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There’s no escaping the visual. The number 4 is definitely sleeker than the number 93.

“Everybody’s going to ask me how much weight did I lose,” guffawed Micah Johnson, who will start the 2017 CFL season with a brand new integer on his jersey.

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“Honestly, I knew I wanted to switch to a single digit so I knew it was going to be just one, so I wasn’t waiting on that specifically. It (4) was the number I wore in college, so it’s kind of crazy how it all just happened. It’s not often as a D-lineman that you get to wear the same number in the pros as you did in college.”

The fifth-year Calgary Stampeders defensive tackle made his one and only pre-season appearance on Sunday against Edmonton and quickly renewed acquaintances with Eskimos quarterback Mike Reilly, sacking the veteran. A nice way to get things underway.

“Especially going against Edmonton and a quarterback like Mike,” Johnson said. “You really can’t rattle him. He’s one of the few guys who’ll stand in the pocket, so the respect level for Mike is high.”