Stamps’ kick returners shine in pre-season opener
With Jerome Messam not playing on Tuesday, the Calgary Stampeders coaches made sure they got good looks at a bunch of players at running back.
Because Roy Finch was taking touches on offence, the Stamps also rotated through players at kick returner, and there was a lot to like about the performances. If Finch is needed elsewhere or gets hurt, the Stamps look like they’re going to have options.
Tunde Adeleke showed flashes of why he’s so highly regarded, as the Stamps’ third-round pick from the 2017 CFL draft reeled off a 31yard return in the second quarter while both Jamal Nixon and A.J. Cruz proved tough to tackle as well, helping the Stamps get out to a 15-3 lead at halftime.
Terry Williams then opened up the second half with a 53-yard return and looked likely to take it all the way to the end zone before the Lions closed in on him.
The next time B.C. kicked the ball, Marken Michel took one all the way back to the end zone, only to have his massive 73-yard return called back because of penalties.
Head coach Dave Dickenson acknowledged that special teams can be a bit of a circus in pre-season, so no one should expect the Stamps to all of a sudden be running a couple of kicks back every game once the real business starts when the regular season kicks off.
Still, though, there are some intriguing options, and it’s possible Finch will be get some more touches on offence this season, so there may be more opportunities for any of those players on special teams.
There was some understandable rust for players on both teams to shake off on Tuesday evening, but at least one guy looked like he was in mid-season form: Stampeders punter Rob Maver.
Maver’s been one of the CFL’s elite punters for a while now, and it didn’t appear like the long offseason caused him to miss a step.
His first two punts of the game forced the Lions to start drives inside their own five-yard line. They couldn’t have been much more perfectly placed, but his 82-yard kick early in the second quarter was as close to a must-see as a punt is likely to ever be.
There are bigger issues to sort out at training camp, but the coaching staff can rest easy knowing Maver’s foot didn’t all of a sudden just stop working.
Anyone else getting the feeling that the whole Vince Young experiment in Regina isn’t really going to work out?
The Saskatchewan Roughriders’ decision to sign the 34-yearold was always a head-scratcher, and Young hurt his hamstring at Tuesday’s practice while going on a long run.
A quarterback who hadn’t played pro ball since 2014 probably wasn’t going to cause the Stamps to lose much sleep this season, but you can’t help but wonder how long he’s even going to be sticking around the Prairies.
Club officials said the extend of the injury was not immediately known.