Stamps’ D-line even deeper with Johnson

Micah Johnson was bored.

Or rather, he was “so bored,” as he put it so succinctly Tuesday.

While his teammates got to work on the field the last couple weeks during Calgary Stampeders training camp, Johnson was stuck putting in reps at the gym and attending meetings while he recovered from off-season knee surgery.

On Tuesday, though, Johnson was finally back on the field at practice. Whether he’ll be ready for Saturday’s regular-season opener against the Hamilton Tiger-Cats is unclear, but knowing Johnson is getting close to a return is good news for the Stampeders.

“He’s a good player and at times he looks unblockable,” said Stampeders head coach Dave Dickenson. “He has to get in shape and has to prove he’s ready to go, but he’s an emotional leader, as well, in the (defensive line).”

I think it’s the deepest we’ve been on the D-line since I’ve been here. We’ve got playmakers everywhere, inside and out.

Johnson returns to the field as the centrepiece for a defensive line that promises to be dominant.

Charleston Hughes was traded away in the off-season, but while the Stamps may have lost the CFL leader in sacks for the last two seasons, they aren’t short on guys who can make life hard on quarterbacks.

Johnson had more sacks than any other defensive tackle in the league last year with nine and finished only two sacks back of Hughes for the league lead.

The other defensive tackle job will be split between Junior Turner, Ese Mrabure and Derek Wiggan, a fearsome trio of Canadians.

At the two defensive end spots, the Stamps will be lining up some combination of Ja’Gared Davis — who also had nine sacks last year despite playing in 10 games — Cordarro Law and James Vaughters.

“I think it’s the deepest we’ve been on the D -line since I’ve been here,” said Johnson, who joined the Stamps in 2013. “We’ve got playmakers everywhere, inside and out. It’s amazing to me to see just how much (Wiggan) has developed. We’ve finally got (Turner) back in there. With the addition of Mrabure, he looks great.

“I’m just very excited. Our Dends, from Law to Ja’Gared and you’ve got Vaughters, I think those guys could start and make impacts everywhere.”

While Johnson is more inclined to speak about the potential of his fellow D-linemen than he is about himself, it’s worth noting the 29-year-old might be as important as anybody to what the Stampeders try to do on defence.

He’s coming off two straight seasons that got him named to the CFL all-star team and he causes serious problems for offensive linemen trying to protect their quarterbacks and open holes for running backs to burst through.

Asked whether he’s aiming to do better than last year and lead the league in sacks this year, Johnson was cautious with his response.

“I mean ... yeah, I think so. My biggest thing is I just want to come out and be my best and be a problem for the offence,” Johnson said. “It’s crazy because D -tackles, sometimes the sacks roll your way or they don’t.

“I kind of felt it was some luck for me last year .... With the ends we have rushing and the talent across the board, I think that’ll make it easier on me and take pressure off each of us. I don’t think there’s one guy you can key on. If the offence keys on me, there’s plenty of other guys who can go out there and have great games.”

It’s hard to disagree with Johnson’s assessment and that should signal that good things lie ahead for the Stampeders this season.

The Stamps allowed the least points of any team in the CFL last season and with a deep group of linebackers lining up behind this talent-heavy defensive line, they have the potential to be just as dominant.