McMANIS OFFERS STAMPEDERS DOUBLE DUTY
Linebacker provides Calgary defence a fistful of versatility, writes Danny Austin.
Wynton McManis has a straightforward answer when you ask him what position he plays.
“Linebacker,” the 23-year-old says.
It’s not quite that simple, though. In his season and a half with the Calgary Stampeders, McManis has mostly made his name on special teams, but over the past four games he’s begun playing a bigger role on defence.
He spent a good chunk of time at SAM, a position where he needs to help both the linebackers and the defensive backs, and head coach Dave Dickenson said the Stamps have even used him at defensive end a few times.
So defining McManis’s position is a little more complicated than just slapping him with the linebacker label, especially when his versatility is such a major asset for the Stampeders defence.
“I mean, I can’t really tell you what it is. It’s kind of the SAM linebacker position,” McManis said. “It’s a good fit, being able to move but still play in the box and cover receivers. It’s a good fit.”
McManis burst into the consciousness of Calgary fans in 2017 when he picked up two sacks and two defensive tackles in his CFL debut in Week 3 against the Winnipeg Blue Bombers, but he was primarily used on special teams for the rest of the season.
This year, he’s begun to get more playing time on defence, picking up at least one defensive tackle in each of the Stamps’ last four games. McManis hasn’t dropped off on special teams, though, recording five tackles with that group as well.
Jamar Wall is the Stampeders’ starting SAM, and Patrick Levels has spent a good amount of time at the position this year, too. On certain defensive packages, though, McManis can provide something different.
At 225 pounds, the University of Memphis product has 30 pounds on both Wall and Levels, after all.
“What we want to do, just like everything else, is we want to keep people fresh,” Dickenson said. “He has earned the extra playing time. Not anything against the other ’backers, because they’ve been doing the job as well. It’s in our best interest to find a way to get Wynton on the field a little bit more. We’re very confident production should be just as good, so yeah, you should see him out there a little bit more.”
If the Stamps are planning on playing McManis more on defence, don’t necessarily expect him to be locked-in at the SAM position.
McManis has shown he can play multiple positions, and the ability to do that is something the coaches place a lot of value in.
“The thing of it is he has great versatility that allows us to play him at multiple spots,” said defensive co-ordinator DeVone Claybrooks. “With his versatility, it allows us to grow the game plan.
“The best thing is our main competition is ourselves. You step between the white lines, it’s your time to shine and he’s been playing well on special teams.”