Looking at the Calgary Stampeders' special start to the season

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Those pundits who foreshadowed doom and gloom over the first third of the 2025 Calgary Stampeders schedule are likely scratching their tall foreheads these days …

With good reason.

It wasn’t supposed to play out this well for the Stampeders after two lousy ones amounting to just 11 wins in 36 games. Even the most optimistic fan of the Red and White couldn’t have predicted such a sensational start to the year.

Especially given what the early-season calendar looked like for a team in massive transition.

Thinking back on what has been a 5-1 start to the Canadian Football League campaign under the circumstances, it truly has been phenomenal.

But don’t tell that to the Stampeders, who remain tunnel-visioned in a commitment to steer clear from over-confidence.

“No reason for us (to get over-confident),” said Stampeders GM/head coach Dave Dickenson. “You’ll get humbled quickly. The key is just don’t read too much into when it’s bad or when it’s good.

“You just try to understand why you’re winning, what’s helping you succeed and just try to put the foot on the gas just a little bit more each and every week.

“I think our guys can do that.”

They’ll run with that gameplan again this Thursday, when the 4-2 Montreal Alouettes — the Stamps’ fourth straight foe with a winning record — visit McMahon Stadium (7 p.m., TSN, CHQR 770 AM/107.3 FM the Edge), knowing full well they can’t rest on their laurels.

“We don’t look too far forward, and unfortunately, you really only look back when you’re done,” added Dickenson. “I just think we’ve got to get better. I think our energy has been good — we’ve shown up to play every week. We have continually gotten better.

“So that’s something that as a team we’ve got to continue to do.”

WHAT MAKES THE START SO SENSATIONAL?

Let’s look back at that, recognizing the adversity they’ve overcome.

• The Week 1 game brought the return of Stampeders legend Bo Levi Mitchell looking to avenge last year’s first loss in another uniform at McMahon, with the Red and White themselves fresh off a significant overhaul of the roster in the off-season.

A surprisingly convincing win.

• The Week 2 affair took them away for their first road contest of the season — another tough first for a still-finding-itself crew — against the defending Grey Cup-champion Toronto Argonauts.

Early stumbles, but the Stamps rallied to pull out a strong victory.

• The Week 3 farce was forgettable, with the game played in monsoon-like conditions at McMahon and the first for the hosts without unflappable leaders Reggie Begelton — on the offence — and Marquel Lee — on the defence.

Early turnovers and a rough weather day made for a throwaway loss to the visiting Ottawa Redblacks.

• The Week 5 fun helped kick off the Calgary Stampede, and the inaugural Stampede Bowl was celebrated by the home-side Stamps in triumphant fashion over the previously unbeaten Winnipeg Blue Bombers.

The most complete effort by the Stamps so far.

• The Week 6 contest was held over two days, with a smoke delay postponing kickoff in Regina by 18 hours against another previous unbeaten squad, the host Saskatchewan Roughriders, who had the advantage of coming in off a bye-week.

No problems, though, as the Red and White smoked the hosts and Rider Pride.

• The Week 7 rematch with the angry and host Blue Bombers, who were also coming off a bye-week, went just last Friday after an unexpected shortened week due to the misadventures in Saskatchewan.
Definitely the most complete game served up by the Stamps.

Indeed, the 41-20 triumph in the Manitoba capital was another powerful show of resilience — the latest in a long line of such performances put up by the surging Stampeders.

“We’re a resilient team,” said Stamps quarterback Vernon Adams Jr. “Adversity’s hitting us. But true character shows when adversity hits. And I think we have a lot of great character guys in here who work hard and put in the work every single day, understanding that we’re fighting for other people’s families.

“Just happy with how we’ve played the first third of the season.”

Question is can they carry it over into the next third of the schedule.

“Minimum, we want to go at least 4-2,” continued Adams. “But if we could do 5-1 or 6-0, that would be fine, too.

“But one game at a time.”

WHO’S COMING TO TOWN NOW?

The next ‘one’ is against another CFL powerhouse, the 2023 Grey Cup champion Alouettes on Thursday at McMahon Stadium.

In other words, another dose of adversity dead ahead for Adams & Co.

“We know Montreal’s a good team,” said Adams, who knows first-hand given he’s spent more than half his 10-year CFL career during two tours of duty with the Alouettes. “They’re a contender every single year for the last few years.

“So they’re going to bring it.”

But they won’t be bringing upstart QB Davis Alexander, who tied Danny McManus 8-0 mark for the best start to a career.

Alouettes head coach Jason Maas declared Monday at practice the starter won’t play in Calgary.

Alexander re-injured himself a few steps before crossing into the endzone on his winning 10-yard QB run late against the Argonauts, with the belief that it’s a new hamstring injury.

That means former Argos and Edmonton Elks starting QB McLeod Bethel-Thompson, a CFL veteran pivot with a strong resumé, goes under centre for the Alouettes.

“We think they run the same system with any quarterback they play,” Dickenson said. “Yeah … maybe one guy might be faster or stronger-armed or these type of things, but you play Montreal and you’re going to get a complex offence with Jason. He does a great job. His motions are as good as anyone’s in the league. They know what they’re doing.

“They play fast, so we know what we’re going to get.”

Certainly, it won’t be easy for the Stampeders in trying to start the second third of the season out with a victory.

Especially since it’s another short week of preparation for this contest against a team that has one had one more day to prepare in the wake of last week’s 26-25 comeback victory in Montreal.

“No excuses,” added Dickenson. “We’re back at home playing a great opponent.

“Montreal, as an opponent, does a lot of different stuff on offence, defence and special teams. It’s going to require us really to be at the top of our game.

“We’ve got to be at our best.”

SHORT YARDAGE

The battle of the brothers is on hold, with Als WR Tyson Philpot (knee) declared out for Thursday’s match involving Stamps WR Jalen Philpot … Stampeders second-year DB Ben Labrosse (hamstring) was a full participant in practice Monday at McMahon … QB Quincy Vaughn, LS Aaron Crawford (knee) and WR Malik Henry (knee) were all limited in the first session of the week … DB Tyler Richardson (groin), the starter at boundary-side corner through the first four five games, did not return to practice Monday … DL Shawn Lemon, a former Stamps star, is back with the Alouettes after the CFL announced last week it lifted his suspension for having gambled on games. But as part of the conditions he agreed to with the league, Lemon must serve a two-game suspension before he can play, for violating the league’s joint drug policy.

tsaelhof@postmedia.com
www.x.com/ToddSaelhofPM