Argos Insider: Gabriel Making His Fantasy A Reality

DANEILE FRANCESCHI – Argos Admirals Insider

MISSISSAUGA – Jermaine Gabriel isn’t taking anything for granted.  After years of constant travel and relocation, the 23-year-old Scarborough, Ontario native has finally returned home. 

Indeed, it has been a long wait for a young man who was forced to leave his home city in an attempt to keep his football dreams alive.  It was just seven months ago that Gabriel participated in the Canadian Football League’s first-ever Regional Combine at Commonwealth Stadium Field House in Edmonton.  The combine was Gabriel’s first legitimate opportunity at pursuing a full-time career in professional football.  

With a strong performance in front of various CFL scouts, general managers, and coaches, Gabriel earned an invitation to the league-wide combine the following weekend at Varsity Stadium in downtown Toronto. 

“I expected to go in there and turn a lot of heads, and make sure that the scouts saw every aspect of my game from hustling during drills to bringing an elevated level of intensity,” commented Gabriel following Friday’s practice.  “I just went in there hoping for the best, thinking that there was going to be a lot of scouts and saying that this is my opportunity.”

Initially ecstatic regarding the prospect of returning to his hometown city for just one weekend, Gabriel certainly did not expect that this particular football trip would result in a permanent homecoming.

After selecting McMaster Marauders offensive lineman Matt Sewell in the first round of the CFL Draft, the Argonauts made Gabriel’s ultimate fantasy a reality as the Boatmen selected the Bishop’s product with their second round, 17^th overall selection. 

The former semi-pro Canadian Junior football star acknowledges just how fortunate he is to have the opportunity to return to Toronto and live his dream playing in the CFL as a member of the Argonauts.

“For me to play for my hometown team, it’s just a blessing.  I always had it in the back of my head imagining what it would be like to play for Toronto,” said Gabriel.  “I never really thought it was going to happen.  For me to get that call from Toronto, I was really excited.  My face lit up and it was a dream come true.”

However, life has not always been kind to Gabriel.  Although he says he never doubted himself, Gabriel admits that there were definitely some “rough” patches as he moved from city to city in an attempt to foster a career in professional football.  For Gabriel, moving away from home meant taking greater responsibility for his actions and maturing as an adult. 

“It was rough.  I had to mature really fast.  I had to take care of myself and I had no family out there so I had to make sure that I was making the best decisions to ensure that I could keep playing football,” recalled Gabriel.  “I had some people out there that believed in me and pushed me.  I just really had to grow up fast and be accountable for all my actions.”

A product of a broken home in one of Toronto’s suburbs, an $18-an-hour job as a construction worker in Alberta enabled Gabriel to play for the Calgary Colts of the CJFL (Canadian Junior Football League).  He spent just one season with the Colts (in 2012) where he was named Prairie Conference MVP and earned All-Canadian honours.

Argonauts General Manager, Jim Barker, has gone on the record stating that Gabriel is “similar in terms of skill set to Matt (Black)”.  The Argos’ versatile safety and special teams demon says that Barker’s initial assessment provided him with a greater level of confidence heading into his rookie season.

“The fact that he believed in me and my skill set, that speaks volumes,” said Gabriel.  “It really made me relax a bit more and feel confident.  If he can compare me to Matt (Black), who has been playing in this league for five years, I just have to work hard and everything will take care of itself.”

Quietly, Gabriel has developed into one of the league’s premier special teams players, as illustrated by his 16 special teams tackles, which are currently tied for second in the CFL entering this weekend’s slate of games.

Interestingly enough, Gabriel possesses a very unique mindset when it comes to playing special teams.  He simply visualizes how he is going to make a play and then executes it.

“I just tell myself that I’m going to make a play.  It’s as simple as that,” commented Gabriel, who has registered at least one special teams tackle in each game thus far this season.  “I make up my mind before the play.  I don’t believe that there is anyone out there that can stop me.  I just tell myself that I’m going to make the play and I go out and execute it.”

For Gabriel, it has never been a matter of questioning his ability to play at the next level.  The Argonauts’ modest rookie safety affirms that he has always been confident in his abilities and adds that his difficult journey has contributed in making him the individual that he is today.

“I always believed in my skill set,” said Gabriel.  “I always believed in myself.  At the end of the day, you have to do whatever you can in order to overcome adversity, and fortunately, here I am today.”

Insider Extra Point – Self-Inflicted Wounds

With a playoff berth already secured, the Argonauts now have the opportunity to clinch a home playoff date with a victory over the Hamilton Tiger-Cats on Thanksgiving Day at Alumni Stadium in Guelph.  The game also happens to be the back half of a mini home-and-home set as the Ticats claimed round one by a score of 33-19 at Rogers Centre last Friday night. 

However, after reviewing film from last week’s disappointing defeat, Gabriel indicates that the Boatmen can only blame themselves for their poor performance as silly miscues ultimately halted their impressive four-game winning streak.

“We’ve seen a lot of things that we didn’t do effectively that we should have been able to execute.  The film showed us that we could do a lot better,” explained Gabriel.  “It was all on us. We’re really fired up, we’re ready, and we’re excited to be able to play them again.”