Here’s the skinny on Etienne

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 05/06/2012 (4854 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The assignment handed to Jade Etienne at the end of last season was to put on some weight.

It was an obvious request: The skinny 6-foot-3 receiver, who arrived in Winnipeg listed at a generous 184 pounds, looked too thin when running alongside other Bombers. Everyone was in agreement, including Etienne, that he would need to beef up a bit before he could be an effective player in the CFL.

So the Regina-born player sought the advice of a nutritionist over the winter, and she came up with a food plan that would get him to focus on lifting more calories into his mouth. Eat several meals throughout the day, she told him, and try to gobble down at least 5,000-6,000 calories a day. That’s a pretty big jump from the 3,000 calories the Canada Food Guide recommends for active males aged 19-30, but he was ready to stuff his face between training sessions.

Etienne couldn’t just go on a fast food diet, either. Gaining weight for an athlete means eating right, not just filling your grill full of Quarter Pounders or Whoppers and washing them down with a Big Gulp.

Try the chicken, or the fish, and don’t be afraid to go back for seconds.

“It’s tough to shop for that; you look for yogurt and it’s all fat-free,” he said after Day 2 of training camp at Canad Inns Stadium Monday. “She said eat as many calories as possible. I didn’t have to eat big meals, just a lot of meals throughout the day. As long as I’m gaining every year, I’m on my way.”

It could be a long journey. He only put on five to six pounds over the winter. That might not sound like much, but consider the lean body type Etienne has to work with.

“I’ve been trying to gain weight my whole football career,” he said. “It’s really tough. This year, I learned a lot about what works to gain weight and what doesn’t work. I’m up to almost 190 (pounds). As long as I’m making progress, that’s good.”

Which brings us to the big question surrounding Etienne as it pertains to his position on the Bombers this season. A fourth overall pick in the 2011 draft, a selection that many in the CFL found curious given the other options available, Etienne, now 22, came to camp as a nervous prospect with the weight of his draft position on his shoulders. Curiously, he dressed for 17 games last season, failing to record a catch or make any significant impact on special teams.

In a way, he was given a free pass in 2011; a year to figure out the pro game and get acclimatized to his new, pressurized surroundings. Sensing the vultures hovering above, ready to pick apart the decision to draft Etienne, the team went out of their way to spin the positive aspects of the player. A mention of a great catch by Etienne here, a story about his eagerness to pick up the offence there — all designed to buy the rookie (and the team) a little more time.

“Everyone was saying last year that I shouldn’t have been picked so high,” he said. “This year, I think they just expect me to come in and take a step. That’s all the expectation is on me — and I’m confident that I will.”

Etienne, who spent the winter going to school, has figured out a few things already, the most important being who to watch during practice. Now that he has a basic understanding of the Bombers offence (something he wasn’t confident at all with last year, he admitted Monday), he’s been able to pay more attention to guys like Terrence Edwards and Cory Watson, and how they run routes and handle themselves on the field.

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That’s a good first step towards taking the next step, says Markus Howell.

“He’s got to take all his cues from Terrence Edwards — how he approaches it, how he handles the game,” the Bombers receivers coach said. “With me, it was Milt Stegall. He was the guy I watched closely every day. I saw how he took care of his body and how he studied the game. There are certain guys who do it right.

“Jade has to find one of those guys and latch onto him.”

Ready or not, Etienne should see a bigger role this year, as it’s assumed he will be the Bomber’s third Canadian receiving option, backing up Watson and Kito Poblah in the offence. Currently, the club only has two other non-import pass catchers (Cassidy Doneff and Rory Kohlert) on the roster.

adam.wazny@freepress.mb.ca Twitter: @wazoowazny