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It's been so long since Marcus Crandell spent time in the penthouse, he can hardly get comfortable enough to enjoy the view.

You have to go back to when Crandell led the Calgary Stampeders to the 2001 Grey Cup when the quarterback was riding as high as the Saskatchewan Roughriders are now.

"It's good to be on top but we lost our last game, so we have to get back on track," said Crandell, who will back up Kerry Joseph on Saturday when the 7-3 Roughriders visit the 5-4 Stampeders at McMahon Stadium (TSN, 4 p.m. ET).

"This is a good feeling but we have a group of guys who aren't satisfied with getting to the top and falling off. We're staying focused because we know our main goal is to get to the Grey Cup and win."

Being that the 'Riders haven't hosted a playoff game since 1988 and haven't been to the Grey Cup since 1997, they lean on Crandell because he's been there before.

Aside from head coach Kent Austin, Crandell is one of only a handful of 'Riders who have a ring, so he plays an important role, even though he is on the sidelines for most of the game.

But when Crandell has come in for Joseph in the past two seasons, the 'Riders offence has kept moving along.

"That's the way I've always wanted to present myself to this team," Crandell said. "If for some reason I'm in there, I don't want us to take a step backwards. We need to stay on the same page and do the same things as when Kerry is in.

"I want them to have confidence in me when I step on the field that I'm very capable of leading the offence to win as well."

Since leaving Calgary after the 2004 season, Crandell and his wife Mona had a son, two-year-old Carmelo, and have decided to settle in Regina full-time.

Crandell and teammate Fred Perry are now starting a vehicle customizing shop as the veterans prepare for life after football.

"We're happy we decided to make the move," Crandell said. "Regina is a great place to live and a great place to raise kids. There's a lot of good things here, so we're satisfied where we are now."

In Crandell's first start last season, he suffered a dislocated left elbow, an injury that kept him out until the final month of the season.

He has recovered and returned this season as one of the core members of a Roughriders team that is first in the West Division.

"It was tough," he said. "I still do things now to keep it stretched out. I finally felt like I got my opportunity and wanted to make the most of it.

"It's one of those football things. That was last year, now that I've recovered to 100 per cent, I've moved forward and don't think about it now."

Meanwhile, the Roughriders will have to make do without Matt Dominguez, the CFL's receiving leader (45 catches, 761 yards, 5 TDs). He suffered a second-degree sprain of his left medial collateral ligament last week against Winnipeg and will miss four to six weeks but could be done for the season.