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One of the great, unheralded stories of this CFL season is the play of the young Stampeders offensive line.
When the Stamps faced Saskatchewan in Week 15, centre Rob Lazeo was the only starter who had any CFL starting experience prior to the 2008 season. Right guard Dimitri Tsoumpas, left tackle Jesse Newman and right tackle Ben Archibald are in their first CFL seasons and left guard Derek Armstrong had never played a CFL snap in anything other than short-yardage formations.
Even the backups — Tim O’Neill and Fabio Filice — had very limited pro experience. Injuries to veteran Jeff Pilon and Godfrey Ellis, combined with the off-season departure of some key veterans, forced the Stamps into a major youth movement.
Despite the inexperience of Calgary’s o-line, the Stamps have only given up 21 sacks this season (second in CFL) and they average 6.3 yards per carry (third).
| PLAYER | GP (2008) | GP (pre-2008) |
| Rob Lazeo | 14 | 154 |
| Dimitri Tsoumpas | 14 | 0 |
| Tim O’Neill | 13 | 0 |
| Jesse Newman | 12 | 0 |
| Fabio Filice | 11 | 24 |
| Jeff Pilon | 11 | 115 |
| Ben Archibald | 9 | 0 |
| Derek Armstrong | 7 | 13 |
| Antonio Hall | 5 | 3 |
| Godfrey Ellis | 2 | 52 |