Courtesy Calgary Herald:

While he claims not to read the sports section, listen to radio talk shows or watch sportscasts, Henry Burris was somehow wise to the local theme regarding his team Thursday.

Following a spirited offensive workout, the Calgary Stampeders quarterback playfully mocked the few media members in attendance.

“Wow! Look at all this disarray out here!” he howled, dripping with sarcasm. “Team Dissension!”

Talk around the Stamps this week has mainly focused on coaching changes, a coaching meltdown and personnel decisions, while few outside McMahon Stadium have given them a chance to win Sunday’s West Division semifinal against the Saskatchewan Roughriders.

Meanwhile, those who will put on shoulder pads and determine the outcome remain unfazed.

In fact, if anything, their resolve is firmer than ever.

“Let people think what they want to think,” said 14-year veteran Jay McNeil. “It’s people who don’t understand what’s going on. They’re not in our locker-room. They have no idea that we had a great practice today and a great practice yesterday.

“It really doesn’t matter what’s going on outside this locker-room or what people perceive to be happening. The more people underestimate us, the better it’s going to be.”

Some suggest the team could be sidetracked by the inevitable fate of head coach Tom Higgins, who will be replaced by John Hufnagel after this Canadian Football League season. But players first read that headline in the Herald four months ago, so when these pages revealed Wednesday that a deal was done, it was old news.

“You just let the front office make their decisions,” said slotback Nik Lewis. “We’re here, we get paid to play and that’s what we’re going to do.”

On Wednesday, offensive-line coach Kris Sweet was agitated about running back Joffrey Reynolds being late for a meeting because he was doing an interview. Sweet lambasted the scribe (this scribe), but his group spent much of Thursday’s practice making light of the situation. So much for coaching dysfunction.

Vegas oddsmakers made the Stamps six-point underdogs and many observers are calling for a wider margin of defeat. Calgary players have heard some predictions and implore everyone to cast their lot on the ‘Riders.

“All the pressure is on Saskatchewan,” said guard Bobby Singh. “They’re hosting their first playoff game since 1988, they have a whole bunch of fans to please and the weight of Saskatchewan on their shoulders.

“I was saying to Laz (centre Rob Lazeo) when we were stretching, ‘We’re coming together at a real good time.’”

So, amidst wild speculation and pessimism, a team that finished the regular season with a 7-10-1 record and lost six of its last seven games actually is feeling good about itself.

All the naysaying and adversity is simply galvanizing their ranks.

“It’s not a room divided,” said Higgins. “It’s a group that’s very focused. We’ve had two outstanding practices, the game plans are beautifully implemented, now they need to be executed.

“The only thing we can do is show by our performance on Sunday exactly what this football team is about.”

And that’s the ultimate motivator.

It doesn’t matter who their coaches are or who’s signing their pay cheques, these men play for themselves, for each other and for pride.

Newspaper headlines and television highlights won’t affect who wins or loses. They will.

“All the negativity is a joke,” said Burris. “We don’t sense any of that. Our guys are focused on getting better this week and getting ready for a big game against a team that beat us last year and twice this season.

“We’re having fun with each other and working hard. Guys are also that much closer together because of all the adversity and frustration we’ve dealt with this year. Now, we’re in a situation where, if we win, we move on and three games is all it takes to be at the top of the hill.”