Stampeders’ president Jay McNeil addressed the media in Calgary days after the team finished their worst season since 2004 with their only road win of the year.
The 54-year-old quickly answered the question on everyone’s mind, confirming that head coach and general manager Dave Dickenson will return in both roles in 2025.
“He’s earned the right and the opportunity to turn this around and he has our full support,” said McNeil, citing Dickenson’s regular season record of 84-53-3 and three Grey Cup appearances, including one win in 2018, as proof of his pedigree.
It begs the question, however, if keeping one person in both roles is what’s best for the club. No CFL team has won a championship with that structure since John Hufnagel did it in 2014 and Calgary has been the league’s only squad with a dual head coach-general manager since the Edmonton Elks fired Chris Jones in July.
“People would assume there is a big workload during the season but the reality is that much of the general manager’s job is done during the off-season,” said McNeil, dismissing the concerns. “Then you can rely on the player personnel department during the season.”
This doesn’t address the difficulty of negotiating against today’s player in the boardroom before asking them to play above their contract on gameday, however. With the mindset of this generation of athletes, that discordant message is felt even more strongly.
Given the vagueness permitted within the CFL, it’s unclear when Dickenson’s current contract expires and whether or not the league’s operations cap may have been a factor in the decision to keep him in both roles.
McNeil was less forthcoming about the rest of the staff, saying that other coaches and players would be re-evaluated and that Dickenson will announce those decisions once they’re finalized.
Mark Kilam is the team’s co-head coach and special teams coordinator and has long been thought to be their next bench boss, even guiding the Stampeders to a win against the Ottawa Redblacks in 2022 while Dickenson remained home under COVID-19 protocols.
The native of Lethbridge, Alta. has been with the team since 2005 with his special teams units long being at or near the top of many statistical categories. Allowing two kick return touchdowns and having the worst net punt average in the league in 2024, however, may cause Dickenson to take a second look, especially with noted special teams coach Craig Dickenson — Dave’s brother — already on the payroll in an advisory capacity.
This has led to speculation that Kilam may end up as the odd man out, potentially finding an opportunity elsewhere in the league — potentially with the rival Elks or Saskatchewan Roughriders, the latter of whom has many former Calgary coaches on staff.
In past conversations with Kilam, he always expressed his desire to stay in Calgary as the situation was good and he didn’t want to uproot his family. That may change if he no longer sees future potential advancement with the Stampeders.
Brent Monson could be in jeopardy as defensive coordinator given the team’s poor showing all season long, finishing at or near the bottom in almost every statistical category. The 39-year-old native of Hamilton, Ont. has been with the team since 2010.
All-star defensive tackle Mike Rose was clearly upset with the team’s defence this season, saying on locker cleanout day that he “did the best (he) could with what (he) was given.” Ouch.
Finally, Pat DelMonaco will get a long look as offensive coordinator as well after a season in which franchise quarterback Jake Maier averaged only 3.6 deep throws per game. He also had an average depth of target of less than nine yards. By comparison, Vernon Adams Jr. in B.C. led the league with an average depth of 14.2 yards per attempt.
Maier’s completion rate on deep balls was just over 40 percent this season, better than Bo Levi Mitchell, Zach Collaros, and Cody Fajardo. That figure makes the strategy of dinking and dunking down the field feel like a lost opportunity.
McNeil stated that the team has 32 pending free agents with evaluation already taking place regarding which ones will be kept. He also indicated that he couldn’t address any player personnel questions as Dickenson will be the one to answer them at a later date, though he made it clear the team will be “very aggressive” in how they build for 2025.
“Change is coming,” he said. “We will announce those changes when the time is appropriate.”
McNeil also confirmed that Hufnagel, who was present at the availability but didn’t speak, would remain with the team in an advisory role and took part in a recent presentation to the Calgary Sports and Entertainment ownership group as they laid out a six-point plan to return the team to success both on and off the field. When asked if he would share what those six points were, McNeil politely declined.
Ultimately, this was an opportunity for the Stampeders to quell the storm regarding Dickenson’s future. The answer to almost every other topic was essentially: “stay tuned.”
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