BOMBERS’ STREVELER ENJOYING SPOTLIGHT
The elevator doors opened and the fresh-faced kid with the beard that requires trimming emerged. Chris Streveler had almost forgotten about his media appointments, he admitted, and wished he was wearing a suit, not a white T-shirt, shorts and sneakers.
“I’m just trying to enjoy the process, as I would be if I was the third-string guy or whatever. Enjoy it, have fun and keep it light,” said Streveler, the Canadian Football League’s flavour of the month. “I don’t get overwhelmed by all that stuff. I don’t sit down and think, hey, I’m starting this week for a professional football team.”
Streveler was just another guy May 20, when he reported to the Winnipeg Blue Bombers’ training camp. The 23-year-old rookie from the University of South Dakota went to mini-camp with the team, but didn’t even sign a contract until May 4. He was expected to compete for the third-string job and simply wanted to make the team.
But then Darian Durant, who spent 2017 with the Als, retired after accepting a $70,000 bonus payment from the team. And Matt Nichols, who was the Bombers’ starting quarterback, suffered a non-contact knee injury at practice that will sideline him four to six weeks. And everything changed.
That left Streveler, Alex Ross and Bryan Bennett on the depth chart. Prior to last week’s opening game against Edmonton, Winnipeg head coach Mike O’Shea proclaimed Streveler as the starter. In exhibition games against the Eskimos and B.C., he was both good and bad; he passed for 140 yards, including an 80-yard touchdown strike, in the first game, but completed just one-third of his passes the next week, throwing an interception that was returned for a score.
“He basically was the most accurate passer we had in training camp,” O’Shea said. “He picked up the playbook very quickly. He’s confident, poised. He’s a good leader in the huddle. He can make all the throws and he’s a very good athlete.”
Last week against the Eskimos, Streveler and the Bombers started slow; he was sacked twice and threw an interception in his first seven plays. Winnipeg fell behind 10-0. But he eventually became more comfortable. Even two long delays because of lightning didn’t faze him. Streveler completed 15 of 28 passes for 178 yards and three touchdowns. He also had seven carries for 30 yards. But he was intercepted twice and the Bombers lost 33-30.
He became the first rookie quarterback to start a game right from college since Anthony Calvillo, with expansion Las Vegas in 1994.
Streveler will tell you he didn’t get the win, which is the most important statistic that defines a quarterback. He did some things well, some others not so much. “I have a long way to go and a lot of improvements to make,” he admitted.
But that’s all history. It’s a new week, another game for which to prepare. Streveler was scheduled to start his second game Friday night against the Als at Molson Stadium, which meant boarding a plane, checking into a hotel, stepping out for a quick lunch and a brief tour of downtown Montreal and more media requests.
“The media makes a really big deal of this story, as it should,” said the 6-foot-1, 211-pounder from Crystal Lake, Ill. “At the end of the day, we have football to play.”
Streveler started his collegiate career at the University of Minnesota, where he was simply trying to get on the field. It wasn’t unusual for him to play receiver, quarterback, tailback, tight end and fullback at the same practice to that end, trying to convince the coaches of his versatility.
Eventually he transferred to South Dakota, where he knew he would play the position he desired. And he played it well, establishing 20 program records for the Coyotes, including singleseason marks for passing yards (4,134 yards) and total offence (4,854). He accounted for 43 touchdowns, 32 passing, and led the nation in total offence.
Over two seasons, Streveler passed for 6,081 yards and 54 touchdowns. He was named an all-American. He went to the NFL combine in Indianapolis and ran a 4.45 40, a broad jump of 125 inches and a vertical leap of 38.5 inches. Nonetheless, he went undrafted.
There were some potential NFL mini-camp rookie tryouts, but Streveler figured his odds were better in Canada. “At this point, I think I’m exactly where I need to be,” he said.
Streveler isn’t your typical quarterback. He did his undergrad in kinesiology, then completed a masters in sports management. He’s now five credits short of a degree in something called interdisciplinary studies, the general studies of grad school.
He doesn’t claim to be smarter than the rest of us, only that he applied himself, knowing the football gravy train would eventually reach its terminus.
“You only have to tell him something once and he seems to implement it quickly,” O’Shea said. “He’s going to continue to learn and grow every week. He has a ways to go, obviously. He knows that. I think it’s an exciting process to be around.”
But Streveler’s 15 minutes of fame will eventually end. Nichols will regain his health and return to the starting lineup. And then what?
“I’ll be the most supportive quarterback I can be. My mindset won’t change,” Streveler said. “I’ll prepare to be the best player I can possibly be. If I’m called upon, I’ll be ready to help the team any way I can.”
He picked up the playbook very quickly. He’s confident, poised. He’s a good leader in the huddle.