Demski does things right Veteran Bombers receiver makes teammates better through hard work and dedication to game By: Jeff Hamilton Posted: 6:26 PM CDT Tuesday, Oct. 22, 2024

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This article was published 22/10/2024 (355 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Like a fine wine, Nic Demski appears to only be getting better with age.

The Winnipeg Blue Bombers receiver is in the midst of his ninth CFL season, which puts him well past the best-before date of most professional football careers. It’s a run that began with the rival Saskatchewan Roughriders, who plucked Demski with the sixth overall selection in the CFL in 2015, but has since reached new heights over the past six years playing in his hometown of Winnipeg.

Coming off his first 1,000-yard season in 2023, the 30-year-old Demski, sitting at 940 yards on 72 receptions, needs 60 yards to reach the milestone for a second straight year.

He has just one game to do it, too, with the Bombers travelling to Montreal to take on the Alouettes in their regular season finale at Molson Stadium Saturday afternoon.

“It’s in the back of your mind. As a receiver, that’s where you want to get to. But it’s not something, to me, that has to be done,” Demski said following a rain-soaked practice on Tuesday.

“I like to be part of winning teams and being there for my teammates, doing whatever I need to do. So, 1,000 yards, it’s a flashy goal, but at the end of the day, it’s not something that I work toward. It’s just doing things right and the production will come.”

Doing things right, while a seemingly straightforward and cliche concept, is a phrase that’s come to define Demski and his impact with the Bombers.

Survey his coaches or fellow teammates and they’ll be sure to gush about his playmaking talent. They marvel at Demski’s ability to make extremely difficult over-the-shoulder catches look routine.

Then, just as quickly, the conversation shifts to the intangibles that truly separate Demski from the rest. Among those is a constant pursuit to be the best individual and teammate he can be, mixed with a love and respect for a game that demands your best effort each day.

“He sees the big picture of what we’re trying to do offensively, from the protections, the run game, the pass game – all those types of things. He’s not just a leader, but another coach out there for us as well,” Bombers offensive co-ordinator Buck Pierce said.

“A lot of people might see the catches and the runs that he does, but, overall, it’s also what he does for the offence and the flexibility he brings and how that allows other people to flourish as well.”

Pierce added, “He’s been in the system for a while, so his role has grown each year and what we ask him to do. What you see on TV is just the tip of the iceberg of what he does for us.”

Quarterback Zach Collaros didn’t want to give up too much information to his opponents, so his details were relatively scarce when he predicted that the Bombers ask Demski to do five times more than any CFL player he’s ever played with. Collaros is a future Hall-of-Famer, having played in more than 150 games for four teams across 12 CFL seasons, so his assessment of Demski carries notable weight.

“Nic allows us to be really maleable with what we can do, with where he’s at. There are just a lot of things he has to see in a certain look of the defence, depending on what the concept is, where he’s lined up, whether he’s in the backfield protecting or whether he’s running the route, making it right if we can’t protect it,” Collaros said.

“It’s his preparation that really stands out to me. He’s usually texting me before I’m texting him about a certain look or about a certain play that he thinks we could do.”

Brady Oliveira views Demski as one of his closest friends and, as someone who is a few years older and wiser, a role model, someone to look up to.

What Oliveira admires the most about his teammate is Demski’s work ethic and how he never seems to take a day off. As the ultimate competitor, the Bombers running back added, Demski pushes his teammates to be better and holds others accountable through leading by example.

“He sits in on the blitz meetings with us every single week. It’s behind the scenes stuff that most receivers aren’t doing and he’s in there making sure he’s on the same page with me and the offensive line, so when we do bring him in for protection, he understands the calls, he knows who he’s on,” Oliveira said.

“He’s not your typical receiver; you look across the league and not many guys are coming into the box like that and blocking linebackers. He’s a guy that the coaches trust. He does the dirty work, and he still goes out there and lights it up. There are lots of things that probably people don’t see about him and that’s what makes him the ultimate teammate.”

While it might look easy at times, Demski works incredibly hard to stay in the kind of shape required to perform in and recover from such a violent sport. He admits as he’s gotten older, he’s had to dedicate himself more to the gym, unable to get away with some of the things he used to as a younger player.

After all, you don’t make it to 133 regular season games, plus nine more playoff games, including a pair of Grey Cups, without putting in the extra work. As for what keeps the fire going after all these years, and why Demski doesn’t see the end nearing anytime soon, it’s simple.

“Winning,” Demski said. “I love being a part of this. I love being a part of this culture, this locker room. I love coming in each day and just going to work with these guys. That’s really all it comes from.

“If I didn’t have this group of people around me, it wouldn’t be as fun as it is. My environment and who I’m around, that turns into motivation as well. Everyone has their personal motivation, but when you have a team that’s motivated to do the same thing each day, it makes it a lot easier to work.”

Jeff.Hamilton@freepress.mb.ca

X: @jeffkhamilton