‘Godfather’ fullback McCarty set for his 12th season with Eskimos
He’s gonna make them a highlight offer they can’t refuse.
He always does.
The 2018 season marks the 12th for Eskimos fullback Calvin McCarty, who continues to amaze his teammates with his longevity, work ethic and soft, soft hands.
“He’s the Godfather, we’re in awe of Calvin on a daily basis,” said linebacker J.C. Sherritt. “This is eight years for us together and he’s never changed. At all. It’s wild. He’s kind of a phenomenon.”
McCarty is a tough, bruising player who has always been great in the dressing room. And his circus catches seem to be an annual ritual, finding their way into everyone’s Plays of the Year package.
“You know he’s going to find his way onto a Top 10 list,” said Sherritt, who loves the one-handed catches, even if he jokingly suspects some of them might just be for show.
“We kind of think he does it on purpose, where he could actually just catch it with two, but we still like the entertainment.”
McCarty has seen a lot of changes to Commonwealth Stadium, and to football in general, during his time here. Training camp used to be punishing two-a-days in full pads with full contact. Now teams have recovery days for the players to recharge and limit the number of days they are required to wear full pads.
Rather than having players bang their heads together 30 times a practice, the focus has shifted to the mental side of the game.
“It’s a lot more mental with the evolution of the offences,” said the 33-year-old. “Players have to prepare for more things. Our playbook is infinite, really.
“Football is just becoming smarter overall. Obviously, science has improved and technology has improved and the education about the physical side of football, how taxing it is on your body, has obviously helped get us to this point now where we do have things like recovery days.”
GOIN’ TO WINNIPEG!
It’s been one full year since Sherritt played in a regular season football game.
An eternity, in other words. Returning to action after rupturing his Achilles in the season opener makes everything feel new and special again. Even things like training camp and a Week 1 trip to Winnipeg.
“It’s almost like feeling like a rookie again,” said the Eskimos veteran. “It’s been a long, long time coming so it’s pure excitement.
“I don’t take anything for granted, that’s for sure.”
TOP OF THE CHARTS
Mike Reilly starts the season as the No. 1 ranked player in the CFL in the TSN Top 50 rankings, but he’s not paying it any attention.
He says it’s tough to rank anyone when nobody’s played a game yet.
“We’ve moved on to this year,” he said. “That stuff is based off of last year. That’s fine. It’s well and good to know that we did some good things last year, but it has no bearing on this season.
“Outside of my O -line giving me grief about it I don’t really think too much about that.”
GROUND AND POUND
The Eskimos shocked a lot of people by cleaning house at running back in the off-season, releasing John White, Travon Van, LaDarius Perkins and Marion Grice.
But with C.J. Gable on staff, and newcomers Shaq Cooper and Jordan Robinson showing well in training camp, head coach Jason Maas is excited with the ground attack’s potential.
“I love it,” he said. “When we decided to go with the three guys here we did it because we felt like they had something special in them.
“I think they’ve all shown it. All three are different, which is great. It’s great for our team to have the versatility that they show. I think they’ve done a tremendous job picking up our offence and doing the most with every block, every carry, every play. We’re very pleased with our running back situation right now.”
It’s a lot more mental with the evolution of the offences. Players have to prepare for more things.
For now, Robinson has the roster spot backing up Gable, with Cooper on the practice roster.
“I was super excited to have the opportunity because not a lot of guys get to stick around,” said Robinson, who ran a punt back for a touchdown in his pre-season visit to Winnipeg. “It’s a great opportunity. I was excited. I called my parents up, told them I made it. Hopefully I stay here as long as possible.”
He admits he’ll have some pretty decent butterflies before his first CFL game Thursday.
“I don’t really get nervous until I get there,” he said. “But if you talk to me an hour before I’m sure my palms will be all sweaty. I’ve been like that since college. If you’re nervous it means you care.”