The question had to be asked.
After Calgary Stampeders quarterback Jake Maier threw four interceptions in Monday’s Labour Day Classic loss to the Edmonton Elks, is the team going to look at a change at pivot before the rematch on Saturday?
The Stamps are spiralling out and have lost four-of-five games. The offence has been uninspired and suffers through long stretches where they struggle to stay on the field.
But let’s keep in mind that Maier is second in the CFL in passing yards with 2,921 and third in touchdowns with 15. Monday’s four-pick game also means he has thrown the third-most interceptions, but he has done a good job protecting the ball otherwise.
While there are some fans who are just desperate for any change, there’s absolutely a very strong argument for sticking with Maier.
“I don’t know guys. He’s battling, he’s our leader,” Stampeders GM/head coach Dave Dickenson said when he was asked post-game on Monday about making a change. “People have bad games and bad coaching jobs. I’m not saying I’m going there, but we’ve got to be better. We’re fooling ourselves if we think that will win football games.”
While we’re not advocating for the Stamps to make a switch at quarterback right now, we can understand fans’ frustrations with the way the team looks offensively.
For the sake of conversation, what are the Stampeders’ other options?
Matthew Shiltz
The Stamps wanted to bring in a veteran backup with CFL experience this off-season and Shiltz certainly fits the bill.
He’s 31-years-old and has been in the league since 2017, spending four years with the Montreal Alouettes and two with the Hamilton Tiger-Cats.
After Bo Levi Mitchell got hurt last year, Shiltz completed 108-of-161 passes for 1,556 yards and seven touchdowns while also throwing five interceptions.
He’s probably not the long-term solution as a starter, but the Butler product has proven he can give you a chance.
The problem is that he has been hurt for most of the season and hasn’t thrown a regular-season pass. He did complete 11-of-15 passes for 79 yards in the Stamps’ first pre-season game against the B.C. Lions, but was only 5-for-13 in their second exhibition game against the Winnipeg Blue Bombers, although he threw for 101 yards.
Shiltz is the most obvious option to start a game or come in in relief for Maier, but he hasn’t been healthy. He’s training and probably close to a return, though.
Tommy Stevens
Stamps fans have gotten to know Stevens pretty well over the past two-plus seasons. He basically has become a guaranteed first-down machine in short-yardage situations and can plow through opposing tacklers seemingly at ease.
The question is whether he can throw the ball.
The Penn State product has attempted 20 passes in 45 CFL games and has completed 11 of them. One of those was for a touchdown, but he has thrown for only 82 yards in his pro career.
When you consider that the 27-year-old wasn’t asked to throw a single pass in pre-season this year, it doesn’t exactly inspire a ton of confidence that he’s ready to step in and throw the ball downfield with any real consistency.
Stevens is a valuable player for the Stamps and has run the ball into the endzone for 23 touchdowns during his stint in Calgary, but there isn’t much evidence to suggest the coaching staff views him as a viable every-down quarterback.
Logan Bonner
Bonner is the great unknown in the Stamps locker room for a lot of us.
He has been with the team since training camp in 2023 and has dressed for 15 games, but we’ve only seen him attempt 14 passes in that time. Eight of them were completions and the 26-year-old has thrown for 94 yards but — let’s be honest — the sample size is really, really small.
An Arkansas State and Utah State product, Bonner was the 2021 Mountain West Conference most valuable offensive player, which certainly is encouraging.
We just don’t know that much about him, so it’s impossible to make any credible claim that he’d represent either an improvement or a step-down from what the Stampeders are currently getting at QB.