THE CANADIAN PRESS
CFL.ca Staff
With files from Stampeders.com
CALGARY – If you ask Juwan Simpson, don’t expect anyone in Calgary to relax this season.
The Stampeders cruised to a Grey Cup Championship last year, finally putting the cherry on top of what’s been a dominant run under the tutelage of Head Coach and General Manager John Hufnagel.
But after a year in which the Stamps were seemingly never challenged, winning 17 of 20 games including the playoffs, the Stamps’ veteran linebacker says his team won’t be any less inspired entering 2015.
“Everyone didn’t think we were gonna do it anyway,” said Simpson on his team’s eventual Grey Cup victory last season.
No team has a better record of late, but failure to finish the job in recent years tarnished the Stamps’ reputation. Just as some started to wonder whether this group could ever close out the deal, the team took the league by storm in a wire-to-wire finish as a CFL powerhouse.
“We feel like we should have won the year before as well,” Simpson added, referring to the team’s Western Final loss to the Riders after winning a division championship in 2013. “It’s a very good organization from top to bottom. We have great players in the locker-room.”
“I’ve talked to a few guys in the off-season and nobody is going to relax this year.”
This season, the Stampeders will aim to win another Grey Cup, which would mark a franchise first of winning back-to-back championships. There’s a reason the Stamps have never accomplished such a feat throughout such a storied existence – it’s hard to do.
When you win a championship in pro sports, everyone wants a piece of you. Continuity is rare in football, and like any championship team, the Stamps have made changes.
A Stamps offence without Maurice Price and Nik Lewis, for example, is hard to envision having the same success as one year ago. Lewis signed with the Alouettes as a free agent, while Price was traded to the REDBLACKS.
There’s a reason those guys aren’t back – the Stampeders are loaded at receiver. Jeff Fuller and Eric Rogers are young receivers that have proven more than capable of carrying the workload. Jabari Arthur, Simon Charbonneau-Campeau, Marquay McDaniel and Joe West are the proven veteran leaders of the offence.
Replacing production is something the Stamps have specialized in over the last decade, transitioning from a core of Joffrey Reynolds, Henry Burris and Jermaine Copeland without ever skipping a beat.
Replacing leadership is the flip side of the coin, but not one Simpson is losing sleep over.
“The thing is we have a lot of great guys,” said Simpson. “When you talk about leaders you can’t just say one person.”
“He will be missed – he’ll definitely be missed,” he continued. “We have a lot of other guys that’ll step up and replace him.”
While you can be sure that Simpson will bring the heat on defence, it was often Lewis’ forte on offence. Who will be the voice of the offence now?
Quarterback Bo Levi Mitchell will likely take a greater step forward after winning the Grey Cup as a 23-year-old. Jon Cornish has also been one to shoulder the load in that department.
The receiving corps may be a little quieter this season, but Simpson doesn’t think volume and leadership necessarily go hand-in-hand.
“They just come to work and I think that’s what it’s all about,” said Simpson. “It’s not always about ‘rah rah’ and making the most noise.”
“It’s about coming to work and doing your job,” he continued. “They come to work and they handle their business on the offensive side of the ball, so I don’t expect much drop off.”
The Stamps also lost Brad Sinopoli and Stanley Bryant on the offensive side of the ball, while the loss of Shawn Lemon creates a hole on what was a dominant defensive line in 2014. Outside of that, though, the Stampeders enter this season with the benefit of continuity.
John Hufnagel is back for one more year as the Head Coach before handing the reins over to Dave Dickenson, while Mitchell is set to return as the quarterback after a phenomenal first season as a starter.
The defence returns mostly intact, with Simpson, Keon Raymond and Deron Mayo forming the heart of the unit – a thought that had Simpson grinning.
“It’s tremendous,” said Simpson. “Any time you can get on the field with guys and play with them for a few years and develop a sense of how they play, I think it just makes you that much better.”
“I’ve been playing with Mayo for the third year, and I love playing beside him and Keon. We go out there and any time you can cut out the talking and understand what each other is doing, I think it just makes things so much better.”
“It’s definitely a good feeling going back into camp.”
The Stampeders did manage to counter their losses with key gains, too. Joe Burnett, Brandon Boudreaux and Jasper Simmons are among the team’s key additions defensively.
Burnett brings a wealth of playmaking ability from the rival Eskimos after joining the Stamps shortly following his release. Simmons, meanwhile, enjoyed a breakout season in 2014, leading the expansion Ottawa REDBLACKS with 80 tackles.
“I think he’s a great player,” Simpson said of Simmons. “He’s a great player and he’s definitely going to help us in any way, shape, form or fashion. I look forward to it – I’m all about winning championships.”
“He’s a great addition to the team and I think he’ll make us that much better.”
With that, the Calgary Stampeders’ 2015 roster is already beginning to take shape. As are the team’s back-to-back Grey Cup ambitions.
The feeling going into 2015 isn’t any different than a year ago.
“Everyone has the same mindset and motto that we had before last season,” Simpson said. “If we don’t win the championship this season, it’s a fail.”
“It’s great, knowing these guys are still determined and still hungry just as they were last year.”
