Vet impressed with newcomer

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This article was published 04/06/2019 (2286 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Jake Thomas has seen his fair share of players come through the Canadian Football League. As the longest-tenured member of the Winnipeg Blue Bombers, the Canadian defensive tackle also understands what it takes to stick around in a game that seemingly chews up and spits out players every year.

So when asked to evaluate what he’s seen from rookie DT Connor Griffiths through the first couple weeks of training camp, his glowing assessment of the 21-year-old out of the University of British Columbia was as surprising as it was positive.

The kid can play, Thomas said.

“He’s been great. I think he’s going to have a very long career in this league,” Thomas said. “From what I’ve seen so far, he’s a quick learner, a hard worker. He’ll probably be one of those few guys that’ll be able to play as long as he wants as long as he’s able to stay healthy.”

Given Thomas has carved out a lengthy career, now entering his eighth season in the league, it was an impressive endorsement for a newcomer. But Thomas has seen Griffiths, who was drafted by the Bombers in the third-round, 25th overall, up close on the field and in the meeting rooms.

The two sit beside each other in the locker room, which is by design, and Thomas said he sees a guy who is hungry to learn and quick to listen.

“You can tell sometimes when guys get it and I think he’s going to be one of the guys that gets it. I always like the guys that seem to be their own hardest critic and you can tell when he’s watching film, even if it’s a slight mistake or everything isn’t just perfect, he kind of gets on himself,” Thomas said. “He’s going to be playing in this league for a long time.”

As for Griffiths, he’s just happy to be adjusting to his new life of professional football. Though he’s been performing well, he knows the transition won’t be easy. With the UBC Thunderbirds, he was named All-Canadian in 2017 and last season was listed as a Canada West all-star.

In the CFL, the players are bigger and the game is faster. So he’s taking it in stride.

“It’s definitely different. In college, you know you’re a starter and you’re doing all the things that the veterans here are doing. So it’s basically being a rookie again, like when I first got to UBC,” Griffiths said after the Bombers wrapped up their workout at IG Field Tuesday. “So I expected it and I know I got to work from where I’m at to get to the top, but I’m excited. I’m here to learn; I’m living out the dream. I’m playing football and I have a chance to make money doing it and not a lot of people get to do that.”

As for the praise from Thomas, Griffiths was pleased with the impression he’s left on his teammate. He also credits Thomas for his guidance, as well as the other players on the D-line who have offered a helping hand.

“Obviously, that’s the career I want. I know I got to keep working, though. I still have a lot that I need to learn. I’m just coming out here every day and I’m just playing as hard as I can. I’m here to learn and I want to contribute as soon as I can,” he said.

“I sometimes give myself a pretty hard time. I’m always searching, honestly, to get to perfection, even though I know it’s not a realistic thing. But you got to strive for it every day. That’s the thing that keeps me on my toes, is I don’t like to fail. But I know if I give it everything I’ve got and I do fail, that’s OK to me. I’m not pushing for failure, I’m pushing to be the best that I can be.”

Griffiths admitted he had some nerves playing in his first pro game last week. The Bombers defeated the Edmonton Eskimos 20-3 at home and Griffiths played sparingly, unable to record a single stat. But he’s expected to be more involved when the Bombers wrap up the exhibition schedule Thursday on the road against the Saskatchewan Roughriders.

“It was nerve-racking when I first got out there because I’ve never played in front of that many people. But I felt as the game went on, I started getting more and more comfortable,” Griffiths said. “This week, I have nerves to go play a football game but it wasn’t quite the exact same nerves I had last week. I’m just excited to get to Sask and just play and show whatever I got and give whatever I got.”

Bombers head coach Mike O’Shea is also looking forward to seeing what Griffiths can provide. It will be some time before he’s able to lock down a notable role, but O’Shea, like Thomas, has been impressed with what he’s seen so far.

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“He’s strong. He’s very powerful. He learns. I think he’s added things to his repertoire since he’s got here. So in a very short time, he’s listened to the vets, he’s watched the film, he’s listened to the coaches and started to try different things, take some risks in his pass rush and knowing that he can always resort back to his bread and butter, which is tremendous amount of power,” O’Shea said. “He’s a very likeable kid. When I see him around, not just at practice, he’s the type of kid I think that’s all-in. That would certainly endear him to all of us.”

jeff.hamilton@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @jeffkhamilton

Jeff Hamilton
Multimedia producer

Jeff Hamilton is a sports and investigative reporter. Jeff joined the Free Press newsroom in April 2015, and has been covering the local sports scene since graduating from Carleton University’s journalism program in 2012. Read more about Jeff.

Every piece of reporting Jeff produces is reviewed by an editing team before it is posted online or published in print — part of the Free Press‘s tradition, since 1872, of producing reliable independent journalism. Read more about Free Press’s history and mandate, and learn how our newsroom operates.