{"id":855288,"date":"2026-08-12T11:06:11","date_gmt":"2026-08-12T11:06:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/855288\/"},"modified":"2026-08-12T11:06:11","modified_gmt":"2026-08-12T11:06:11","slug":"ben-labrosse-surprising-calgary-stampeders-with-strong-play","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/855288\/","title":{"rendered":"Ben Labrosse surprising Calgary Stampeders with strong play"},"content":{"rendered":"

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\"Ben\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tPhoto courtesy: Calgary Stampeders<\/p>\n

Ben Labrosse has been one of the CFL\u2019s most productive defensive players over the past three weeks, and it\u2019s come as a surprise to many \u2014 including defensive coordinator Bob Slowik.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf we expected that from Ben, he would have been playing a long time ago,\u201d Slowik told\u00a0StampsTV on Tuesday<\/a>, smiling broadly with a laugh.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou have seen Ben progress, and it was one of those things \u2014 you just never know (when)\u00a0the light (will go) on \u2026 and the training that he does here in practice\u00a0all of a sudden translates to on-the-field production, and that\u2019s\u00a0what happened with Ben.<\/p>\n

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\u201cThen there\u2019s the confidence factor after you make a play, you get in the zone and\u00a0you can\u2019t be beat.\u201d<\/p>\n

It\u2019s been an unconventional career path for Labrosse.<\/p>\n

The six-foot, 194-pound defender played only 19 collegiate football games between Syracuse and McGill<\/a>. He didn\u2019t play anywhere in 2023 but was taken with the fourth overall pick in the 2024 CFL Draft despite the gap in his collegiate resum\u00e9.<\/p>\n

Labrosse hit the ground running in his first year with the Stampeders, earning the starting job at field-side halfback by Labour Day. He made 34 defensive tackles and two special teams tackles, and appeared to be poised for an even larger role in 2025.<\/p>\n

This didn\u2019t happen.<\/p>\n

Adrian Greene, who signed with the Stampeders in free agency after three seasons with the B.C. Lions, won the starting job at field-side cornerback. The Toronto native enjoyed a breakout season, recording 39 defensive tackles, six interceptions, and two touchdowns to earn an All-West Division selection.<\/p>\n

Labrosse languished in a depth role, though he only dressed for eight regular-season games due to injury. His sophomore season in Cowtown was mostly a wash.<\/p>\n

Things didn\u2019t improve when this season got underway, as the 26-year-old was again relegated to backup duty.<\/p>\n

Greene continued to start at field-side cornerback until he suffered an injury near the end of June. Labrosse seemed like the natural choice to start in his place, but he didn\u2019t get the call.<\/p>\n

The Stampeders instead chose to start Dolani Robinson. Robinson, a native of Jamaica who was raised in Toronto, joined the team after going unselected in the 2025 CFL Draft.<\/p>\n

First-round picks generally don\u2019t back-up undrafted free agents.<\/p>\n

Evidently, Calgary didn\u2019t think much of Robinson\u2019s performance. He recorded 13 defensive tackles over two starts but was released when Greene returned to the lineup early last month.<\/p>\n

When Greene suffered another injury three weeks ago, it was finally Labrosse\u2019s turn to see the field. He\u2019s certainly made the most of the opportunity.<\/p>\n

The native of Greenfield Park, Que. has tallied eight defensive tackles and five interceptions over just three starts. He picked off Dru Brown three times in a 52-30 win over the Winnipeg Blue Bombers late last month, and intercepted Chad Kelly twice in last week\u2019s 33-30 loss to the Toronto Argonauts.<\/p>\n

\u201cHats off to them, they have really good players,\u201d said Kelly postgame. \u201cThat corner, Labrosse, is special. He\u2019s a special player.\u201d<\/p>\n

Labrosse is tied for the league lead in interceptions alongside fellow Canadian cornerback Tyrell Ford \u2014 and he\u2019s done it in just three games.<\/p>\n

It appears Labrosse will remain in the starting lineup for the foreseeable future. Greene, who returned from injury two weeks ago, is now his backup at field-side cornerback.<\/p>\n

There\u2019s plenty of room for the Stampeders to improve defensively, as the unit ranks eighth in offensive points allowed (32.0) and opponent yards per play (7.3). With that said, Calgary\u2019s defence also ranks first in sacks (20) and second in takeaways (22).<\/p>\n

\u201cThey\u2019ve been training really hard, working on the little details, the finer details of their positions. Whether it be a defensive back, linebacker, or defensive lineman, the micro movements that require a lot of detail and a lot of effort on their part, and it\u2019s paying off,\u201d said Slowik.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re getting our hands on balls, and whether it be in the run game, punching the ball out, someone catches the ball, they knock it out, getting fumbles that way. We still\u00a0have a long way\u00a0to go, but creating turnovers, getting the ball, and getting takeaways for the offence is critical to winning.\u201d<\/p>\n

One of the primary reasons for Calgary\u2019s high number of takeaways \u2014 over the last three weeks, at least \u2014 has been the play of Ben Labrosse.<\/p>\n

The Calgary Stampeders (4-5) will host the B.C. Lions (3-5) at McMahon Stadium on Thursday, August 13 with kickoff scheduled for 9:00 p.m. EDT. The Lions narrowly beat the Hamilton Tiger-Cats last week, while the Stampeders suffered a close loss to the Toronto Argonauts.<\/p>\n

The weather forecast in Calgary calls for a high of 15 degrees and a 90 percent chance of rain. The game will be broadcast on TSN and RDS2 in Canada, CBS Sports Network in the United States, and CFL+ internationally. Radio listeners can tune-in on Sher-E-Punjab Radio AM 600 (Punjabi) in Vancouver or 770 CHQR in Calgary.<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\"\"\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n

John Hodge is a longtime Canadian football reporter, insider, and podcaster for 3DownNation. Based in Winnipeg, Hodge is also a freelance television and radio broadcaster and curling reporter for Rock Channel.<\/p>\n

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