First camp caught Parker by surprise

Calgary receiver found transition to CFL difficult

For starters, there was the obvious comfort of familiar surroundings.

Having played for the University of Calgary Dinos, Anthony Parker knew every inch of McMahon Stadium.

Also, while the rest of the Stamps newcomers were being housed in dorms, the Calgarian got to sleep in his own bed every night.

As for rookie camp itself? Not so bad, either.

“Pretty basic,” said Parker. “Getting through that was OK.”

However, main camp — this is in 2011 — turned into something else.

“The first few days was a review of stuff we had already covered ( in rookie camp) and I had that false sense of security — ‘ Oh, this is OK,’” said Parker, grinning. “Then? By Day 3, 4, all of a sudden I realized, ‘ Holy smokes. This playbook is a lot bigger than I thought it was.’ You start to swim a little bit with the extra stuff you’re learning. I was like, ‘ I don’t know what we’re doing out here.’ I think it tested my will to play football.

“Eye- opening. And physically? Absolutely overwhelming.”

These days, spring is about clarity, not murk.

This isn’t the stage for making impressions — at least not for the mainstays.

It’s simply fine- tuning for the regular season.

“It’s a big refresher for us as veterans — get those fine details down, get crisp again, knock the rust off,” Parker said.

“It’s more preparation for Game 1 than it is an audition. I mean, they know what we can do. Then it comes down to proving that we can do it again, proving that we still know the stuff.”

The receiver is asked about his career arc.

Since being picked third overall in the 2011 CFL draft, Parker has made his way from special- teams regular to part of the go- to gang. A steady progression? “Rocky,” countered Parker, 25. “The first year I did the things I wanted to. I wasn’t satisfied, but it was pretty good.”

But after getting into 14 games as a rookie, he endured a dud of a sophomore year — suffered a concussion in the pre- season, came back and blew his ankle, came back and broke his foot.

Which added up to five appearances — and zero catches.

“I felt that it was a waste of a year.”

But he rebounded smartly from that letdown.

In 2013 — 21 catches, 217 yards, two touchdowns.

In 2014 — 33 catches, 360 yards, four touchdowns. The trend here is easy to see. No surprise, his goals now are higher than ever.

“You look at what you’ve done in previous years and you look at your rate of growth,” said Parker. “Statistics- wise, I’ve got a couple of round numbers in my head that I’d like to hit. I’m hoping with the way things are going — and the chemistry with ( quarterback BoLevi Mitchell) — I definitely think that’s attainable.”

The young man is leaner than ever — carrying 210 pounds on his six- foot- two frame — and is confident he can put his mark on the offence. In short, No. 86 is eager. “I definitely feel more explosive, more light on my feet,” said Parker.

“Optimistically, it’s going to be a great year. The thing for me is to stay healthy. The rest of it will take care of itself. It’s fair to say that it’ll be a career year if things go my way.”