Veteran Denmark ‘happy we’re winning’

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 13/10/2016 (3285 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

A lot has changed since Clarence Denmark’s rookie season in 2011.

Of course, time has advanced his age and made him wiser as a professional football player. His longevity is a testament to his durability and his sure hands as he nears his 100th Canadian Football League game.

All of that, naturally, has allowed Denmark to excel in a game that doesn’t afford a long tenure to many. Now in his sixth season, and after the Winnipeg Blue Bombers clinched a playoff this past weekend, Denmark’s ability to stand the test of time has offered him another noteworthy distinction.

Of all the players on the Winnipeg Blue Bombers’ 46-man roster, their practice squad and the injured list, it’s only Denmark’s name that was on the game sheet the last time the Bombers tasted playoff football in 2011.

Most of that team is gone now, from the top down, although the special-teams co-ordinator at the time is now the general manager (Kyle Walters), the starting pivot (Buck Pierce) is now the quarterbacks coach and then-head coach (Paul LaPolice) is now the offensive co-ordinator.

The only similarities Denmark sees between the 2011 squad that lost to the B.C. Lions in the Grey Cup and his current one is both teams were great.

“This year, it’s a little better chemistry,” he said. “Guys are just playing well in a lot of different places. I think that’s the key for us, we have a lot of different playmakers this year.”

Himself included.

Denmark has quietly made the Bombers regret their decision to cut him prior to the 2016 season.

His seven receiving touchdowns lead the team, and he’s second in receiving yards with 572. It’s all the more impressive given he’s only played in half of the team’s games so far this season.

“It’s been a crazy ride. I’m just happy we’re winning some games,” he said Wednesday following the Bombers’ last practice in Winnipeg before they head to Vancouver today ahead of their meeting with the Lions Friday night.

Denmark said he saw something great the day he was brought back this season and admitted he’s only thinking about the team.

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He’s refocused, although that doesn’t mean he wasn’t before. Call it a different outlook.

“I guess I’ll say just appreciating everything and not taking any plays for granted,” he said. “Just going out there and making plays. You have to give a lot of credit to the guys around me this year.”

With the addition of 6-5 receiver Tori Gurley last week, it appears head coach Mike O’Shea will still roll with his dependable vet in Denmark. Both receivers were involved heavily with the first-team offence in practice this week.

“It’s all love,” Denmark said. “It’s all about the team. This is my team. Whatever I can do to help the team out. I’m not going to think about myself.”

scott.billeck@freepress.mb.caTwitter: @scottbilleck

Scott Billeck
Reporter

Scott Billeck is a general assignment reporter for the Free Press. A Creative Communications graduate from Red River College, Scott has more than a decade’s worth of experience covering hockey, football and global pandemics. He joined the Free Press in 2024.  Read more about Scott.

Every piece of reporting Scott 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.