Kyle Myers
Ticats.ca
It’s not often that a player is asked to produce as immediately as Ed Gant was with the Hamilton Tiger-Cats.
Taking part in his first practice as a Ticat last Tuesday, Gant started at receiver in the team’s home opener on Sunday, meaning that while other rookie receivers had the entirety of training camp and the pre-season to become familiarized with the playbook, Gant had just five days.
“I’m still in Bambi mode,” he joked after practice Tuesday. “I’m still trying to adjust, get used to the coverages, but it’ll get better as the season goes on.”
If Gant wasn’t yet comfortable with the playbook on Sunday, he certainly didn’t show it. He braved the torrential downpour and was the recipient of a 40-yard touchdown from quarterback Henry Burris, and finished the game with 54 receiving yards.
“I just came out and caught on quick,” said Gant. “After practices I stayed with the coaches and the quarterbacks and they helped me get up to speed, the coaches thought I was ready so they threw me into the fire.”
Helping in the learning process is Gant’s familiarity with many of the players on the Ticats roster, like Brody McKnight and Carson Rockhill, who were members of the Eskimos earlier this season, and Greg Ellingson, who Gant met while trying out for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
“It’s like I never left home,” he said. “There’s a lot of guys I already had a bond with, but they all brought me in like a family.”
Now one week into his career with the Ticats, Gant is receiving some high praise from teammates and coaches, including Burris, who finds his receiving options thinned due to injury.
“He’s a professional. That’s the way he approached everything,” said Burris. “Ed’s one of those playmakers that can develop into a special type of guy, and that’s why he’s in there starting. If I have a chance to get the ball up to him I’m not hesitating, he has that potential.”
Offensive Coordinator Tommy Condell also praised Gant’s work in practice last week, as well as his natural athleticism.
“He came in and practiced well, and he was able to play” he said. “He brings us some speed and some size, that’s self-evident.”
At 6-3 and with a 4.4-second forty-yard dash time, Gant is the type of receiver that makes quarterbacks salivate, and defensive backs tremble. Despite the disastrous playing conditions and his lack of familiarity with the offensive system, Gant was able to make a significant impact in his first game as a Ticat. With each day of practice, his understanding of the playbook and his rapport with teammates will only grow stronger, and if Gant can pick up where he left off in his debut, Gant is poised for a productive season in Hamilton.
