‘Crazy spring’ kicked off special year
WINNIPEG WONDER: Blue Bomber Loffler went from rookie with question marks to CFL star in first season
REGINA — A year ago at this time, Taylor Loffler had absolutely no idea what the future would bring.
“It was a crazy spring,” the Winnipeg Blue Bombers safety said during a media day at CFL Week Tuesday.
It was just before the CFL scouting combine and the UBC Thunderbirds defensive back with a troubling injury history was a bit of a question mark.
He was considered an excellent CFL prospect but there was concern teams would shy away from him because of two significant knee injuries and two hip injuries suffered earlier in his career while playing U.S. college football at Boise State.
Then came the combine in Toronto and Loffler’s opportunity to turn the tide. He had a strong performance, particularly in the one-onone drills, and it set him on a path that led to becoming a CFL all-star as a rookie.
“Having that interception that I had, I think that did make a huge difference,” Loffler said of the 2016 combine. “It did turn some heads and maybe helped my draft stock.”
Loffler earned an invitation to the New York Giants rookie camp in early May and was ranked 11th among Canadian university football players heading into the CFL draft.
The Bombers certainly took notice, although they didn’t select Loffler until the third round of the May draft, with the 19th pick overall. Clearly the injury history played a factor in him dropping that far.
Boy, are the Bombers glad they took a chance.
Loffler was one of the best players in the draft class after taking over from Macho Harris as the starting safety in Winnipeg.
“I’m actually really happy in Winnipeg,” Loffler said. “I love all the players, all the coaches and, for my situation, it’s the best place I could have ended up.”
After the draft, Loffler was just thrilled to be on a team, fulfilling his lifelong goal of becoming a pro football player. He never really expected to start, especially since the Bombers had a veteran safety.
“All it takes is an opportunity,” Bombers running back Andrew Harris said. “He got that and made the most of it and never looked back. He’s a hard worker and a hell of a player. I’m looking to see how much he improves in his second year.”
When Macho Harris got hurt in Week 4, Loffler took over and improved as the season went on.
“To become an all-star? That was amazing,” the 25-year-old from Kelowna said. “Especially for a rookie, being an all-star? I’m just so glad that people saw that I was able to play out there with everyone. Getting that all-star nod was a big boost for me.”
A year later, Loffler is one of the stars showcased by the league at the first CFL Week. The 2017 scouting combine is a big part of this event and Loffler finds it amazing how far he’s come since his moment in the prospect limelight.
“It’s kind of hard because you don’t think a combine should be that much about football, they should see what you do on the field,” Loffler said. “It did play a big role in my story.
“Then getting drafted was a big deal for me. My goal was always to play pro football. I was pretty excited.”
Interestingly, the person who Loffler credits with helping him develop into the player he is today is Macho Harris, the man he replaced.
“I could ask him any questions, he showed me different tricks and he was the biggest role model for me,” Loffler said. “That’s football. An injury happens, they happen all the time. It’s an unfortunate one for him
“But I appreciate everything that he did for me. A lot of people, after that happened, would have just shut you out. But he was a great teammate, he helped me with little things throughout the whole season.”
Looking back on that “crazy spring” of 2016, Loffler sees it in a new light.
“It made finally getting the starting spot and everything else so much more special.”