CALGARY — New starting quarterback, new turf at McMahon Stadium, new outlook for the Calgary Stampeders.
A day after opening their training camp at Shouldice Park, the Stampeders returned to the friendly confines of McMahon on Monday to practise on the new turf that was installed over the off-season.
"It's awesome, man," said veteran CFL quarterback Vernon Adams Jr., who the Stamps acquired in a trade with the B.C. Lions in November. "I walked out here and I'm like, 'This feels good,' because last year when we were coming here as the away team, it was tough, but it feels amazing."
"New" has been the buzzword around Calgary when it comes to the Stampeders, who finished last in the 2024 CFL standings with a dismal 5-12-1 record.
In addition to acquiring Adams to bolster their offence, the Stamps signed free-agent receivers Dominique Rhymes and Tevin Jones in the off-season.
Add in returning receivers Reggie Begelton, Jalen Philpot, Clark Barnes and Cam Echols, as well as highly-touted rookie Damien Alford, and Adams has plenty of options.
"(We have) a lot of guys from different teams, a lot of guys with a lot of experience here, so, I’m excited," Adams said. "Everyone’s bringing a little bit of their juice here and we’re trying to change the culture, so it’s just exciting."
Adams said competition has been fierce through two days of camp. he said fellow pivots P. J. Walker, Logan Bonner and Josh Love have been driving him to be better.
"These young guys are pushing the vets and they’re pushing them to be the best they can be," Adams said. "And so are the quarterbacks – we’re all pushing each other, so it's good."
Calgary coach and general manager Dave Dickenson has liked what he’s seen from Adams and his other QBs so far.
"All four today made big throws," Dickenson said. "So, you like to see that. Obviously, for me, the quarterback is the guy that kind of takes that room, the offence, rallies the room and can make the coach look good."
With new players auditioning for spots on offence, defence and special teams, Dickenson and his coaching staff have their work cut out for them leading up to the start of the regular season.
"People are on edge a little more," Dickenson said. "They know that there's a possibility that maybe jobs are more available than they’ve been in the past.
"So far, I’m really happy. The leadership of this group has been energy. It’s been bringing great tempo (and) putting in all the extra time right now. It’s just whether we can sustain that, keep improving, get our team going in the right direction."
Having previously played for the Stamps from 2018-22, defensive lineman Folarin Orimolade isn't new to Calgary. Acquired from the Grey Cup-champion Toronto Argonauts in January for linebacker Cameron Judge, Orimolade said he has unfinished business to accomplish with the Stamps.
"It’s not a beginning, but like a continuation or something that wasn't done yet," Orimolade said. "That's how it feels. (There are) a lot of the new faces around the team. There’s been a lot of change, but I think in order to progress, change is necessary."
Orimolade described the first two days of training camp as fun and competitive.
"I think camp’s always competitive, but I think people are putting their best efforts forward, so I that’s all you can do in the beginning and then try and polish it day by day as we keep on going," he said. "We've got a good team. I think we’re going to surprise a lot of people this year, so I’m excited."
Dickenson was happy that the Stamps were able to reacquire Orimolade to anchor the team's defence this season.
"I think he’s special," Dickenson said. "He's that guy that can do lots of things. He's picked off passes for touchdowns. He's obviously a great pass rusher, but he does hold up in the run game. I think Flo, honestly, will take us a long way this year, so we've got to keep him healthy, keep him fresh, but man when he's going, he's tough to stop."
The Stamps will play a pair of pre-season games – next Monday afternoon in Vancouver against the Lions before returning home to McMahon to face the Edmonton Elks on May 24.
Exhibition games aside, Adams can’t wait to get things started for real when the Stamps host Bo Levi Mitchell and the Hamilton Tiger-Cats in their season and home opener on June 7.
"Oh, man, it’s going to be amazing in that first game," Adams said. "The pre-season game probably won’t be as full, but I know a lot of people will be excited to be out here to see us back at work."
This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 12, 2025.
Laurence Heinen, The Canadian Press
