SWAGGERING TOWARD WEST FINAL
Calgary Stampeders defensive players ham it up at McMahon Stadium on Wednesday during practice for Sunday’s West Division final showdown with the visiting B.C. Lions.
This figured to be a mettle-testing, gut-churning, knee-quaker of an appearance.
Nevertheless, a scant three weeks after leaving his teens, DaVaris Daniels stepped onto the field at Sun Life Stadium in Miami Gardens, Fla.
Sitting in the stands, 80,120 fans.
Watching on ESPN, 26.4 million more.
At stake, only the 2013 national college championship. That’ll rattle a kid, right? “I don’t really get nervous too much,” says Daniels, smiling.
“I’ve been playing this game since I was nine. And before that I was watching my dad” — Phillip, a 15-year defensive lineman in the NFL — “so I’ve been around it a long time. So I don’t really get too nervous. I just try to lock in on what I can do for my team.”
That day, Daniels, a sophomore, doesn’t even start for Notre Dame.
But by the buzzer — capping a 42-14 loss to Alabama — No. 10 has been responsible for 115 of the Fighting Irish’s 270 yards through the air.
“My best game of the year,” says Daniels, who pulled down six passes. “The main key? Just do what you’ve been doing and not try to do too much. Just stay locked in on the details of your game and not try to go outside your box. That’s what it comes down to: people doing their job and not letting the game get the best of them — the atmosphere and all that.
“It’s taking care of business, just like any other game.” Sound advice. But how challenging is it to embrace those words of wisdom? After all, everyone wants to do more when the spotlight shines, not deliver the same-old.
“It’s definitely hard,” Daniels says. “Early on, there’s a lot of excitement. The crowd is going crazy. It’s probably more people than you’ve ever seen before. It’s definitely tough. You’re definitely going to be excited, but you’ve got to remember, it’s football. It’s the same game.”
Daniels — based on that experience, based on his meteoric rookie year for the Calgary Stampeders — knows what it takes to thrive under pressure. He is not alone, of course. Fellow newcomers also understand the stakes.
Which is dandy news for the Stamps, who are staring at their tallest task — Sunday afternoon’s win-or-walk contest against the BC Lions. Winner advances to the Grey Cup.
Ja’Gared Davis, too, can offer advice. Part of the New England Patriots during their 2014 AFC championship showdown against the home-field Denver Broncos, he’d been a single victory away from the Super Bowl.
New England ended up falling 26-16. Still …
“The atmosphere was unreal,” says Davis, defensive lineman. “How loud the stadium was. Just how the game slowed down, soaking up every moment.
“I can already tell that this is going to be one of those types of games.”
Success, according to Davis, has less to do with the highlight reel and more to do with execution — on the tiniest of scales.
“Details,” he says. “It’s the minor details that win or lose you the game. Everybody always thinks it’s the big this and that, but it’s the minor details — being in the right gap at the right time, using proper technique, being assignment-sound. A lot of times when something doesn’t go right, it’s because somebody didn’t do their job — and it shows.”
Like Daniels and Davis, Alex Singleton is enjoying his first season in the CFL — a campaign free of backward steps for No. 49.
For the freshman, excellence starts off the field. Routine maintenance, for instance, is critical.
“You can’t do something that you haven’t done,” says Singleton, a linebacker. “If you’ve gotten in the tub every week, then get in the tub. But if you’ve never been in the tub before, don’t start getting in, because you never know how your body’s going to react. And food — if you eat really healthy during the season, then, all of a sudden, don’t eat bad. But if you’re eaten bad all year, don’t make it — ‘Oh, I’ve got to eat chicken and brown rice this exact week.’ So it’s one of those things — come in with a level head.
“Do what you’ve done. That’s the reason you’re playing. That’s the reason all of us are playing — you’ve earned the right to be on the field in that game.”
Singleton recalls playoff dates on behalf of the Montana State Bobcats. Bitter outdoor affairs contested in mid-December.
But this, Sunday’s clash with the Leos, promises to be something special.
“This will be the biggest game I’ve played in,” says Singleton.
“I’ve always said, ‘When the lights come on, the best players stand out.’
“But it’s more the little mistakes that you make here and there — you can’t do those anymore. You’ve got to perfect what you’ve done.
“That’s what the past 18 weeks have been — practice for these two weeks.”