He’s the strongest adhesive known to McMahon Stadium. That ultra-powerful Super Glue-sticky bonding agent lacking of late.

“That’s what everybody calls me,’’ notes Marquay McDaniel, somewhat ruefully. “The Glue of the offence.

“Maybe ’cause I’m the one preaching always the little things to our group, making sure they’re on top of the situation.

“Man, I sure hope I can help glue things together a week from now.”

Yes, wth the Western Final coming into ever-sharper focus, the return of slotback McDaniel from a minor knee knock to a stuttering Calgary Stampeders offence cannot be overemphasized.

Being in the right place at the right time.

That’s something of a habit with him.

“I’ve been good for a while,’’ confesses McDaniel, following an early Saturday morning workout. “If playoffs were sooner, I could’ve been back sooner.

“But we had first locked up and I wanted to make sure I was 100 per cent good to go.”

For a relatively youngish group of Stampeder pass-catchers, McDaniel functions not only as a role model to emulate, but as the oracle, the calming presence, the father confessor, the tough-love drill sergeant, the walking, talking encyclopedia of do’s and don’ts when it comes to defensive coverages.

“I was just looking at it and I’m like ‘Wow!’Me and (Anthony) Parker are really the ones with any real experience’,’’ laughs McDaniel. “Normally, in the past years we’ve had veteran receivers, who’ve all been in the system two, three, four years.

“These guys are all good kids, good players. They just need a friendly reminder every once in awhile.

“Defences are always changing so you’ve got to kind of figure it out on the go.”

On an ever-spinning injury carousel of receivers this season, McDaniel still finished top of the Stampeder heap with 65 snags for 860 yards.

His value though goes far, far beyond mere numbers.

“With Quay, it’s no different than the guys of the past, Nik (Lewis) or Cope (Jeremaine Copeland) or Ram (Ken-Yon Rambo),’’ reasons long-time receivers coach Pete Costanza. “The solid Steady Eddie. The guy everyone looks to. The guy everyone takes their lead from.

“And it’ll be big for Bo (Levi Mitchell). Quay and Bo are always on the same page.

“I’m always joking that he’s Bo’s security blanket. And the thing about Quay, even when he’s not getting a lot of looks because of the way the coverage is being played, just his presence on the field makes a difference.

“To everybody.”

McDaniel is like that family member you know you can always count on, the one that makes you feel, no matter how hairy the circumstances might get, that in the end everything’s going to be okay.

“To me,’’ says quarterback Mitchell, “it’s the trust I have that he can help me communicate things with the other receivers, instead of me doing it a lot during a game. Takes things off my plate. Helps me focus on other areas.

“Do we miss Quay when he’s not there? Man, what do you think?

“It’s a big deal for those younger guys, a confidence booster just having him out there. The guy’s talent is second to none.

“He’s such a detailed route-runner. He understands leverage. He understands speed.

“And when I’m in a tough spot, usually there’s Quay.”

Well, after absorbing three losses in a row to end the season – something that hadn’t happened for a full decade – the Stamps do find themselves in a tough spot.

After spectating for those three disappointments, The Glue is back to help bond the Stampeder offence in the biggest game of the year.

“What was frustrating,’’ he says of his time on the sidelines, “is that we weren’t that far away. It just seems there was something on every play. One guy on every play.

“But something, one guy, that’s all it takes to disrupt everything.

“Since I’ve been here, especially offensively, that’s never been the case. The main thing I’m telling our (receivers) right now is you’ve got to play with your eyes. You can’t just know your job. That’s not pro football. That’s high school football, right?

“That’s so big. Especially with our offence, it’s the little things you need to do if the defence is doing this or doing that.

“We know what our jobs but it’s those adjustments that make the difference.

“So there’s that. And some if it just comes down to manning up.

“Well, this game is for a trip to the Grey Cup.

“Time to man up.”