Courtesy Hamilton Spectator:

A series of preseason status reports on CFL teams

Today: The Calgary Stampeders

They’ve got the horses to score. But can they defend?

That will be one of the central questions facing the Calgary Stampeders this season as the club hopes to rebound from a disappointing 7-10-1 record in 2007.

With veteran passer Henry Burris taking the reins once again, the chuckwagon crew scored 473 points last season (third best in the league). But the southern Albertans surrendered a league-high 527 points. New defensive co-ordinator Chris Jones, who joins the club from Montreal, obviously has his work cut out.

But it’s a new era in the wild west.

Former Canadian Football League quarter John Hufnagel returns after a 12-year absence from the league to serve as the Stampeders’ GM and head coach.

Hufnagel told a CFL teleconference yesterday the greatest coaching challenge he will face will be injecting some snarl in the Calgary defence. Three former Tiger-Cats may help with that. During the off-season the Stamps added former Cat linebacker Jo-Juan Armour, free safety Richard Karikari and cornerback Dwight Anderson.

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