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Professional football is a very cerebral game. You have to absorb a playbook which would give War and Peace a good run for its money. It’s not very often you find both an author and a pro football player all in one fell swoop.
First-year Eskimos middle linebacker Rennie Curran has been turning many heads around the Canadian Football League with his ferocious style of play.
Curran was rewarded this past week as he was named the CFL’s Defensive Player of the Week after recording a career-high 11 defensive tackles and picking up his first career interception as part of a 14-9 loss to the Saskatchewan Roughriders last weekend. 
Curran says he shares the award with those who have helped him in his development as a CFL linebacker.
“That’s more than just being persistent it’s dealing with the coaches, dealing with JC (Sherritt), us continuing to just work, you know, non-stop,” Curran said.
“Just being in that film room, you know spending extra time in there and it just starts to click. That’s how it usually goes.”
Curran was a healthy scratch in the first two games of the season. He started out on special teams before getting his big break when J.C. Sherritt suffered his big break – a broken thumb in Week 6 at home against the Hamilton Tiger-Cats.
Curran started four games at middle linebacker before Sherritt returned in Week 12 at home vs. the Winnipeg Blue Bombers. Curran is now the starter again after Sherritt re-fractured his thumb on two weeks ago against the Montreal Alouettes.
In his short time with the Esks, Curran has snuck up to third on the team’s list for defensive tackles this season with 47. Head coach Kavis Reed has been impressed with his performance, but isn’t the least bit surprised.
“We expected Rennie to be a contributor to our football team when we saw him in spring camp and he hasn’t disappointed,” Reed said.
“He’s a true middle linebacker that has the cerebral understanding of the game, also the athleticism. It’s not surprising that he’s garnering a lot of accolades and attention.”
Curran hails from Snellville, Georgia and he played his NCAA football with the Georgia Bulldogs, where he earned All-American honours. Curran is only the 10th player in school history to lead the team in tackles in back-to-back seasons, recording consecutive 100 tackle seasons.
Curran was drafted in the third round of the NFL draft in 2010 by the Tennessee Titans and played nine games with the Titans as a rookie. He then spent time with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2011 before being released.
He was told he was too small to play pro football; however there was a place that would be accepting of his 5’11, 230 pound frame.
Curran signed with the Eskimos on February 25th of this year and that’s when his CFL story began. His real story, however, began well before his CFL days and has been documented in book form. He wrote Free Agent which chronicles both his football life and his personal life. The ups and downs, the triumphs and despair that he’s experienced and how his faith along with the people in his life helped him through the dark times.
Curran is a very well spoken and well-rounded individual. You can sit down with him for hours and talk football or about life and you would see he’s a man of deep character and conviction.
He has already made an impact in the Edmonton community with a number of book signings and appearances. He has embraced being a part of the City and the City has embraced him.
Curran will turn 25 years of age soon and he freely admits that he would like another shot at the NFL. He will have to wait another season for that to happen as he is under contract for the 2014 CFL season.
Eskimos and CFL fans are hoping that the CFL chapter of his career will be a long one.
NOTES: Defensive tackle Almondo Sewell will not play in Friday’s game vs. the Calgary Stampeders after suffering a neck injury in last week’s game in Regina. Sewell was placed on a stretcher after the play where Sewell tried to recover a fumble off a kick-off. Head coach Kavis Reed says Sewell should be available to play very soon. Defensive tackle Don Oramasionwu returns after missing three games with a high-ankle sprain. Centre Alexander Krausnick hurt his knee in day two of practice and will miss Friday’s game. Brian Ramsay will take Krausnick’s place. Defensive back Aaron Grymes will come off the nine-game injured list and will see time in the Eskimos secondary. Grymes suffered an internal organ injury during practice in mid-August.
