Time to beat the Riders!

The path to beating the Riders in the playoffs is simple according to Stampeders bench boss John Hufnagel. "Score one more point than they do and if five of our guys are in the endzone with a loose ball against one of their guys, come up with the damn ball."

For many Stamps fans, the postseason in assured and the only question is where the boys in Red will be playing the West Final.

While many Lions and Esks fans might try and argue the point, the Stamps and Riders have emerged as the two best teams in the West Division with the last four Grey Cups featuring these two franchises.

On a side note, the Riders went on to lose the last two championship games and one of those losses was recently ranked the worst playoff choke of all time by TSN. Just saying....

The Stamps are returning most of their starters this year with some notables missing. Gone are Ben Archibald, Dwight Anderson and Brandon Browner. All three All-Stars who will be hard to replace. Archibald, reigning Lineman of the Year, will be trying to protect whichever injury-prone QB is leading the Lions to a .500 season. Anderson went to the Als which is the easiest way to book a November flight to Vancouver and Browner will be waiting for the lockout to end in Seattle.

I would suggest that the biggest loss for the Stamps this year will be Tom Johnson. While stats may not support the case, when I sat down with Rob Lazeo he said that without question, Johnson was the best the Stamps had to offer on the D line.

The loss of Johnson will mean big minutes and big expectations on Corey Mace. The second year Stamp will be counted on to produce in a full time role as never before.

On the offensive side of the ball, Hufnagel is counting on one of the tandem of Bender and Deane to step into what will be a relatively young O-line with Dimitri Tsoumpas holding the greyest beard with just 3 years exp.

Otherwise, the leagues best offense will return relatively unchanged; unless new draft pick Anthony Parker can break into the lineup out of camp. As a non-import possession receiver, Parker may turn out to be the best pick in the draft in a league where Canadian status can sometimes overshadow talent at certain positions. Should Parker live up to potential, that opens a position elsewhere to be filled by a non-import.

Of course the Stamps will again measure success only by one standard. Get to and win the Grey Cup. One Team, One Goal and I will tell you all about it this year on the CFL Bloggity.

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