O-lineman loves game, will play for pittance

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This article was published 05/06/2016 (3478 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

He probably shouldn’t be advertising this, but Jermarcus Hardrick says he’ll play for free if necessary.

Of course, the behemoth — Hardrick stands 6-6 and tips the scales at 320 pounds — needs to keep the lights on. He’s got a wife and two kids (with another on the way) at home in Lincoln, Neb.

But the offensive lineman is dead set on playing football for the Winnipeg Blue Bombers, a team he got his start against in the CFL in 2014 as a member of the B.C. Lions. In fact, Hardrick and the Bombers crossed paths a few times before he linked up with the club this past off-season.

Hardrick started 10 games for the Lions in 2014 but was ultimately cut. The Mississippi native was invited to training camp with the Saskatchewan Roughriders last season, only to be cut and then re-signed after injuries to the Riders’ front five. He went on to start eight games, including a Labour Day Classic victory over the Bombers.

“This is all I can do, man. I just love the game,” Hardrick said Sunday. “I can’t sit behind a desk. I can’t do anything else but run at people full speed for a living.”

The ratio doesn’t help Hardrick. He’s been the seventh man on the offensive line since breaking into the league, something that doesn’t lend itself to long-term status with any one club.

“It’s tough being a journeyman in this league,” he said. “I’m trying to stick and the ratio obviously doesn’t help, but I love everything about the CFL, so I fight through it. I got to find a home.”

Hardrick sees similarities to the CFL and where he plied his trade in college (Nebraska) — not in terms of the game, per se, but in the way fans approach the game and the passion they show.

“Everywhere you go, everyone’s all in. No one is big-headed, there isn’t a lot of money issues going on that you hear about in the locker room,” he said. “We’re all here for one reason. I look at it as a paid vacation. I get to come up here and do what I love.”

Naturally a left tackle, Hardrick played left guard in B.C. and right tackle in Saskatchewan. In camp this year, offensive line coach Bob Wylie has moved Hardrick around the line, getting as many different looks as he can at the big man.

“I don’t care where I play. I just really want to be on the team and play football,” Hardrick said.

Hardrick’s passion for the game also makes him anxious.

“I’m walking on eggshells, I feel,” he said. “There’s seven American linemen here. You never know what’s going to happen.”

Hardrick’s “do anything” attitude has caught the eye of head coach Mike O’Shea. O’Shea will have to see Hardrick during game action, but feels he is going to like what he sees.

‘I look at it as a paid vacation. I get to come up here and do what I love’

“If you’ve paid attention to practice, you’ll see he’s down field 20 yards on every run play,” O’Shea said. “He’s the first guy to pick up any receiver that’s down. He’s the first guy running to congratulate guys when they win a one-on-one on the O-line. He’s got a ton of energy, a ton of grit.

“There’s so much to like about Jermarcus.”

Camp adds, cuts: The Bombers added three players prior to Sunday’s practice; WR Fred Williams, DE Andrew Robinson and DL Emmanuel Dieke, who was cut earlier in camp. The club released LB Duron Singleton and DB Vernon Kearney.

Injury update: Receiver Ryan Smith returned to practice Sunday after missing the last half of Friday’s two-a-day session and Saturday’s practice. Receiver Weston Dressler was also absent for what O’Shea called a “veteran’s day.” DL Louie Richardson pulled up lame in Saturday’s session, at one point limping around without a shoe on his right foot. O’Shea said he has a lower-body injury. He was unsure if Richardson would be ready for Wednesday’s game.

Quotable: “The best thing is, they keep going. They really enjoy being out there. We had three or four practices in the rain and the tempo was always high-paced. The effort and the load they withstood… the excitement. You didn’t hear a lot of complaining. You didn’t hear a lot of guys talking about being sore or stiff or it being wet outside. Guys just kept on going, going and going.”

— O’Shea on what he’s seen from his squad after eight days of camp.

scott.billeck@freepress.mb.ca Twitter: @scottbilleck

Scott Billeck
Reporter

Scott Billeck is a general assignment reporter for the Free Press. A Creative Communications graduate from Red River College, Scott has more than a decade’s worth of experience covering hockey, football and global pandemics. He joined the Free Press in 2024.  Read more about Scott.

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