CFL.ca
CALGARY — The secret to Calgary’s 13-1-1 record this season? Well, there are many.
There’s the production from Bo Levi Mitchell and his receivers . . . the league-low 20 giveaways . . . even the discipline — the Stamps rank second in the league with only 120 penalties.
The one thing you can’t miss, quite literally, is the Stamps’ O-line. That five-man unit, whoever is starting on a given day, is the biggest and best in the CFL and has played a leading role in the Stampeders’ success this season.
While Mitchell heads towards his first Most Outstanding Player honour and Dave Dickenson likely follows suit with a coach of the year award in his first season in charge, the work of the Stamps’ O-line hasn’t gone unnoticed.
It’s that group that has kept Mitchell standing while allowing him to throw 4,871 yards and a league-leading 29 touchdown passes, all while being sacked just once every 40.1 dropbacks:
While Mitchell has had an easy time in the pocket, Calgary’s O-line has also paved the way for the league’s leading rusher in Jerome Messam (1,002 yards).
Part of it has to do with its size. At an average height of 6-foot-5 and a weight of 331 pounds, Calgary’s offensive line is by far the biggest and most powerful in the league.
The average CFL O-line weighs an average of 311.6 pounds — nearly five pounds fewer than the lightest member of the Stamps’ O-line, Dan Federkeil at 316 pounds.
Four of five starters on the Stamps’ O-line in Week 16 weigh more than 320 pounds. The Bombers are the only other team with multiple players weighing more than 320 pounds, and they only have two.
CFL STARTING OFFENSIVE LINES IN WEEK 16
| TEAM | AVG WT | AVG HT |
| CGY | 331 | 6-5 |
| WPG | 318.2 | 6-5 |
| EDM | 317.6 | 6-7 |
| MTL | 310.6 | 6-5 |
| BC | 309 | 6-6 |
| SSK | 308 | 6-5 |
| HAM | 306 | 6-3 |
| OTT | 303.6 | 6-5 |
| TOR | 300.2 | 6-4 |
In 1999, the Hamilton Tiger-Cats set the record with seven sacks allowed throughout 18 games. Danny McManus was the quarterback then and you can bet he wasn’t escaping pressure with his legs. No, McManus couldn’t be touched in the pocket and the Ticats won the Grey Cup as a result.
If teams can’t touch Bo Levi Mitchell then Mitchell won’t be stopped and neither will the Stampeders. And with an O-line that’s been able to survive injury and still dominate opponents on a weekly basis, don’t count on that happening any time soon.
