The Calgary Stampeders caught a few stray bullets on Grey Cup Sunday and it doesn’t appear that the shots are going to stop this off-season.
Running back Ka’Deem Carey made headlines in the aftermath of the Toronto Argonauts’ championship victory, pointing the finger at Stampeders’ head coach and general manager Dave Dickenson for the decline of his former team. While those comments were attention-grabbing, they were not unique in their criticism of an organization once viewed as the class of the CFL.
In light of the CFL Players’ Association’s announcement that it will be releasing report cards for all nine franchises next month, 3DownNation spoke to six former Stampeders during Grey Cup week to get their assessment of where that organization will stack up. All had troubling things to say about Calgary, led by Carey, who foreshadowed his post-game rant with a damning grade.
“They would literally be at a D minus and I’m sorry to say all of that,” said the veteran back. “I love a lot of people in that organization but a lot has to change for them to be where I’m sitting right now.”
While the other interviewees agreed that Carey, who played for the Stamps from 2018 to 2023, was harsh in his assessment, none offered an alternative grade worthy of the honour roll. In fact, just as the former NFL ball carrier would suggest amidst the confetti post-game, most respondents began their analysis of the situation in Calgary with knowing laughter.
The Stampeders finished the season in last place in the CFL with a 5-12-1 record, missing the playoffs for the first time in 20 years. The team has not won a postseason game since the 2018 Grey Cup, leading veteran kicker Rene Paredes to state in his end-of-year media availability that they have been “declining as an organization.” Those who have left in the intervening years don’t disagree.
“It’s sad but every dynasty falls at some point. That’s the reality if you’re not continually improving and unfortunately, they haven’t been improving,” said defensive end Folarin Orimolade, who played in Calgary from 2018 to 2022. “You lose a lot of talent over the years and you don’t find a way to improve it. Usually, they were able to replace it but I don’t think you can do that forever.”
The Stampeders enjoyed an era of relative dominance throughout the 2010s, finishing with double-digit victories in 12 consecutive seasons from 2008 until 2019. That period included three Grey Cup wins and six appearances, including a stretch of three straight from 2016 to 2018 that culminated in the team’s last championship.
Just seven players from that Grey Cup-winning team remain in Calgary: Paredes, fullback William Langlais, cornerback Tre Roberson Sr., defensive linemen James Vaughters and Mike Rose, and receivers Marken Michel and Reggie Begelton. Another 17 are still active in the league with other teams, including eight key contributors for the 2024 champion Argos and 10 who have been named all-stars since leaving the Stampeders. It raises a pressing question as to why the organization has seemingly been unable to keep its top talent.
“We had a crazy run from 2016 to 2018 and you had all the right people in the locker room, a lot like how we have now (in Toronto). I think you put too much in one basket and it eliminated the team that you had. Ever since then, it’s kind of been downhill,” remarked receiver DaVaris Daniels, who left the Stamps after their last Grey Cup win.
“I think that in 2019, they had to pay Bo (Levi Mitchell) and deservedly so. He was on a run there that I had never seen before. But you also had a lot of playmakers around him — a great defence, great defensive players, a great all-around team in general. I think a lot of times when it comes to the business of football, you lose what a championship locker room looks like because of money and salary cap.”
History shows that paying big money for a quarterback was just part of the cause of the exodus. After struggling with injuries, Mitchell was shipped to Hamilton before the 2023 season and enjoyed a renaissance in 2024, becoming the East Division finalist for Most Outstanding Player. The talent drain in Calgary continued, in part because the team was unwilling to match the prices that the market demanded for their players.
Orimolade was just beginning to peak as an elite pass rusher when his contract with the Stamps expired following the 2022 season. He says he entered negotiations with the team understanding there was “not a chance” that Calgary would pony up equivalent money to the rest of the league, but was still taken aback upon hitting the open market.
“When free agency came, I wouldn’t say I was shocked but it was multiple teams that were offering way more than what Calgary was. It was kind of like a consensus amongst other teams, it was just them that didn’t see it the same way,” he recalled.
Rather than engage in a bidding war for a prospect developed in their own building, the Stampeders moved to proactively replace him with the much cheaper Julian Howsare. Dickenson did come in with a late low-ball offer for Orimolade, but the budding star had already lost his appetite for a hometown discount and became the highest-paid defensive end in the CFL instead.
That was a familiar refrain amongst ex-Stamps, who consistently found the team to be more frugal in negotiations than other franchises.
“Conservative isn’t a bad word for it,” remarked defensive back DaShaun Amos, who left the team following the 2021 season. “For some people, (that’s a reason for leaving) for sure. Guys have different things, different guys have families and financial situations. They want to get their full worth. In their head, every guy has their number and that’s what they want to play for. If they can get it somewhere and be comfortable, so be it.”
Tight purse strings haven’t just affected the Stampeders’ ability to retain their own talent. Longtime head coach, general manager, and president John Hufnagel, who moved into a special advisor role last season, made avoiding the free agency frenzy a core tenet of his managerial philosophy. But as external factors like the COVID pandemic and rival alternative football leagues have made recruiting new players more challenging, Calgary’s unwillingness to take big swings when building the roster has exacerbated their flaws.
“In Toronto, even though we went 16-2 last year, they didn’t win. They were like ‘Oh, let’s go get Jake Ceresna,'” Orimolade pointed out. “(The Stampeders) don’t do stuff like that. You’re going to have the constant decline of talent.”
As fast as players have gone out the door, so too have coaches. Following the firing of special teams coordinator Mark Kilam and defensive coordinator Brent Monson at the conclusion of this season, just Dickenson and offensive coordinator Pat DelMonaco remain from the 2018 Grey Cup-winning staff. With several key figures departing to take promotions elsewhere in the intervening years, some players painted a concerning picture of what they were replaced with.
“I would just say the coaching has been way different,” said defensive end Isaac Adeyemi-Berglund, the Stampeders’ first-round pick in 2020. “In my rookie year, I came into Calgary and I had Corey Mace (as my defensive line coach) — that really made a big difference in my personal growth. Then I hadn’t really had any more development until I got to Montreal.”
Adeyemi-Berglund was named the East Division finalist for Most Outstanding Canadian in his first season after leaving Calgary — a fact he credits to the improved coaching. Amos also cited coach departures as a major factor in his decision to leave Cowtown, as he decided to follow defensive backs coach Josh Bell to Toronto after enduring one season without him.
“He trusted me, he believed in me to the highest level. Seeing a guy like that leave and seeing my performance change, if I can control that and if I can go where he is and be wanted where he is — I think that helped me play at another level,” he explained.
Other areas of the staff were not immune from criticism either. Carey, who never played a full season without injury during his time with the Stampeders, chose to take aim at the team’s athletic trainers for the wear and tear he suffered. The 32-year-old was able to suit up in all 18 regular-season games and three playoff contests for the Argonauts this season without issue.
“They have the top trainers here. When I get a nick here, I’m easily to be (back) on the field,” he stated. “They were quick to say I was injury-prone over there and it was because of their trainers and their field. The athletic trainer (in Toronto) is better. We have a workout room over here. I can go down the list.”
Adeyemi-Berglund found himself shocked by the difference in strength and conditioning coaching he received after signing in Montreal.
“When I came in there and worked with (Pierre-Olivier Breault) in the off-season, it was massive differences,” he remarked. “Supplements always available, always making sure you’re getting protein shakes after workouts or even pre-workout drinks. It’s bar none.”
Even the most basic elements of players’ day-to-day lives appear to lag behind with the Stampeders. Both Carey and Adeyemi-Berglund pointed to the food situation at their new East Division clubs as being a dramatic improvement from what they experienced in Calgary, where sustenance fell far below the standards expected by professional athletes.
“It’s light-years different. I mean, we have food. We have breakfast. We don’t have bagels and cereal in the morning,” Carey chided.
Adeyemi-Berglund confirmed that starting the work day in Calgary meant little more than cornflakes and that the team also received a cold lunch. The fare with the Alouettes isn’t five-star dining but includes a hot breakfast and staples like chicken parmesan.
“It’s not over the top, but we get to sit down and have a meal with our teammates in the morning to go over film or whatever we want to do. And then after practice as well to be able to hash out the rest of the day,” he said.
The fact that the Stampeders’ ownership group, Calgary Sports and Entertainment Corporation (CSEC), isn’t shelling out for minor luxuries stands in stark contrast to some other organizations. New private owners like Pierre Karl Peladeau in Montreal and Amar Doman in B.C. have been vocal about investing financially into their teams to create a winning product, while fellow sports conglomerate Maple Leafs Sports and Entertainment (MLSE) hasn’t skimped out on day-to-day expenses in Toronto despite being criticized by some fans for apathy towards the CFL.
Argonauts’ head coach Ryan Dinwiddie, who got the job after cutting his teeth as the quarterbacks coach in Calgary, acknowledged that the resources he has at his disposal give him a massive recruiting advantage over his old team.
“When I took over the job, I envisioned a certain way to build this thing. I get there and they don’t have a treadmill. I need a treadmill, MLSE goes and buys me four treadmills. I only needed one,” he chuckled. “We had a weight room on the other side by Coca-Cola, now we’ve got it in the building. They’ve been able to provide for me exactly what I wanted. Our players appreciate that too.”
Meanwhile, CSEC has struggled to just keep its CFL team in an adequate venue. Despite securing the construction of a brand-new arena for its NHL franchise, the Flames, the company has failed to generate any traction toward replacing a crumbling McMahon Stadium, which opened in 1960.
The facility’s old field turf, which Carey described as a serious player safety issue, will mercifully be replaced this off-season. However, other parts of the building that players regularly utilize, like the locker rooms, leave a lot to be desired compared to other CFL stadiums.
“The reasons why people would want to come there, there’s no improvement of those things,” Orimolade said. “Especially now with the new generation, you see stuff on social media like Hamilton has this locker room and you start asking why they don’t make improvements. When you see those declines, they start to decline into other parts of the organization.”
The myriad of compounding issues has only made the team’s talent loss worse and scared away any top free agents that they were willing to pay for. That has led to a shift in the team’s internal culture and occasional strife in the locker room, with seasoned voices from the 2018 team like Reggie Begelton calling out their young teammates for a lack of professionalism this year.
Orimolade said that he began to witness that lack of buy-in dating back to 2022, as new players who had never experienced playoff success began to flood the roster. With fewer veteran stars and seasoned coaches there to teach them, he says that a lack of belief that the team’s winning culture could be restored had a greater influence on his departure than any paycheque.
“The biggest concern was the culture. We came from a team where we were winning. It’s not like we were losing a lot but I didn’t see anything that suggested we would be getting back to winning. I felt it was the opposite,” the 28-year-old explained. “I didn’t think it was going to be what it is now but I felt like we’re going to sneak by and lose in the first round of the playoffs. That’s what we did.”
Canadian safety Royce Metchie, who was drafted by the Stampeders in 2018, perfectly summarized what many who had captured Grey Cup glory in Calgary are now thinking.
“When I came, Calgary was kind of the top of the league. There was a certain level of excellence demanded there,” he mused. “I wonder as the years have gone on and as the roster has changed and the coaching staff has changed, if those expectations have walked out the door with them.”
All of the players interviewed said that they looked back fondly on their early days with the Stampeders and hope that a little public shaming — both in the form of their commentary and the CFLPA’s report card — can motivate the franchise to make necessary changes. However, they all agreed they were better off for having spread their wings and left for organizations that they believe should grade in the A-range, with Carey going so far as to compare Toronto to his time in the NFL.
Still, even as some celebrate reaching the league’s pinnacle in other colours, there is a sense of sadness for what has been lost since 2018.
“I do feel for some of the guys that have carried over from those championship teams because I know how bad they want it,” Daniels said. “I know how bad they miss those days.”
