An avid Argos supporter and season ticket holder, Don Landry has covered almost every type of news from sports to music to talk radio in his 25 years of broadcasting and has conducted over 10,000 interviews with the likes of Prime Ministers, Premiers, sports legends, showbiz stars, power brokers and many more. Follow Don on Twitter @argoslandry or visit his website at donlandry.com.
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DON LANDRY
Argonauts.ca
TORONTO — I’d heard that Argonauts’ special teams ace Bryan Crawford was one of the smartest guys on the team.
After a lengthy conversation with him following practice this past week, I’m reasonably certain he must be. Not just because of a wide-ranging conversation that encompassed football, politics and a little philosophy, but because linebacker Jason Pottinger, also a noted smart guy, said so.
“I would say one of the smartest. There are a lot of smart guys on this team,” said Pottinger, who’s pursuing his Masters in Business Administration.
Crawford has an Honours Degree in Political Studies, from Queen’s.
“It’s not rocket science, but it’s hard,” continued Pottinger. Crawford then interrupted with a story about a friend of his from university who was now, in fact, a rocket scientist.
“Without a word of a lie, I did have a teammate at Queen’s who was becoming a rocket scientist. Once, in second year, he built a go-kart in his room. But it was too big to fit through the door of his house. So they had to take it apart and then put it back together outside. He was probably the dumbest smart guy I ever met.”
So, you see, it’s nice to be book-smart and everything, but you’d better have some savvy about you too. That’s something Crawford has definitely illustrated, in spades, on a football field, since becoming an Argo in 2005.
The special teams captain, Crawford has amazed fans and has also won the respect of teammates with his superb play and commitment to getting the job done.
Whether it’s by shedding blockers and getting to the other team’s returner, or by helping to bulldoze a path for the Argo return team, Crawford always seems to be up to the task.
Last season, Crawford led the CFL in special teams tackles with 27. After adding another one against Saskatchewan on Thursday night, he now has 131 of those over the course of his seven-season career.
“I always look at it as a way to be a starter in a different means. Contribute to the same extent as a guy did on offence or defence. It’s not a bad thing to play on special teams. I always try to embrace it.”
As we continued to discuss the role of the special teams player, it became apparent that Crawford’s smarts play into his success in that role. It’s obvious to those who play on special teams, that it’s not just a matter of seeking and destroying.
“I’ve never really been a big hitter. I’m kind of more of a tackler, if you know what I mean. Definitely you learn to play a little smarter as you go on,” he said.
“It’s all heart and hustle when you first start and then, as you get older, you learn more and more about the game. There’s as much to know about special teams and the nuances as there is any part of football,” he added.
In the simplest manner, special teams may appear to be: Run, run, run, block. Or run, run, run, tackle.
However, while we all know that the shortest distance between two points is a straight line; a downfield tackler is rarely afforded a straight line to the returner.
“There are definitely intricacies and technical aspects of making a block, or getting off a block or reading a return. If you’re up against a young guy you can get away with things that you couldn’t do to a veteran guy,” said Crawford.
“You might have to give a veteran guy a look so that he makes a read that’s wrong so you can get position. I think those are the sorts of things you do as you get older and you become more experienced as a special teams player.”
A diehard Ticat fan as a kid growing up in Hamilton, Crawford still has friends who won’t root against him, personally, but they won’t endorse his teammates, either.
“I’ve got friends who definitely don’t cheer for the Argos. Ever. When we’re playing the ‘Cats…they’re cheering for me, but against the Argos.”
“We moved to Ancaster and my new neighbour got wind of it and threatened to paint our garage door in colours that would well represent the area we’re living in.”
“I was born and bred a Hamiltonian. Home’s home, you know? I’m very passionate about the city.”
But when you step on the field against the TiCats?
“Doesn’t matter,” he said.
“I chose to come back to Toronto this off-season, when I could have been a free agent. I definitely could have gone elsewhere. But, I’ve had a home here (with the Argos) for seven years with a role I really enjoy,” he continued.
“And they sign the cheques, so it’s easy to have your loyalties bought. I guess what I’m saying is that my moral compass is not that true,” he said with a laugh.
That’s another thing you get to know fairly quickly. Bryan Crawford has a good sense of humour. In fact, he started the interview by removing his jersey and pads and purposely tossing them onto my recorder as I was just beginning to ask my first question about being the smartest guy on the team.
He’s a big fan of Jon Stewart and Bill Maher, and likes to keep up on current events. With that degree in Political Studies, and an avid interest in the political stories of the day, you might think Crawford’s post-football plans would include a run for office at some level.
“Nooooo, absolutely not.”
Instead, he’ll focus on sports administration. Crawford’s energetic work ethic on the field carries over to his position as Program Coordinator for Ontario University Athletics. I
It’s his job to help oversee OUA scheduling, rules and regulations, officials, awards and statistics for 23 men’s and women’s sports.
It’s a position he’s held for the last two years, while playing pro football. You’d correctly conclude that it’s a tough combination, especially when the summer months give way to autumn, and the OUA begins its year.
While Crawford will have some time to get away during the bye week, he’ll have to cut it short to head back to Hamilton for some OUA meetings.
“I love it. I love it as much as I love playing football. It’s absolutely the long-term career path for me.”
However, over the short term, Crawford will continue to negotiate the same career path to which he’s become so accustomed.
The one that leads to the guy with the ball.
And while that may not be rocket science, a little dose of brain power never hurts when you’re trying to survive and thrive in the world of special teams play.
THE EXTRA POINT
Crawford and his wife, Catherine, now make their home in Ancaster, Ont. along with their dog Berkeley. Berkeley is named in honour of Crawford’s running backs coach at Queen’s, Berkeley Brean. A Kingston and District Sports Hall of Famer, Brean passed away in 2006, after battling cancer.
“I’m really lucky,” said Crawford. “I got to play for Pinball Clemons, and Berk would be someone who was, easily, in that class of individual. It wasn’t so much about football, as it was about making us better people and helping us grow. He had the great motivational speeches like Pinball, too,” he said.
“Maybe even like no one I’ve ever heard, including Pinball. I was really lucky (to have a mentor like that).”