Reducing mistakes key to Maier's surge this season

Calgary Stampeders quarterback Jake Maier is thriving in his third season as a starter.

Maier, 27, is putting together a very efficient season under centre for the 3-3 Stamps. He is third in the league with 11 touchdown passes and fourth in efficiency rating (103.5). Maier has a higher completion percentage (71.5) than Vernon Adams Jr., Zach Collaros, and Bo Levi Mitchell. Last week, he passed his head coach, Dave Dickenson, for 10th in franchise history in passing yards, and is coming off a thrilling win over Adams and the West Division-leading Lions in Week 7. 

After an inconsistent 2023 where he was tied for the second-most interceptions thrown (15) – a few of which were returned for touchdowns – Maier said he has learned how to be more responsible with the football. His completion percentage has increased, he looks more agile, and Stamps coaches have said that they can call more plays with Maier throwing on the run or outside the pocket. Maier has just five interceptions so far this campaign.

“Not trying to manufacture something that’s not there and trying not to do too much, trying not to force it,” Maier said of his improved play.

“Sometimes when you’re hyper-competitive, your instincts can bite you in the butt a little bit,” he added, referring to wanting to make something happen on every play instead of throwing the ball away or taking a sack. 

“There’s been a few instances this year where that has been the case…where I’ve had some really ugly turnovers or negatives. [I’m] just trying to cut out the out-of-characteristic things that have gotten me to this point. That’s really been my focus.”

Maier also has a new quarterbacks coach after Marc Mueller left the organization to join the Saskatchewan Roughriders. 

Early in the off-season, the Stamps hired Ryan Williams, who had been at the University of Georgia for six years. After he was introduced, Williams accepted a role at Georgia State University. 

Beau Baldwin, who has three decades of college football experience as a coach and player, was set to be a guest coach with the Stamps at training camp. Head coach Dave Dickenson offered him the role of full-time quarterbacks coach and he took it. Baldwin previously coached at Eastern Washington University and had rosters featuring future CFL star QBs Mitchell, Adams, and Matt Nichols. 

The fit has been seamless. Maier and Baldwin use the word ‘simple’ when describing their approach. 

“He’s been a great mentor for me,” Maier said.

“He does a good job of simplifying the game for me… we both see the position played a certain way.”

Baldwin is impressed with Maier’s coachability and how dedicated a student of the game he is.

“Jake makes things easy,” Baldwin said.

“He already plays and thinks and studies like a veteran, even though he’s only been a starter for a short time. He has those veteran characteristics in terms of how he looks at the game, how he prepares. He’s a mature guy. It’s easy for me.”

Baldwin tries to make things easy for Maier when it comes to deciphering a defence.

“The biggest thing I do for Jake is try to help him understand that whatever you think might happen pre-snap, that you’re able to react and see what happens post-snap,” he said.

“Sometimes as QBs, we can get stuck trying to think we know what’s going to happen, but being able to adjust and simplify… if we can simplify, if we can make a lot of reads, ‘This is the same as this,’ then it can shrink the playbook.”

By shrinking the playbook, Baldwin is trying to get Maier to think less and react on instinct more. 

“Even though you still have a lot of plays, if you can make a lot of them like, ‘This is very similar to [that play],’ it takes a lot of pressure off of thinking you have to have so many different ways to attack a plan in a given week,” he said.

Baldwin isn’t trying to remake Maier and how he throws. Instead, the new QB coach is focusing on his protégé’s lower body and making sure that’s in sync with his head. 

“The biggest thing we talk about his mirroring your feet with your eyes, with your timing of your route, with your timing of the concept,” Baldwin said.

“Your footwork, the times you’re going to have to throw off-platform, the times your feet and eyes have to match together, what type of drop you need to take on this concept, are we going to have to reset, different things like that.”

Maier feels the sky is the limit for their partnership as he tries to lead the Stamps up the West Division standings.

“For him to come in and put his DNA on how he thinks offence should be played and how he thinks the quarterback position should be operated, it’s been great for me to be a part of,” he said.

“I share a lot of his beliefs… a lot of those philosophies align. It’s been a really seamless transition.”