Bonner Tackles new challenges At training Camp
Having to work hard for everything he gets is all Linell Bonner III knows.
Coming out of Houston’s Dekaney High School, he had no scholarship offers to play football. Not one.
Still, he wouldn’t give up. He was a walk-on at the University of Houston. He took a chance on his own ability — he was given jersey No. 48, not a great sign if you’re a receiver (they often have numbers in the 80s). Some nights during that tough first year, Bonner slept on an air mattress at quarterback D’Juan Hines’ place.
He sat out 2014 with a knee injury, then got his scholarship in 2015. And he showed what kind of player he was — with 98 catches for 1,118 yards in 2016.
“It was tough,” said the 23-year-old Bonner, who’s in training camp with the Ottawa Redblacks. “I came the first day of fall camp — everybody was familiar with each other, I wasn’t. I felt like I was thrown into the fire. They gave me No. 48. I felt that was disrespectful, so I worked even harder.”
It was anything but easy, but he pushed on. “I feel like in life I always had the harder route to anything I wanted,” he said. “That means everything I achieve, it feels even better for me.”
So why no scholarship offers for a guy with such soft hands, a guy who dropped just one pass his final college season?
“(In high school) we had a running back, Trey Williams, he was the tops in the nation (the fivestar recruit had 51 touchdowns with 3,787 yards rushing and a 9.9-yard per-carry average as a three-year starter at Dekaney). So we fed him the ball a lot, the receivers didn’t get in the spotlight. All I needed was one opportunity. U of H gave me one, I took it and ran with it.”
Now, he’s in a whole new situation, trying to learn a new game. The Canadian Football League, with its wider and longer field and three downs, is something Bonner will have to get used to in a hurry. Training camp is an audition with only so many roster spots available.
“I’ve had to get a new feel for the game,” he said.
Asked about his ability to hang onto the football and what he does to stay mentally sharp, Bonner said: “I do multiple things. Usually after practice, I’ll find somebody and stay out on the field and catch.”
Bonner said he was excited when he got a call from the Redblacks after a free-agent camp.
“My (NFL) draft class was 2018, I was waiting for a call and (the Redblacks) were the ones who called me,” he said. “I just had to get my passport, that was a big deal.”
GET THE BALL:
Asked about his team’s aggression on defence during training camp, with an emphasis on creating turnovers, Redblacks coach Rick Campbell said: “Turnovers and penalties are a great indicator of success you’ll have. We’re keeping track of that every day.”
FAN FEST SUNDAY:
Campbell is looking forward to his team’s scrimmage (from 1-2:30 p.m.) during Sunday’s Fan Fest at TD Place (noon-4 p.m.). “It’s big,” he said. “It’s an indicator where we are as an offence and a defence and on special teams because we’re going to function more in a live setting. It’ll be big for some players — rookies and veterans — who want to come out here and put their best foot forward.” Fans can enter the stadium through Gates 1 or 4 and will be directed to the south-side stands. After the scrimmage, fans can participate in a variety of on-field football drills and meet players, Big Joe and the Redblacks’ Cheer Team. The Family Fun Zone will also be open.
THE END AROUND:
The Redblacks signed 28-year-old offensive lineman Chris Martin (6-foot-5, 310 pounds, University of Central Florida. Martin — we’re told he’s not THAT Chris Martin, the lead singer for Coldplay — has spent time in the NFL with Houston, New England, San Francisco, Miami and Buffalo ... Soon enough, it’ll be pre-season action for the Redblacks, who host the Montreal Alouettes next Thursday. Ottawa will play its second pre-season game June
7 in Guelph vs. the Toronto Argos ... Former Redblacks DB Jermaine Robinson (2014-16 in Ottawa) is in training camp with the Alouettes. He didn’t play in the CFL in 2017.