It would appear that the Dickenson brothers are under no illusions when it comes to the precariousness of their situation with the Calgary Stampeders.
In an appearance on the Rod Pedersen Show on Friday, Craig Dickenson was asked to respond to comments made on an earlier show by CFL on TSN panellist Jim Barker stating that his younger brother, head coach and general manager Dave Dickenson, had “put a target on his back” with his off-season staffing decisions. Rather than refute the longtime CFL executive, Craig agreed with his assessment.
“Jim’s not wrong,” Dickenson said. “I learned this through my years in Saskatchewan and just coaching. I’ve been doing this a long time now also, just like Jim has. Jim’s been doing it longer, and he’s not wrong. He’s usually bang-on in all of his comments and he’s right. But here’s the thing, you’re gonna get judged by wins and losses. So whether there’s a target on your back or it’s on someone else’s, you are only employed for as long as you bring value to the club and your value as a coach is to win games — period.”
The Stampeders finished last in the CFL last season with a 5-12-1 record, ending a 20-year stretch of consecutive playoff appearances that was the longest streak in North American pro sports. While the younger Dickenson maintained his dual titles despite the disappointing results, he enacted sweeping changes to his staff. Among those let go were longtime assistant head coach and special teams coordinator Mark Kilam, as well as defensive coordinator Brent Monson — both of whom are highly respected across the CFL.
The moves left many analysts scratching their heads and Kilam immediately received interest for several high-profile openings, eventually landing the head coaching job with the rival Edmonton Elks. Meanwhile, Monson has been hired as defensive coordinator with the Hamilton Tiger-Cats after an opportunity with the Grey Cup champion Toronto Argonauts fell through due to contractual issues.
Dickenson chose to appoint his older brother to the vacant role of special teams coordinator after the former head coach of the Saskatchewan Roughriders served as a senior consultant with the Stamps last year. Linebackers coach Bobby Slowik was promoted to defensive coordinator, while recognizable names like Barron Miles, John Bowman, and Markus Howell were brought in to fill assistant roles.
Not everyone is convinced that the revamped staff is an upgrade, which puts Dave firmly in the crosshairs entering his ninth season in the top job.
“I don’t disagree with Jim, but there’s also a mandate. If you’re not winning, why are you not winning? You have to analyze that and make decisions based on that, and then you’ve got to make changes if necessary to give you a better chance to win,” Craig insisted.
“If you feel like you’ve got to change the staff, you change the staff. If you feel like you’ve got to flip some players, you flip some players. Because at the end of the day, the head coach and general manager are going to be judged on wins and losses, and whoever is working for them is part of that. I don’t disagree with Jim, but the target is on his back regardless of if he makes staff changes or not. You’ve got to win in this league because it’s pro football.”
Despite the negative sentiments sparked by the dismissal of popular coaches like Kilam and Monson, the elder Dickenson sees plenty of reason for optimism in Cowtown. The team appears to be employing a more aggressive roster strategy this off-season, highlighted by the acquisition of veteran quarterback Vernon Adams Jr.
The 31-year-old was brought over from the B.C. Lions via trade in late November and will replace Jake Maier as the face of the franchise. He has already restructured his contract to provide greater salary cap flexibility and has promised to be a “top recruiter” for the team in free agency.
“I think signing Vernon is going to give us a real shot in the arm, I really do,” Dickenson said. “There’s a certain charisma about Vernon that is different than other players we’ve had and he brings a leadership to the table that I don’t think we’ve had at that position for a little while.”
“I think (Bo Levi Mitchell) had that sort of swagger — rubbed some people wrong, but it also rubbed a lot of people the right way. No disrespect to the quarterbacks that have been here since Bo and before Vernon, but I think Vernon brings a different energy, a different charisma, and he’s got the skill set to match it.”
That won’t be enough to shift the narrative around the team until the results on the field back it up, but Dickenson is eager to prove his brother’s new staff is a bold move at the right time. Reunited with Dave on the sideline for the first time since 2009, the siblings are looking to combine family with winning football.
“First of all, I’ve got a tremendous amount of respect for him as a football mind. Not only do I love him as my brother, but the guy is really smart. The guy’s an outstanding coach and I know he’s super motivated, as we all are, to try to get things going in Calgary again,” Craig said.
“It’s been a long time since we’ve had to sit home and watch other teams play in the playoffs, and I know it didn’t sit well with Dave. It didn’t sit well with me. So I’m really looking forward to just rolling up our sleeves and getting to work.”
The post Craig Dickenson agrees brother Dave ‘put a target on his back’ with Stampeders staff decisions appeared first on 3DownNation.
