Continued from Part 1 and Part 2...

After I graduated from New Mexico in 2006, I returned home for the holidays.  Early in the New Year I set out for Toronto with the intent on training hard for the upcoming camp.  It worked out well for me as I have family in the Toronto area.  They took me in from day one as part of their own and I am forever thankful.  This allowed me to get a head start on the training necessary to compete at this level and without them I am not sure what I would have done. 

When I arrived, I was fortunate enough to meet some of my future teammates, including Kevin Eiben, Chad Folk, Jeff Keeping, Chad Rempel and Andre Talbot who were regulars at our strength and conditioning sessions with coach Desai Williams.   

The date couldn’t come soon enough, but the end of May had finally come around as I was about to join the Argos for rookie camp.  Rookie camp consisted of the first year players, on both sides of the ball, coming in a few days early to go over technique and the first few assignments. As a rookie going in, you’re not too certain as to what to expect, but those first few days allow you to get your feet wet and calm your nerves. The veteran players reported at the end of the weekend and it was pretty easy to catch myself staring at the future Hall of Famer’s we have on our team.  The young guys roomed together so we tended to stay together as we competed the first few days. 

Training camp is very unique and I like to compare it to the movie Groundhog Day in way. You rise before 7:00 a.m. every morning and the schedule doesn’t really change before you settle down after meetings around 9:30 at night.  You endure ‘two-a-days’ (two practices each day) for the first while and kind of fall into a routine. 

Camp is broken up with pre-season games which, as a first year player, can be nerve racking. You are trying to make a positive impression on your coaches and there is no better time than in game situations. We played a home-and-home series with Montreal and us young guys got our first chance to put on an Argos uniform. It was a pretty special moment and one I know that I will not soon forget. 

The end of the last pre-season game was also the end to our training camp. This is also the time when the last cuts are made as the team heads into the season. I remember sitting nervously at breakfast hoping that I had performed well enough to make an impression. As you get up to leave, you either are able to walk out unannounced, or you are stopped by player personnel.  If the latter occurs, it is usually not for a good reason.  My theory was: if I was able to make it out then I’d be alright. I think one of my quickest moves ever was ditching my food tray and making it out the door. 

I had now completed my first professional camp and learned that I would be on the active roster. I had felt a great sense of accomplishment, but it really only lasted the day. From then on, I was focused on helping the team in any way possible.  As a new member of a team, like any job, you try and do the little things that make your coaches and bosses want to keep you around.  In football, this includes staying late and working on your skills on the field as well as in the film room.  Following the lead of veteran players, I noticed this year more than ever how much the extra time counts. 

In the first few weeks of the season, I dressed primarily as a backup lineman and saw limited time as a blocking tight end.  Throughout the season, I tried along with others to convince the coaches to get a pass out of those tight-end sets, but when it did happen it went to another teammate of mine, Jeff Keeping.  Thinking that there might be some Ontario-bias, I quickly realized that it probably had something to do with my ball catching skills.  It was a great play to see and I only wish I was able to help Jeff in his celebrations. 

During the middle of the season, we had an injury to offensive tackle Dave Costa.  This happened in the middle of an away game in Montreal that we would end up losing in overtime.  I was able to come in for my first significant action as an Argo and it was thrilling.  Starting as the right tackle for the next two weeks gave me my first serious minutes as a pro versus Saskatchewan and Winnipeg.   The buildup to those games seemed like it took forever with the night before always being the longest.  By the time the game itself arrives, your nervousness is replaced with excitement.  There was not a better example of this then when we went to Vancouver to play the B.C. Lions.  This was somewhat of a homecoming for me as I had grown up on the west coast.  The excitement of coming out of the tunnel and seeing a busload of my family and friends in the stands was overwhelming. 

As the season progressed and we went through our ups and downs as a team, there was one thing that remained constant.  It was stressed by our coaching staff again and again and it was about us believing. We had to believe in ourselves and each other in even the worst of times in order to get to the top.  I truly believe that we did this and it was evident in the way we finished off our regular season.

Heading into the playoffs as a rookie you are not quite sure what to expect.  You have gone through an entire season, yet you know that the playoffs are going to be something more.  Our first round bye allowed us to go directly to the East Final against Winnipeg.  As everyone knows, the outcome for us was not what we anticipated.  

The feeling after that game was something that I will not soon forget.  It was an indescribable one and, to be honest, a feeling that as I write this I still think about.  You build bonds and friendships with your teammates and knowing that some will and some won’t be back is tough.  As long as training camp, the pre-season and the regular season can be, the moment after that game I wanted it to start all over again. I wanted another chance at it and the fact you have to wait so long to do it makes you want it that much more.  For six months you spend almost everyday with your teammates and separating from them is just as tough. 

The plan this winter was to take some time off and let my body and mind recover from the season.  I have found myself already back in training mode and ready to step it up higher as we move towards next season.  I know I am not alone as my teammates are doing the same as we all try and prepare ourselves for the upcoming season.   

I would like to take this opportunity to thank the fans.  The difference you make to each player out there is monumental and I know that I speak for each one of my teammates when saying so.

- Brian Ramsay #57