Broadway Joe Namath once quipped, “When you win, nothing hurts.”

That’s a sentiment the Calgary Stampeders defensive corps can probably attest to following their Week 7 victory over their green horde rivals, the Saskatchewan Roughriders.

Since the season kicked off June 28 with the home-opener against the BC Lions, only three of the 12 defensive starters from that game have managed to avoid a trip to the injured list.

Depending on the status of Brandon Smith this week, that number could be two; and that’s only in the first third of the CFL season.

With so many injuries to one unit alone, it’s incredible to think that the Stamps have managed to rattle off four straight victories and boast the league’s third-best defence allowing 328.8 yards-per-game.

For some sports teams, this amount of injuries to key positions has derailed entire seasons, bringing doubt and frustration to the affected squads, but not the Stampeders.

“Yeah, it’s disappointing that we’ve got guys hurt but the thing I like is that we don’t ever talk about it,” says Rick Campbell, defensive coordinator for Red and White. “Obviously, we know it’s going on but we never sit there and dwell on it thinking, ‘Oh my, what are we going to do now?’ ”

Campbell, to his credit, has done a masterful job of plugging in replacements for injured players without affecting the team’s performance on the field.

“It’s just been our attitude,” says the master of X’s and O’s. “I think guys know, which we sold guys on at the starting of last year, if you’re here, you’re going to play sometime. And even though you are out for a week or two, you can’t get discouraged, you have to keep practising and prepare like you’re going to play so that when your chance comes, you are ready to go.”

His charges are certainly buying in. Last Friday, the Stampeders defence was able to weather the storm of a Riders offence that appeared to have caught their second wind during halftime.

A crucial fourth-quarter sack of Darian Durant in the Saskatchewan end-zone for a safety, by Game 2 insert Demonte’ Bolden, proved to be a momentum-stopper as the Stamps went on to claim a 42-27 victory and a share of first place in the West Division.

Along with the preparation Campbell expects his players to make week in and week out, he points to the help of veteran leadership in players like Juwan Simpson with the ability for the defence to keep calm and carry on.

“I just try to keep the enthusiasm going, try to keep guys positive,” says Simpson. “At the end of the day, all these guys are players and are capable of being starters anywhere in this league. It’s easy for me to just come in and just keep the ball rolling.”

This isn’t the first time Campbell and Simpson have had to team up to fight through the injury obstacles.

Last year, the Stamps played under similar circumstances as the defensive backs, among other positions, began to fill up the trainer’s room faster than the lunch room on pizza day.

“It kind of seems like (déjà vu). You feel like one season you have an injury bug so the next year you’ll be good,” says Simpson, a six-year vet and emotional catalyst for the defence. “It’s not our first time so guys understand that — definitely on this team — at any moment you’ve got to be ready to play. It’s still early in the season so hopefully things get better in the second half.”

One aspect to the defence’s success that can’t be overlooked is the hard work that has gone into bringing in the type of depth and talent needed to achieve this kind of success.

“It’s just been the next guy up,” says Campbell. “That’s a credit to our personnel department for finding good players and then a credit to our coaches.”

Deron Mayo is a product of that talent search and a first-class example of the “next guy up” attitude.

Signed by the Stampeders in May of 2012, he was primarily used on special-teams coverage. When injuries began taking its toll on the linebacking group, Mayo stepped up and contributed, even starting in the West final in the place of the injured Juwan Simpson.

Again this year, Mayo has been called on to fill in for injured comrades.

“You never like seeing guys go down in football,” says Mayo. “But when people do go down, it’s an opportunity for another man.

“As a player, you just never know when your number is going to be called and people go down and the next guy has to be ready to step up to the plate. That’s something we take pride in. Everybody knows the whole game plan and multiple positions so that we are pretty versatile in the positions we can play.”

That versatility, long a staple of the John Hufnagel-led Horsemen, has allowed the Stampeders to avoid their injury woes becoming a storyline for a season derailed or a distraction from the goal of getting that next win.

“Everyone knows we’re better off the more games we win,” says Campbell with a smile on his face, knowing he’s stating the obvious. “And everyone is willing to pitch in.”