Vernon Adams Jr. is set to face the B.C. Lions for the first time since they traded him to the Calgary Stampeders this past offseason, but he doesn’t seem to have any hard feelings against his former club.
“It’s gonna be a great opportunity. I’m excited, playing a former team is always fun,” Adams Jr. told the media in Calgary. “They’re starting to hit their stride — good win last week for them — we’ve just gotta bring our A-game as usual.”
“I still got best friends on that team. We’re already like, ‘Oh, we’re gonna do your celebration, I’m gonna do your celebration,’ so just some fun banter. It is like a backyard football thing, but again — it’s a conference game, something that’s a must-win for both teams, so hopefully we can do the right thing here in front of our home crowd.”
The 32-year-old native of Pasadena, Calif. started the first eight regular-season games for the Lions last year, his third with the team. He was the consensus front-runner for Most Outstanding Player when he suffered a knee injury that forced him down the depth chart, at which point Nathan Rourke returned from the NFL. Adams Jr. didn’t start again until B.C.’s last regular-season game of the year, then the West Semi-Final.
Adams Jr. was traded to the Stampeders last November in a deal that also included a swap of four draft picks. He has completed 64.6 percent of his passes for 2,826 yards, 15 touchdowns, and eight interceptions through 11 games this year, going 8-3 as a starter. The five-foot-eleven, 190-pound dual-threat quarterback has also rushed for 180 yards and a score along the ground.
When asked if he has anything to prove against the Lions this week, Adams Jr. took the high road. This will mark the first of two meetings between the teams this season, the second of which will occur at BC Place Stadium in Vancouver on Saturday, October 4.
“I’m year ten in my CFL career, so I’m just trying to play a good game. I just want to be better for this team, this organization, this city, and play one of my best games, hopefully.”
The Calgary Stampeders (8-4) will host the B.C. Lions (6-7) at McMahon Stadium on Friday, September 19 with kickoff slated for 9:30 p.m. EDT. The Lions beat Ottawa by a score of 38-27 in Vancouver this past week, while the Stampeders were on a bye week.
The weather forecast in Calgary calls for a high of 24 degrees with sunny conditions. The game will be broadcast on TSN in Canada and CFL+ internationally. Radio listeners can tune-in on 730 CKNW in Vancouver and 770 CHQR in Calgary.
