With some substantial turnover in the off-season, many pundits questioned the Stampeders secondary.

However, with the mix of internal replacements and free agents, the unit has been fantastic through the early part of the 2018 season.

The fact the team has been without talented second-year safety Tunde Adeleke and two-time all-star Jamar Wall for the past two games has only further highlighted the depth and versatility of the group.

Many defensive backs, including sophomore Patrick Levels, have been playing out of their natural positions, as well.

“When I came here, I came here to make plays, so an opportunity is all I needed,” said Levels. “Getting the opportunity is more what you need than the position that you’re playing.

“You don’t set yourself small and say, ‘I only play this or that position.’ I just always want to be a versatile guy, a utility guy, a guy that can always come in and have no drop-off in whatever position I’m playing that day.

“It’s always important to be versatile, to be successful as a defensive group. Having the injuries and then having guys step up has been huge for us.”

Defensive backs coach Josh Bell has been preaching the importance of being able to play in different spots for this exact reason.

“It’s extremely important,” Bell said of position versatility. “It’s what we teach from day one. You’ve got to be able to play more than one position. The more you can do, the more valuable you are to not only our team, but any professional team. We try to encourage that in our room and guys have to go out and play.

“I think it’s a tribute to what we stand for in our room and guys being selfless, guys all competing from day one. If you’re a starter, you’re trying to separate from the back-ups. If you’re a back-up, you’re competing to be a starter. Everyone wants to play, so no one is sitting around and complaining, they’re just being ready for when their number is called.”

And he’s thankful for the players he’s been given.

“It’s real good for me as a rookie coach to have guys like Berger to count on and guys like Tre [Roberson] stepping up that can play,” Bell said. “We’ve still got guys that no one knows about who can play. So, it’s a good thing in my room. I just try to keep those guys fresh, make sure they know what they’re doing, and get out of the way so they can make plays.”

And making plays is what they’ve done.

Whether it was Ciante Evans’ huge goal-line tackle or the trio of interceptions against Ottawa last game, the DB’s are flying around and doing what they need to do to get the ball back in the hands of the offence.

“I only say one thing. I don’t know a lot about football, but I know one thing and that’s get the ball,” Bell stated. “That’s the only thing that matters.”

“When the balls come to us, we have to make those plays and we pride ourselves on being ball hawks,” added Levels. “Last game was definitely letting the league know that we’ve got guys back there who can make plays and are going to make plays, so be careful where you throw it.”