Final job interviews

With the final roster cuts looming around the corner, the Calgary Stampeders have one last chance to show the coaching staff what they are capable of on Thursday night against the Saskatchewan Roughriders.

Most of the veterans from seasons past should know they have a strong hold on their roster spot, but for some of the undrafted free agents brought into camp, the pre-season game could become a make or break scenario for their CFL careers.

They don’t let it cloud their focus though — they already have enough on their minds preparing for the game.

“I definitely think (the coaching staff) is going to have tough decisions,” said import receiver Khalil Paden. “It’s up to them. I don’t know where I stand, but hopefully I can go out and make some good plays so that I can keep myself around for the rest of the season.”

Paden was one of the impressive players in last week’s game against the BC Lions. He caught a touchdown pass from Kevin Glenn to give the Stamps an early lead.

After battling through an injury at that time, he expects better results from himself this week.

“I’m feeling a lot better coming into this game,” said Paden, an alum from the University of Northern Arizona. “I was battling with an injury last game, so I’m feeling 100%. I’m hoping to build off of last week and perform at a high level this week.”

Marvin Booker is in a similar situation. He’s in a tough position battle in the deep defensive line, but was able to make a few key plays in last week’s game against the Lions.

With a forced fumble and a sack, Booker made an impression on the stats page.

But like Paden, he doesn’t want to think about the roster cuts after Thursday’s game.

“I don’t really think about stuff like that,” said Booker, a Rutgers University grad. “Whatever coaches ask me to do, I try to do it. I just try to go out there and give the most effort every day and hopefully everything will take care of itself.”

Kickoff for Thursday’s game is 8 p.m. and fans can listen in on News Talk 770.

Quarterbacks

The Calgary Stampeders have made it abundantly clear from Day 1 — Drew Tate is their starting quarterback.

“We signed him for that reason and he’s proven he’s a winner and he always has won for us,” said offensive coordinator Dave Dickenson. “He’s younger so we felt it was the right choice.”

It was the same position the team was in last season during training camp.

After the organization traded away longtime QB Henry Burris — a trade that netted them Kevin Glenn — Tate was installed as the starting signal caller.

However, an injury in Week 2 sidelined Tate for the majority of the season, and Glenn won nine games in relief and got the Stamps to second place in the West Division. Tate came back for the final two games of the regular season, and started the West Division semifinal against the Saskatchewan Roughriders. He won the game for the Stamps, but was injured in the process. The move enabled Glenn to come back behind centre and almost win the Stamps the Grey Cup.

With the 2013 training camp coming to a close, Dickenson enjoys the depth the Stamps have in the most important position on the field.

“Playing with smaller quarterbacks and competitive guys who will throw their bodies into it, you need some depth,” Dickenson said.  “I think this is the Top 4 quarterbacks we’ve had at a camp. We feel like the depth is really good.

“Hopefully one of those guys will separate and we hope it’s Drew. He’s shown that he’s taken the lead and has really practiced well. I hope it carries over to the game.”

In a total of four games last year, Tate was 46 of 73 for 570 yards and four touchdowns. Glenn completed 325 of 487 pass attempts for 4,220 yards and 25 touchdowns.

“We want Drew to improve and show us that he’s the guy that we think he is,” Dickenson said. “We have a lot of confidence in him, the guys do like playing for him.”

Behind those two, Bo Levi Mitchell is someone who Dickenson is a big fan of, but needs more playing time to develop.

“I want him to battle for the starting job but in the right ways,” Dickenson said. “At times, he can look at the best quarterback of all of them. He needs time, he really needs to play and that’s the hardest thing about quarterback development is how do you improve when you’re not playing. His attitude has been great, he does the extra things to get better for when the time comes.”

Rounding out the depth chart is import Ryan Perrilloux. The one-time Louisiana State Tiger dealt with passport issues at the beginning of training camp, but has progressed since arriving in Cowtown.

“He’s been good but he really did handicap himself by not being up in the country,” Dickenson said. “That was disappointing but we feel like he’s shown well. He’s got a good arm, he’s got the knowledge of our system and hopefully we can see him in the live game atmosphere.”

The Stamps’ second pre-season game is coming up on Thursday, with Dickenson saying Tate should play for the first two quarters, and hopes to get all four passers some time during the game.

Video

Quarterback Kevin Glenn grabbed the microphone to get to know rookie offensive lineman Brett Jones a little better. But was Glenn really interested in getting to know Jones better — or was it a set-up?

>> Special Interview: Kevin Glenn interviews Brett Jones

Photo Gallery

>> Photos from training camp – June 19

Transactions

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Tomorrow’s Schedule

Pre-Season Game B
Calgary at Saskatchewan
Kickoff: 8 p.m.
Radio: News Talk 770
TV: None