Records in title are from last year. Next week, I’ll start with this year’s records.
Rematch of last year’s West Semi. Which team’s offseason changes will effect the strongest impact?
Make your picks here:
And watch live on CFL+ (if you can’t get TSN / RDS / CBS Sports):
## IT IS REASONABLY CERTAIN THAT NEVER HAS IT LOOKED SO MUCH LIKE ‘GO’ TIME FOR VERNON ADAMS JR.
“I just felt a lot more comfortable out there in seeing things better,” said Adams Jr. after his scintillating performance against Calgary on Thursday night.
Adams Jr. went 12/12 during his appearance, throwing for 213 yards and three touchdowns. We’ve seen him take command before in his career but perhaps never quite like that.
He’s said it, his coaches have said it and his teammates have said it; this off-season of studying the Lions’ system has paid dividends. Certainly looked like it on Thursday.
At long last, we may finally be on the cusp of seeing what a consistently excellent Adams Jr. can accomplish. How would I describe my optimism in that regard? Hmm… it’s there, but it is of the somewhat-guarded variety.
BONUS TAKEAWAY: You can take the QB out of Montreal, but you can’t take Montreal out of the QB. Adams wrapped up his post-game media conference by asking reporters: “C’est bon?”
League Power Rankings:
Next game: At Calgary, June 8
You don’t want to get too excited about preseason play, but the Lions flexed their quarterback strength in their two games. Vernon Adams Jr. had a strong showing this past weekend and Dane Evans gave a glimpse into just how effective a backup he can be in those new Lions’ uniforms. If the QB play stays at a high level, this Lions team could be built for a very successful season.
Next game: Vs. BC, June 8
What will the Jake Maier-led Stampeders look like this year? As the 26-year-old gets ready for his first full season as a starter, he’ll face a different kind of pressure this year. It’s a point that Jim Barker made on TSN’s panel this past weekend and it’s one worth considering, that the road isn’t always a smooth one for a first-year starter. When John Hufnagel and Dave Dickenson think they’ve got something in a quarterback, though, it should ease any possible worries that Stamps fans might have.
3DN Power Rankings:
3) B.C. Lions (5)
Preseason success might not mean much in the long run but when an experienced veteran quarterback says he has never felt more comfortable in his CFL career, you take notice. Vernon Adams Jr. was perfect — literally — in his lone preseason appearance and appears more than ready to take up the mantle left by Nathan Rourke. The team around him remains largely intact from last season, save for a new running back in Taquan Mizzell and the return of Mike Benevides as a special teams consultant.
Photo courtesy: B.C. Lions
5) Calgary Stampeders (4)
Jake Maier is entering his first year as the Stampeders’ face of the franchise, but he completed just one pass for six yards this preseason. That doesn’t give fans much to assuage their concerns after he was benched in last year’s West Semi-Final, and the release of popular left tackle Derek Dennis isn’t making anyone feel better. Luckily, Ka’Deem Carey remains in the backfield to shoulder the burden once again.
Photo: Larry MacDougal/3DownNation. All rights reserved.
For me, I can’t think of one good reason why Maier, along with the ground game won’t have a good season for the Stamps. They’ll probably score plenty of points. I also can’t come up with a legitimate reason why their defense won’t have a good season. They will be tough to beat, and when the dust clears, in the end, they may very well be on top.
I think the Lions have a good team. They will be tough to beat as well.
Edmonton should be much improved this season, and you have the Bombers, who, if remain healthy across the roster sheet, will still be everyone’s nightmare. And let’s not forget about the Riders. There’s no reason why they won’t create some havoc among their west counterparts.
It’s hard for me to see any team locking up the west division early. It’ll take 18 games to sort out that juggernaut of a division.
Games will be won and lost with heartbreak, unjust, and lucky stuff happening. It Should be exciting and maddening this year.
Stampeders
| Player Name | Position | Injury | SUN | MON | TUES | Game Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Daniel Amoaka | DB | Knee | DNP | DNP | DNP | Out |
| Caleb Benenoch | OL | Arm | DNP | DNP | DNP | Doubtful |
| Joshua Coker | OL | Ankle | DNP | DNP | DNP | Out |
| Natrell Jamerson | DB | Knee | – | – | DNP | Questionable |
| Dedrick Mills | RB | Illness | DNP | Full | Full | – |
| Nick Statz | DB | Foot | DNP | DNP | DNP | Out |
| Nick Taylor | DB | Hamstring | DNP | DNP | DNP | Doubtful |
| Zack Williams | OL | Arm | DNP | DNP | Limited | Questionable |
Lions
| Player Name | Position | Injury | SUN | MON | TUES | Game Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Keon Hatcher | WR | Foot | DNP | DNP | DNP | Out |
| Riley Pickett | LS | Foot | Full | Full | Full | – |
| Maxime Rouyer | LB | Hamstring | DNP | DNP | DNP | Out |
They released the game notes:
The Calgary Stampeders open the 2023 Canadian Football League season with a Thursday Night Football clash against the visiting BC Lions at McMahon Stadium.
It’s the 14th time in franchise history the Stamps have faced the Leos in their season-opener with Calgary boasting a 7-5-1 record in the 13 previous meetings. Seven of the previous season debuts against BC have come in Calgary including four at McMahon Stadium (1966, 1967, 2008 and 2013) and three at Mewata Stadium (three consecutive seasons from 1956 to 1958).
Both Calgary and BC posted 12-6 records in 2022 with the Lions getting second place and home-field advantage for the Western Semi-Final by virtue of their two victories in three regular-season meetings with the Stampeders. BC capitalized on that home-field edge by beating Calgary 30-16 in the playoff contest.
The Stamps and Lions met in last week’s pre-season finale as BC claimed a 25-22 victory at Vancouver’s BC Place on a last-play field goal. Both teams finished 1-1 during pre-season play as Calgary beat Edmonton 29-24 at home in their first tune-up while the Lions lost 30-27 at Saskatchewan.
Today’s game is the 1,259th regular-season game in Stampeders history. The Stamps have 693 wins, 544 losses and 21 ties since 1945. Calgary has played 629 games at home, with a record of 402-217-10, and 629 games on the road (291-327-11)
This is the 203rd regular-season meeting of all time between Calgary and BC. The Stamps hold a 112-85-5 edge including a 62-38-2 mark at home
BC LIONS
PASSING YARDS: Vernon Adams Jr. – 1,504
RUSHING YARDS: Vernon Adams Jr. – 129
RECEIVING YARDS: Dominique Rhymes – 1,401
DEFENSIVE TACKLES: Marcus Sayles – 68
SACKS: David Menard – 9
INTERCEPTIONS: Garry Peters – 5
TOUCHDOWNS: Dominique Rhymes – 11
POINTS: Sean Whyte – 163
Home sweet home:
Calgary is 8-2 in home-openers since 2012 including a 30-27 victory over the Montreal Alouettes a year ago. In all season debuts whether played at home or on the road, Calgary is 3933-4 all-time
Early start:
For the second consecutive season, the Stampeders are setting a team record for the earliest start to a season. A year ago, a June 9 lift-off was the earliest season-opener in Stamps history while this year’s opening game comes one day earlier on the calendar
Coaching continuity:
Dave Dickenson enters his eighth year and seventh season as head coach of the Stampeders. His tenure comes on the heels of John Hufnagel’s eight-year term as Calgary’s bench boss. The continuity is unmatched in the CFL during the 16-year stretch since 2008 as all other teams but the Ottawa Redblacks – who have been led by three head coaches since their inception in 2014 – have had at least five different men holding the reins
Head coaches since the start of 2008
Calgary 2
Ottawa (since 2014) 3
BC 5
Hamilton 5
Winnipeg 5
Saskatchewan 6
Edmonton 7
Toronto 8
Montreal 10
Dandy dozen:
With his first action of the 2023 season, Stampeders kicker René Paredes will become just the 13th player in franchise history to appear in at least 12 seasons for the Red and White. Paredes ranks sixth in Stamps history with 193 regular-season games played
Chasing 2,500:
Calgary tailback Ka’Deem Carey needs 121 rushing yards to become just the ninth player in Stampeders to hit the 2,500-yard mark as a member of the Stampeders. In addition, Carey (2,379 yards) needs just 16 yards to pass Jerome Messam (2,394) for ninth place on the franchise’s all-time rushing list
Cracking the TSN top 50:
A total of nine Stampeders players cracked TSN’s list of top 50 players as chosen by voters from the network and the media. The group was led by 2022 rushing champion Ka’Deem Carey, who placed third on the list
Stamps in the TSN top 50
RB Ka’Deem Carey (3rd)
LB Cameron Judge (16th)
DL Mike Rose (19th)
OL Sean McEwen (24th)
QB Jake Maier (29th)
REC Malik Henry (38th)
DB Tre Roberson (44th)
K René Paredes (46th)
DB Jonathan Moxey (50th)
Calgary’s season debut record has to be the best of all time in any sport.
Pre-dates recorded history…
Oops, missing a dash in there, lol.
Should be 39-33-4
Except those years the owner wanted his son to be the QB… But yea, the Stamps are always showing up to play with a good team year in year out
The Stamps social media crew have put out a bunch of nice player posters too, but here are the starters and depth chart.
Stamps
| Player Name | Position | Injury | SUN | MON | TUES | Game Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Daniel Amoaka | DB | Knee | DNP | DNP | DNP | Out |
| Caleb Benenoch | OL | Arm | DNP | DNP | DNP | Doubtful |
| Joshua Coker | OL | Ankle | DNP | DNP | DNP | Out |
| Natrell Jamerson | DB | Knee | – | – | DNP | Questionable |
| Dedrick Mills | RB | Illness | DNP | Full | Full | – |
| Nick Statz | DB | Foot | DNP | DNP | DNP | Out |
| Nick Taylor | DB | Hamstring | DNP | DNP | DNP | Doubtful |
| Zack Williams | OL | Arm | DNP | DNP | Limited | Questionable |
Leos
| Player Name | Position | Injury | SUN | MON | TUES | Game Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Keon Hatcher | WR | Foot | DNP | DNP | DNP | Out |
| Riley Pickett | LS | Foot | Full | Full | Full | – |
| Maxime Rouyer | LB | Hamstring | DNP | DNP | DNP | Out |
I really dont know which games I will watch the most while the Hockey is on.
Maybe this will help you choose the good guys:
For Vernon Adams Jr. and company, this week’s opener represents a big opportunity to set the tone against a rival with similar championship goals. It also serves as a re-match of last year’s Western Semi-Final where the Lions prevailed 30-16 at BC Place. You can just add that to the list of juicy week one storylines.
There will be a lot to watch in this one. All signs point to this being a good close game…so it will likely be the opposite.
I think even with the change in QB’s BC should have a bit of and edge… Go 
!
I’ve been looking forward to this game and of course hoping the Lions win. Even though I picked Calgary in the pool I’d gladly sacrifice winning that pick for a Lions victory. A no-brainer for me. Pools don’t matter that much. But I’m cautiously optimistic. Calgary has a lot going for them, and they’re at home.
Go 
What a game to kick off the season
