Defensive back Demerio Houston ready to start with Calgary Stampeders

CALGARY — Calgary Stampeders head coach and general manager Dave Dickenson wants his team to make more interceptions this CFL season.

Demerio Houston intends to do him a favor.

The star cornerback was Calgary’s marquee offseason acquisition when the 27-year-old from Shelby, North Carolina, signed a two-year deal.

Houston led the league with seven interceptions for the Winnipeg Blue Bombers in 2023, including two against his current team.

“My mentality of seeing the ball, getting it, every time the ball is in the air, I have to have the mentality that it’s mine,” Houston said during Stampeders training camp. “I have to take that in this year and repeat it and more.”

The Stampeders will play the first of two preseason games Saturday when the BC Lions visit McMahon Stadium. Houston won’t have to wait long to see its former teammates again as Winnipeg hosts the Stamps in a preseason game on May 31.

Calgary’s 17 picks ranked fifth in the CFL last season, ahead of British Columbia and Saskatchewan (15 each), as well as Edmonton and Winnipeg (13 each). Houston also led the league in total defensive points with 10 (seven picks, three fumbles recovered).

“It has to be the whole group,” Dickenson said. “Last year…it’s not like a defensive back will never get beat. It’s going to happen. But when you have opportunities and you get your hands on the ball, we need interceptions.

“I also like knockdowns, but I want steals.”

Dickenson could get the route disruption he’s looking for with Houston and Tre Roberson, who had seven career picks for Calgary in 2019, manning the corners of the backfield.

“I think both guys can play on the field and in bounds,” the coach and general manager said. “(Demerio) is a smart player. With everything we do, it’s just different than Winnipeg. I think he’s catching on pretty quickly.

“He’s a competitor, a ball hawk and those are the reasons we signed him.”

Houston’s crucial interception for a touchdown in Winnipeg’s 19-18 win over the host Stampeders on Aug. 18 took place in the Calgary locker room.

His 45-yard return on the final play of the third quarter for his first career pick gave the Bombers a 15-12 lead.

“The guys have been talking about runs and they’re like, ‘Houston made that play last year against us,’” Houston said. “I had to tell the guys ‘yeah, it happened. We’re on the same team now. We’re on the same side.'”

Houston said that after signing with the Stampeders, quarterback Jake Maier texted him to say “you’re welcome about the two interceptions.”

“He definitely picked me up a few days ago in practice,” Houston said. “He put me on a deep ball. I really like to compete and help him get better. He helps me get better.”

The Southern University alumnus was a practice player in Winnipeg’s 2021 Gray Cup victory when the rookie appeared in four games that season.

He was on injured reserve for a 2022 Gray Cup game. The Bombers lost 24-23 to the Toronto Argonauts in Regina.

Houston made three defensive tackles as a starter during the 2023 Gray Cup in Hamilton, where the Montreal Alouettes won 28-24.

In addition to seven picks, the five-foot-ten, 173-pound defensive back recovered three fumbles, compiled 50 tackles and recorded four assists in 15 regular-season games en route to becoming a CFL All-Star.

“I always told myself that if I ever left Winnipeg, Calgary would be a place I wanted to go,” Houston said. “I feel like they’re like Winnipeg and they have ways to win.

“The season didn’t go as planned last year, but I felt like it was because of injuries. But Calgary is still in contention and at the top of the food chain.”

Defensive backs coach Dwayne Cameron says Houston’s biggest adjustment as a Stampeder will be getting used to who plays alongside him.

“So far here in camp, he’s kind of built a relationship with Kobe Williams, our halfback, and they’ve built a strong, solid line of communication,” Cameron said.

Houston’s vision and anticipation make him a quarterback nightmare, Cameron added.

“I wouldn’t equate Demerio with your quintessential lockdown, the opponent’s number one receiver, from a standpoint, I just don’t think he’s ever been used in that role,” Cameron said . “He reads the game that is being organized in front of him and he is an opportunist. He will get out of the game at certain moments.

“He’s had success against us in the past playing that way and against other teams as well.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 23, 2024.

Donna Spencer, The Canadian Press