It’s a Suber day for Bombers, D-backs

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 11/01/2011 (5376 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

One more shot, that’s all Clint Kent wanted. One more shot — minus the politics, minus the nagging injuries — to prove he could still get it done as a football player.

And Alex Suber? All he craved was opportunity.

Interestingly, both men not only found what they coveted with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers in 2010, but parlayed that shot/opportunity into regular work and then contract extensions — announced Monday — that will keep them in Blue and Gold for at least another year.

That they became tried and true friends through the process only makes their tale that much more intriguing.

“The two of us, we’re pretty much always together,” began Suber. “It’s even to the point where they call me Kent and call him Suber sometimes, mostly because of the hair (dreadlocks). We’ve grown pretty close and we’ll probably be rooming together this year.

“That’s the cool thing about sports sometimes, how these things happen.”

Kent came to the Bombers with one season of CFL experience, back in 2006 when he started 10 games with the Montreal Alouettes. But his 2007 was wiped out by injury and so was 2008 when he tore up his knee during training camp with an Arena League team. He played football, believe it or not, in Finland in 2009 before a private workout with the Bombers last spring earned him a tryout with the Bombers.

Kent started at the two defensive halfback spots and spent time as the dime back in pass situations before being switched to SAM linebacker upon Ike Charlton’s release. And all Kent did after that was establish himself as one of the most consistent Bomber defenders, finishing the season with 77 tackles — 10th in the CFL — with two sacks, four knockdowns and a fumble return while adding 13 special-team tackles.

“I ended up falling in love with the position because I was more in the box and was able to blitz more. I love it now. I really love it,” Kent said Monday. “It’s funny now, but those two years I was off I was working out hard, but sometimes I wondered why I was working out. But I knew football is what I wanted to do and I really wanted to get back to the CFL.”

Suber, meanwhile, made an instant impression in camp — winning over observers despite his size, maybe 5-foot-7 in long cleats, by making play after play. He finished 2010 with 51 tackles, three knockdowns, two fumble returns and 11 special-teams tackles.

“The first day I met Alex Suber I thought, ‘Wow, this kid is not very big,'” admitted head coach Paul LaPolice. “But when we did our one-on-ones he usually had the best feet and was our best cover guy. He’s a productive football player. And Clint Kent, he just makes plays. It’s great to have those two guys signed.”

“I can’t wait to get back to it,” Suber added. “Everyone can feel it… even some of the other teams. After a lot of close losses everyone could see we’re a team that’s building. There’s a buzz now about how well we can play, how good we can be, if we continue to put in the work.

“You’ve got to have a lot of speed and quickness to be able to play the game up there. I learned to love it. It’s a really exciting game and I love the people there. I’m so happy I ended up there.”

ed.tait@freepress.mb.ca