The men in position to rewrite a small slice of local history seem singularly unimpressed by the opportunity.

“Scores,’’ protests the big man wearing the just-so tilted ballcap, Calgary Stampeders’ defensive co-ordinator DeVone Claybrooks, “are not important.

“Winning is important.

“Nothing else.

“As long as we win … whatever. It’s all good.

“I could care less if we win 49-48 or it’s 12-6. If we’re the team celebrating at the end, I can sleep nights.”

Being in charge of a resistance as flat-out miserly as his can be, you’ve gotta think Claybrooks slumbers like a baby most nights.

The fewest points surrendered by a Stampeders’ defence since the league bumped up to 18 games from 16 back in 1986 – 32 years ago – is 346, set in 2015.

With B.C., twice, Winnipeg and Saskatchewan remaining on the regular-season dance card, the current edition has a legitimate shot at eclipsing that franchise record.

After 14 starts, it’s been dinged for only 270 points, giving up a shade over 19 per outing. Average 19 against the rest of the way and they’d tie the 2015 mark.
Another suffocating, quarterback-hunting display to match Saturday’s complete muffling of Johnny and the Montreal Alouettes and shaving a few points off the 346 will not be at issue.

“Did not know that,’’ responds interior lineman Junior Turner, part of the record-setting 2015 crew. “And I really don’t care.

“If it comes with a Grey Cup, by all means. If not, wouldn’t matter. The next opponent is B.C. and we’re locked into the game plan.

“If a record happens, that’s great. But nobody here is thinking about records. We’re thinking only about the end goal.”

Even with a first-place clinch and the bye possible this weekend, should desperate Blue Bombers beat Saskatchewan at home and the Stamps polish off B.C., don’t expect Dave Dickenson’s gang to ease up on the throttle any.

“We know we can’t take any days off,’’ pledges veteran DB Jamar Wall, also a part of the Class of 2015. “No one here is going to relax. Believe me. Whenever or whether we clinch (first place) or not, the mindset doesn’t change, the standards don’t change, the process doesn’t change.”

Beyond the ‘Stampeder football trademark, a non-negotiable standard that has produced more wins than any other CFL franchise over the past decade-plus, what are the qualities that set this particular group apart?

“What impresses me the most,’’ reckons Claybrooks, who’s graduated from D-line coach to co-ordinator since 2015, “is that no matter how a game goes or whatever the flow is, nobody points fingers. Nobody blames. There’s belief. You believe in your culture. You believe in each other. We can be down 14 points with two minutes left and we still think we’ve got a shot. Or we can be up 30 and our only thought is to step on somebody’s throat.

“What else is impressive in my opinion is the way we’ve rebounded from the two Grey Cup hiccups. You take other successful teams, even in the NFL, see how they re-load and answer. Whether you win or you come close, that’s a tough thing to do.

“You look at Seattle, coming off their loss (Super Bowl XLIX, in 2015). Or Philly this year, after winning it all last season.

“Our team, there’s no drop-off. We still come out, show the fight, the drive, the resolve, to get back to and finish our mission.”

Still, downplay the opportunity to break franchise record as they may, reaching the finish line in under 346 against and maintaining crucial momentum heading into the post-season do have a definite hand-in-glove effect.

“Oh, it’d be cool,’’ concedes Wall. “The best in how long did you say? Thirty-two years. I’d have been two then.

“If we come out, do our jobs, hold each other accountable, stick to our standards, that record will fall. But we don’t dwell on records or anything of that nature. We just want to stick to our business.

“That’s what we’re all about here:

“Sticking to business.”