VANCOUVER — Vernon Adams Jr. knows a thing or two about playing in hostile environments.
The veteran pivot is in his ninth season in the CFL, playing everywhere from coast-to-coast in several different stadiums and loud atmospheres like the one he’s expected to encounter on Saturday in the Western Semi-Final at Save-on-Foods Field at BC Place.
That includes this season with the Calgary Stampeders, which featured back-to-back wins in at Mosaic Stadium in Saskatchewan and Princess Auto Stadium in Winnipeg in Weeks 6 and 7.
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“I told the guys earlier today, we went to Winnipeg, we went to Saskatchewan, where it’s cracking there,” said Adams Jr. “It’s gonna be cracking here tomorrow, but if we can do it there, we can do it here, it’s just about us. It’s not about anyone else. We’re gonna be playing against the Lions, the Lions fans, and things like that. So we just have to communicate. They’re one of the hottest teams, if not the hottest team right now in the league.
“We need to communicate and be on the same page and do the ups and downs, just stay together.”
Despite the road success against two of the top teams in the West Division, Adams Jr. lost both matchups against his former team this season, including a 38-24 loss in Week 18.
For the pivot and the Stampeders, though, it’s not about individual vindication, it’s about getting the win.
“It needs to be about playing winning football,” answered head coach and general manager Dave Dickenson when asked if he talked to Adams Jr. about what would winning in BC mean. “Really can’t be about more than that. He’s done nice job (over the) last month, a really nice job. One thing you have got to realize is you’re just one cog in the wheel. You’re an important cog in the wheel, but you’re one cog, and you just have got to let make sure the plays come, when they come, and do your part. Most of the time when you press and you try to do a little too much, it doesn’t go your way anyway. So yeah, as a team, we’d love (for) the third time to be a charm.”
Kickoff is set for 5:30 p.m. ET and can be watched on TSN, TSN2, RDS, and CFL+.