LAST YEAR’S PAIN DRIVES SINGLETON
Stamps’ star linebacker will never forget grown men crying after Grey Cup defeat
As painful as memories of last year’s Grey Cup loss are for Alex Singleton, it’s a vivid recollection of the locker-room scene afterward he found most sickening. Literally. “We walked in, and people were physically sick — people were throwing up,” said the Calgary Stampeders second-year linebacker.
“You could hear grown men crying. You don’t forget that.
“They set up both locker-rooms to win because it was in overtime, so I still remember the plastic and the tape getting ripped off our lockers. The champagne and beer were sitting in the middle of the room. It was the worst feeling ever.”
As the best player on the league’s best defence, Singleton will have plenty to say this Sunday night about which locker-room shares tears and which will share beers.
He plans on using the pain of last year’s loss as fuel, just as he did all season long.
It’s a common motivator for athletes who fall agonizingly short of glory.
And it’s all the more reason the man who set a Canadian record with 123 tackles in a season isn’t taking a second consecutive trip to the Grand National Drunk for granted.
“When it’s June and you’re on a two-game win streak and you’re saying, ‘Cool, we’re going back to the Grey Cup’ — it’s not necessarily there yet,” said the 23-year-old Singleton, who will be front and centre Thursday night at the CFL Awards show during which the league’s second-leading tackler is up against Montreal Alouettes star Kyries Hebert as the loop’s top defender.
“To finally be here is a huge thing. It’s not blowing smoke anymore. This is what we played for all year and now we finally get to worry about this.”
As the man in the middle of the Stampeders’ vaunted defence, the chief concern he and his unit will have revolves around stopping ageless wonder Ricky Ray.
The 38-year-old quarterback gives his Argos a chance every time they hit the field — a prospect made even greater by the solid coaching of Marc Trestman and a running back such as James Wilder Jr., who adds balance to their attack.
Singleton said the big lesson learned last year is not taking any team lightly.
“Just lining up against (Edmonton Eskimos QB) Mike Reilly and seeing what they did to start the game (last week), you just know how competitive this league is all the time,” said Singleton, who was a monster in last year’s big game when he recorded nine tackles and a fumble recovery in their 39-33 overtime loss to the Ottawa Redblacks.
“I’m thankful to be in this organization and thankful to be going to back-to-back Grey Cups. My expectations to get back here would be that high if I was a back-to-back Grey Cup champion, but I haven’t won one. Maybe win one and the expectations could change.”
After all, even at his tender age, a player never knows how many championship chances he’ll get.
Having spent time with the NFL’s Seattle Seahawks, New England Patriots and Minnesota Vikings in 2015 before taking the Stamps by storm last season, there’s a possibility the 6-foot-2, 235-pound wrecking ball could get renewed attention from south of the border after next season.
The NCAA Montana State Bobcats product is dating last year’s Stampede Queen, whom he credits for dressing him in the cowboy duds he showed up in Ottawa wearing on Tuesday, complete with a grey hat. He lives in Calgary in the off-season and would likely seriously consider signing a relatively lucrative deal to stay here as opposed to testing out the NFL’s practice rosters. After all, the Stampeders’ sixth pick in the 2016 CFL Draft brings increased value by virtue of a Canadian citizenship the California-born talent earned based on his mother’s birthplace.
None of that is on his mind this week as he does his best to learn from last year’s Grey Cup experience, which includes the emotional scene after the game and the hectic schedule leading up to it.
“I understand the expectations of the week away from home, and that will be really helpful this year,” said Singleton, who rooms with quarterback Bo Levi Mitchell on the road.
“Bo will be here with me the whole time, so to get stuff off of him and find out what’s too much will help me make sure we’re not worn out and we’re still ready to play the game. When you have five minutes, are you going to lay down and close your eyes or study five more minutes of film?”
If closing his eyes includes flashbacks of last year’s locker-room scene, you can bet film study it will be.