The red and white game will give the Calgary Stampeders a chance to learn

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Dave Dickenson got what he wanted from the Calgary Stampeders' annual Red and White game Sunday at McMahon Stadium.

While he's given his 80-plus players a quick run through several simulated game situations, he feels his campers have been through a crash course in understanding what he wants from them ahead of the 2024 Canadian Football League campaign.

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This is very important for the new faces in the main camp.

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“We played a good 50-plus game,” said the Stampeders GM/head coach of the afternoon live broadcast. “The goal was 50 to 55. I think we got what we needed out of it and I hope we got a good education.”

Offensively, Dickenson praised his receivers for a good showing. His emphasis was that “for the cutters on the inside — maybe three or four guys — it was good.

“I thought our running game was good, too,” Dickenson continued. “I'm not sure if that's a product of the backfield or the offensive line.”

It is difficult to say that there were no problems on this day.

“It's hard to say you have multiple YAC yards (without an assignment),” Dickenson agreed. “But it looks like we have the ability to split coverages to get big offense.

“And our players (Rene Paredes and Campbell Fair) hit well.”

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On defense, all five cornerbacks — Jake Meyer, Matt Schiltz, Tommy Stevens, Logan Bonner and Kyle Vantrees — saw action.

“What's pretty clear is, with the clock ticking and all that, the quarterbacks have to step up — we've got to get out of the jam,” Dickenson said. “And the other thing is, we work a lot on the wrists and the plays are easy to read (by game script). But when you really call the game and they don't know what's going to happen, you have to find them on their wristbands. Or sometimes I go off script and call plays.

“We felt like we had to get out of the jam and have good communication there.”

Defensively, the coach saw a prepared group and they “played fast.

“The linebackers took things right away, like they were ripping the air out,” Dickenson said. “I enjoyed watching that.”

Canadian defensive back Malcolm Thompson, who returned to the Stamps after attending training camp with them in 2021, stood out, Dickenson said, with his stride to make a dynamic tackle.

“I saw some balls and some good plays,” the coach continued. “We had some throws downfield and some contested catches.”

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On the downside, receiver Cole Tucker — the Stamps' 2023 first-round pick — is out with a sore calf. A foot injury limited Tucker's rookie campaign last year.

“There's nothing crazy about it,” Dickenson said. “I was worried about it because of the weather. We went through a full warm-up, but it didn't work for him.”

This makes camp time difficult for the young receiver, especially to watch.

But Dickenson repeatedly noted that getting enough reps for everyone would be the hardest aspect of camp.

“We have too many people here,” Dickenson said. “You don't get to see everybody play a lot in the pre-season. For some guys, you have to use your reps. It's as close to a game-like situation as we can get.”

The Stamps don't need to make the cut after two preseason games. The first is Saturday at McMahon against the BC Lions (2:00 p.m.) and the second is Friday, May 31 against the host Winnipeg Blue Bombers (6:30 p.m.).

The regular season then opens for the Stampeders against the incoming Hamilton Tigers on June 7 at McMahon (7 p.m.).

“It was a lot of learning,” Dickenson added of Sunday's scrimmage. “But we needed it before the preseason.”

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