CFL Week is bringing players together

Jerome Messam has been a little conflicted during CFL Week.

The Calgary Stampeders running back — like all of the players on hand for the festivities at Evraz Place — is doing his best to be polite to men with whom he’ll be butting heads in four months.

He has done fairly well, although his dealings with one particular group of people are testing him.

“Every RedBlacks person I see, I’m like ‘Grrr’ — straight scowl,” Messam said with a grin, remembering Ottawa’s 39-33 overtime victory over the Stampeders in the 2016 Grey Cup game.

“But it’s good to get the guys together halfway through the off-season and see familiar faces. Guys have got the buzz now and are itching to get back. Guys are talking smack a little bit, so it’s good.”

More than 50 players are to be in Regina for CFL Week, which for the players involves photo shoots, interviews with media members, and meetings with fans.

The players also are getting chances to hang around with each other and, in some cases, are interacting with some of their opponents for the first time.

“I would never talk to some of these guys if it wasn’t for this,” admitted Edmonton Eskimos defensive tackle Almondo Sewell. “Then you realize when you talk to them that, ‘These are actually pretty good dudes. I should have said something to them during the season.’ ’’

Does that mean that all would be good if Sewell had a bone to pick with an opposing offensive lineman and that gentleman happened to be near Sewell this week?

“It would be different if (the CFL) had brought some O-linemen here,” the Eskimos standout said with a laugh, “because there are a lot of grudges going on there.”

Saskatchewan Roughriders receiver/returner Chad Owens wasn’t expecting anything other than handshakes and hugs during the event.

In a nine-team league, players see each other a lot as opponents — and movement between teams means the players could be teammates at some point in time.

In Owens’ mind, those factors should result in all CFLers getting along with each other.

“We’re all in it for the same reasons and, to me, that’s the difference about the CFL,” he said. “You may have some guys who really have some battles with other guys and they may have some things going on off the field, but — I’m just speaking for me personally — I ain’t got no issues with anybody.

“I love watching guys excel and being given the opportunity to do what they want to do — to have fun playing ball and making plays — because I was that guy. I was that guy who just wanted a shot. I got my shot and I was able to run with it.

“It’s all love, man. It’s all fun.”

Sewell had the same thought as he watched B.C. Lions receiver Manny Arceneaux walk by to head to another interview during Tuesday’s session with the media.

“The way the CFL works, I might be his teammate later on — but I’m still going to try to knock him out when I see him,” Sewell said with a chuckle. “It’s all good, though.”

Hamilton Tiger-Cats linebacker Simoni Lawrence is one of the CFL’s more colourful characters. He can be outspoken, both in front of microphones and on social media, but he’s comfortable in his own skin.

This week, Lawrence once again is just trying to be himself — and he said that has made it “definitely hard” not to take shots at his fellow CFLers.

“I forget sometimes,” Lawrence said with a huge grin. “I find myself making slick remarks at dinner and stuff like that.

“Whenever you’re around a bunch of great athletes, you’re trying to one-up them. That’s how it is in a competitive life.”

So how do things go in a social setting when Lawrence sees somebody whom he flattened last season?

“I just say, ‘Hey, what’s up?’ and see what they say,” Lawrence said. “I just saw (Eskimos quarterback) Mike Reilly in the hallway. It’s pretty fun seeing these guys you smack around a little bit.

“But these players here are at the top of their game, so they don’t feel anything because they know the kind of player they are. If somebody got them one time (with a big play), they probably got that person three other times.”