In what could be a swan song for many in the organization, the Calgary Stampeders went into Mosaic Stadium and beat a rather listless opponent to avoid becoming the first Calgary team to finish a season winless on the road.
Here’s what I saw on my television set.
Maier flings it
If this is the last game Jake Maier plays in a Stampeders uniform, which is not unlikely given his benching this season combined with an expiring contract, he can go out on a high — 293 yards on 19-of-26 attempts, three touchdowns, and no interceptions.
However, from an outside perspective, this stat line is somewhat maddening.
Coming into the game, Maier’s average depth of target on throws this season was 8.3 yards. In this game, despite having 12 attempts for less than five yards, including two that were targeted behind the line of scrimmage, Maier still averaged 11.9 yards downfield for his 26 throws.
His yards per completion jumped from a 10.49 season average to 15.4 yards in this performance. On his nine throws longer than 20 yards, Maier completed five, including all three touchdowns — for clarification, one of his touchdown passes scrimmaged from the nine-yard line but was caught at the back of the endzone, making it a nine-yard completion on a 27-yard downfield throw.
Given Maier’s success in the long game, one could be forgiven for wondering why it didn’t happen more often than the 3.6 average attempts of 20+ yards in the 17 games before now.
I’ve spent too much time in this space this season wondering if it was a playcalling or execution issue with the Stampeders’ shortened passing attack. Last night points more to the playcalling than the decision-making from the starting QB.
Remember us!
In what will likely be a season of upheaval in Calgary after missing the playoffs for the first time in nearly two decades, there were players who made a strong case to be considered when moving into next year.
Jalen Philpot caught all five of his targets for 38 yards, as did Clark Barnes, who picked up 90 yards and a score on his three targets. Both look like strong candidates to fill out those needed National receiver slots.
Reggie Begelton extended his catch streak to 70 games but the Roughriders’ defence dialled in on the Calgary nominee for MOP, largely taking him away.
Cam Echols grabbed all three of the balls sent his way, making noise on all three with a helicopter-like dive for yardage on a short throw and a toe-tapping TD later in the game.
Dedrick Mills’ impressive stat line of 128 yards was heavily padded by a 61-yard scamper in the game’s dying moments. However, he was less reliable in the passing game, dropping a few balls. A full third of his incompletions on the season were in this game, so the coaches are unlikely to be concerned about it going forward.
Hello from the other side
On the defensive side of the ball, many decisions will have to be made following a season where the Stampeders were dead last against the run, league-worst in generating turnovers, and second-worst in sacks. The team also knocked down the fewest passes and recovered the fewest fumbles.
While the Stampeders’ defence was fourth best against the pass, it was more than balanced out by failures against the rush, meaning that the Stamps still gave up the most yards in the league.
This game featured three Stampeder sacks, but there were no turnovers despite playing a largely inexperienced Riders squad in the second half. Many of their starters were benched to stay healthy for their playoff matchup.
During the broadcast, it was noted that the defensive line had pedestrian seasons across the board. I’d expect more changes after notable departures in the last two seasons.
What now?
For a long time, Stampeders fans rebuked the CFL campaign, “Is it June yet?” suggesting that the regular season was a mere formality. They focused more on a “Is it November yet?” mindset.
By missing the playoffs, a long, hard look in every mirror must be made to see if this will be a blip or an extended absence from the postseason.
The work starts sooner than in recent memory and may begin with a change at the top. Even though he would be hired in a heartbeat by most other CFL clubs, this may need to be the end of the Dickenson era in Calgary.
After going to the Grey Cup in each of his first three seasons as coach, Dickenson built and led a squad that lost more games in each of the last two seasons than those three teams combined. There also hasn’t been a playoff win in Calgary since that 2018 Grey Cup championship.
If Dickenson is let go, it may also be less about his ability and more of a signal to the fans that something was done. Average attendance dropped in Calgary this year and with a far below-par stadium, a message needs to be sent that more of the same isn’t coming next season.
Thanks again!
To those of you diehards who ensure you read my game thoughts weekly, I wanted to thank you and offer my appreciation for finding your way here.
The Stamps season may be over, but stay locked here for all the offseason news surrounding the club!
Ryan Ballantine is a lifelong Stamps fan and host of the Go Stamps Go Show Podcast. He has been covering the team since 2008.
