VANCOUVER — Last week Dave Dickenson coached against his brother in the Calgary Stampeders’ pre-season opener. On Friday, when the Stamps travel to Vancouver to take on the BC Lions, Dickenson will be staring down his ‘other brother’.
Dickenson and DeVone Claybrooks have no actual relation, but both were central figures on a Stampeders coaching staff that raised the Grey Cup less than seven months ago.
Now the head coach of the BC Lions, Claybrooks will collect his Grey Cup ring before Friday’s matchup, when the Lions and Stamps close out their pre-season at BC Place.
“It’ll be good to see those guys, just put last year to bed and get them their rings,” Dickenson told Stampeders.com.
Lions special teams coordinator Taylor Altilio, defensive backs coach Ryan Phillips and players Lemar Durant and Maleki Harris will also be presented their rings after helping the Stampeders win a championship last season.
After that it’ll be all business as both teams look to hit their stride going into the regular season. Dickenson knows Claybrooks will be trying to pick up his first victory as a head coach, even if it’s only pre-season.
“All first-year head coaches, I’ve been there, you still want to get that win,” he said. “Even if it’s pre-season, you want to generate that culture.
“The guys are going to be ready to play. We do feel they’ve got a lot of experience over there with their squad and their coaching staff. It’ll be good to see him again.”
Bo Levi Mitchell will start for the Stampeders after sitting out the opener, a 37-1 victory over the Saskatchewan Roughriders. While the Stamps have managed Mitchell’s workload this spring, Nick Arbuckle had no problem handling the No. 1 quarterback duties, going 8-for-12 for 131 yards and a touchdown.
Mitchell, who is the reigning Most Outstanding Player after throwing a career-high 35 touchdowns, could see a large portion of the first half snaps as he looks to get sharp for the team’s home opener on June 15.
“If I felt he’s had enough, if I felt he’s executed what we want him to execute, we’ll get him out,” Dickenson said of his quarterback. “Right now I’m thinking you won’t see him in the second half, but we’ll see where we put him in in the first half.”
Starting running back Don Jackson will also make his pre-season debut after sitting last week.
“I just want to make sure I’m really sharp and on my keys in pass protection, and make sure I’m reading my keys in the run game as well,” said Jackson.
The offence shouldn’t need much time to pick up where it left off last November. It’s the other side of the ball that needs work, where nearly two-thirds of the team’s starting defence have left the team.
Dickenson said Thursday that national Corey Greenwood has won the job as a starting linebacker, but there are plenty of decisions yet to be made.
Greenwood won’t play in Friday’s finale, nor will receivers Reggie Begelton and Eric Rogers and defensive backs Tre Roberson, Jamar Wall and Brandon Smith.
“The vets, certainly the guys that are up there in age a little bit, they’ve had a nice camp and I don’t need to see any more of them,” said Dickenson. “Some of the younger guys as well, they’ve looked really good in camp and I felt let’s get them as fresh and healthy as possible.
“I do want to go out and compete, I do want to go out there and certainly play good football. It’s not like we have to win, but that’s why we play. We’re going out to evaluate, but let’s play good football and see if we can get the W.”
For Mike Reilly, dressing in the home locker room at BC Place will feel strange. The last time he did so was in 2012, before signing with the Edmonton Eskimos and becoming one of the CFL’s premiere players.
After signing the biggest free agent contract of the current era, Reilly will play his first game as a Lion on Friday night.
“It will be a nice change to be on the home side, for sure,” Reilly told BCLions.com. “BC Place is a great place to play football games and I’ve always enjoyed it. I loved playing indoors, whether the roof was open or not. I always considered it indoors because the wind doesn’t get to affect the ball.”
Reilly has been in plenty of contact with his teammates over the last several months, even texting his receivers about different concepts as the offence looks to gel quickly. On Friday he’ll get the chance to apply it on the field — even if it’s only for a quarter.
“I’m excited. It will be a lot of fun to go out there and play with the guys I’ve been with for three weeks on the field.”
While free agent signing Duron Carter is not in the lineup, veteran pass-catcher Bryan Burnham will get to work on his chemistry with the new pivot. Running backs John White and Brandon Rutley are also expected to play, while defensive back addition Aaron Grymes is slated to make his debut too.
For those involved in position battles, Friday night is the last opportunity to make an impression before cuts are made Saturday.
“It’s your final exam,” said Claybrooks. “You’ve had a mid-term and you’ve had a few quizzes during training camp and this is your final exam. It’s a heavily-weighted grade.
“The thing you want as a head coach is to be able to make the decisions hard,” he added. “The players are doing a great job of that. If we had come in here and the roster was set and we already know who it is, then we didn’t do a great job of bringing competition into this building.
“We have some very competitive guys at a high level who can play. I’m excited to unleash and let them go instead of hitting the same colour (in practice).”
One of the top battles apparently yet to be settled is at defensive end, the spot opposite veteran Odell Willis. Mat Boesen, Darius Allen and Ebo Ogundeko are among those vying for the job. Another contentious spot could be field corner.
These two teams have met in the pre-season in each of the past six seasons with both sides winning of three occasions. They’ll face off twice in the regular season, including their first meeting in Week 3 of the season on June 29.
The Lions haven’t played since May 26, when they opened their pre-season with a 22-7 loss to the Eskimos. They open the season on June 15 vs. Winnipeg.
AFI, Yare Media and the CFL
American Football International is collaborating with Yare Media and the Canadian Football League to present 2019 CFL games live. This is more than a livestream. This is a stream of the top flight TSN network television broadcast.
LIVE STREAM: CFL – Calgary Stampeders @BC Lions, Friday, June 7, 7p (10p EDT, 4a CEDT June 8)