No regrets over Jones draft
EDMONTON — John Hufnagel suffered zero in the way of gambler’s regret upon selecting Brett Jones in the second-round of the 2013 Canadian Football League Draft.
Sure, Jones had already submitted his application to the University of Saskatchewan medical school. And sure, Jones ranked saving lives a higher priority than playing football.
(Hard to argue with that logic.)
But unlike several of his counterparts, Hufnagel refused to let risk-aversion shape the game plan for stocking his football club with Canadian talent. He rolled the dice, and the Stampeders won big as a result.
“I didn’t have any anxiety or apprehension in making that selection,” says the Stamps head coach/general manager. “In fact, I was smiling when I did pick him.”
In his pre-draft disclosure to all eight CFL teams, Jones told them he fully intended on attending medical school if accepted — but conceded he could defer admission until 2014.
Ranked eighth by the CFL scouting bureau, the Stamps landed Jones with the 16th overall selection. Within the week, the U of S denied his med school application. And off to Calgary he went. “I knew if I could get him for one year, I could show him how good of a place Calgary is — and how good of a school the University of Calgary is,” Hufnagel says. “At least he would be in the building and see how great of a town Calgary is.”
More than any other position, offensive linemen generally require an apprenticeship of at least one season — perhaps even two or three — to master the fine art of run blocking and pass protection.
Fresh out of the University of Regina, Jones will start his 16th CFL contest at centre for the league-leading Stampeders. With help from left guard Jon Gott, he calls all the plays on an offensive line that leads the league in average rushing yards per game (143.3) and fewest sacks against (30).
For lack of a better term, the 22-year-old is the traffic director.
As such, the pride of Weyburn, Sask., is the odds-on favourite to capture the West nomination for the CFL’s most outstanding rookie.
Consider, the six-foot-two, 319-pounder has the potential to anchor the Calgary offensive line for the next decade.
“When we drafted him, we expected him to be good,” says offensive line coach Mike Gibson. “Did we expect him to be this good? In the long run, probably. But this fast? Probably not.
“He’s come in here, and he’s done everything we’ve asked for and more. He has high expectations for himself. I bet you everything he’s done in life, he’s been successful.” Very true. An academic all-Canadian, Jones is in the midst of his petroleum engineering degree at the U of R. He plans to take classes in the Queen City this winter and then perhaps transfer next summer to the U of C.
Upon completion of his engineering degree, Jones could follow the well-trodden path from the Stampeder locker-room to the downtown oil towers of Calgary ... or he could apply to medical school.
Balancing football with internship duties at the hospital may sound impossible, but former Edmonton Eskimo Carlo Panaro pulled it off between 2001 and 2004. On many occasions, the weary offensive lineman would show up to team meetings still dressed in his hospital scrubs and nod off in his locker during media availability.
Today, Dr. Carlo Panaro is a respected orthopedic surgeon in the Alberta capital.
“Brett Jones can do whatever he wants to do,” Gibson says. “I bet he’d make a fine doctor. I would go to him, because he prides himself in excellence. He wants to be good at whatever he does.”
While offensive linemen rarely generate headlines, quarterback Kevin Glenn figures the voters best consider Jones when marking their ballots for most outstanding rookie.
Quiet and self-effacing, Jones is not about to launch a political campaign for the award — but the starting quarterback is more than happy to lobby on his centre’s behalf.
“Baby-face Jones, he’s been awesome,” Glenn says. “I would love to see him up for rookie of the year. He’s a very humble guy. He takes acknowledgment kind of hard sometimes.”
Very true. Jones said very little Thursday when the subject was broached of his candidacy.
“I try not to think about that very much,” he said politely. An awkward silence ensued. “I just try to go out there every week and treat it the same as every other one.”
Still, Jones might want to phone around and reserve a sized-XXXL tuxedo just in case for CFL Awards Show in November at Regina’s Conexus Arts Centre.