By Nic Sgaggi
Stampeders.com

He’s been coaching longer than his players have been alive. Rich Stubler’s days as a football coach date back to 1971 at Roaring Fork High School in Carbondale, Colo.

Nowadays, the four-time Grey Cup champion serves as the defensive coordinator for the Calgary Stampeders.

A veteran of 27 Canadian Football League seasons, Stubler has also spent time with the Hamilton Tiger-Cats, Toronto Argonauts, Edmonton Eskimos and, most recently, the BC Lions — Calgary’s pre-season opponent last week.

After facing the Lions on Friday, several Stampeders believe there is still a hint of Stubler in the BC defence.

“They have smart DBs in the secondary,” said Stamps 2013 leading receiver Marquay McDaniel. “It’s pretty much the same over there. It didn’t really look too different from what I’ve seen.”

McDaniel admitted that, although he has to practise against it, he is a fan of Stubler’s secondary.

“In training camp, we saw a lot of different looks,” he said. “Guys flying around and DBs lining up everywhere — close to the line and dropping back. I think having (defensive backs) all over the field will be an advantage for us.”

Offensive coordinator Dave Dickenson believes Stubler has the know-how to produce a championship-quality defence for the Stampeders in 2014.

“I’ve always respected what coach Stubler does,” said Dickenson. “He’s very creative. He doesn’t let you beat him twice at certain things, so offensively you always had to come up with new ideas. He has a ton of knowledge. For us, our guys are starting to learn what he’s trying to do. It has taken a little bit of time but I do think it will enhance our defence as time goes on.”

Nik Lewis, Stampeders receiving powerhouse of 12 years, is happy to be playing with Stubler’s defense rather than opposite of it.

“It’s good having Stubes out here,” Lewis said. “I’ve been going against his defense for 10 years. When he was in Toronto, in my first year, he won the Grey Cup. It’s always a sound defence that comes out (for him).”

The Red and White’s longest-serving player is excited to see what Stubler can do with a promising Stampeders defence in 2014.

“He teaches the players to learn to play together and the longer they play together, the better they get,” Lewis said. “I’m looking forward to seeing that here because this is probably one of the more talented defences that he’s had since I’ve been in the league.”