The Stampeders were on the field under sunny skies this morning as they prepare for their final pre-season game. The team travels to Regina to take on the Roughriders on Thursday night at 8 p.m.

In yesterday’s practice defensive back Keon Raymond suffered a sprained ankle and today head coach John Hufnagel says he expects the veteran to miss Thursday’s game.  He should be ready to go by the time the season opener rolls around on June 28.

The Stamps have one practice tomorrow and a walkthrough on Wednesday leading up to Thursday’s match-up. You can listen to the game on News Talk 770 with Mark Stephen and Greg Peterson with the pre-game show beginning at 6:30 p.m.

In the trenches with Mike Gibson

The Calgary Stampeders have one of the nicest luxuries a team could ask for – they are returning the same hogs that bulldozed defensive lines and helped Jon Cornish set a new Canadian record for rushing yards.

Besides Obby Khan, who retired, all of the other key members of the offensive line from last season are coming back for another go-around.

“We expect to take the next step and continue to get better, game in and game out, day in and day out. If we do that, we’ll be fine,” opined offensive line coach Mike Gibson. “Our biggest critics are ourselves. It’s an internal thing but we want to be the leaders of the team. We want to be the guys you can rely on.”

Whether fans see the same starting five as last season, that remains to be seen.

Gibson has an abundance of players with which to work. In addition to the eight veterans from the 2012 campaign who all saw starting time, there is the addition of highly touted rookies Brett Jones and Billy Peach, and NFL veteran but CFL rookie Dan Federkeil.

“We’ve got depth,” Gibson said. “It’ll all take care of itself. Due to injuries and due to everything else, it’ll all work itself out. My job is to get them in the right place, going in the right direction and their job is to make it hard on us.”

A couple of spots are essentially all but locked up.

Dimitri Tsoumpas was the lone CFL all-star on the offensive line from last season, and he’ll be back at his right guard slot.

Some say Jon Gott was the best centre in the CFL last season, and worthy of an all-star selection. He’ll be back snapping the ball.

J’Micheal Deane is back situated at left guard, but the tackle positions are still up in the air.

Federkeil has slotted into the starting right tackle hole, but injuries have slowed him down in training camp. Na’Shan Goddard was last season’s right tackle before a knee injury sidelined him. He’s also battled injuries this training camp.

Gibson loves Spencer Wilson’s versatility to play all five spots on the line while Stanley Bryant served as the swing tackle last season, finding time on both the right and left sides. Then there’s Edwin Harrison, who protected Kevin Glenn’s blind side last season for parts of the season. Steve Myddleton is an established player in the league at the guard spot.

Add in the mix of Jones and Peach, who can play in the middle of the line, but likely need time to develop their skills.

All that means is that the coaching staff is going to have to make some tough cuts come the end of training camp.

“We are doing a nice job,” Gibson said. “Our first unit is coming together. We’ve had a few injuries so that’s set us back but at the same time, it’s camp. There are some good days and some bad days.”

Q&A with Shawn Lemon

How did the game go for you on Friday night 

I think I did some things well. There’s still a lot of room for improvement. I’m just trying to get better this week, working on the little things, try to hit home on some sacks.

How has training camp been going?

Camp is going pretty good. I’m just getting adjusted to different coaching styles and getting adjusted to different terminology.

Some of your teammates in Edmonton played for defensive coordinator Rick Campbell before. Did you talk to any of them about what to expect?

I talked to a couple of guys. I heard a lot of good things. That’s kind of what geared me towards Calgary. I had some other teams interested too, but I kind of had my eye on Calgary.

You knew Stevie Baggs before you came here. How has he helped you?

I knew Stevie Baggs. I met him in 2010. He’s always been a positive person. He’s always helped me out and given me words of encouragement throughout the CFL process.

Photo Gallery

Photos: Photos from training camp – June 17

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Tomorrow’s Schedule 

The Stamps have one practice at 10:35 a.m. at McMahon Stadium.