tougher.

[jerrym]

The Stampeders have released third string International QB Larry Brihm Jr. and signed International QB Montell Cozart. The url includes videos of Cozart in action.

Cozart played collegiately Boise State University and the University of Kansas. During his senior season in 2017 with the Broncos, he completed 61-of-97 pass attempts for 754 yards and 10 touchdowns against just one interception and rushed 86 times for 361 yards and four touchdowns. ...

Prior to transferring to Boise to finish his NCAA carer, the 24-year-old played 27 games from 2013-2016 for the Jayhawks, completing 265-of-487 pass attempts for 2,755 yards and 14 touchdowns while rushing for 481 yards and two scores on 191 carries. Cozart was granted a medical redshirt season following the 2015 campaign after suffering a season-ending shoulder injury prior to game number five of the year. ...

Cozart is an athletic quarterback who ran a 4.67 40-yard dash, broad jumped 10-feet and recorded a 34-inch vertical at his Boise State pro day.

http://3downnation.com/2018/08/14/st...ontell-cozart/

[jerrym]

It sounds like Calgary has been interested in Cozart for a while, so as soon as he was released from BC's negotiation list, the Stamepeders contacted and signed him.

Cozart began his college career at Kansas and played four seasons with the Jayhawks before being granted a medical redshirt season and transferring to Boise State. With the Broncos, Cozart helped lead the team to a division championship and a win in the Las Vegas Bowl, where they beat Oregon 38-28. He’s no stranger to winning. And neither is his new team. ...

With known interest from the CFL, Cozart had been keeping tabs on the league, even tuning in for Johnny Manziel’s debut with the Montreal Alouettes two weeks ago. He’s been able to begin picking up the differences between the Canadian and American rules.
“When I was going through the process, I started to gain a better understanding of the whole Canadian game and the CFL rules that came with it,” Cozart said. “I just need to keep studying, it’s still new and foreign to me but I’ll work and get better. The CFL, it’s a great game. It’s a passing league and that’s good for quarterbacks. So I’m really looking forward to the rest of this season.”

https://www.stampeders.com/2018/08/15/making-the-call/

[jerrym]

Former Carleton University All-Star and Stampeder starting DB Tunde Adeleke, who has been out five weeks with a lower body injury, has recovered and could be back in action this week if he can get back to game tempo before Sunday.

[jerrym]

Wynton McManis's versatility is making him an increasingly important part of the Stampeder's game.

In his season-and-a-half with the Calgary Stampeders, McManis has mostly made his name on special teams, but over the past four games, he’s begun playing a bigger role on defence.
He’s spent a good chunk of time at strong-side linebacker, a position where he needs to help both the linebackers and the defensive backs, and head coach Dave Dickenson said the Stamps have even used him at defensive end a few times. ...

McManis burst into the consciousness of Calgary fans in 2017, when he picked up two sacks and two defensive tackles in his CFL debut in Week 3 against the Winnipeg Blue Bombers, but he was primarily used on special teams for the rest of the season.
This year, though, he’s begun to get more playing time on defence, picking up at least one defensive tackle in each of the Stamps’ last four games – McManis hasn’t dropped off on special teams, though, and he’s got five tackles with that group, as well.
Jamar Wall is the Stamps starting SAM, and Patrick Levels has spent a good amount of time at the position this year, as well. On certain defensive packages, though, McManis can provide something different for the Stamps.

At 225 lb., the NCAA Memphis Tigers product has 30 lb. on both Wall and Levels, after all.
“What we want to do, just like everything else, is we want to keep people fresh,” Dickenson said. “He has earned the extra playing time. Not anything against the other ‘backers, because they’ve been doing the job as well. It’s in our best interest to find a way to get Wynton on the field a little bit more. We’re very confident production should be just as good, so yeah, you should see him out there a little bit more.”

https://calgarysun.com/sports/footba...satile-mcmanis

[jerrym]

Bo Levi Mitchell was sacked five times in the Riders' game, an unusual occurrence for the Stampeders. One contributing factor was an ear infection to left guard Shane Bergman that left him less effective while he was playing and caused him to leave the game early. RB Don Jackson and cornerback Tre Roberson missing the game also contributed to less effective attack and defence respectively.

[jerrym]

Starting fullback William Langlois is likely out for a while as he showed up to practice with a walking boot on his right foot.

[jerrym]

Starting LG Shane Bergman has been cleared to play this week providing he does not experience any vertigo, which caused him to leave last week's game in the first quarter.

[jerrym]

Tre Roberson, who made the Stampeders with an outstanding TC, continued to perform very well as a starting DB until injured three weeks ago, is back on the starting roster as cornerback this week against Winnipeg.

[ArgoRavi]

Tre Roberson, who made the Stampeders with an outstanding TC, continued to perform very well as a starting DB until injured three weeks ago, is back on the starting roster as cornerback this week against Winnipeg.

Roberson is Larry Highbaugh's grandson.

[jerrym]

Despite their great success on the field, the Stampeders 2018 average attendance (24,672) is down compared to their 2017 average (27,381), their five year average (28,811), and ten year average (30,186). Of course, while the Argos would die for the Stampeders 2018 numbers, the trend is still concerning.

https://stats.cfldb.ca/team/calgary-...tendance/2018/

[ArgoRavi]

Despite their great success on the field, the Stampeders 2018 average attendance (24,672) is down compared to their 2017 average (27,381), their five year average (28,811), and ten year average (30,186). Of course, while the Argos would die for the Stampeders 2018 numbers, the trend is still concerning.

https://stats.cfldb.ca/team/calgary-...tendance/2018/

I did notice that they drew almost 28k on Saturday afternoon so hopefully they are trending up. They still have Edmonton on Labour Day and Saskatchewan coming to town in the second half of the season so both of those games should boost the average.

Back in the mid 1980s, media became alarmed when Argos attendance dipped below 30k.

[jerrym]

The Stampeders swept the CFL Players of the Week honours. Bo Levi Mitchell passed for a career high 452 yards. WR Karen Jorden had had ten catches from 249 yards, thereby breaking a single game Stampeder reception yardage record by Herm Harrison that was fifty years old. DL Ja'Gared Davis became only the second DL in CFL history to have two interceptions in a single game, one of which he returned for a TD.

[jerrym]

DC DeVone Claybrooks, who missed the Stampeder game on the weekend due to a diabetic reaction, is now out of hospital but not back at practice today. HC Dickenson said he will give Claybrooks, who has built the league's best defence, whatever time he needs to recover.

[jerrym]

Calgary has added DL Gary Wilkins Jr., whose father Gary Wilkins Sr. played in the NFL for six years, to its PR.

Wilkins signed with the National Football League’s Oakland Raiders as an undrafted free agent in 2015 and attended training camp with the Saskatchewan Roughriders in 2017 and 2018.
In college, Wilkins played 48 games over four seasons (2011-14) at Furman, seeing action as both a defensive lineman and a linebacker. He registered 294 tackles including 37.5 tackles for loss and also had 15.5 sacks, four forced fumbles and two fumble recoveries. He returned both of his career interceptions for touchdowns including a 98-yarder during his junior season.

https://www.stampeders.com/2018/08/3...nsive-lineman/

[jerrym]

Josh Bell, who retired as a DB after playing with Calgary, Winnipeg and several NFL teams, discusses his first year as DB coach on the stingiest defence in the league below.

https://www.stampeders.com/2018/08/30/defending-deep-ball/