Music: {allcanada} SINOPOLI ONLY WANTS A SHOT TO PLAY WITH STAMPEDERS

No one is more surprised to be a Calgary Stampeder than Brad Sinopoli.

The Ottawa Gee Gees quarterback heard precious little from the Stampeders before the CFL Canadian college draft. So he was more than just a little stunned when Calgary took him in fourth round, 29th overall, Sunday.

"To be honest, I kind of ruled them out in terms of who might be interested," Sinopoli said Monday. "That's because I didn't really have much contact with them.

"I was very surprised indeed."

Sinopoli enjoyed a stellar 2010 season, capturing the Hec Crighton Trophy as Canadian university football's top player. He led the CIS with 2,756 yards passing and 22 TD strikes -- both school records -- and was Ottawa's rushing leader with 534 yards on 42 carries for a staggering 12.7-yard average.

But the six-foot-four, 210-pound native of Peterborough, Ont., faces an uphill battle becoming a CFL player because Canadian quarterbacks are a rarity. They must beat out Americans who've not only played the position longer but received solid coaching throughout their careers and gained invaluable experience playing at big-name NCAA programs.

Presently, CFL game-day rosters consist of 42 players. Twenty are Canadian, 16 are American and another three are called designated imports, players who can play special teams and sub for another American. The final three spots are for quarterbacks of any nationality.

Last season, Danny Brannagan of Burlington, Ont., the '09 CIS MVP who led Queen's to a Vanier Cup title, was the CFL's lone Canadian-born quarterback. And he spent all but the final week of the regular season on the Toronto Argonauts' practice roster.

The last Canadian quarterback to start in the CFL was Toronto native Giulio Caravatta with the B.C. Lions on Oct. 27, 1996 against the Argos.

The good news for Sinopoli, though, is player nationality means little to Calgary head coach/GM John Hufnagel, who will have Sinopoli go to camp vying for a roster spot at quarterback.

"When I was in the office with (offensive co-ordinator) Dave Dickenson and we were watching the quarterbacks, after the film was over I said, 'Hey, take that jersey off and put another jersey on and you'd say the guy can play,"' Hufnagel said. "He'll come into camp like any other quarterback . . . and he'll win or lose a job on his own merit."

And that's fine with Sinopoli.

"It's exciting to hear I'll get a chance at being a quarterback," he said. "All I've ever wanted was a shot and that's awesome to hear."

Jim Barker, Toronto's head coach-GM, has long crusaded for the Canadian quarterback in the CFL and was happy Sinopoli was drafted.

"(Calgary) is a great spot for him to go," Barker said. "He's a talented player, he throws well and runs well and has grown up in the Canadian game.

"My whole goal is to get Canadian kids on CFL rosters because then the good, young Canadian players are not going to move from playing quarterback to some other position so they have a chance to play pro football. I'm still adamant about it and I think our league has dropped the ball on it and that's wrong."

Barker maintains a Canadian-born quarterback -- who plays only that position -- could be included among the 20 non-import roster spots. The other position usually reserved for a third quarterback could go to a fourth designated import, another special-teams player who Barker says would essentially replace a 20th Canadian who'd also be playing special teams.

"If we counted the Canadian quarterback as a Canadian, he'd have the same advantage every other Canadian has," Barker said.

Sinopoli realizes being drafted only ensures he'll have an opportunity to compete at camp. However, he certainly landed in a pretty good spot to learn the nuances of the CFL game.

Both Hufnagel and Dickenson are former CFL quarterbacks and Hufnagel also spent time in the NFL coaching Peyton Manning (Indianapolis Colts), Tom Brady (New England Patriots) and Eli Manning (New York Giants).

As well, Calgary's starter, Henry Burris, is a 13-year CFL veteran and was the league's outstanding player last season.

"To have guys around you with that much experience, being a Canadian quarterback coming in and being a young guy that's what you hope for," Sinopoli said. "I'm extremely lucky."

With Burris firmly established as one of the CFL's top quarterbacks, Sinopoli will compete against backup Drew Tate -- entering his fifth CFL season -- and sophomore Daryll Clark, the former Penn State star who served as Calgary's third quarterback last season.

As part of his pre-camp preparation, Sinopoli will begin working out this week with former CFL star Damon Allen, who is also pro football's all-time passing leader.

"I'm going to work with him and hopefully get a playbook shortly and kind of go through that with him," Sinopoli said. "I've got to get used to the speed of the game and the size of that playbook, obviously, will be a huge jump.

"I'd like to get up there (to Calgary) early and get a little work in before camp starts so it's not as big a jump in terms of all that stuff."

The size of the players and speed of the game are two big challenges Sinopoli will face. But the biggest could be time as CFL camps last roughly three weeks and teams play just two exhibition games -- with veterans playing most of the second to prepare for the season opener.

Sinopoli will have to burn the midnight oil learning the playbook, then always be ready to perform at a moment's notice. That's more than enough to deal with without adding the pressure of being a Canadian-born quarterback.

"When it comes down to it I don't think of myself as being Canadian and having extra pressure," Sinopoli said. "I just control what I can control, which is my play on the field.

"I'm just another guy out there competing for that spot so I'll let that pressure go past me and try not to think about it too much. All I'm looking for is a chance, that's all."