Stafford reborn as a Blue Bomber

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This article was published 25/04/2017 (3437 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

When Kenny Stafford signed a two-year deal with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers in January, he described the contract as a “long-term commitment” and, in more direct terms, as a second chance at life.

For Stafford, who turned 27 on April 20, the Bombers will be his fourth CFL team since he broke into the league in 2013. Never has he played consecutive years for one club in a career that has included three separate stints in Montreal, with additional stops in Calgary and Edmonton. He did play a key role for the Eskimos in 2015, when the team won the Grey Cup.

Back with the Alouettes again in 2016, Stafford hoped to build off the momentum of his breakout season in Edmonton, where he caught 47 passes for 732 yards and nine touchdowns. Instead, his year was suddenly cut short as Stafford — along with his cousin and fellow receiver Duron Carter — was released from the Alouettes shortly after the CFL trade deadline.

The move not only left Stafford without a team to play on for the rest of the year, but also created the impression he was an unfit teammate. Stafford had twice drawn negative attention to himself that season: first, when he left the field late in a loss to the Calgary Stampeders and again when he became part of a public altercation at practice with quarterback Rakeem Cato. Cato claimed the confrontation started after Stafford and Carter made a series of disrespectful comments.

It’s only fitting if Stafford plans to make a lasting impression with his new team, it’s best he makes a good first one. That’s just one of the reasons he has decided not to hold off for the Bombers’ main training camp in late May to report to the team — a time when most with his experience would officially start the year — and instead will be one of 35 players to attend Bombers’ mini-camp, which runs today to Friday at Investors Group Field.

“This is make it or break it,” Stafford, when asked what this season means to his football career, said in a phone interview from his home in Boca Raton, Fla. “Last season is last season. This is a fresh start for me and I feel like this is the right place.”

Before Stafford signed his contract with Winnipeg, he said there were multiple talks over the phone with Bombers general manager Kyle Walters and head coach Mike O’Shea. Together, they discussed the past — specifically about what unfolded in Montreal — before moving on to what the expectations would be moving forward.

As good as Stafford said those talks were, it was important he solidify that trust in person — and the sooner, he felt, the better.

“You really don’t know a person until you shake their hand and look them in the eyes,” he said. “I want them to see what type of person they’re dealing with.”

With a number of veteran receivers returning this year, Stafford also knows whatever role he does get this season with the Bombers, he’s going to have to earn it. Stafford enters camp feeling confident. He worked out at the XPE Centre all off-season, including in one-on-one drills with longtime NFL receiver Anquan Boldin. But he feels it’s just as important he hit the ground running.

That way, there are no surprises for either side come main camp.

“I know I don’t need to be there but I’d rather be there,” said Stafford. “Because I’m a new piece, they’ve got to find ways to fit me in to what they already have. It’s not going to be an overnight thing, so why not get the jump on it?”

Stafford has already shown signs of how eager he is for the season to begin. During a media availability with Bombers quarterbacks Monday, starter Matt Nichols said it didn’t take long after Stafford’s signing that his phone started being flooded with calls and texts from his new wide receiver. The two have a history, with Stafford and Nichols former teammates in Edmonton before Nichols was traded to Winnipeg midway through the championship season.

“It just shows how good he wants to be,” said Nichols, adding Stafford’s passion and intensity isn’t likely to stop any time soon. “He’s one of those guys that’s going to keep other receivers after practice to make sure everyone is going to get all the extra catches they need and he’s going to be a guy that I know is going to ask me to go watch film with him and want to know every little detail that I’m thinking.”

“Once you get on the same page as your quarterback and you have faith in him and he has faith in you, I mean there’s endless capabilities,” said Stafford. “Any good receiver will tell you that they had a good relationship with their QB.”

At 6-3, 205 pounds, Stafford provides much needed size and is a viable threat on deep-ball passes. Despite the work he’s put in this year, he carries no expectations for what’s ahead. Stafford knows if he’s going to stick around, it will be as much for his play on the field as his ability to gel off of it. It’s a lesson he’s had to learn the hard way, but something he feels has only made him a better player — and person.

“I wanted a home and Winnipeg offered me a home, so I’m going to give it all I got,” said Stafford. “It’s a new life for me.”

jeff.hamilton@freepress.mb.ca 

Twitter: @jeffkhamilton