Agudosi ready to turn on the jets

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This article was published 13/07/2023 (810 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Football is often referred to as a game of inches. It is also a game of numbers.

When it comes to the numbers game, perhaps no one on the Winnipeg Blue Bombers knows it better than receiver Carlton Agudosi, now in his third year with the Blue and Gold.

For the last two weeks, Agudosi has been the odd man out, a healthy scratch because although the Bombers like what he brings to the table, there just aren’t enough roster spots to go around.

Agudosi’s patience has paid off, as he’ll play against the Ottawa Redblacks on Saturday. An injury to Janarion Grant has cleared the way and Agudosi understands he needs to make the most of his opportunity.

“I just want to go out there and make plays when the ball comes to me,” he said. “If it doesn’t come to me, still be sound on my assignments and a physical presence out there. I want to be somebody the team can rely on.”

Agudosi is eager to go having missed so much playing time lately.

“As a competitor, you always want to be out there with your guys, especially after I missed time last year,” Agudosi told the Free Press following Thursday’s closed practice.

“I understand how valuable each game is and that nothing is promised. But at the same time, you just have to stay focused, not get too high or too low, understanding it’s a situation you have to reflect on and find ways to get better.”

Agudosi first signed with the Bombers on April 30, 2021, spending his first season on the practice roster. He was assigned there again at the start of 2022, but made a spectacular CFL debut in Week 6, hauling in two touchdowns in a 26-19 victory over the Calgary Stampeders.

Everything seemed headed in the right direction, only for Agudosi to suffer a season-ending ankle injury the next game. He returned this season as a projected starter. But after some underwhelming performances through the first three games, the Bombers started to look elsewhere.

“During the last couple weeks I’ve been doing my best to get the defence prepared, playing scout team the best I can, to give the DBs those looks so they can make plays,” said Agudosi, who has nine catches for 120 yards this season. “From top to bottom, we’re all on the same page as far as being ready and being prepared. That’s the most important thing and there’s a standard here, so you just want to make sure you hold that standard to the highest form.”

Agudosi has kept his spirits high throughout the process of working his way back into the lineup. It helps he was added to the one-game injured list rather than being assigned to the practice roster. That means he gets paid his full salary while the Bombers add it to their collective salary cap.

Bombers head coach Mike O’Shea has been pleased with how Agudosi has been conducting himself, understanding the challenges that come with feeling like you’re on the outside looking in. O’Shea said the team, notably the players, ensure there’s a positive environment within the locker room and people are treated and respected equally.

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Whether you’re on the PR or active roster, you learn the same materials and go through the same schedule, with the expectations also the same for everyone. Still, it’s not always easy, with the pay being less on the PR and the desire to play sometimes being overwhelming.

“(Agudosi) has handled it like most guys do — very professionally,” O’Shea said. “You give them that short window of time where they overthink everything, and you just leave them alone. You have that initial conversation, give them that short window of time and they bounce out of it very quickly. There hasn’t been too many guys that you have to go and say, ‘Hey, listen, let’s go. Pick it up.’”

He added: “You certainly have to give them a grace period because it’s a gut punch. But I would say they quickly look around and realize that they’re in a good spot.”

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.