8/29/2007 8:35:44 PM
Fight the Good Fight
Much has been made about our defensive captain A.J. Gass, fighting the league’s decision to suspend him for a game without pay for his actions the last time we played Calgary in Commonwealth. It is well known that during a melee, A.J. threw the helmet of another player down the field some 30 yards or so. Needless to say, this is not an act that should be condoned by the league, and A.J. himself has been the most outspoken about how wrong his actions were, no matter what the provocation was. People will have very differing views on this issue as to whether a hefty fine and being kicked out of three plus quarters of that game is enough, or should he also have been suspended for a game without pay. Honestly, that’s not for me to decide and I’m not even willing to comment on it. To me it’s a matter of opinion and unless each of us was thrust into the situation that A.J. was in the heat of the battle with your manhood being treated like a stress ball, I don’t think that we can rightly judge.
I do however hold the belief that he was completely right to exercise every possible channel available in disputing what he felt like was too steep of a punishment. I think that too often the masses may see a situation and judge it based on face value without putting much stock into the circumstances surrounding it, or even the precedents that may have come before. This is not the first time a helmet has been thrown into open space in this league, and I’d be shocked if it was the last. Because of that, there should be a process by which each instance is held to the same punishment as those that came before it, assuming that they are the same situation. To me, this is only fair. In fact, to penalize one player or one person more harshly or leniently for a transgression or crime that was previously committed by another, is the definition of unfair practice.
This is why I applaud A.J. for taking this thing the distance. He was initially willing to serve the suspension as it was handed out, until he found out that another player had done the same thing previously and had not been suspended…only fined. It was not until then that he realized that his punishment may be over the top. Many have said he should “take the punishment like a man” but in my opinion that’s precisely what he has done. Every step of the way he has condemned his own actions and said wholeheartedly that what he did was terribly wrong. He’s apologized to his teammates and coaches, as well as his fans. If that’s not accepting responsibility like a man…I’m not sure what is. It takes a man to admit when he was wrong, and also takes a man to stand by his convictions when he feels as if he’s been wronged. Both of these cases fit A.J. in my opinion, and I think he handled this situation the best that he could.
Whether or not you believe that the punishment is enough to fit the indiscretion to me, is really not relevant. The relevance in this circumstance lies in the degree of fairness with which that punishment is dealt. Being that this is not the first time this has happened, I think it only fair that the punishment in this case should be equal, not greater than, those that came before it. If this was the first time a player had thrown a helmet into open space during a game, then I could see trying to make an example of him through his punishment. At that point, you would set a precedent for all those to follow, thereby showing that this type of action will warrant that type of punishment.
In my opinion…this is justice at work. I for one am thrilled that it worked so well. ©
KP8
8/24/2007 11:52:11 PM
Watch And Learn
Fred Stamps reminds me of myself at times. He’s always watching intently and looking for different ways to get separation from DB’s but not only that, he has the confidence to try the new things he learns. I was one of the lucky ones, and I always thought so. Upon coming into the league in 2001 I had just missed my chance to watch and learn from Allen Pitts, but I still got lucky in being able to work closely with Travis Moore. From there, after my NFL stint I came back to this league and had the opportunity to learn watching Milt Stegall. Once I got to Edmonton, I started watching Jason Tucker and Mookie Mitchell intently because as camp proved, nothing is set in stone and you never know who will be around to watch and who won’t. I can’t stress enough how much it helped me as a young player with ability, to be able to watch those guys every day and apply the things that they do to your own game.
Travis was tremendous with his hands and physicality in avoiding jams which is crucial in order to get separation from defensive backs in this league. The fact that defensive backs can collision receivers, jam us, and ride us all the way down the field was a huge adjustment for me when I arrived from U.S. college football much as it is for ex-NFL receivers that end up coming up here. In the south, the teaching emphasis is more about getting into the route quickly and worrying about the jam as a secondary occurrence so as not to impede the timing between the route and QB. In Canada, if you can’t deal with people interacting with you on every play even on the outside edges of the field where we play as receivers, the league may not be for you. Travis would attack the entire idea that the defensive back had the audacity to try to jam him, almost as if he took offence to it. It was this aggressive, “attack with a plan” mentality that I derived watching Travis work every day in practice and watching it play into games.
Milt Stegall on the other hand, has both an uncanny knack of getting open amidst a crowd and a tremendous ability to run away from fast people. I had always admired how he could beat our double teams when I was with Calgary. I would spend the whole week pretending to be him on the scout team trying to service our defence, and deal with the same double teams. I can recall thinking that there would be little that he could do to free himself from the vice that we were setting up for him with a linebacker pushing to him, a halfback playing him outside in, and a safety rolling over the top of him. Of course I was wrong, and he was able to run free and clear on far too many occasions. It was from playing with Milt that I learned to watch film the correct way, watching the coverage keys instead of how the man who would be guarding me moved. This is how he could seemingly see what was happening before it did and see the void in the coverage before it formed. Seeing a void form is one thing, getting there is completely another issue. Luckily for Milt and unfortunately for countless DB’s in this league over the years, Milt has developed a failsafe escape move that never ceases to give him separation…The dead leg.
The dead leg is the last thing that I made it a point to “borrow” from Milton before I exited Winnipeg. I had him show it to me in slow motion at walking speed, and then at full speed the first year that I was playing there. At first he was reluctant, but I think he could tell that I was going to hound him for that particular secret unmercifully, so he ultimately relented. 138+ touchdowns later and one would think that somebody would have come up with an anti-dead leg defence by now. That just proves how perfect that move really is in my opinion.
Today, while I was watching Fred Stamps and J.F. Romeo running their one-on-one reps I saw distinct steps in their stems that they’ve asked me about this year, or admired aloud to me about after seeing me do them. It’s a wonderful feeling to see someone else have success with a skill you’ve developed over time, and even more satisfying to try to help them institute it into their game as a weapon instead of a novelty. It’s one thing to learn a new move, and completely another to have the confidence to try it with the chips down in the heat of the game.
This is part of the transition for me into true veteran status, and is much more welcome than I thought it would be. Jason Tucker and I along with Pat Woodcock are the true old men of the corps in terms of years in this league. Without looking into it, I believe I’m the longest in total years in this league among us now that I think about it. With Pat and Jason on the shelf with injuries, the eyes watching me belong to young talented receivers who seem to have a great capacity to listen and apply what they’ve learned.
I can only hope to give to them half as much as I’ve taken from Travis and Milt. ©
*Note- Although it is late, I’d like to formerly congratulate Milton Stegall on his Touchdown record. In my eyes he’s the best that I’ve seen in this league thus far, and I wish him continued success in all things.*
KP8
8/21/2007 11:36:12 PM
Week Nine
As a rookie and second year player, I can recall being curious as to why halfway through the season the equipment managers or training staff made it a point to get all of our contact numbers in the same week. Not unreasonable tasks mind you, and it wasn’t the task that alarmed me. More so, the urgency with which it was being requested. Cell phones, addresses, email addresses, vacation numbers, emergency contact, everything. Not to mention that they already went through this process weeks ago when the team was picked. So why again, and why now? I always thought that was odd.
This is a bye week for the Western teams and many of us will get away from football maybe even sleep in our own beds assuring some quality rest. However, there are still a great many in both the East and West who won’t sleep easy with or without the bye. Week nine in the CFL is an interesting one because it happens to be the first veteran pay out week. Should we find ourselves still employed with a team having been in the league 6 or more years, 100% of our contract must be paid to us whether we’re released from after this point or not. The tenth week is the same to 5th year players, and the 11th week for 4th year guys. This to us as players is unfortunately the closest thing to guarantees within our contracting system that we’ll ever see, and is quite a big deal. The phrase “it’s not how you start, it’s how you finish” is somewhat lost in this concept because if we vets don’t get off to a hot start, it’s easy to see how we could be devalued by week 9 and deemed expendable…especially in the new salary cap era.
Although it’s not always the risk of being cut at this time that looms overhead for us, sometimes the threat of a trade can be just as shocking and alter your life drastically. When I was traded to Hamilton from Winnipeg it was a welcome trade, and one that I had been thinking about for weeks by that time. Welcomed not because Winnipeg was a bad team at that time and Hamilton was good or anything like that, in fact I believe Hamilton had zero wins at that time while Winnipeg had one. In that situation, what I was looking for was a fresh start. I felt that I needed a chance to start over in front of new evaluators and re-write my own script if you will. The time I spent in Winnipeg would have been impossible to undo, not necessarily because I played so poorly (a matter of opinion I’m sure), but more because the image that everyone had etched in their mind regarding me was not one that I felt reflected me accurately. Much like the burn-in effect of a plasma TV, the images of me dropping balls had superseded any and all plays that I had made and would be hopeless to erase through future play or any other means that I could envision.
That move did change my life, but not in an adverse way at all. Nor do I think that it changed Chris Brazzel’s for the worst. While it did alter both of our lives and careers and forever link us it seems (I even ended up taking over his apartment), I believe that it was a welcome change of scenery for both of us at that time. However, I wonder if it would have been such a welcome change had either of us not been seeking to escape our present situations? What would it have been like if Winnipeg had jumped out to a 5-1 start that year, and traded me week seven to the 0-6 Ticats? Would I have been so optimistic and eager for change? If all other things were equal, then I probably would have still been, in spite of the dramatic wins/losses difference simply because playoffs to me isn’t enough to justify being miserable. The checks simply aren’t big enough to mask that kind of uneasiness and misery. But what if we weren’t talking about my particular situation? What would it be like to go from a first place team to a last place one? Especially if you were happy and felt like you were performing well on that winning team, and enjoying your season there. Can you imagine?
Yeah, I can imagine. And even if I couldn’t there’s a player by the name of Jason Armstead who’s in that boat as we speak unless I’m way off base, so I could probably ask him. We’re likely talking about a phone call in the early days of your bye week that you’ve planned and paid for weeks ago. Thoroughly satisfied following a dramatic, come from behind, lightning filled, home field victory. This phone call would probably regrettably inform you that for the betterment of the team, you’re being traded to the last place team in the opposing division (as far away from being a difference maker in your current team’s standings as possible.) The call may tell you that you need to pack some things because instead of your bye week, you’ll be suiting up during that week against an Eastern rival. Probably in a starting and featured role, and all eyes will be on you. The call would probably also thank you profusely for all of your service to the club to that point, and wish you luck in all future endeavors. From there you have to call whoever pops into your head as the most important person to hear this news; wife, mother, teammate, accountant…whomever. Why accountant? Well, you may want to soften the blow before you inform your wife that instead of planning for that impending playoff money to go towards the mortgage for the house, you may be home by the first week of November instead.
Let me be clear, I don’t formerly know Jason Armstead other than to have respected his speed, and play making ability from a far. I can’t pretend to know what he feels about the trade so I really shouldn’t be presumptuous. That being said, I know how I would feel if I was in the same situation, and with that in mind I truly wish him the best in his new surroundings. I honestly think that he will be the second deep threat needed to open that passing game up for Jason Maas and help the Ticats turn this season around. I won’t be surprised in the least to see Corey Holmes reacquaint himself with the league after being on such hiatus in Hamilton. It won’t be difficult for Corey to find his form, he’s a much better player than people outside of Saskatchewan may realize. Not to mention the familiarity in Regina, and there’s quite a list growing of Hamilton “cast-offs” that are finding big roles with other teams, thus putting the odds somewhat in his favor.
The week is still young, very young and it wouldn’t surprise me in the least to see more moves made by some of these teams. With the SMS system looming large, many of us veteran’s worth will be thoroughly explored by the powers that be of our respective teams this week. Should we be thought worthy of our current purse, we’ll have another half of a season to fight on. Should we be deemed unworthy…well put it this way, I doubt I am I the only one thinking that I should have been more patient with baseball.
Get some rest fellas. ©
KP8
8/19/2007 9:49:44 PM
Edmonton Vs Saskatchewan #3
Only in the CFL can you get a memory like that game was. I could be wrong I suppose, but I doubt it. That game just seemed tailor made for CFL lore, and it’s really a shame that we had to be on the wrong end of it. Down several starters, and multiple all-stars we rode into Regina with intent on putting up the fight that nobody thought us capable of, and until that lightning storm hit it looked like we were going to pull it off. That was an odd circumstance really, at the beginning of the 4th quarter you’re so riled up as a player and settled into the game it’s difficult to come back and match that intensity when sitting for an hour. It becomes increasingly difficult sitting in a cold, damp visitor’s locker room with no light because the power seems to be off at least where we were at anyway. (I must admit, visions of the riders changing into dry gear, and staying warm on stationary bikes did pop into my head) But good for them if that was the case, because that’s certainly what we would have been doing if the same thing happened here.
I was proud of the fight that we displayed as a team while at the same time disappointed in the lack of killer instinct shown when we had an opportunity. I can see how this team will be the source of frustration for a lot of people this year, because we’re frustrated by ourselves as players much of the time it seems. We tend to show up and disappear in spurts and waves, lacking the consistency of a truly good team. This plays on the observing mind and makes one wonder if we’re actually a good team with bad spells and habits, or a bad team with good moments.
I honestly think that we’re a good team, but I do think that we have confidence and identity issues. I knew a girl in college that had aspirations of being a high fashion model. While she was stunningly beautiful, she would show strong signs of insecure behavior in her dealings with people and couldn’t understand what her photographers and agents meant in saying that she was “missing something.” Her lack of true self-confidence never enabled her to really be comfortable in the position that she was seeking. She never felt that she was deserving of such attention even though she did want in the worst way. I believe this team to be going through such insecurities in this first half of the season as well. Offensively we played with poise, urgency and swagger at times last night regardless of what happened with the defense and special teams. We were able to focus on our task which was putting points up. Other times, we looked tentative and afraid to make a mistake. We make it look so unbelievably easy sometimes that it’s maddening to think of how productive we’d be if we showed up on every other series, let alone every series. That being said, we did not account for a single point offensively in the second half. It’s asking too much of any defence to hold a CFL team scoreless for 30 minutes in my opinion, especially in their own yard.
It’s as if we want to believe that we’re an elite team, but need to see it happen before we can make it happen. I hope that’s not the case, because that really isn’t going to work at all. If we’re going to be a team of contention it will only come from us as players becoming dominant players. There is a tentativeness that I see in us at times that can be very hindering to anyone trying to be truly successful at anything. In order to have true success, one cannot be afraid to fail. At times it seems as if we play tentative or do just enough not to stand out for any negative reason. A negative grade on the game sheet, a visible flaw on the film or anything like that. In order to achieve greatness one must be willing to risk all.
On the path to greatness, you may encounter struggles and setbacks but they can’t deter you from going big each and every time, otherwise you’ll always dwell in mediocrity. Cornerbacks cannot stop breaking on routes that they read because they misread one and get scored on, lineman can’t think it too ambitious to overset to a known outside rusher for fear that he may expose them inside. We as receivers must continue to leap and dive for catches outside our body frame instead of letting them sail to the ground for fear of dropping them, or accepting that the pass wasn’t where it needed to be.
I hope that everyone uses this time off to collect their thoughts and decide where we want to end up as a team this year, because the second half will be even wilder than the first. ©
KP8
8/17/2007 11:30:51 PM
It’s No Secret
In what was one of the best games of the year that I’ve seen and not played in, Calgary and B.C. played to a tie. This new development just amplifies the magnitude of our game tomorrow to me because a win would put us two points out of a first place tie with B.C. while a loss catapults keeps us tied with Calgary going into the labor day back to back matchup. The bye week seems to be coming at a good time for most teams, and I know it’s definitely coming right on time for us. From an injury standpoint we could certainly use the time to get some of our walking wounded healthy. In addition, if we can find a way to win tomorrow we would be riding momentum and feeling good about ourselves during our time off, and nothing can substitute for relaxed sleep.
Nothing comes easy in this league however, and no matter how well things line up in my mind the Riders aren’t going to just lay down. It’s no secret that they’re riding an impressive win streak and no doubt feeling good about the way they’ve been playing, as they should be. That being said, we need this game more than they do and it’s that hunger and urgency that I hope translates through our play tomorrow evening. Saskatchewan is a physical and athletic team who’s playing with a lot of confidence right now, and that physicality is precisely what needs to be matched in order for this game to play out in our favor.
Whichever team’s offensive and defensive lines can assert themselves early in the game; will set the tone for the rest of the day’s events. Defensively Saskatchewan’s front seven is its strength in my opinion and if our offensive line matches its level of physicality then success will be much easier to come by for the team as a whole. If they are able to impose their will, the running game will become a factor in the attack and we’ll be able to keep the multiple look Rider defence somewhat off balance. If not and we are forced to attack by air the whole time, it will allow that athletic front seven to come after Ricky all game long without any regard for the gaps or containment. Conversely, if our defence can keep Wes Cates and Kerry Joseph contained on the ground forcing Joseph to throw his way up and down the field there is a higher chance of mistakes being made.
Of course, these potential reasons for victory are not exactly news. I’m certain they are the same that you will be read about in the game day news articles, and discussed on the pre-game show. That is, if the media can find any possibilities for victory amidst our endless injury train of course. In my opinion this is and will always be a passing league, and a team must have a very adept passing attack in order to be an elite team. But the best teams must be able to strike fear into the heart of a defence with the run in order to keep defenses honest. Besides the threat, it physically wears on the front seven of a defence when the big boys are allowed to tee off on people (as an educated Eskie fan put it this week to me.) The run game can create an identity that the whole team feels the ripple effects from, but it all begins in the trenches.
The game between Calgary and B.C. was the highest scoring game of the year thus far and both teams had a nice balance of pass and run complimenting each other. Watching that game reaffirmed to me that establishing the run against Saskatchewan tomorrow will be the key to any success that we may have. We’ll all have both a role to play, as well as chances to put the Eskimos on the winning side of things, but life just gets a whole lot easier for everybody when the big fellas decide to get nasty. ©
KP8
8/15/2007 5:51:59 PM
I Like Those Odds
I can remember my last football game in high school where our tailback/weak side linebacker suffered a concussion in the first quarter and then we lost our left guard/defensive end to a knee injury in the third quarter. On most teams this wouldn’t be much of an issue, but you see we only had 13 players on our team and 12 were needed on the field at any given time. The referee and coaches conferred to decide what to do about the remainder of the game. They decided that in light of safety issues, we must call the game as it stands which put us as 6 point losers in the first round of the play-offs and done for the season. I was beside myself with anger. I honestly couldn’t understand what the big deal was! So we play down one man, so what? I would have bet anything that we still would have won the game, and felt like I would personally see to it. Needless to say, my objections went unheard and it was on to basketball season.
All week I’ve fielded questions such as, “Why bother even showing up with all the injuries this week in Regina?” and “Do you guys honestly think you stand a chance with 10 starters out of the lineup?” The aforementioned memory I think definitely outlines my line of thinking about injuries and unfortunate occurrences coming into play on game day. I’ve always felt that if I made enough plays individually, we would be in any game with a chance to win at the end. If I didn’t, then shame on me and I need to work harder. It’s somewhat of an individualistic vantage point to take in a supremely team oriented game like football of course, I realize that. However, it’s not a feeling that I could escape if I wanted to…and I know I’m not the only one that harbors such feelings. If I’m being truly honest, I still feel like if we end up a man or two down offensively and have to play with 10 or 11 we still have a fighting chance.
I think that a truly confident athlete always feels as if he will be the deciding factor in the outcome, regardless of the circumstances surrounding it. 10 starters out you say? That’s a shame, and I pray for their quick return. That being said I know that if their replacements think anything like I do they’ll have some extra pep in their step this week, as this could be their one audition and gateway to great things. It must be an odd thing to anyone who has never been part of competitive sports to understand how two players who play the same position, can both in their heart of hearts feel that they are undoubtedly the best option at that same position…yet only one plays. Ricky Ray is our starting quarterback but if you think for a second that Stefan Lefors and Steven Jyles don’t believe that they could do the job just as well or better if given the same opportunities, you’d be mistaken. It’s a necessary confidence for each of us I think to feel as if we can not only compete on the level of, but dominate the opposition if given the opportunity on any given night and be the difference in a game.
Because of the existence of that mentality, I know that we’ll be just fine in Regina. We’ll field a team of players that while we may not all be household names to most, we’ll be household names to some group of people, somewhere. Somebody somewhere can remember Lenny Williams, and Jason Flowers being superstars not too long ago. Someone can tell a story of how Damion Cook and Rhett McLane used to beat up on them in practice as if it’s their one claim to fame. These guys are stars in their own right and in many cases have anticipated an opportunity such as this to step into the spotlight once again and shine. I for one won’t be shocked to see them do so.
Granted, I may be under playing the magnitude of the situation somewhat. I may even be naïve in my feeling that injuries or not, this team will pack a punch this weekend. In fact, my personal ideology and approach that if I dominate the man across from me for the better part of the day we may win, could be construed as somewhat selfish and contradictory to the team concept on the whole. I’m ok with that if that’s what it comes off as. Then again, imagine if every single one of us that suits up in Regina this weekend to take on the Riders was to take that exact same approach. “If I dominate the man across from me for the better part of the day, we will win.” I wonder what type of team effort would come from that line of individual thinking?
Time will tell ultimately what effect these injuries have on us, and each of us that play this weekend will have a hand in deciding the outcome. Whether or not the result ends up in our favor will come down to a team full of individuals feeling like they can make the difference and show what they can really do, given the opportunity. If our level of preparation and intensity are high, and we can capitalize on opportunities as they present themselves we will have success. If it comes down to a handful of plays that could go either way, I believe we’ve got a great chance to be on the right end of them.
Bet against us if you want to, it’s a free country. ©
KP8
8/13/2007 7:56:47 PM
Edmonton Vs Hamilton #1
It’s wonderful that this game holds three facets; offence, defence and special teams. Wonderful because when one is not functioning at full capacity, you still have a chance to win if the others came to play that day. Essentially, that’s what occurred in Commonwealth when Hamilton came to town. The offence showed up in spurts, but the defence and special teams played their hearts out which gave us a chance to win in the end. On the plus side, that game could have easily gone the other way (and usually have on my teams) so I really shouldn’t complain. On the other hand, for the first time my unit (receivers) were uncharacteristically subpar, which is unacceptable.
Hamilton is an intriguing team to me, their defence hits hard and flies to the ball well. It’ll be interesting to see if they can pull this season around with the guys that they have, or if they’ll make wholesale personnel changes again. Offensively, they’ve got a stud running back in Jesse Lumsden and a stud backing him up in Corey Holmes. Having seen them both in person, I can say that Corey is very much the real deal as well. It was good to see Jason Maas throwing the ball well again and with a smile on his face pre-game, you can tell he really loves it out here in Edmonton. Also, it was nice to see Brock Ralph playing with confidence and easing into his number one receiver role on that team.
While we got the win and I was able to muster a touchdown, it was still and unsettling night for me. When your job only really counts one night a week, it’s important that you’re at your best on that day. As receivers I didn’t feel like we were our best on that night as a unit. Too many errors came about on our part and it could have contributed to the game getting out of our hands. It was unsettling because that’s not us. The field product that we presented didn’t fully represent us as a unit and who we can be. Granted, we weren’t as bad as I’m leading on. We had two touchdowns from our corps, one being Andrew Nowacki’s first career TD which is a great milestone. When we needed the scores, we were able to march down the field and get them once again as we have in previous games, which is always a good sign.
As an offence we need to develop a level of consistency in my opinion. We need to be able to execute at a high level for upwards of 85% of the game. Perhaps not to win the game as some may take less, but to play to our capabilities. It may be asking a lot to think that we can function with that level of efficiency game in and game out, but I think it necessary in order to get to where we all say that we want to be. Otherwise, what are we doing out here at all? To me the whole point of playing is test yourself against the man across from you. If you don’t get the best of him as much as he gets the best of you, then you need to work harder in between meetings.
The Western conference being as thick a race as I think it’s going to be, we’re going to need to score points with more regularity than we are, and increase our time of possession to keep our defence off of the field and fresh to shut down opposing advances. As receivers, well…I wouldn’t expect to see much of that type of play from this group anymore. This is a hard working, humble group of athletic playmakers who will be starving to make plays in abundance this week.
In Regina this week, it’s likely that we’ll get our chances…we’ll be ready to capitalize on them. ©
KP8
8/11/2007 12:09:00 AM
Everything for a Reason
One of the questions that I repeatedly had to field this week was, “What it will be like to face the team that cut you?” It kind of threw me off at first but then realized that perhaps people don’t know what the circumstances were surrounding my exit from Hamilton. The fact is that I was never cut from the team, I asked for my release after the final game of the season since the organization and I weren’t seeing eye to eye regarding my future role on the team. The general manager was nice enough to accommodate me, and release me at that time when he didn’t have too since I would have been Hamilton property until February, when the free agent period began. What that did for me was allow me to feel around and gauge interest from other teams before the free agent period hit, and actually permitted me to sign with Edmonton prior to that period allowing them to make other moves knowing that one area of concern was taken care of early.
To be honest at that time, Hamilton was my first choice to return to since it was closest to home for me and I felt that we had a good nucleus of young talented, fast receivers in myself, D.J. Flick and Brock Ralph. Not to mention I had faith that Jason Maas would be able to beat his injuries and struggles or not, I loved playing with Jason. Of all of my years in the league thus far, Hamilton was the one place in spite of all of our struggles on the field, I felt the closest with those guys off of it. I really take pleasure in seeing so many of those guys that I’ve grown close with over that time there doing so well on their new teams and we all talk weekly still in support of each other. Airabin Justin, D.J. Flick and Tad Kornegay are doing great for Saskatchewan while Jason Goss and I are thrilled to be here in Edmonton.
It’s funny how high caliber players can be simply cast aside when a new regime comes into town really. While it’s wonderful that Hamilton is doing better now, and I’m sure it has a great deal to do with the new players that they’ve brought in, one still has to wonder how virtually everyone that made it out of there and onto another team is having success in their new roles on their new teams. Jaime Boreham and Wayne Smith as well for the Riders are two more that are the same guys that were there last year with us in Hamilton so what’s making us all play better now?
The short answer is we’re not better. Well, I shouldn’t speak for everyone…I’m no better than I was last year. Every year I come back in better shape, and the game slows down a bit but that’s about it. I’m the same player being asked to make plays in a new position, for a new organization, and a new quarterback, where I’m clicking with a new bunch of talented, high character teammates that I wouldn’t trade for anybody. And when I talk to D.J. Tad, and A.J. it’s the same deal over in Saskatchewan for them, we all seem to rave about how different it is. In this case change has been good, the staleness of what we’ve left in Hamilton had really become too much to bear for a lot of us I think, but you don’t realize that it’s stale until you leave and see what fresh feels like. Kudos to Brock, Tay Cody and Jujuan Armour for being able to battle through all of that and still be able to field a product that appeals to the new regime. And a lot of credit should go to Jason Maas for the slings and arrows that he’s taken, I was there for a lot of them last year, and nobody should have to go through that in my opinion.
So to answer the question, how will it feel to play the team that I left? It will be just as much fun as playing any other team for me, no more and no less. I don’t recognize this team that’s coming in here as the one that I left at all; there are just not enough familiar parts to it. These are a different bunch of Ticats, and they will certainly come in here with a nasty disposition intent to win what is a big game for both of us. I’ll enjoy playing against the few friends that I still have on that team and the few faces that I still recognize get respect from me for weathering the storm.
Aside from that, I’m indifferent to the whole situation and I’ll approach it as if I would any other game. I’m not trying to prove to the GM that he may have made a mistake, or to the new coach that I could have helped him win or anything of that sort. I’ll be out there flying around for the Eskimos because; everything happens for a reason, I’m completely blessed to be in the situation that I’m in, there is no place I’d rather be…and my team needs me.
KP8
8/8/2007 10:04:00 PM
Pressure Cooker
I recall a game last year when I was a member of the Hamilton Tiger-Cats, we came into Commonwealth stadium sometime in September to play in what was a meaningless game for us in terms of standings, and I believe we were well out of the playoff picture by that time. Even if we weren’t out of the race mathematically, by that time we had so many coaches fired that Jason Maas should have been receiving two or three paychecks for the amount of coaching and play calling that he had to do. Edmonton at the time needed to win the two games that they played Hamilton in order to have a chance at keeping the infamous playoff streak intact. The Ticats came out and had our best two games that we had played the entire year against the Eskimos and ended up playing spoilers. Believe me I’m not bringing this up to throw salt in unhealed wounds, but I remember the feeling that we felt playing those games, at that time. In Hamilton at that time, the year was such a complete mess, a travesty really from a player standpoint that towards the end, all that we could do was let our hair down play the game. There are few things I can think of more fun to watch than a relaxed, bunch of guys go out and play a child’s game like they have nothing to lose.
PLAY…is the key word there. Amidst all of the lights, contracts, free-agency, traditions, rules and regulations we often forget that this is a game. Less of a job, more of an adventure and it was meant to be played as such. Somewhere down the line from the collegiate to professional ranks players tend to lose sight of that concept, the recess that lies between those painted lines. Some may wonder how something like that could happen. People would give their right arm to do what we do for a month! To lose sight of that, or take it for granted must truly be a crime, and if it isn’t is should be. Part of me would tend to agree, but there’s another side of me as well. The side that has seen the political aspects of football, the “numbers” game, the favorites, media darlings, “can’t miss” draft picks and the “win or go home, what have you done for me lately?” demeanor that the game takes on, the higher the level that you play it at. Wally Buono put it into perspective in my rookie year in Calgary on our way to an 8-10 Grey Cup winning season that saw a plethora of NFL camp discards replacing training camp dorm mates and veterans. He said, “Men, make no mistake about it, you are not paid to play. I can get anybody in here to play; I can get 50 guys off the street to play. You are paid to win.”
This is in no way shape or form the same football game that we used to play on Thanksgiving in the lot down the street with friends. Not the flag football game we may play with buddies when we go home in the off-season, not even the “no guts, no glory” high school game that we all remember so fondly when we were on top of the world. No, this is not that game at all. In this game everybody doesn’t get to play, the best players don’t always make the team, the quarterback is getting fined if he’s caught winking at the cheerleader, and that flashy receiver had better be more substance than flash come game day if he has any hope in getting the money for his little girls braces. This is the game where not only can an injury or suspension cost you a couple weeks salary or bonus money, it can cost you your job since the time you’re not out there doing what put you in that position, someone else may be doing it just a bit better, or worse…just as good for cheaper.
With the last two games going the way that they have, in a city that holds the moniker of “Titletown” I’m surprised that Rob Brown’s was the only outburst this week from this team. Then again, the week is still fairly young I suppose. One of the first things that I noticed when I got here was how serious of a topic Eskimo football is in this town. The whole dynamic of a conversation shifts when football is raised, and it’s not anything to joke about in Edmonton at all. So when a city takes their football that serious, much is expected of you, and not only you but everyone around you. The entire organization feels that pressure, that weight, that stifling expectation to excel trickles down from Head coach, to assistants, to players, to staff. I wouldn’t be surprised if the game day parking folks were a bit concerned about job security. So the question to me becomes, amidst all of that pressure to perform how can we as players find a way to collectively still go out and play free and loose? I’ve yet to see a good team that played stiff and afraid to make a play, or go out on a limb to take a risk in a game for fear of being replaced or benched. So how do they do it? How do WE do it?
I don’t pretend to know the answers to most questions that I ask, and I have millions of them trust me. To me though, the answer to this one is painfully simple because it’s what I’ve been doing all year. There must be a true knowledge of purpose and self in each player. Each of us must know who we are, who we are trying to convey to others, and why we do what we do. Regardless of what we do, I think it’s important to know why we do it. I teach in the offseason in Maryland, and many of the kids that I teach are in far less than admirable home environments to put it mildly. I sat up nights the first week that I started teaching wondering how I would be able to connect with these kids and be able to teach them anything. Football ended up being a wonderful link to them even though they weren’t familiar with the league because of the fact that even as kids, they can relate to the fact that I am paid…just to play. Knowing that I’m a world away playing a game while they go through their own individual struggles is more than enough for me to play with a childlike exuberance. I would be doing them a disservice to play it any other way. When I throw a ball out there in the middle of those kids at recess, they compete. Without instruction, without motivational speeches, without incentive or a collective bargaining agreement they compete. Just like I used to when I was their age, and just like I’ll do as long as I’m playing this game. Now granted, things will change when a game is your main source of income to support your family. A level of seriousness is injected rather quickly into an otherwise jovial situation really, but I do think we can channel that solemn concern into focus, and translate it into our individual performance.
I think that when we can detach ourselves from the extraneous aspects that the game forces upon us at this level and get back in touch with the real reason that we are here, the game will come much easier to us, and with it the wins. Not an easy task by any stretch of the word because pressure and distractions are truly everywhere around us at all times in this game, especially here in Edmonton. It is worth an introspective look however; because the game becomes a lot more fun when it’s played as opposed to tolerated…trust me. ©
KP8
8/5/2007 11:37:54 PM
Edmonton Vs Calgary #1
I find losing close games much more difficult to swallow than blowouts, because I can write off a blowout to a full moon or something. A loss in the dying seconds can usually be attributed to either a major mistake, or a couple of big plays that may not have gone our way at some point throughout. In this game, I’m sure some will point to the brawl in the first half as the start of things going south for us, but I really don’t think that was enough to undo us. We managed to battle back despite stalling out for virtually the entire first and third quarters, and actually take the lead in the closing minutes. To me that game was completely up for grabs all the way until the end, and the most disappointing part of it to me was that as an offensive unit we had a chance to put our defence in a great position to win the game by scoring a touchdown from the two yard line, and we simply didn’t capitalize on it.
When we got new life via a roughing the kicker penalty on our go-ahead field goal attempt, we should have relished the opportunity to actually seize the game from Calgary’s grasp as in my estimation they outplayed us for the better part of the game. The mentality when a situation like that presents itself must be one of “show no mercy” and “take no prisoners” otherwise, complacency sets in and we’re sneaking by with a slight lead like we were, instead of putting some real pressure on them by forcing them to march and score a touchdown in under two minutes. We didn’t do that obviously, and the result is what we’re living with now. The reality is that we’re now at the basement of the West, and looking up at everyone. The blessing is however, that we get to play everyone in the West at least twice more before it’s all said and done, which means that we control our own destiny.
Was that game within our grasp? Yes, of course it was but just because something is within your grasp doesn’t mean that you deserve to have it. I honestly don’t think that we played well enough to earn that win outright. We must learn to put together a more complete game, and losing a heartbreaker like that may be the only way to learn such a lesson. We need to understand that in this league, nobody is good enough to just skate by. There just isn’t enough disparity between the teams for one to only show up for a half and consistently win games, and for some reason that’s what we’ve decided our calling card to be. I feel like in light of the level of talent and character that we possess on this team, we’re getting by on inconsistency. This season will be long and full of regret if we don’t figure out and understand a simple ideology that coach Kepley stressed to us before the game; “The only way to play this game right, is to play every snap, every quarter, and every game like it is truly your last.” That rings true to me, and it should to others that are familiar with this league because if you’ve seen like I’ve seen, winning is the only thing that cures all. When you’re not winning as a team, you never really know when your last day playing individually could be.
I believe wholeheartedly in this team and in the men that I line up with. I believe that our coaches will put us in positions to make plays. Thus, tomorrow as with every week I must begin the process of elevating my own play for the benefit of my team. It is back the weight room and to the track, and to doing my part to prepare to make the plays that I’m asked to make. Then it’s into the film room to prepare for new challenge that this week presents because guess what? For us to win against Hamilton, my team may need me to make some plays…and I need to be ready to make them. As players, that’s the most that we can ask for really, since we don’t call the plays or get to pick when to run this play or that one. All we get to do is prepare to make the plays, and then make them when asked to. If we can simply make most of the plays that we’re asked to make, we’ll have long successful careers. Do your job, and make the plays that you’re asked to make. That’s it…that’s all that is asked of us.
Sounds easy enough right? ©
KP8
8/3/2007 11:57:53 PM
The Pack Forms
With Saskatchewan’s win in B.C. last night, there is officially no clear cut front runner in the west. The loss puts Saskatchewan one game behind the Lions and with a win we would be one game back of second place. The loser of this game between Calgary and us tomorrow night will be at the basement of the West come the closing of the first quarter of the season, and would be chasing the pack from here out. I’ve been that team chasing and it’s not pretty, the doubts in the fans minds are matched only by the doubts in your own as a player week in and week out. It is extremely important to finish the first quarter of the season with little or no doubt about your teams chances of contending for the title. At this point, you may not have faced every single team in the league, but you’ve at least seen them on film or on television and seen how they’ve faired against opponents that you’ve faced. It’s important to know where you stack up as a ball club going into the “meaty” portion of the season, in which the kinks should be worked out already, and you should be comfortable enough with each other to know what you’re going to get out of the man beside you when the curtain rises each week. The team that can enter the 6 games that make up the 2nd quarter of the season with confidence and swagger stands a much better chance of being in a good position winding down the last 2 quarters of this CFL season.
Calgary like us, is a team that is finding its way somewhat in this early portion of the season. Much has been said already of the talent that they possess, and I don’t think anyone can deny that, so the questions begin to swirl around in people’s minds regarding why such a slow start. Well, the same questions enter the thoughts of the players, believe me. It is vital for us to keep those doubts in everyone’s minds in this game by establishing ourselves as a team that’s certain of who they are, and of where they are going. The only way to do that is to play a FULL game from start to finish, something that has been sorely lacking in our format as of late. I’m excited at the possibility of seeing our team play focused and fast for that long, because I for one think that if we can find a way to actually play even the majority of those 60 minutes with poise and sound execution, there aren’t many if any that can contend with us.
This will be a defining game for the West, much like the one that took place last night. If B.C. would have found a way to win that game, many I’m sure could have conceded them first place in the West going away, and had them hosting a playoff game in their minds already. The loss makes them seem much more vulnerable to the rest of us, and I wouldn’t be surprised to see many teams playing the Lions with a different attitude altogether now that the scent of blood is in the water. The Eskimos need to stake their claim as fully fledged members in that hungry Western pack right here and now, to make no mistake that we’ll be there in October as well. To begin to chase now, is undoubtedly an uphill battle full of undue stress and too much antacid to go around. There’s a lot of pride in Calgary as well though, and they certainly aren’t going to lay down for anybody.
I do hope that my fellow Eskimos are resting well on this night, because tomorrow we get our first taste of the Battle of Alberta, and already it will have a playoff atmosphere. ©
KP8
8/1/2007 10:31:00 PM
Manage Wisely
“Practice…practice?...we’re talking about practice. Not a game, no not a game…practice.” – Allen Iverson.
While I remember watching that interview with Iverson, I don’t remember what exactly the question was pertaining to that set him off, but I do know it had something to do with his practice regiment or lack thereof. Little is made about the pro-athlete’s need to manage his body correctly while in season. I believe so little is made about it probably because, if you haven’t been an athlete you simply wouldn’t know what it entails to put your body through those type of rigors, day in and day out, year in and year out. Coming from a basketball background I can only imagine what it must be like to play some 80 games or so sometimes 3 per week, and what that must be like on the body. Nah, I decided it wasn’t for me and that I’d take the “easy” way out what with only 18-23 games and only once or twice do we play twice in a week. Yeah, piece of cake right? Have you ever wondered why they only play one football game per week?
The short answer is because the body can’t handle more than one. When I was a younger man, I thought that this was nonsense and that it must be some sort of television programming issue but now that I’m 7 yrs invested in it professionally, I fully see why. I play what would be called a finesse position in what is deemed the most physical collision sport on the planet. “Finesse” is a term that can be used loosely here, because there’s nothing finesse about cracking back on a linebacker, picking up backside blitzes or getting plastered over the middle by an awaiting safety. While you’re still on the lines of “finesse” understand of course that an average CFL defensive back is no more than 5’11” and 195lbs. On average, they may run 40 yards in about 4.56 seconds and based on those numbers can generate up to 1600 pounds of tackling force per hit. Or for those of you that are more in tune with physics, up to 150 g’s of force. To put that into perspective, a shuttle launch produces 3.0 g’s of force, and a roller coaster ride produces about 5.0 g’s, and we’re talking about the smallest guys on the field!
If speaking in G’s and pounds of pressure doesn’t quite do it for you, than think of this. Our statistically top 4 receivers all run 40 yds in under 4.4 seconds. Which translates to running 100m in anywhere from 10.2s -10.6s or just over 20 mph (roughly 30 kmph) and defensive backs must be fast enough to keep us under wraps. So picture two 200lb objects traveling at 30kmph hitting each other and what do you get? You get one game a week…that’s what you get.
One game a week because Jason Tucker is going to have someone waiting for him when he catches that out route, at least 5 times per game. One game per week because Andrew Nowacki as you’ve seen from the highlights of last week, is not a contortionist and still doesn’t feel right from that hit last week. One game per week because I’ll continue to get leveled over the middle by a linebacker who weighs considerably more than his defensive back teammates, but runs just about as fast. I must remind you once more…that we’re the “finesse” players, so imagine what the guys who make their living being physical feel like after games!
If I’m being honest, at my position the contact isn’t always what will keep you up at night. I’m not sure if that’s due to the high levels of pain tolerance that we exhibit in this sport or not, but when maintaining your body during the season that’s really only half of your worries as a receiver. The other half is mileage. And I’m not talking about frequent flyers on West jet.
Mileage, for me starts with a 4.5 km bike ride to work. From there, I would estimate that I run at least 60m no less than 20 times per period in practice for a total of at least 6 periods per day. (Trust me, I’m low balling this figure,) which comes out to be about 7200m per day of running, which is about 4.5 miles or 7.2 km per day. Topped off with the 4.5 km that I then must ride back home and you’ve got roughly 16.2 km traveled on these legs by 2pm, and that’s not including any cutting laterally which trust me, takes a lot out of you traveling at the speeds, described above to avoid the hits described above. 3 days of practice at least per work week comes to 48.6 km before game time, (which I won’t even bother calculating) not to mention the five 200m sprints that I run on the off day each week and we’ll just call it an even 50km per week without playing the game. 50km per week, no wonder T.J. Acree had a stress fracture in his foot! The fact that he’s trying to play through it comes back to that pain threshold that I touched upon earlier, but really my point in all this is not to bore you with numbers or to seek pity for our poor tired bodies. I know some people will read this and think “I run ten miles every day and feel great afterwards,” which is all well and good…but nobody’s crashing into you with 1600lbs of force at the end of that run.
My point is that as an athlete, you must manage your body in such a way that you are as physically ready as you can be once the lights come on. That may mean different things to different people, but ultimately we must all be able to shine, when we take the field. In football it may take several days to feel recovered at all from the previous game, there really isn’t time to recharge fully, with the new work week and a new team coming in to knock us down a peg. For some, this management can mean practicing through things that others may go on disability for in their own lines of work. And for others it can mean saving every bit of energy you have until the kickoff on game day in order to be at your best for your team. We all learned early in our sports lives that there’s a vast difference between “hurt” and “injured” and when we chose this path we chose to shun anything that really wasn’t an injury. By the same token, the CFL season is much more of a marathon than it is a sprint, and we’ll need all that we can demand from our bodies towards the latter part of the season. It’s important for us as players to identify and assess our levels of discomfort and pain, to know when to play through, and when to rest up and play another day. ©
KP8
