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John Hufnagel could never be a stand-up comic or, heaven forbid, a sports radio talk-show host. That would require too much gabbing, and Hufnagel prefers to shell out sentences as though they're $100 bills.

"There is a reason I talk the amount I talk," he acknowledged.

Pause.

And that's because, what? It's more effective that way?

"Yes."

In his first year as a CFL head coach, Hufnagel has delivered as many thought he would. The Calgary Stampeders offence has found its consistency through the second half of the season; the defence has channelled its aggression and created turnovers. And with Hufnagel supplying a firm voice and crisp professionalism, the Stampeders have galloped back to the top of the West Division standing.

Not that it's been easy.

The Stampeders were embarrassed by the Edmonton Eskimos on Labour Day. An assistant coach and two players were fined by the league for going after an on-field official following a loss in Regina. Linebacker JoJuan Armour was benched after being beat up outside a Calgary bar, an incident Hufnagel has refused to discuss in detail because he doesn't go into detail on a lot of things, at least not publicly.

But even during trying times, Hufnagel has kept his message simple: play hard, be smart. The players, some of whom were patently undisciplined the year before under former coach Tom Higgins, have fallen into line and stayed there.

"The one thing that doesn't get mentioned with coaching is the ability to change the culture of a team, and that's what John has done," said Wally Buono, the B.C. Lions general manager and head coach. "It's very evident. You knew it was evident when John stood up at the [Canadian college] draft [in May] and said, 'With our first pick, the Calgary Stampeders take Dimitri Tsoumpas.' Those are football decisions and you knew the guy making them was in charge.

"He's in charge."

True to his serious approach to the game, Hufnagel has also been true to the way he was tutored as an assistant coach. He learned how to strategize from the likes of CFL icons Buono and Cal Murphy and such NFL luminaries as Tony Dungy, Tom Coughlin and Bill Belichick, the master at saying only what he wants to say, no matter the circumstances.

In Belichick-like fashion, Hufnagel even held a closed-door practice before Calgary's season opener. The media howled; Hufnagel said his team needed a little alone time to concentrate. The Stampeders won 28-18 over the visiting Lions and are still striving to play as hard and smart as possible.

"I do believe we need more improvement with taking penalties. We're still at the bottom of the list," Hufnagel said. "But with turnovers, there's been a tremendous turnaround [both in protecting the ball and taking it away from the opposition] … The message has gotten across."

Perhaps the best measure of Hufnagel's coaching abilities came after the Stampeders were thrashed 37-16 by Edmonton on Labour Day. Upset with the loss, Hufnagel gave some of his most loquacious comments of the season, saying his team had to "start over." Then he made things right, from practice to game day. Since then, the Stampeders have been a relentless force, losing just once in eight games while outscoring rivals 298 to 158.

"What I meant by starting over was that was the first time, and the only time this year, where we didn't finish the game and that was disappointing to see," Hufnagel explained. "I didn't see the emotion you would expect on Labour Day. That was my major concern.

"Some people will say the turning point in our season was the Edmonton [rematch, won just four days later]. If we'd come out on the losing ledger it would have been a lot tougher time pulling out of it. Fortunately, this team has never stayed in a losing rut for long."

Hufnagel is not so stoic that he won't crack a smile or joke with his players, sometimes even with reporters, too. Veteran quarterback Dave Dickenson said Hufnagel "has a way of endearing himself to the guys. He'll joke with them because he's been there [as a player]. He understands them."

But when the time comes to get down to business, the players understand their head coach is efficient and calculating, no-nonsense and sharp. He talks, they listen. It's a good relationship for all involved.

"With players, sometimes even though a coach has good points to make, if he's always harping on things they get lost," Dickenson said. "I think he's a good communicator."

Effective?

"Yes."