Kamau Peterson
CFL.ca
The mindset of an athlete at this level is truly a unique one. The unlimited confidence that is such a requirement for us to attain this level of play stays with us throughout our careers – even despite our circumstances. The majority of the time, if you were to ask a backup player on any team what he feels the difference between he and the starter in his position is in terms of success, most would say that it’s just a matter of opportunity.
“From experience I’ve learned that it is a very difficult thing to leave one team in this league mid season and actually make an impact on another team in the same year.” – Kamau Peterson
In order for us to thrive in the fly by night, “what have you done for me lately” pro football environment it is absolutely essential that we carry a self belief that is unflappable.
Often times we see this confidence and self belief challenged as a player ages, plays through injury, comes off of injury, tries to integrate into a new system and comes up against a contrasting belief in his abilities from management.
Next we see reduction in playing time, role, or even a demotion out of the line-up. Try as we might, these new disturbances usually play some role in a player’s mental wellbeing and for those who can stay in the line-up while these situations play out, fans may witness a player that they do not recognize.
Should they come to me, I try to always advise those who find themselves in this situation to stay the course and finish strong if they feel this shift coming during the season. From experience I’ve learned that it is a very difficult thing to leave one team in this league mid season and actually make an impact on another team in the same year. However, there are definitely exceptions, and with the amount of quality players showing up on different teams this year via trade, as well as those asking to be moved, and those who have been sent packing there seems to be a great deal of players not seeing eye to eye with the powers that be.
Mid-season trades are tough on virtually every player involved. Whether you’re going from a basement dweller to the Grey Cup Champs, or vice versa, the process is still going to be arduous and awkward.
Initially, you’ll have mixed feelings about integrating yourself into an already established locker room and the relationships and bonds that are already formed within it. You may have been a leader on your previous team and now will have to work yourself into the collective trust of your new teammates.
Or conversely, you may have been brought in to be a vocal leader in a locker room that desperately needs one. Every player involved will naturally feel the pressure to perform at a high enough level to justify the trade itself to the organization and fans. In most cases there will be a new system to learn, with new terminology and new coaches to impress immediately. The travel is often abrupt, with the trade coming usually post game, or early in the practice week. Any plans that you may have had for the coming weeks are clearly out the window, (i.e. family flying up to see you).
The living situation that you held in the previous city may or may not be one that you can get out of without penalty and you may find difficulty finding a place to live in the new city for just a month or two. The trade usually comes with urgency, in that the new team wants you in the line-up in a matter of days – therefore needs you there ASAP.
With this in mind, you may not be able to pack much and could end up leaving a bunch of stuff in the apartment that you’re no longer living in, but still paying for. Transportation in the new city could also be an issue if your car remains in the previous city due to a rapid trade.
Those players who have been cap casualties and replaced with younger cheaper talent on their previous teams tend to resurface at this point in the season because their price tags will be lower considering that the season is almost done, their experience lends them to be a quick insert into the line-up, and they bring a wealth of experience over younger players.
Veterans that resurface on other teams this time of year face a situation that is not quite as tenuous as those players who have been traded. Being that they’ve been at home for a time during this season, they’ve had time to plan their next step and actively pursue their new team.
An opportunity has presented itself for the organization to step in and pick them up, usually as a result of injury, need or roster expansion – and the stretch run in the CFL becomes a perfect stage for these players to host a re-introduction. Players tend to fade away in this league, and “out of sight, out of mind” can become a prevalent theme – so the longer a player sits at home having played in the league previously the worse his chances become of catching on somewhere else.
To the select few players who are given new life after being discarded early on, you tend to see a renewed focus and vigour in their play; very much as it may have been when they were an upstart rookie or second year player trying to make a name for themselves. The reality check of being released at a time when you may have felt like you were a major contributor tends to hit very, very hard. Those who do get a second breath, tend to relish every moment.
For players in both situations, the hope is that it will be a fairly smooth transition into new surroundings. You hope that you’re coming into a good organization that is operated professionally; you hope that you can fit in quickly with teammates and that fans will come to embrace you as you prove yourself valuable to the organization. After that, you just tighten your chinstrap and have faith that your abilities will elevate you as they always have.
Good luck to all of the players who have landed on new teams after being released from another to those moved this season via trade and to those that will be moved in the coming days prior to the CFL trade deadline. I hope that you refresh everyone’s memory as to exactly who you are as players, and why you’re so valuable.
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