Peyton Logan, Dedrick Mills tasked to run ball for Calgary Stampeders

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They plan to light up the football sky this season.

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‘Lightning’ and ‘Thunder’ … Peyton Logan and Dedrick Mills.

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That is the two running backs forecast to be threats for the Calgary Stampeders in the 2024 Canadian Football League campaign.

“Yessir … that’s where we’re at,” said ‘Thunder’ Mills, during main camp of the CFL’s Stampeders at McMahon Stadium. “I remember that from last year … Lightning and Thunder. And we’re coming back to keep that going.

“All I gotta say is be ready for the show,” continued Mills. “Just be ready for the show. We’re coming with it all year.”

That show will be on full display this year given the Stamps have moved on from star running back Ka’Deem Carey.

The club informed their workhorse of the last handful of seasons they weren’t going to re-sign him for the 2024 CFL campaign, giving the ball-hauling duties to Mills and Logan — two guys who have enjoyed success when getting the call to perform in the past for the Stampeders.

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“We know we’ve always been one group,” Mills said. “So if we were to lose one guy, the next guy was always up and ready to go. So it’s just pretty much the same thing — we’re still treating the game the same way.

“If one guy’s hurt or he’s going somewhere, it’s just the next guy and just continue keep show rolling and keep the show going. And actually, we’ve shown results of what we can do on the field.”

Especially Mills.

The 5-foot-10, 228-lb. downhill back from Georgia has pushed his way for 1,261 rushing yards the last two years, including a sizeable chunk of yardage — 802 on 142 carries — in 2023.

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Meanwhile, ‘Lightning’ Logan — a quick-tempo back from Tennessee — has posted 534 rushing yards and 209 receiving yards over the last two seasons.

“We’ve just got to keep on going,” said the 5-foot-8, 196-lb. Logan. “Just because we lose one guy don’t mean we can’t do it.

“We brought (LeVante) Bellamy back (after a 23-carry, 70-yard rushing season in 2023). We got B.J. (Emmons) in. And we got us two back — two vets in the room who came in the same time. I’m helping him out. He’s helping me out.

“We’re going to be the dynamic duo.”

Of course, Logan has also handled the bulk of the kick-return duties in his two years with the Stamps.

But it’s expected he’ll be tasked with more runs in the offensive attack in 2024.

“Be detailed-oriented,” said Logan, 25. “Coach is teaching us new things, how to look at plays differently, find certain players so we know when certain blitzes are coming, differences in the coverages and the fronts and stuff like that …”

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“Tighten up a few minor mess-ups that we’ve got,” agreed Mills. “Just come out and keep doing our job and being the best people on the field as a group. Some of the plays, some of the route running and the way we motion out … some of that stuff has changed up for us. So we’re getting used to that.

“But just continue to do what we’ve been doing.”

Only, it’s time now to step up on a more permanent basis …

Take what they did when the oft-injured Carey — who left after four years of 2,855 rushing yards and 732 more receiving — was missing from attack and grinding out even more.

“We’ve still got a couple of vets — three of the four that were here last year,” said Stamps GM/head coach Dave Dickenson, including fellow American back Bellamy in that group of returning veterans.

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“We do like backs that do give us that extra fall-forward mode. Bellamy and Peyton are the quicker guys — top-end speed guys. Mills and Emmons are more shifty but really carry a load behind their pads. For me, as a coach, I like having the different types of backs.”

He’s got a few, for sure, with eight total in camp.

Included are veteran William Langlais — a jack-of-all trades fullback-type — and three draft-picks in 2024 fifth-rounder Paul-Antoine Ouellette, 2023 sixth-rounder Sebastian Howard and 2023 eighth-rounder Lucas Robertson.

The other fresh face in Emmons, who has yet to run the rock in the CFL despite spending parts of two seasons with the Saskatchewan Roughriders but is making an impression in Calgary.

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“B.J. has looked excellent in rookie camp,” added Dickenson. “I’ve been enjoying what I’ve watched of him.

“The running backs have been playing well. And we always commit to the run.”

SHORT YARDAGE

Among the 10 camp cuts made late Tuesday by the Stamps to get down to the CFL-mandated 75 players — not including 15 Canadian rookies — was DL T.J. Rayam. The son of Thomas Rayam — a former Stamps, CFL and NFL guard — was the only Canadian casualty. The others released by the team on cut-down day were Americans QB Chris Reynolds, WR Josh Vann, WR Jaquarii Roberson, OL Hunter Thedford, DL Sharif Finch, DL Alex Tchangam, DB Larry Brooks III, DB Michael Griffin II and DB Mazzi Wilkins … Camp continues this week through to Sunday, when the annual Red and White Game will be played at McMahon (2:30 p.m.) … The first live CFL action for the Stamps is a pre-season host of the BC Lions on Saturday, May 25, at McMahon (2 p.m.).

tsaelhof@postmedia.comhttp://www.x.com/ToddSaelhofPM

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