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June 10, 2016

Stamps host Esks in pre-season action

Frank Beltre takes down Shakir Bell on Oct. 10, 2015 (Photo by David Moll)

The 2016 pre-season kicks off for the Stampeders at McMahon stadium on Saturday night. The defending Grey Cup champion Edmonton Eskimos will be in town for a 7 p.m. start.

It’s the first chance for fans to cure their football withdrawals with live game action.  New head coach Dave Dickenson will be patrolling the sidelines while his predecessor John Hufnagel gets used to his new view from the general manager’s box.

On the field, a lot of familiar faces are back in 2016 including last year’s West Division Most Outstanding Player Bo Levi Mitchell, who is suiting up for his fifth season with the Stamps and third as the starting pivot.

Mitchell is expected to see some game action, along with three other quarterbacks in camp in Drew Tate, Bryant Moniz and two-time Hec Crighton Trophy winner Andrew Buckley out of the University of Calgary.

“Certainly not tons of snaps for the vets,” says Dickenson on the quarterbacks. “We’ve got a healthy competition for the number three, so we’ve certainly got to give them enough reps so we make the best decision.”

Running back Jerome Messam looks to pick up where he left off and will share ball-toting duties with newcomers Roy Finch, Lache Seastrunk and Reggie Whatley. That trio will also be among the players auditioning for a punt-return job this season.

The defence is under new leadership as DeVone Claybrooks takes over the coordinator duties after serving as defensive line coach for the past four seasons. Look for new faces vying for positions with the departures of defensive end Freddie Bishop III, middle linebacker Juwan Simpson and defensive back Keon Raymond.

A few CFL veterans will make their debut in Red and White including former Ticats Bakari Grant at receiver and linebacker Taylor Reed, along with former Dino James Green, who is entering his eighth season as a pro.

The entire 2016 draft class is expected to be on the field for Saturday’s match-up and includes linebacker Alex Singleton, receiver Juwan Brescacin, offensive linemen Roman Grozman and Quinn Horton, defensive back Jean-Philippe Bolduc, long-snapper Pierre-Luc Caron and defensive lineman Michael Kashak. A total of 25 Stamps players are slated to see their first CFL action on Saturday.

It’s an important test for all players as the first round of cuts, which will bring the roster down to 65, must be made before 10 p.m. MDT on Tuesday.

The Eskimos enter the 2016 season with an entirely new coaching staff including head coach Jason Maas, who served as offensive coordinator for the Ottawa RedBlacks in 2015. Although the Green and Gold lost some key players in free agency, a lot of core veterans from the Grey Cup-winning team will return including quarterback Mike Reilly.

The Stamps and Eskimos shared the best regular-season record in the CFL last season with 14-4 marks. Calgary and Edmonton also had identical records at home (8-1), on the road (6-3), against the West (8-2) and against the East (6-2).

Calgary led the West with 478 points scored while Edmonton was second at 466. The Eskimos and Stamps were the league’s stingiest teams with 341 and 346 points allowed, respectively.

This is the first pre-season contest between the provincial rivals since June 15, 2012, when the Stamps pulled out a 20-17 win on a last-play field goal by Rob Maver. The Stamps had tied the game with 1:06 left to play thanks to a touchdown pass from Brad Sinopoli to Marquay McDaniel and then a successful two-point convert pass with the same two players.

Joe Burnett, then with the Eskimos but now with the Stamps, had an 80-yard interception return for a touchdown.

Download the Stamps position chart