I'm Not Making This Stuff Up

No The Sky Is Not Falling

So things didn’t go as we would have liked Thursday night in Edmonton. Looking to get back on track from our 1^st loss of the season before the bye week, the team headed west after a great week of practice to get us back in the win column. Once again credit goes to Edmonton for playing well and just like any other game, win or lose, we must go back and look at what we can improve. Watching the game at home with some friends, some pizza (and a few drinks), I couldn’t help but feel frustrated and helpless that I couldn’t contribute in any way possible to help my team out this week. But the good news is that this game is over and we get to play again on Sunday when Winnipeg rolls in town for the Labour Day classic. Something you learn very early in football is that a game is never as good as it appears and never as bad as it seems. The eye in the sky never lies so when we check out the game film as a group we’ll know what we have to work on this week to bring us back to our winning ways. I also learned quickly last year that fans here are the most passionate football fans not only in the CFL but perhaps in all of North America. You guys are simply awesome. But sometimes, some of you great fans say things that just don’t make any sense. Just like I heard from many of you in the first month and a half of the season that we were bound to go undefeated for the season, now I hear that we’ll be lucky to make the playoffs. Someone even told one of my teammate last week that he thought we might not win another game this season!!! In case you’re wondering, no the sky is not falling so no need to panic because we’re not forfeiting the rest of the season. The season is not a sprint, it’s a marathon and you want to finish the season strong heading into the playoffs where it becomes a free-for-all in a fight for the Grey Cup. Let’s ride these highs and lows together and see what happens in Montreal in late November.

I get asked a lot from people back home and friends from other teams what it’s like to play in Saskatchewan, if the team takes good care of us. I’ve been on 3 teams in my short CFL career and I have friends on every team in the CFL and after talking to them I can say with confidence that the Riders, in my opinion, treat their players the best of any other team in the league. My first team (Ottawa) was in financial ruin when I showed up my first year (their last) so even though their intentions may have been there, they didn’t go out of their way to help. We weren’t given mesh practice shorts until the 2^nd week of the season so we had to wear old high schools game pants to practice in, which meant that during camp when we had 2 practices a day (and nowhere to wash the pants) we’d have to wear the soaked wet pants from the 1^st practice for the 2^nd one. My 2^nd team (Winnipeg) was better but very business like. They’d give you what you needed (or league required) but besides one office assistant and one payroll employee, no one was willing to help out when you had questions, or needed something very simple. There’s nothing necessarily wrong with that, football is a business but great businesses are the ones that are willing to go the extra step for you. I remember my first few days when I showed up in Regina last year at the facilities: everyone was willing to help you in anyway possible. The head coach would joke with you when he saw you in the hallway…the president took time to see if you needed any help getting setup in the city…support staff like Sheri, Bobbie and Gordie would go out of their way to get me apartment info, find a dry cleaner, etc…the best example is when I needed to go see an apartment during camp, Tony Playter, who I had meet only 2 times at that point, threw me his car keys and told me to go check it out. He didn’t have to do that but that little difference is what sets this team apart from the rest league, it’s what makes it the place to be playing in the CFL. When we went to the Grey Cup last season, the team took unbelievable care not only of us but of our families, helping set up flights, hotel rooms, rental cars, etc…that’s why it doesn’t feel like a business around here, it just feels like a family and you can’t ask for more than that…and I tell you my friends, I’m not making this stuff up…

7 Comment(s) | Leave a Comment

SKINNY - FAT PEOPLE

Welcome back everyone, it’s good to see all of you again. When I last talked to you guys we were 6-0 and trying to stay undefeated through the bye week. Unfortunately we didn’t make it, even though we gave it our best effort in the 2^nd half of that Calgary game. Had we played that way in the 1^st half of the game it could have been a different story but we didn’t and the credit (and win) goes to Calgary. Just like when we win, we have to learn from our mistakes and get better because just as coach Gibson says all the time (and I agree with him) “Each game you either get better or go backwards”. The difference between winning and losing is that the exact same mistake you made on a play can make you either cringe or laugh, depending on the outcome of the game. You never want to make mistake but when you win it’s easier to look at that mistake and tell yourself “hey I screwed up but we won”…and then you make sure you don’t do that mistake again. When you lose, usually that same mistake will sound something like this in your head “You suck!! You really suck!!!”…and then you make sure you don’t do that mistake again. The game was especially hard for me to watch from the sideline and not be able to contribute and be out there with my teammates. We lost another piece of the puzzle in the game too when Belton Johnson broke his leg. Chris Best filled in very nicely and it was great to see him get in there. I’m not sure people realize how hard it is for someone who hasn’t played in a game in 7 weeks to jump in and make the transition from practice to game. Practice speed and intensity isn’t the same as an actual game so it takes a few series to get yourself up to game speed.

Following the game everyone went there own way. Most guys are not fortunate enough to have their family live in Regina with them, so being able to go home for a week is very nice. I know some guys went home to see their kids and wives (congrats to Corey Grant on the birth of his little one), some went to see their parents, some to see their friends and others took little vacation to recharge their batteries. As for me, the biggest fun my girlfriend and I had was going to Cornwall…and by that I mean the Cornwall shopping center…10 minutes from where I live. As we walked through the mall, I tried to do some shopping but as some of you may not know, shopping mall and “big boned” people don’t go well together. I tried on a few shirts from different stores. I swear some of the labels on these shirts are wrong. I usually fit in a XXL but some of these XXL shirts looked like they were made for “skinny-fat” people. Some of the shirts stopped before they even reached my belt, others were so tight they looked like someone had spray painted them on me and one of them even gave me trouble to put my arms down comfortably (c’mon Gap). Beside this exciting trip, my week was very uneventful. I did some treatment and worked out everyday so I can come back on the field as soon as possible. I ran a few errands, I’m not a procrastinator so I didn’t have a lot of stuff built up on my to-do list, and played lots of video games…and I mean a lot. I was actually pretty bored on some days. In an attempt to get out of the house I asked if anyone would be at the stadium so I could get a 2^nd round of treatment in the afternoon to which I was told in a typical sarcastic response from Ivan (our trainer) “sure you can come in to get some treatment in the afternoon…good luck getting in the building though cause no one is going to be here”. One day I got home around 11:30am and had nothing to do…not a single errand to run, not even something as small as picking up some milk, so I played videogames for 3 hours straight, got bored and had some lunch, found nothing on TV to watch, still couldn’t figure out anywhere to go (and I’m suppose to stay off my leg so random walking isn’t a great idea anyways), so I played some more video games…for another 3 hours! I’d like to say thank you to Sony for inventing the Playstation 3 for entertaining me that day…and that was my bye week…and I tell you my friends, I’m not making this stuff up…

12 Comment(s) | Leave a Comment

CRUNCH, CRUNCH, CRUNCH

Another road trip! I just love road trips. You get to stay at a hotel…and go swim in the pool…and eat at restaurants for 2 days in a row…and we get to play a game! It doesn’t get any better than that folks. The most important thing about a road trip is having the right roommate and instead of leaving it up to the room fairy, Mike Abou and I request to be together. For instance, you want a roommate who likes the same shows so you don’t argue over the remote…or one who likes the same temperature in the room (we like it in the mid 60s) so you’re not freezing or sweating all night long. We usually show up at the hotel, get changed into street clothes and head out for lunch. This week we went to the best deli in Calgary: Spolumbos!! I’d love to tell you more about it but Mike already talks about it in great lengths in his blog this week (see him on globalregina.com). The great thing about Mike and I is that we both enjoy the same routine. We’ll have some lunch, stop and get some water and treats for later, go take a nap, wake up and go out for dinner, get back to the hotel and go for a swim and then order pizza. Now I know some of you are thinking that it sounds like we eat a lot…that’s because we do. We didn’t get to be offensive linemen by eating 3 meals a day. Besides, we like to carbo-load our bodies for the game the next day. The only thing I can never, ever, forget to bring with me are ear plugs. Mike snores…very loud…like a mix of a diesel engine and a dying T-Rex. Mike also likes to eat while he sleeps. On many occasion I’ve been watching TV, only to suddenly hear Mike start snoring “zzzzz!” Mike also likes Doritos…he lives for that stuff and keeps a bag on the night stand to snack on during our stay. On one particular occasion, I was watching TV late night after a game. We were talking about the game when mid-sentence Mike just fell asleep…”zzzzzzzz”. I laughed it off and turned the TV and lamp off and grabbed my ear plugs. All of a sudden, his “zzzzzz” went to “crunch crunch crunch” and within 3 seconds back to “zzzzzzz”. What the hell was that???? I stayed put…”zzzzzz”…”crunch crunch crunch”….”zzzzzzzz”….”crunch crunch crunch”…turns out Mike had his bag of Doritos on his chest and would wake up for mere seconds to inhale (not chew) a handful of those lovely cheesy triangles and fall back asleep instantly. He didn’t even know he was doing it until I told him the next day. That’s still better than eating a cheese and salami sandwich in the dark though, right Mike??? Oh road games, how I love them. But enough of this, let’s get to the game…

“Shank!!!...Shank!!!” This is what I’m screaming toward Sandro DeAngelis with 0:02sec left in the game last Saturday. And it worked!! Ok ok, I know it was a long attempt with a mountain of pressure on his shoulders and our defense got a good push on the attempt…but I think me yelling “Shank!!!” (which means “miss” in football terms) was what got us to 6-0…so for all you Rider fans out there: you’re welcome. So all kidding aside, we always say you just need one more point than your opponent when the clock runs out and that’s just what we did. Our defense gave trouble to what I consider to be one of the best offense in the CFL and made big plays after big plays, including stuffing them with a yard to go late in the 4^th quarter. The offense moved the ball very well in the 1^st half but struggled a bit in the 2^nd half. The Oline did a good job giving Cates some running room and he exploded through those holes and put up some big numbers. Once again we played as a team and won but we were hit with some more injuries. Berman and Dominguez went down, as well as my cousin Neal Hughes (bet not too many of you knew that we were cousins) and unfortunately, yours truly also will be missing some time while nursing a sprained mcl (the knee ligament inside your leg). It happened late in the 4^th during a run to Szarka. I was playing Tight End (TE) and while blocking one of Calgary’s defensive end I had a few big bodies fall on the side of my knee. I felt a “pop” on impact and I knew right away something was wrong. I managed to get back to my feet and run off the field since we were changing formation. I tried to walk it off, telling myself it was a little strain or maybe a bruise, but instead of getting better it was getting worst. Two plays later we attempted a field goal so I ran out there. When the ball is kicked everyone is suppose to block first and then run downfield to cover in case we miss it. So I blocked. And I ran downfield. The knee didn’t hurt during the running but as soon as I slowed down it was just throbbing. There wasn’t too much time left in the game so I figured I could suck it up and get it looked at after the game. We got the ball back with 3 minutes left and called a formation where I play TE, so I ran out as usual to the referee and told him I was reporting as a TE. I then turn to get back to the huddle and it was then that my whole leg just gave out on me. I wanted to get in the huddle to run the next play but I couldn’t really walk, so I started to hobble toward the sideline before taking a knee near the hash mark and wait for the trainers to come out. I could have made it to the sideline but I knew if I went down that would give our offensive coaches enough time to get a new formation and play called instead of rushing to get someone out there and run a play out of the wrong formation. The doctor says I should be back in about a month but I’m going to try and make it back for the Edmonton game after the bye week. So for now it’s ice every hour for 20 minutes and treatment twice a day. Had it not been for the knee braces I wear during the games I would have certainly tore my entire mcl and been out for the season, but I didn’t and I can thank my guardian angel (grandma Lea) who is always looking out for me each and everyday. This week will also mark something new for me. I have never in my whole high school, college and pro career missed a game due to injury, never! It actually took me a while to remember the last time I missed a practice due to injury, which turned out to be my 2^nd year of college when I missed 3 practices with a concussion. So you can probably imagine that seeing my teammates go out to practice and play without me is not a good feeling but I’m know they’ll do a great job this week in front of a sold out Mosaic crowd.

Before I leave you for my last blog until after the bye week (that’s why this one is a little longer, it’s also why I got more donuts to write this one), I’d like to let you all know that my good friend Chris Best will be playing TE this week since Neal and I can’t play. So to all of you awesome-super-mega fans out there who cheer when they announce me as “reporting eligible”, make sure you give Chris a warm welcome the first time they announce him…see you all Thursday night…and I tell you my friends, I’m not making this stuff up…

13 Comment(s) | Leave a Comment

THE LIFE OF A BACKUP

Another game and another great team effort. For the 5th week in a row, we put ourselves in a position to win the game in the 4^th quarter and pulled together for another big win. It wasn’t easy and we lost some valuable players on the way but other guys stepped up (once again) and we kept ourselves on the right track. Losing guys like Andy and Darian for an extended period of time is never a good thing but it’s part of the sport. Can you really expect to run into someone full speed 60+ times a game and not get hurt?? And as expected, the greatest fan in the CFL braved mother nature and got Mosaic as loud as ever from the time we ran out of the tunnel/giant helmet to the very last play, thanks guys!!! Speaking of running out of the giant helmet reminds me of a funny story. I’m always near the front and one of the first ones to run out. Last year, as I was jumping around trying to stay loose and focus, I ended up landed on some wires. When I looked down I saw a cable connection that wasn’t hooked up, which after examination appeared to be connected to the fireworks on the left side that explodes when we first run out. So here I am, trying to figure out if I had disconnected it or if it was meant to be disconnected and I have no clue. Would they set up the firework cables through here? Would they really leave an important connection in the middle of where we run out? As a dozen questions ran through my head seconds before they told us to run out I told myself “Nah, that has to be for something else.” So they tell us to go and out running we come and “blam” the firework on the right side go off and not the ones on the left, the exact one I thought (or did) disconnect. I ruined the fireworks that night but on the bright side I never had to worry about doing it again because I never saw the firework cables in there anymore, I just hope I didn’t get anyone fired!

Most of you know our popular/star players and their direct impact on the games you see every weekend. But I think it’s important to realize that as crucial to our team’s success that they are, there are another 30 guys you may have never heard of that push and prepare those guys weekly. For example: Jeremy O’Day can’t get any better if Jim Verdon takes it easy on him during the week. Corey Grant can’t be prepared if Tad Kornegay doesn’t give him the proper look of what our opponent that week is going to do in the secondary. Take me for example: I’m the 6^th offensive lineman, which means that if anyone gets hurt up front during the game I jump in their position. Does that mean I just breeze through practice each day? It’s actually the opposite; I try to do better than all 5 of the guys ahead of me so I can be on that field the next game as a starter. No one ever wants to be the backup on a team because before we became pros, everyone on this team was once a key component on their college team. It’s always hard to go from a full time starter to a backup and wait around. Show me a player who says he doesn’t mind being a backup and I will show you a player that’s just staying around until they stop giving him a paycheck. A good backup is one who understands his role and does it well but still pushes everyday to become a starter, not one who complains to the coaches or general manager about his lack of playing time. Thankfully we don’t have complainers in our locker room, just guys who come to work each and everyday. A job well done is always better than a job well said. That means that a backup must outplay the guy ahead of him and when he gets a chance to get in a game he has to be perfect so the coaches feel as though they have to leave him in there. That’s the life of a backup. So everyday I go to practice I try to be perfect, that’s what I get paid for anyways. A player doesn’t get paid to play on game day, that’s the fun part, the part you’d do for free. I believe you get paid to practice and you play the games for free.

I issued you fans out there a little challenge in my 1^st blog about cheering when the introduced me as “eligible” and you guys were awesome!!!! I especially heard the East side (wake up West side!) and thought it was great and hilarious. I was even told there’s a facebook group about me reporting as eligible now, so thanks to whoever took the time to start it. Even though I only got in 6 plays last game I managed to get into 3 “scuffles” while out there prompting a text from my brother telling me I “must have the league record for most scuffles in the least amount of plays in a game.” I figure if I’m going to only get 6 plays in a game that I might as well have fun and hit someone, right?...and I tell you my friends, I’m not making this stuff up…

15 Comment(s) | Leave a Comment

Even Cows Go In When It Rains

Another week of practice and preparation is all done and the team is ready for the biggest game of the year. You may ask yourself, why is this the biggest game of the year? Is it to stay undefeated? Or because it would extend our lead in the west division? Or because our former QB is coming back to town? No, no and no. It’s the biggest game of the year because it’s the next game, simple as that. This team has the great ability to live for the next game, to live for that next play in the game and not try and do everything at once, just do your job on the next play and trust the guys next to you to do the same. That’s why we’ve been able to pull together at the end of games this season, that’s what competition is all about. As you may imagine, players are very competitive, both on and off the field. A good example of that competitiveness happened to me this past Wednesday night. My gorgeous girlfriend (Leslie) and I went to play mini-golf at the Paradise Entertainment Center. It started off with a friendly wager: loser buys our next sushi dinner (are you all that surprised the wager was for food?). The game started and like a pro golfer I examined the terrain of each hole to see all its curves and bumps. On the other hand, Leslie would take one look at the hole, laugh about the obstacles on it, and hit the ball as hard as she could without any particular aiming point. When we tallied up the point half way through, she was beating by 4 strokes! What???? How could this happen??? Needless to say, the competitive juices started flowing and in true Rider fashion I pulled out the victory on the last 2 holes. That story just goes to show you that if this innocent game of mini-golf got me all fired up, imagine how it is during a football game when 30,000 people are cheering you on and the time is running out. Every team, every year, has to establish an identity for themselves and so far this year we’re establishing that we are going to play hard for all 60 minutes, whistle to whistle until they tell us the game is over.

The long week gave some our players a chance to heal up. Chris Szarka will be making is debut for the season after being sideline for the past month. Last week’s bumps and bruises are healing up. The reality of football is that something is going to be hurt/jammed/bruised/strained all season long. On the offensive line you can always count on a few jammed fingers all year long, some weekly neck and lower back soreness and let’s not forget the usual getting kicked or stepped on in practice (Stop wearing metal studs in practice January!!) Cold tubs are daily rituals for some to get all that inflammation out. And in case you’re wondering, a cold tub is basically like taking a bath in the coldest water your faucet will pour out. Then add about 8-10 giant size ice bags. Then sit in there for 15 minutes. Fun right?

Some of you may have notice the few storms we had early on this week, and by notice I mean you saw the hail bouncing off your car. So towards the end of Wednesday’s practice, the rain started pouring down on Mosaic stadium. And it was coming down fast and hard. As a few of us on the oline sat on the bench, we talked about random stuff such as Mike Abou’s fence building abilities, which rivals Bob Villa quality (he’s an even better blogger, check him out on globalregina.com). All of a sudden it started to rain extremely hard. It got quiet for a few seconds, then Mike said “what other job would employees actually stay out in the rain until someone told them to go in????”. Wayne Smith followed that by saying “Even cows go inside when it rains, they know better!”. Which made me wonder, are cows smarter than me???...and I tell you my friends, I’m not making this stuff up…

17 Comment(s) | Leave a Comment

Buy your tickets online
at tickets.com