OTTAWA – Restlessness has begun to set in. The sense of cabin fever, of prickly anticipation, is mounting.

“Yeah, I think we’re there at that point,’’ acknowledges fullback Rob Cote.  “You can feel it today, a little tension, a little added excitement.

“And that’s the feeling you want. You want the horses at the gate, itching to run.

“You don’t want them back in the barn somewhere, going: ‘Ah, I got time …’, munching on some straw.

“No, no.

“We’re itching to run right now.”

A shade over 24 hours from Grey Cup 2017 kick-off and the Stampeders are counting down the days, the hours, the minutes.

Enough build-up already.

Get this party started.

“I’m ready get to dressed up and go play now,’’ admits D-lineman Micah Johnson. “But no one’s listening to what I say.

“So you just gotta maintain your energy, put it to use in the right way. Stick to as close to your normal routine as you can.

“The night before the game, I’m not looking at the playbook. There’s no more studying I’m doing. Just trying to get my body right, make sure I’m hydrated, stretching constantly, maybe get a massage or some form of chiro set up. Little things like that, to keep your body fresh.

“Personally, this game can’t come fast enough. We’ve had our sights set on it for a long time.

“Actually now, as it gets closer, though, the time seems to be almost slowing down.

“I mean, that’s kinda where we’re at.”

Making his third Grey Cup appearance, receiver Anthony Parker admits the tedium of the week, considering the amped-up stakes, can become a trifle trying.

“Ready to go? Totally. Especially after (Thursday). We had the big media day and you’re asked the same question 150 times, over and over and over.

“Either that or you just sit there and don’t have to say a word.

“It can be more tiring than the actual game.

“So the overwhelming feeling is: ‘Goodness, let’s just play already.’ Then all the questions will be answered.

“We can talk about it all week, two weeks if you want to, but at the end of the day it comes down to what we do on Sunday.

“Because the Grey Cup is such a production, even on game day. We go out and warm-up, ‘Yeah we’re gonna play’, yada-yada-yada, and then maybe 40 minutes later you’re taking the field. Same thing at halftime, it’s 30 minutes, 40 minutes.

“There’s this build-up. You’re sitting there, waiting and all you want to do is step on the field and smack into somebody.”

The smacking begins in deadly earnest Sunday afternoon.

“There’s a feeling within this group, this time, that nothing is guaranteed,’’ stresses Cote. “In this game, in life.

“We’ve seen a lot of success and you get worried that the amount of success is going to make people think this is given, not earned.

“We’ve earned it up to this point but that gives us nothing on Sunday.”

The horses are at the gate, itching to run. And they’re almost at the post …

“It’s one of those things you’ve gotta kind of control,’’ says Parker, “recognize the week for what it’s going to be.

“But now that we’re getting close, don’t get too excited because you can burn yourself out thinking about it, staying up at night – I know some guys have trouble sleeping.

“Just be aware, smart about certain things, keep your eyes on the prize and make sure you’re prepared to turn it on when the lights come on.”