The big boys are hot to trot in sizzling Winnipeg

Stanley Bryant tips the scales at 306 pounds.

Check back after Thursday’s game against the Calgary Stampeders and the big Winnipeg Blue Bombers left tackle might weigh a lot less.

With temperatures expected to be hovering between 35-40C with the humidity at kickoff Thursday night, the heat might be a factor, especially for the big boys in the trenches.

“Just gotta stay hydrated, get hydrated tonight,” Bryant said Wednesday, with the mercury sitting at a balmy 42 degrees. “Guys should have started getting hydrated yesterday, but we’ll be fine.

“It’s not too tough. It’s only tough when you have those long drives. You might start from the one and you’ve got to go all the way down. If you’ve got like a 15, 20-play drive, those are really tough.”

The 30-year-old North Carolina native, who bolted the Stamps for the Bombers in free agency prior to the 2015 season, is used to it, though.

“The hottest? Probably high 90s back in college,” Bryant recalled.

“I haven’t got one of those up here — thank you, God.”

Virginia native Marquay McDaniel got off the plane in Winnipeg on Wednesday afternoon and basked in the sticky heat.

“I love this weather,” McDaniel said. “It reminds me of Virginia, for real. I told them when we got off the plane, I feel at home. The humidity, I like it. It’s a little cold in Calgary, especially last week, so I’m loving this heat.

“This isn’t even hot to me.”