Arjei Franklin
CFL.ca
In life we usually have to live with the consequences of our mistakes. Not too often do you get the chance to start over and make things right. Football, however, is a little different. You see the playoffs provide an opportunity for redemption, and that is exactly what I am looking forward to.
It goes without saying that we had a pretty rough start to the season. It took us five weeks to get our first win and by the half-way point of the season we had a record of 2-7. The most frustrating part of it all was that we were underachieving. Our record did not come close to reflecting the talent we had in our locker room. Honestly, although we didn’t give up on ourselves, we knew we had a very tall mountain to climb in order to make the playoffs.
Despite that I can recall a feeling of excitement to get the second part of the season started. Maybe it was because we still believed in each other. Whatever it was, it helped us finish the season winning six of our last eight, and as a result earning us a home playoff game.
All the disappointment, frustration and anger we experienced in the early part of this season no longer matters. All the good and bad that happened during the long 18-game season must now be forgotten. All that matters is what each team brings to the field on game day.
There really is nothing like the playoffs. The urgency of sudden death brings out the best in the players. You can sense the desperation in each team, pulling out all the stops in order to take one step closer to the ultimate of goal of winning the Grey Cup. Speaking of the Grey Cup, I’ll never forget the feeling of coming so close and falling short, and I know that no one from last year’s playoff run wants to experience anything like that again.
I suspect that our match-up with Edmonton will be another CFL playoff classic. Both teams are coming off big wins to end the season, and there is no doubt that we will both be giving all we have to come out on top. So be sure to get your tickets.
So here we are: all the workouts in the off-season, training camp and 18 regular season games have led us to this point. All the mistakes we made this season have been erased, because the playoffs have given us new life and a clean slate. It is now up to us to make sure we do things the right way and take care of our business.
Arjei Franklin #86
Arjei Franklin is a third-year receiver with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers. He was the Bombers’ top pick in the 2006 Canadian Draft.
