DINO EYES HIS CHANCE
Buckley points to combine
As the reigning Hec Crighton award winner, it’s only fitting that Andrew Buckley should get an invite to the CFL combine in Toronto.
As a Canadian quarterback, impressing people is the more daunting task.
“It’s such a cool experience that it would be a shame not to try it,” said Buckley, the University of Calgary QB who is one of five players getting a chance to show what they’ve got at the 2015 national evaluation camp next weekend.
“It’s one of those things you grow up watching it and you think how far off it is, you say ‘I’ll never get there.’ Now the opportunity has presented itself. It’s such a cool chance, to not give it 100 per cent of what you’ve got is a waste.”
The others Calgary players off to Toronto are all in the top-20 CFL Scouting Bureau rankings: offensive linemen Sukh Chungh (7) and Sean McEwen (6), receiver Jake Harty (19) and linebacker Adam Konar (16).
As well, Chungh will be competing this weekend at the NFL Super Regional combine in Phoenix.
Three other Dinos are also preparing for Monday’s CFL regional combine in Edmonton with a chance to also get invited to Toronto. They include linebacker Tanner Doll, defensive lineman Tyler Langlais and free-agent receiver Chris Dobko.
Several Dinos have been preparing together for these huge dates and that has made the task even more enjoyable.
“No doubt, it makes the experience that much better that we have a bunch of friends going down with us to support us,” said Buckley. “It makes the whole situation that much more comfortable for us.
“The most important thing for me is have a good day throwing the football. The physical tests, they’re important, but as a quarterback, I don’t think it’s the most important thing. It’s how you come across in your interviews and how well you throw the ball, show the coaches that you’re capable of handling a pro system and the mental de- mands.”
Chungh, who missed the latter part of the 2014 Dinos’ season with a sprained MCL, left on Thursday night for the two-day event in Arizona. He made it there after some terrific results at a preliminary combine in Chicago the previous week.
He’s one of two Canadians invited — the other is linebacker Ron Omara from St. Francis Xavier.
“I sort of took that one (Chicago) on short notice, as well, and I just had to believe in my preparation and be myself, really,” said Chung, out of Port Coquitlam, B.C.
“It’s always a goal of yours when you’re playing football. I’m excited that I get to show my talents. I think there’s a lot of Canadians — even a lot of Dinos — who should be competing down south. Sometimes you don’t get the opportunity and sometimes you do and I’m just taking that opportunity.”
For Doll, it’s one of those oncein-a-lifetime deals that an athlete must pounce on.
“It’s exciting,” said the St. Albert native. “For me personally, the main thing is you have to have respectable times. The Edmonton regional is known for posting slower times, due to their timing systems and the surface. But it’s relative, right? You have to perform the best out of the people there. Also, for me personally, I have to perform the special teams roles well, just show your competition level.”
He, too, spoke about the pluses of off-season training with his teammates for something other than a regular season.
“I think it’s huge because no matter what you do in life, you want to surround yourself with likeminded individuals,’’ he said. “For a lot of us, it’s been kind of like the boyhood dream. You play sport and you watch people on TV and you want to accomplish what other people can’t. So the motivation has been there since Day 1.
“During your season, the goal is to win a national championship, but most of us have had the longterm goal of playing professional football. That’s also a big aspect of why most of us have chosen to come to the U of C because of that reputation and that high standard we hold ourselves to.”