Hardrick’s taking nothing for granted

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This article was published 03/06/2019 (2287 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Jermarcus Hardrick is as close as almost anyone to being a lock to start Week 1 of the CFL season.

But don’t bother telling the 6-5, 311-pound product of Courtland, Miss., who will take nothing for granted after spending most of the past two seasons as a fixture at right tackle for the Winnipeg Blue Bombers.

“I’m still walking on eggshells every day until the final cuts come out,” Hardrick said Monday afternoon.

“I don’t care what (anybody) says, I’ve been cut so many times. Even late in the season after the trade deadline, gonna be a little shaky. Nothing’s promised. I’m ready to get to work, I’m ready to make the team again.”

The 29-year-old, who has played for five NFL teams, two Arena Football League outfits and three CFL squads since leaving the University of Nebraska in 2011, has missed most of training camp with an unspecified ailment.

He returned to being a full practice participant Sunday.

“I wouldn’t say an injury thing,” Hardrick said. 

“More like a precaution, something that popped up. It was rough watching. It was good to be there — I wanted to be a coach and be there for my teammates.”

Likely the biggest story in Hardrick’s life had nothing to do with training camp.

This spring, he became the first member of his family, which includes nine siblings, to earn a college degree after completing work on a sociology degree from Nebraska.

“It’s something I’ve been working on for years and to finally have it come true, (to) have the support and love of the people who helped me get there, it just feels so great,” Hardrick said.

“It’s hard to put into words, but it really happened. It still doesn’t feel real, but it really happened.”

LOOKING OUT FOR NO. 1: The mystery surrounding an appearance by quarterback Matt Nichols in Thursday’s pre-season finale in Regina is over. Nichols, who did not dress for the pre-season opener against the Edmonton Eskimos, will play against the Saskatchewan Roughriders, but if head coach Mike O’Shea knows how much, he wasn’t saying.

“Yeah, he’s gonna play,” O’Shea said. “He’ll get these reps. It was a decision on our part to do it this way and so he’s expecting reps and he’ll get them.”

O’Shea was also asked for an appraisal of second-year man Chris Streveler.

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“His quarter-plus (of action) at camp has shown that, like we talked about, what he’d be doing in the off-season, he’d be preparing to be the No. 1 and working hard to be better than he was the year before,” O’Shea said. “And we know he was very good the year before and I think he’s come into camp and shown us that the items he wanted to work on, he really worked hard on.”

GETTING THE AXE: The Blue Bombers released six players from their roster Monday. Gone are American offensive lineman Chauncey Briggs, Canadian offensive linemen Matthew Ouellet De Carlo and Ben Koczwara, American receivers Chris Hubert and Garrett Johnson and Canadian defensive back Payton Hall.

NOTEWORTHY: Wide receiver Charles Nelson, who has suffered an unspecified injury, did not practise for the second consecutive day Monday. His availability for Thursday was uncertain. Meanwhile, rookie running back Brady Oliveira was excused for a second consecutive day for what was termed “personal reasons.” O’Shea is hopeful Oliveira will suit up Thursday.

mike.sawatzky@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @sawa14