Courtesy Caglary Herald:

The Calgary Stampeders’ defensive performance spoke for itself Thursday night, limiting the B.C. Lions to just 295 yards of total offence.

The defensive depth? Well, that’s what really caught John Hufnagel’s eye.

The Stamps coach and general manager was working the phones on Friday, looking for some fresh bodies to step in after defensive ends Funtaine Hunter (hamstring) and Juwan Simpson (ankle) and middle linebacker Saleem Rasheed (shoulder) were all lost to injuries.

But Hufnagel could take some solace from the fact his backups came in and delivered under fire in the second half.

“It was really nice to see them be able to plug the holes when we had the injuries, and keep playing really good solid football,” said Hufnagel. “That was very pleasing to see.”

Making the most of the opportunities were the likes of defensive linemen Justin Phillips and Randy Chevrier, who performed admirably in the second half, while Mike Labinjo proved his worth by shifting seamlessly from defensive linemen to middle linebacker.

The Stamps already had one insurance policy in place prior to the game after signing defensive end Julian Jenkins, a former fifth-round pick in the NFL draft by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, to the practice roster last Sunday.

As well, Calgary is expected to welcome back defensive lineman Charleston Hughes, who made it to the final round of cuts during training camp before being released.

“It is really frustrating,” said Rasheed, who suffered his injury when he fell awkwardly on his shoulder during the first quarter.

“It’s all part of God’s plan, and that’s what gives me a little peace in this situation. Everything happens for a reason.

“But it is frustrating to go out there and get hurt so early. I didn’t really miss any of training camp, and I was healthy all through the roughest part, and then when the fun time comes, I get injured. But hopefully I can get back out there and join the fellas real soon.”

“You go out and you feel like you’re having a good game, and something like this happens,” added Simpson, who had one of four Calgary sacks on the night.

“But you just bounce back from it; it makes you work a lot harder.”

While there was concern for the fallen teammates, there also was a sense of optimism at what was accomplished on Thursday night, in the wake of a 2007 campaign when Calgary gave up the most points in the league.

“We had four new starters on our line, and we wanted to show the league that we’re very capable,” said defensive tackle Eddie Freeman.

“And considering the team we played, that wasn’t no Little Sisters of the Poor.

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