Coombs responds to wake-up call

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 26/07/2019 (2327 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

HAMILTON — Many predicted stardom for Anthony Coombs after the Toronto Argonauts chose the elusive University of Manitoba tailback with their third overall pick in the 2014 CFL draft.

But no one would have figured he would have to struggle so long to deliver on that promise.

In 2019, he’s still hard at work, albeit with a new team. Cut loose by the Argos during training camp and signed two weeks later by the Hamilton Tiger-Cats, the 26-year-old Sturgeon Heights Collegiate grad has found a fresh sense of purpose in his sixth season as a pro.

Being released for the first time in your football career can signal defeat or a fresh start. Coombs has chosen the latter.

“It was really tough just transitioning to a new team right after training camp… just because you spend a couple of weeks learning a new system in Toronto, then you get cut and now you’re popped into the start of the season where everybody has just finished camp and are all acquainted with each other,” Coombs said Friday, a few hours before his team beat the Blue Bombers 23-15 in a CFL division-leaders’ showdown at Tim Hortons Field.

“It was a good experience, because it made me a better player. It was tough, it was still emotional. But at the same time, I’m happy it happened because it gave me more character and, like I said, made me a better player.”

Coombs said he took a personal inventory after getting the axe, trying to understand how his career had led to that point. He resolved, in part, to improve his workouts, take better care of his body and watch more game film.

“It forced me to reflect on what I wasn’t doing,” Coombs said. “What I wasn’t doing right, how I could get better, and it gave me an opportunity to sit down and say, ‘OK, I’m in this situation, what was I doing that led me to this and how can I prevent it from happening again?’ I really feel like it motivated me to make those changes and now I feel like I’m in a better place.”

He considered coming home, but Blue Bombers GM Kyle Walters was finding it difficult to find a fit for Coombs in the organization.

“They were really happy with their players and I just didn’t think it would work out,” Coombs said. “I just think it was a matter of him and (head coach Mike) O’Shea being pretty content with what they had. I didn’t take it personal, I didn’t feel like they didn’t want me there. I just think, you look at their roster, there’s a lot of guys that have been there for a while and they’ve been building this and it’s shown on the field.”

In Steeltown, opportunity presented itself early. Standout third-year running back Sean Thomas Erlington suffered an injury to his left knee in a Week 4 game against the Montreal Alouettes, had surgery and went on the six-game injured list.

That left a trio of Canadian runners, including highly touted rookie Maleek Irons, Coombs and (Action) Jackson Bennett to pull up the slack.

Irons, a 6-0, 224-pounder, has been getting the bulk of the work since then, including Friday’s 45-yard outing. But Coombs gave a preview of his capabilities in Week 4, carrying the ball five times for 61 yards and catching six passes for 51 more.

Coombs, 5-9 and 199 pounds, didn’t touch the ball in Week 5, and the Ticats followed that with a bye week, setting the stage for Friday night’s game against the Blue and Gold, in which he carried the ball three times for two yards and caught one pass for nine more.

A lengthy history of injuries, including shoulder surgery that limited him to 10 games in 2017 and an ankle ailment that held him out of all but two games in 2018, have led to questions about his durability.

“I think it’s definitely a factor,” said Coombs, who was used mainly as a receiver during his time in Toronto. “But there’s many factors on why you sign a player, why you cut a player. In Toronto, it wasn’t just the injuries. The coaching-staff changes and all that and how they were going to use me, it wasn’t gonna work out.”

All things considered, Ticats offensive co-ordinator Tommy Condell has been pleased with Coombs’ transition.

“The adjustment wasn’t that long, either, because Anthony and I were together for two years in Toronto,” he said. “So he knew how I coached, what the expectations were. When you bring a player of his calibre on, he’s an intelligent guy, but not only that, he also he’s a multi-(faceted) guy.

“Now it was just about learning how we call things, how we do things and the culture from coach (Orlondo Steinauer). It was as seamless as it could be.”

Condell said he believes Coombs is capable of being the feature back in the Hamilton offence but also feels his versatility will free him up to do other things.

Coombs prefers to catch and carry the football.

“I’d kinda like to stay in that hybrid position,” Coombs said.

“But I’ll play wherever the team needs me. I’m not gonna pout about playing receiver (or) playing running back. As long as I get an opportunity, I’m happy with that.”

mike.sawatzky@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @sawa14