Don Landry
CFL.ca
Signed, sealed and almost healed.
You’re now up to date on Argo linebacker Jason Pottinger’s status. Oh, one more thing: He has a big test coming up today.
“My knee is solid. I’m way ahead of schedule and I’ll be 100 per cent ready for camp,” Pottinger told me over the phone, as he took a break from studying for his corporate finance mid-term at the Schulich School of Business.
“I’m well on my way to 100 per cent but I’m not quite there yet.”
Certainly that’s good news for Argo Defensive Coordinator Chris Jones as he and Head Coach Scott Millanovich, along with General Manager Jim Barker, continue to plop the off-season puzzle pieces into place.
Pottinger is seen as an integral part of the big picture, for some reasons that are obvious and others that are slightly less so.
Over the years, like every team, the Argos have had their fair share of gritty, inspirational leaders. The football culture, after all, is one dominated by the acceptance that you need to gut it out whenever you can.
Still, within that hard-as-nails sensibility, occasionally, you get a little something or someone that stands out just a touch more.
Such was one of those moments last summer when Pottinger strode out on to the Argo practice field in Mississauga. Badly injured in the team’s opening game of the season and expected to be out for the season, he dropped some jaws when he gingerly took part in some drills and then announced his intention to return to action.
Which he did, suiting up in Week 12, against Saskatchewan. A damaged ACL was to be steadied by brace for the rest of the season and Pottinger resumed his duties in the Argo linebacking corps.
You win a lot of friends and fans with a story like that. It’s part of the reason the Argo brain trust made re-signing the 28-year old a defensive priority. Still, as it was a priority, you might wonder why a deal wasn’t completed long before the beginning of CFL free agency on Wednesday.
Certainly a number of Argo fans were nervous; thinking the man in the middle of the Argo D was headed elsewhere. Pottinger maintains he wasn’t worried.
“It (negotiations) started a little close to free agency, but in the end, both sides knew that we wanted to get a deal done so we just took our time,” said Pottinger.
“I think the Argos are doing a good job of analyzing all of their moves. They’re not rushing anything, which I think is a good thing. They’re thinking things through.”
That analysis might have Pottinger lining up with a whack of new teammates. As I write this column, veterans Byron Parker, Kevin Eiben and Willie Pile were all free agents, destinations unknown. When I mentioned those three names to Pottinger, he had this response:
“Those are all my buddies. Those are all my boys. If it was up to me, I’d have everybody back because we gelled together really well as a unit. So, obviously, I’d like to see all of them back but in the end, they’ve got to do what’s best for them.”
As for the knee, Pottinger says last fall’s surgery was completely successful, with him ahead of schedule in his rehab process.
“I’m doing all of my regular workout things. The only thing I can’t do right now, for precautionary measures is full sprinting. I’ve gotta kind of take it at a smart pace.”
Sounds like something a guy chasing an international MBA in commerce would say.
