D-line depth helping smooth loss of Hughes
2nd-year Stamp Law steps in to lend a hand
With the unique presence that is Charleston Hughes on the sidelines, filling up that hole at defensive end could have been tantamount to impossible ... were it not for the talent the Stampeders are blessed with on the defensive line.
Save for the first quarter of last weekend’s victory over Montreal — when no area of the field was safe from fault — the guys on the line, buoyed by a couple of newbies to the team, continued to make life unpleasant for the opposing offence. Filling in for Hughes and doing his part was Cordarro Law, who lined up beside Kevin Huntley, Demonté Bolden and Shawn Lemon.
“Charleston’s a big-name guy around here, he’s pretty good,” quipped the six-foot-two, 262-pound Law. “I played a pretty good game but nothing compared to him. But I contributed to the win.”
Law sells himself short. In two games he’s appeared in this season, he has collected six tackles and is second on the team with two quarterback sacks.
“It’s big to lead the team in sacks, mainly that’s our job, to get to the quarterback,” the second-year Stamp said. “But I’m not just going out there playing for sacks; another guy gets them, I’m so happy for him. That’s the love I have for my teammates.”
Tied with Law in the sack department is Lemon, who after coming over from Edmonton has made a statement on the D-line, as his 14 tackles will attest to.
“I feel like I’ve played pretty well, but there’s always room for improvement,” the six-foot-one, 249-pound end said. “That’s why Coach (DeVone) Claybrooks is a good coach; he helps us realize good is only good enough. There’s always room to get better.
“It’s most definitely a testament to the coaching. We’re a tight-knight group, on and off the field, and try to build the camaraderie, a brotherhood. Coach Claybrooks keeps us very tight together; everyone has their own personalities and play dif- ferent ways ... just to get everybody to bond and be on the same page as far as rushing the passer as a D-line and not as an individual.”
Ah, rushing that passer, which could just as easily be Justin Goltz as it could be Buck Pierce on Friday in Winnipeg. The latter suffered an abdominal injury in the Bombers’ last game and his status will be determined Wednesday.
“The good thing about that situation is that both of them are similar style quarterbacks,” said Lemon. “Both are pretty athletic, they throw the ball well, so you can prepare for both as the same.
“It (sacking the QB) is not really a main focus. It’s a reward. As long as we’re winning and playing good defence and as a D-line, I couldn’t care less what the sack total is. As long as I have a Grey Cup ring at the end of the year.”
One of the defensive line’s biggest boosters is one of the guys sitting out due to a wrist injury.
“A couple of young guys have come in and stepped up and that just adds to the depth of the defence,” acknowledged Hughes. “It shows not only do we have a good group of core guys, we have even back-ups who can start on teams and it’s good to know you have people like that behind you.”
Head coach/GM John Hufnagel wasn’t terribly optimistic about a Hughes return this weekend, though the man himself was still upbeat.
“It’s feeling pretty good. Day to day, feeling better,” he said with a grin. “It’s a part of football. I haven’t missed a game in a while. It’s pretty disappointing to myself especially how I’ve started the season; I had certain goals set for myself. It’s just a minor setback. I’ll be back on the field pretty soon.”