Bighill made massive impact with Bombers
Meanwhile, linebacker Adam Bighill signed a oneyear deal with the Blue Bombers.
That’s how Bighill’s signing seemed on May 19, reading like an afterthought, when the media tornado that is Johnny Manziel touched down in Hamilton, creating a swath of public relations destruction as far west as Winnipeg and Vancouver, as far east as Montreal and Ottawa.
Manziel’s long-rumoured and highly anticipated arrival in the Canadian Football League trumped everything else that day, including the quality signings of running backs William Stanback and Ryder Stone in Montreal, offensive lineman Jovan Olafioye in B.C. and Bighill in Winnipeg.
While media outlets across Canada, including Postmedia, immediately began documenting Manziel’s every move, from Hamilton to Montreal, from backup to starter, from injured list to the sidelines, Bighill went about turning the Blue Bombers’ defence into a beast. Just look at his stats line: 105 tackles, four sacks, four forced fumbles, two interceptions, one for a TD, two knockdowns, eight tackles for a loss and a fumble recovery.
His wire-to-wire dominance generated team awards for most outstanding player and defensive player. And the 30-year-old from Astoria, Ore., won the CFL’s most outstanding defensive player award, which was doled out here in Edmonton on Thursday night.
It’s not an adequate replacement for a Grey Cup ring, or even a chance to play for one. It’s not necessarily something the New Orleans Saints will look at and tell themselves they made a mistake by relegating Bighill to a recurring spot on the practice squad, for only playing him in three regular season games.
But it’s something he earned, with the trademark will, grit and determination that has defined his already stellar CFL career.
“This year was all about coming back and proving that I’m one of the best players at my position in this league,” Bighill said Wednesday. “And even though the NFL didn’t see it necessarily, I wanted to put the stamp on it.
“I am who I am, things haven’t changed, and I only plan to be better. To come back and do what I did this year, my goal was to put in the work every day to give myself an opportunity to be here.”
To do what people used to doubt he could because he was too small at 5-foot-10, 230 pounds. What they couldn’t see or measure was the size of his heart. He will do things other people won’t do to be successful; a quality that makes him a lot like teammate Andrew Harris, the West nominee for most outstanding Canadian.
“We both came from very, very humble beginnings,” said Bighill. “Our stories are obviously different but with the same mantra of refusing to quit, refusing to let people dictate who we can be and where we can go. There is a lot of respect for each other. He said it right, that we had to earn all the respect we’ve gotten. But you know, I absolutely love that. It makes for a good story, it makes for a good journey and it builds character. I wouldn’t be who I am today without all those things. That’s why I’m able to be successful, a huge chip on my shoulder, to keep pushing, to be the best and compete no matter what I’m doing.”
The chip developed early. He was born with a bilateral cleft lip and palate and had undergone five surgeries by age 12. He was bullied in school, but his parents equipped him to deal with it, to defend himself when needed. He was empowered, he said, to feel safe and comfortable in his own skin, even though it looked different.
Bighill also found comfort on the football field, where he made sure to fit into the team dynamic. He was the hardest worker, the guy who wouldn’t quit.
When his mother Janine died from a heart attack, Bighill was 15. He felt illequipped to deal with the emotional wreckage, but toughed his way through it. And a piece of that chip on his shoulder is rooted in a need to make her proud every day.
So he lays it on the line for her memory, for his dad, his wife and kids and his teammates, wherever they are, wherever they will be next year.
The Bombers’ season ended one game too early for his liking, much like his pursuit of the NFL dream in New Orleans.
“Honestly, going to the NFL, only playing three regular season games, being on the practice squad most of the year, having a very good pre-season, proving what I can do but not yet being rewarded by being on the 53-man roster the entire year, that was frustrating at times.
“I wanted to play football. I thought I proved I had a right to do that down there, but sometimes things are out of your control no matter what.”
Like signing a one-year deal in Winnipeg on the same day that Johnny Football turns the CFL upside down in Hamilton. Bighill didn’t mind, actually.
“I thought it was pretty awesome that he came up here to play in this league. His profile being so big in the world of football has brought a lot of eyes to Canada, a lot of fans tuning in. I thought it was great for the league.”