Bryant steps up on offensive line

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This article was published 03/10/2017 (2929 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

He’s durable and seems almost indestructible.

The 31-year-old iron man of the Winnipeg Blue Bombers offensive line has started 49 consecutive CFL games, and if you listen to the people who should know, Stanley Bryant is also playing some of the best football of his career.

“I feel great, I feel like a 25-year-old,” Bryant said following Bombers practice Tuesday afternoon at Investors Group Field.

“I feel guys like Goose (Mathias Goossen), Travis (Bond), all those guys, they keep me young. My body feels great.”

Bryant came to the Blue Bombers from the Calgary Stampeders as a much heralded free agent signing prior to the 2015 season, but success for the two-time former all-star in Winnipeg wasn’t automatic. The team struggled, and the O-line, with its many moving parts, was not the finely tuned, reliable unit it is today.

Some of the necessary improvement came directly from the 6-5, 318-pound product of Goldsboro, N.C.

“He’s a very good professional,” Bombers offensive co-ordinator Paul LaPolice said. “He just goes to work every day and goes about his business. He’s a quiet leader.

“I think his focus is better this year. And I’ll just say, one of the things I talked to him about was making sure, a couple of times last year, (about) some offsides penalties or focus penalties. I’ve complimented him several times this year about how good his focus has been this season.”

The more disciplined play has been a team-wide trend. Winnipeg has been penalized 78 times for 817 yards in 13 games, which is the lowest total in the league. The Blue Bombers have also been flagged a mere 15 times for offside or illegal procedure, which is nine fewer than the B.C. Lions, who have the league’s second-lowest total.

“I would say 2015 was a rough year for the team and myself as well,” Bryant said. “I think last year we got a little bit better and this year, we’re just doing things we’re supposed to do. LaPo has done a great job for the offensive line and the offence in general…

“It wasn’t a hard thing to do. It’s all about your mindset. Just going into each and every game, listening to the quarterback’s cadence.”

Bryant’s willingness to work on his craft has impressed O-line assistant coach Marty Costello.

“It was a focus on his part that he believed he could play better, be a better player than he even was last year,” Costello said. “And I thought Stanley played well last year and he’s playing even better this year. He made an effort this winter to identify areas of his game he could be better at.

“He’s always been in good shape and right now he’s doing it all for us. There’s nothing Stanley isn’t doing for us — in both the run and the pass.

“We all know that if it comes down to a situation, if Stanley’s one-on-one in the run or the pass, we can count on him to get his job done… He gets a lot of knock-downs and he understands leverage very well. So, if a guy is playing high, Stanley will knock him down and if a guy is playing too low and has his head down, Stanley will do what we call trap him.”

A return to all-star form has come at an opportune time for the eight-year pro. He could become a free agent in the off-season.

“I think I’m playing as well as I did in Calgary,” Bryant said. “I think that’s one of the reasons they brought me here — because of my skill set, and also my experience and my leadership. I’m playing up to that right now.”

mike.sawatzky@freepress.mb.ca Twitter: @sawa14