The name is Bond… Travis Bond

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This article was published 02/06/2016 (3392 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

It’s not just that he’s big, although he is certainly that.

At 6-6, 329 pounds, Travis Bond is the biggest of all — the largest mammal among the 85 XL men the Winnipeg Blue Bombers have in training camp this week.

But more than his size — his friends have called him “Treetop” since he was a child — what you notice when you stand next to Bond is the man’s mass.

Physics nerds will tell you the definition of mass is “a measure of an object’s resistance to change its state of motion when a force is applied.” Bond has a freakish amount of mass, which is to say he is the absolutely ideal physical specimen to be an offensive lineman entrusted with protecting the quarterback.

And it also comes in handy when you get run over by a pickup truck.

Bond is known on the Internet for two things: the day in 2013 the Minnesota Vikings took him in the seventh round of the NFL Draft, and the day in 2012 he took on a truck — and won.

The truck was dented, Bond walked away. And that’s not even the best part of the story. But we’ll let Bond tell it:

“I was on my way to study hall in college in my senior year,” Bond said Thursday after practice at Investors Group Field. “I was on my scooter…”

(We interrupt to state: yes, all 6-6, 329 pounds of Travis Bond was riding a motorized scooter that day; and no, no one made fun of him.)

“… And there was about five people in this truck and they hit me head-on. I flipped in the air and the scooter landed on top of me. I kind of caught it with my body, so the scooter was actually OK.”

(Thank goodness for that.)

“I took the worst of it. Well, and there was this big huge dent in the front of the truck.”

The driver of the truck sped off — Bond says police never did catch him — and Bond, at that point, did what no one would have done in his situation; he got back on his scooter and continued on his way.

“I went to the study session and I told one of my friends, ‘I just got hit by a truck.’ My friend said, ‘You should go to the hospital.”

(Smart friend.)

“But I thought I was OK.”

(Here comes the best part:)

“So the next day, I went to work out and I had 415 (pounds) on the bar and told my conditioning coach, ‘Man, something don’t feel right with my wrist.’ And so later that day, I went and got an MRI and found out my wrist was broken.”

All of which is to say: never mind the truck story, Bond once bench-pressed 415 pounds with a broken wrist. Blue Bombers quarterback Drew Willy, meet your salvation.

Eager to improve on what’s been dreadful pass protection the past two CFL seasons, the Bombers have had Bond taking reps at the tackle, guard and centre positions through the first five days of camp — and are clearly doing their best to find some way, any way, to get this man on the roster.

Head coach Mike O’Shea says it’s not just that Bond is massive.

“He wouldn’t be around here if he was just a monster. He’s more than that, that’s for sure,” he said. “He moves very well for a man his size. He’s smart, seems like a good character guy. He knows what he’s doing and he’s not out there making a bunch of mistakes… He’s got a good shot.

“He’s not just a big man, he’s a talented football player.”

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After a standout career at the University of North Carolina, the Vikings drafted Bond in 2013 and he spent the past three seasons with the Vikes, Carolina Panthers and St. Louis Rams but couldn’t crack a game-day roster.

All of which brings Bond to Canada for the first time. At 329 pounds, he’s actually lean by his standards — he weighed in at 375 a couple years ago. And with some decent mobility, he might just be a CFL fit.

“I had big dreams of making the NFL, but it didn’t work out. But maybe I can help this team win a championship,” said Bond.

He took on a truck and protected his scooter. Now, let’s see if he can take on a CFL defensive lineman and protect Willy.

paul.wiecek@freepress.mb.caTwitter: @PaulWiecek