Rookie’s ‘mean streak’ raising eyebrows
At six-foot-seven, 300 pounds, the heavily-tattooed Brander Craighead — his hair sticking straight up in a Mohawk — cuts an imposing figure as he marches toward the Calgary Stampeders lockerroom.
In this case, looks are not deceiving.
“I guess you could say I’m not the nicest of people sometimes,” the rookie bodyguard for Drew Tate and Bo Levi Mitchell says when intercepted by a nosy reporter. ”But that’s on the football field. Off the field, I’m a model citizen.”
Lucky for Craighead, congeniality is hardly a job requirement for employment on the Calgary offensive line. In fact, offensive coordinator Dave Dickenson prefers ornery cusses.
With that in mind, Craighead — imposing, tough, physical, smart, and, by all accounts, a nasty sort between the lines — shapes up as the ideal candidate for the vacancy at left guard. With one caveat. The 23-year-old Belleville, Ont., native has precisely zero games of professional experience on his resume — minus last Saturday’s preseason clash with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers.
Much like plumbers and iron workers, offensive linemen generally master their trade through education and apprenticeship. They rarely jump right into the tough stuff.
Centre Brett Jones proved the exception to the rule last season, winning the CFL’s top rookie award in his first season as a pro.
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“Brander is very physical, and I don’t want our Olineman not to have a mean streak,” Dickenson says. “We want to play on the edge but not take penalties. We lost a little bit of that. Dimitri Tsoumpas was that guy. Jon Gott, I don’t know if he had a mean streak, but he was tough.
“So I want some of that. Mindful of his place as a rookie, Craighead is trying to fly under the radar — at least as much as someone of his physical stature can fly under the radar. But the University of Texas El-Paso product has already carved out an impression on his teammates.
“Maybe it’s the hairdo,” Jones says. “Brander definitely plays with an edge, and it’s fun to play beside him.”
Perhaps, in this case, like attracts like. For in spite of his appearance, Jones is not exactly a choir boy in the trenches either.
“It doesn’t help that I can’t grow facial hair and I look like I’m 12,” Jones says of the first impression he leaves with people. “But when I get out on the field, definitely it’s all business.”
In business terms, the Stamps selected Craighead in the first round (seventh overall). They waited until late in the second round to claim Jones, 16th overall out of the University of Regina.
Should Craighead live up to his billing, the 2013 talent lottery will go down as a bumper crop for the Stamps.
“Brander is very, very physical,” says offensive line coach Pat Del Monaco. “He’s got great athletic ability. Great punch in pass protection and he’s got a great understanding of the game. And he’s got a mean streak.”
Ahh yes, that mean streak again.
“Honestly, he’s right there with the vets,” Dickenson says. “We were hoping for that, but we didn’t know.
“The thing with Brander is that we have a new offensive line coach, so everyone had learning to do. So that’s why he basically looks as good as anybody. He’s up to speed, and the other guys are making mistakes.
“We’re happy we got him.” The feeling is mutual. “I was nervous against Winnipeg starting in a CFL game for the first time,” Craighead says. “But it was good to get out there and get down to work.”
Funnily enough, Craighead credits his year at Fork Union Military Academy in Virginia for teaching him how to work.
“We would get up and run every morning,” he says. “We would march everywhere. The only time we weren’t marching is when we went class to class.
“I folded my bed every morning. My room had to be completely neat. The floor had to be mirror polished. The boots had to have a shine on them. So I was doing all of that all the time.
“It was awful. No one is going to volunteer to go back. But I’m proud to be from there, and I’m glad I went there.”
He’s also glad he no longer needs to follow the military rules regarding personal appearance.
For once, he looked cleancut. Now, he looks imposing.
And that’s how he likes it.