It took a while but finally some friction emerged between Dave Dickenson and Rick Campbell during the annual head coaches’ news conference Wednesday morning leading up to the 104th Grey Cup presented by Shaw.
“I’m not in love with his music choices,” Dickenson said.
That’s it? Music?
Sometimes two coaches will share a stage and say all the right things about respecting each other, but it still doesn’t hide the fact being in the same room with the other person is like undergoing a root canal procedure.
It turns out Dickenson, the Calgary Stampeders’ rookie head coach, and Campbell, in his third year with the Ottawa REDBLACKS, genuinely like each other. That mutual respect will be a backdrop when the heavily favoured Stampeders play the REDBLACKS at BMO Field Sunday.
The two men worked together in the Stampeder organization when Dickenson, 43, was offensive coordinator and Campbell, 45, was the defensive coordinator. You can image the pair engaging in discussions about football philosophy and sharing thoughts about their future in the game.
“We usually talked about music or celebrity crushes,” said Campbell.
He then turned to Dickenson.
“I hope I didn’t get you into trouble,” he said.
“I think you already did,” replied Dickenson.
Behind the self-deprecating humour was an underlying understanding the two mean are cut from similar cloth. They are students of the game and have learned from each other.
“We are similar,” said Dickenson, a former quarterback in both the CFL and NFL. “We like smaller towns and good people.
“We like to surround ourselves with that type of environment.”
Dickenson remembers picking Campbell’s defensive mind about certain offensive schemes.
“I would say, what if I do this? What would happen?” said Dickenson. “He would say, ‘well, it would be a conversation as a defensive guy.’
“That sort of banter back and forth allowed me to be a better coach. If you could come up with some things that would cause conversations . . . that’s how I think offensively you can sometimes have an advantage.”
Even though the two once shared an office it doesn’t lead to any extra insight into possible strategies when they face each other across the field.
“There is a different game plan every week,” said Campbell, whose father Hugh is a member of the CFL Hall of Fame. “You kind of understand everyone’s nuances.
“You can maybe pick up a few things but I think that’s a little over rated.”
Dickenson said he learned about coaching from people like Campbell and Calgary general manager John Hufnagel.
“I think we all can kind of take little pieces of what everybody else does and fit it into yourself and your own personality,” he said. “More than anything I was just trying to be myself.”
The Stampeders and REDBLACKS travelled different roads to the Grey Cup.
Calgary dominated the league with a 15-2-1 record and played 16 straight games without a loss.
Ottawa won the East with an 8-9-1 record. Their longest unbeaten streak came in the first three games of the season.
As impressive as the Stampeders looked all year, Dickenson admitted some early jitters after losing the opening game of the season 20-18 to the B.C. Lions.
“When we lost Week 1 … we needed to win Week 2,” he said.
Images: 104th GC Head Coaches Press Conference
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Calgary defeated Winnipeg 36-22 in their next game, then tied Ottawa 26-26 in the third week.
“When we came out and played the football we wanted against Winnipeg . . . we could breathe easier,” he said.
Campbell pointed out four of his team’s losses were by three points or less. The REDBLACKS also played four overtime games.
“Last year we became experts at making some plays in the fourth quarter to win a close game,” he said. “This year we won some, we lost some.
“I think that helped us in the long run. The players have a great appreciation of making sure we play good football.”
Ottawa lost last year’s Grey Cup in Winnipeg 26-20 to the Edmonton Eskimos. Campbell sees his players bringing a different attitude to Toronto.
“Last year we came to the Grey Cup to work (but) we were so excited about getting there, especially as a new team,” he said. “This year when we won the East Final, our players were happy but they transitioned very fast to wanting to win one more.
“I was happy to see they were shifting into the mood and wanting to do everything we can this week to put our best foot forward.”
Dickenson has been to Grey Cups before as a player and assistant coach.
“I basically live in the moment, week to week,” he said. “I just want to coach well and win the next game. The next game happened to be the Grey Cup.
“My plan is to coach well, win the next game, and figure it out from there.”
Wednesday wasn’t the only time the two men will share a stage.
Dickenson is the West Division finalist as CFL coach of the year, while Campbell has been nominated from the East. Campbell won the award last year after leading the REDBLACKS to the Grey Cup in just their second year of existence.
The winner will be announced Thursday.
After seeming to be on the same page on so many topics, what great musical rift exists between the two coaches?
“I lived a lot in the grunge years of Soundgarden and Pearl Jan,” said Campbell. “That was kind of my age. I’m really diversified in my music selection.”
And Dickenson?
“No one wants to listen to what I listen to,” he said. “Trust me.”
