Pro football a snap for Stamps’ hopeful
Interested in learning how to longsnap? Sure. Why not?
Because, as a Grade 11 student keen to earn varsity status at Dunbarton (Ont.) High School, Kyle Tyo had been looking for an edge.
And the coach happened to be looking for somebody “to throw a ball between their legs.”
“At the time, I didn’t think anything of it,” said Tyo. “I was new to football to begin with. I didn’t even know, to be honest, what it was at the start. But it felt like a good way to make the senior team, just to have something else on my side.”
So perhaps acquiring, then fine tuning, this particular skill could be the ticket. Tyo, a receiver, began to practice. “It was different, just trying to get through the motion, getting that constant motion in your body, getting used to it, getting those snaps back there consistently,” he said.
“It’s something you have to perfect, keep getting reps in order to get better at it.”
His long-snapping did progress, to the point that it carried him through five years at the University of Windsor.
And now? West of Ontario for the first time in his life, he’s attending the Calgary Stampeders’ main camp.
All thanks to the decision to dedicate himself to the art of the long snap.
“It’s something I never expected,” said Tyo, 6-foot-5 and 225 pounds. “It’s been quite the adventure along the way and it’s led me here. I think I’m doing a good job at it. I’m loving it.
“It’s a great experience, regardless of what happens.”
Signed a week ago, the Pickering, Ont., native admits to having a few antsy moments at the opening of tryouts.
“Always a little rough, just getting back into the groove of things and, obviously, how nervous everyone is,” said Tyo. “In some aspects, it’s kind of what I was expecting. But the uptempo (pace), that’s a lot different than the university level. That was one thing to adjust to as well.”
But given the gig’s inherent mental burden — every hiker lives with the fear of sailing one — Tyo rebounded nicely from early-week jitters.
“He’s a guy that’s matured into that role,” said Mark Kilam, special teams co-ordinator of the Stamps. “He’s competed right off the bat. Every day we give him things that he needs to work on and he’s coming out and competing with those guys.”
Guys such as Randy Chevrier, an old hand, and Tim St. Pierre, who shouldered most of the snapping last year.
“It’s nerve-racking knowing what I’m going against,” said Tyo, “but, at the same time, it’s good because it’s competition. Competition will not only push me, but them as well. Whatever’s going to make the team better, right?”
The role of holder, too, could use a measure of stability. Last year, that critical job skipped from Bo Levi Mitchell to Brad Sinopoli to Rob Maver to Drew Tate. Hardly ideal. “We rotated a lot,” said Kilam. “It was a year in flux for us. We’re trying to smooth out our operation. The sooner that we can get it set, the better.”
Sunday afternoon’s mock game at McMahon Stadium provides an ideal proving stage. Live action is always telling. “It is important,” said Kilam. “Just like a returner — you want to get them in the game. Take a look at them with the lights on and see what happens.”
Added Tyo: “Obviously, that’s going to be the most nervous time, playing in front of hundreds and thousands of people. This being my first time at this level, I’m trying to relax. It’s something I’ve done for years, so it’s really no different. That’s what I’m trying to drill into my head right now. At the end of the day, it’s just another snap.”