Argonauts.ca Staff
Toronto – February 10th was an unusual day in Curtis Steele’s calendar, but as he tells it, it wasn’t an anxiety-provoking one, either.
Despite entering CFL free agency for the first time in his career, the 27 year-old was calm, cool and collected as the day’s events unfolded.
“It really wasn’t a stressful day,” said Steele. “I’ve been told to be very patient throughout the process and since it was my first time going through it I didn’t really know what to expect.”
Numerous highly touted free agents put pen to paper shortly after the clock struck noon on Tuesday, but Steele, one of the top running backs on the open market, wasn’t one of them.
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His desire was to remain in The Big Smoke, but made sure to give the process some extra time to avoid rushing his decision. The next morning, the Argonauts announced they had re-signed him through the 2015 season.
“There were some options out there from other teams but I just really like it in Toronto,” said Steele, who also explored options down south. “The Argos gave me an opportunity to play up here in the CFL. It felt right to come back.”
Staying close to home played a significant part in the decision, as his wife Jennifer and son Malachi reside in Nashville, Tennessee.
“It played a huge role,” said Steele. “Toronto’s right at the border but it’s still about a 14-hour drive from Nashville. But if I went somewhere else it’d be even further out. I’m hoping to bring my son up this year and my wife will be coming up more. But we haven’t decided if she’s going to come up full time yet, but she’ll be here more frequently if she doesn’t.”
The Argos, who first signed Steele prior to training camp in 2013, are delighted to have him back.
“Curtis is a versatile athlete who understands the game and has developed into an important part of our team and our locker room,” commented Argos GM Jim Barker.
“He’s been a consistent contributor in our backfield and we’re happy to keep him in Toronto.”
Steele’s versatility helped him accumulate five touchdowns and 1,069 all-purpose yards in 2014, 541 of which came on the ground despite splitting the carries with teammate and friend Steve Slaton, whom is in line to continue sharing reps with Steele in 2015. But that’s just fine with Curtis.
“Steve and I are a good 1-2 punch,” said Steele. “We stay friends and help each other out all the time.”
He also spoke highly of sophomore SB Anthony Coombs’s potential to add to the team’s ground game going forward.
But it’s not just Steele’s offence that makes him such an asset to the Argos, as his special teams play has made him invaluable. Along with returning kicks, he plays regularly on both kickoff and punt cover teams, racking up 9 special teams tackles in 2014. To cap it all off, he was selected as the Special Teams captain by his teammates, an honour he doesn’t take lightly.
“It’s an awesome feeling knowing that my teammates see the hard work I put in to be a special teams player,” he said. “I took on the role of being a leader and letting my play speak for itself. When you turn on the film and see me trying to dominate my opponent, it shows and other guys pick up around it.”
The distinction is normally awarded exclusively to Canadian players, so as Barker puts it, it’s rare that an international player like Steele is awarded the distinction.
“I take more pride in being an all-around player,” said Steele. “Being able to dominate on offence and special teams will make you that much more special of a player. But I’ve always believed that special teams win games.”
Known as the “Man Of Steele” by fans, he’s embraced the Superman persona on the field, routinely wearing a Superman shirt under his pads and celebrating touchdowns by gesturing the renowned “shirt rip” made famous by Clark Kent.
In Steele’s eyes, there’s no better role model for a football player looking to make an impact.
“He’s a force that can’t be stopped,” said Steele. “When you think about the Man Of
Steele you think of someone who’s hard, solid, fast like a bullet. I just try to be all of those things at once. So when I put on my pads, it’s like I put on my cape.”
But even superheroes have something to prove. The Argos, coming off a disappointing 2014 campaign marred by injury and inconsistency, finished one win shy of a playoff birth.
“We have a chip on our shoulder to prove to the whole East Division, especially Hamilton, that we’re coming back to reclaim the Grey Cup,” said Steele. “We haven’t been there since 2012, so we have some things to prove. But everyone’s healthy and we’ve made some great moves in the offseason.”
“Everything excites me about coming back.”