It’s all about football

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 27/05/2015 (3765 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The numbers on Jamaal Westerman’s birth certificate tell us he is 30 years old. Flip through his meaty football resumé and the pro stops after an outstanding college career at Rutgers include the New York Jets, Miami Dolphins, Arizona Cardinals, Indianapolis Colts, Buffalo Bills, Pittsburgh Steelers and Cleveland Browns.

Funny, then, to see a man eight years older than some of his would-be Winnipeg Blue Bombers teammates — and with 57 NFL games to his credit — running around on the same field on the first day of the club’s rookie camp. And yet, when Westerman glanced at the Bombers camp roster he recognized some names from years slugging it out in the trenches.

He remembers Drew Willy during their days with the Jets. Cornerback Johnny Adams looked familiar, as did defensive tackle Kheeston Randle. And it was quarterback Brian Brohm who reminded Westerman of lining up against each other during their college days.

“I played against Brian Brohm a couple of times,” Westerman recalled Wednesday, grinning. “We actually beat him pretty good in college. It was 2006, Louisville vs. Rutgers… we knocked them out of the national championship picture.

“I didn’t bring it up. HE reminded ME. It’s the first day out here… I didn’t want to rub it in.”

Now, truth be told, there wasn’t a whole lot to distinguish the opening of the Bombers 2015 rookie camp to any of those held in the years before. Every camp features players with juicy credentials lining up against rookie Canadians.

Every camp includes former NFLers sharing a locker-room with players deemed too small or too slow by the game’s intelligentsia. All of them — ‘CFL newcomers’ might be a better term than rookies — are eager to make the game a living before Father Time determines their football careers are kaput.

Interestingly, Bombers head coach Mike O’Shea said the club did want more players who have been through pro camps before and have the mental toughness to work through the grind to increase the competition level in camp.

It helps that they may be hungrier, too, having been through the pro grinder and still eager to chase the dream.

To that end, meet receiver David Gettis — a sixth-round draft pick of the Carolina Panthers in 2010. He started 13 games as a rookie but blew his knee out in camp a year later and has been travelling the long road back ever since. It’s been two years since he suited up for a game — a pre-season tilt with the Washington Redskins in 2013 — but the competitive fire and passion still burns.

“This is a great opportunity for me to continue to play football,” Gettis said. “I’ve been working out, staying optimistic and waiting for my time. This is something I want. I’m not done.

“I knew if I stayed ready this would happen and when the door opens you have to be ready to walk through it.”

And so Day 1 of Bomber rookie camp might have had a definite been-there/done-that feel for Westerman, Gettis and all the other ‘CFL newcomers’ who have already been chasing the dream down south. Then there is Addison Richards, the University of Regina Rams receiver who was drafted 11th overall a couple of weeks ago and hopped in his car on Tuesday to make the six-hour drive east to Winnipeg.

Every bit of this — signing a contract, rubbing shoulders with players who have lined up against Tom Brady and Peyton Manning or played in bowl games in front of 100,000 people — is all new.

“First day as a pro,” said Richards, stepping in front of a row of TV cameras and reporters. “It’s pretty exciting. I just got my playbook today. That will probably take up most of my night, but I’m excited to sink my teeth into it.”

So it’s here where all of the 45 CFL newcomers who were on the field Wednesday do have something in common. They are all chasing the same goal, it’s just that some have made more pit stops than others. New York, Los Angeles, Miami, Regina, Saskatoon and now Winnipeg.

“We’re all the same out here, man,” said Westerman. “It’s all about the chance to play football. This is a game that as kids we played for no money. So to get out here and play as a professional and improve your craft and, hopefully, move on to win a Grey Cup, that’s what we focus on.

“It’s the greatest game on earth. Yes, there’s so many things that can happen that are out of your control. But what you can control is what you put out there every day and what your attitude is and for every single one of us out there it’s about competition and being around guys who love the game.”

ed.tait@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @WFPEdTait