Courtesy Regina Leader Post:

REGINA - The slogan to start this season was a cheesy refrain of “One city. One team. One goal.”

Five months later, the Calgary Stampeders are beating the same “One” drum but with a different tune.

As they head into today’s West Division semifinal against the Saskatchewan Roughriders, their ambitions are best summed up as: “One game. One hope. One Henry Burris.”

If the Stamps live to see another day, it will be because of their No. 1 quarterback, who happens to wear No. 1.

“When he’s hot,” Saskatchewan defensive tackle Scott Schultz said on Saturday, “there’s no one better in this league. He’s the real deal.”

Any Canadian with a television and an interest in three-down football has seen the show-stopping, jaw-dropping brilliance of Burris.

On a good day, he’s been known to throw for 400 yards, toss five touchdowns and further terrorize defenders with his mobility. He’s capable of carrying a team for three games, which is what Calgary needs to earn a Grey Cup ring.

But playoff contests haven’t been his strength the past two seasons, as six interceptions and two lost fumbles attest. His turnovers were fatal in a semifinal loss to Saskatchewan last year and the Edmonton Eskimos a year earlier.

“I look at this as an opportunity to turn things around from where they once were,” said Burris. “My decision-making is better this year and I won’t do things I’ve done in the past.

“We’ve had a feeling this season that we were in control whenever we were on the field. We’ve been able to dictate games and it’s going to be interesting to see how we stack up against a team like Saskatchewan in this situation.”

Burris threw a career-high 34 touchdown passes and led the CFL with a 102.0 passer rating this year. He also completed 60.5 per cent of his passes, racked up 4,279 yards and had just 14 interceptions. These numbers came despite missing four games - two with a dislocated shoulder and two to rest for the post-season.

Now, he’s ready to take the next step in his development.

“For a quarterback, you’re defined by how far you can take a team in the playoffs,” said guard Jay McNeil. “The last two years, not being his fault, we haven’t advanced past the first round. That’s the way people see it. This is a great opportunity for him to go out and prove everybody wrong.”

“He’s going to take it to the next level,” said slotback Jeremaine Copeland. “Without question. You’re going to see something special.”

Buoyed by the support of offensive co-ordinator George Cortez, Burris’ development spiked in 2006 and his consistency has improved. In 10 of his last 11 starts, Burris has thrown for at least 300 yards and multiple touchdowns.

He’s smarter, calmer and more efficient than ever before.

“On each play that we’ve run this year, I know exactly what the objective is and how I’m going to get it done,” said Burris. “Then, I can take my time.

“I no longer try to outrun people. That was one of the things in the past that got me in trouble. I’m not Kerry Joseph, I never will be, I’ll never try to be. I’m not a Vince Young or a Michael Vick. I’m Henry Burris. I’ll look to get those extra few yards, but I’m getting down.

“Because of that, it’s allowed me to protect the ball better and it’s also cut down on me throwing interceptions. I’ll take the easy stuff and the rest will come. That patience has allowed us to have more success and consistency on offence.”

The Stamps need Burris to be at his best because they face long odds to fulfill their goals this post-season. They own a 7-10-1 record and no CFL team has won a Grey Cup with seven wins since the league adopted an 18-game schedule in 1986.

They also have just one win in their last seven starts, so momentum is non-existent.

But head coach Tom Higgins admits his team knew it would finish third in the West Division since October and coasted to the finish line - mainly by resting Burris - with an eye towards this date.

“We took the ultimate risk and put all the eggs into this one basket,” he said. “Sometimes you have to do that. We’ll see if it pays dividends or not. If we come out flat and don’t move the football, then what we did wasn’t the way to go.”

Burris obviously can’t win this game alone, but the Stamps can’t win it without him near his bes