From the day Duron Carter was released by the Saskatchewan Roughriders the question was heard around the league, would he be signed by the Toronto Argonauts?
The discussion heated up late last week when Carter was believed to be in Toronto. The confirmation came Sunday at suppertime, the Argos would indeed be setting an extra place at their table.
The receiver was officially an Argo.
Nobody who watches the CFL doubts his talent. The Argos got a first-hand look at that last season they faced the Riders in Regina and Carter put on a clinic. Though he caught nine passes for 131 yards and two TDs, his one-handed, backhand touchdown catch will be shown on Top Ten highlight packages forever.
There also seems to be a consensus that the Argos are the right team for Carter and vice versa. The reason? Head Coach Marc Trestman, who immediately set the tone in the new relationship.
“The first text message that he sent me was ‘This is going to be the hardest test of your career,” said Carter, “And I said I’m ready to work coach. I think that’s going to start our relationship on a good foot. Me coming out here just ready to work and prove myself.”
Respected for not only being an astute Xs and Os man, Trestman has a well-earned reputation of being a coach who seems to take as much, if not more pride in developing players as men than he does developing men into players.
Carter the student has just enrolled in the ‘Marc Trestman Six Month Leadership Course’.
“One thing that he’s been telling me throughout this whole free-agent process,” Carter explained, “Is getting better a leader, getting better as a man and that’s his goal. His goal is not to win Grey Cups, his goal is to make better men and that’s why I’m here.”
Coach Trestman was blunt when discussing how rough the transition may be for Carter.
“I think that it’s going to be hard for him,” admitted the coach. “Because I don’t know if he’s ever been in this environment, and that’s no disrespect to other environments, we don’t disrespect anybody else’s environments, but there’s a lifestyle in our locker room we’re trying very hard to maintain.”
Fellow receiver S.J. Green played with Carter in Montreal and was a vocal advocate of the Argos signing him. Green oozes leadership. He’s not often overly vocal, but his work ethic and on-field production are admired by anyone who spends any period of time around him.
He echoed the strength of the locker room Carter is about to enter.
“We have structure here,” said the 12-year CFL veteran, “I’m not sure what structure is in place in Saskatchewan, or the other teams he played upon, but in Montreal we didn’t have that. We didn’t have that structure from the top down and here we do. I feel like this is something that’s new for him, and that could possibly help him continue to grow and elevate as a person.”
Trestman sees the same potential for his newest player.
“This is an evolving, transformational process for every coach and every player anytime a new player walks in the room,” said the coach. “And it’s going to be that way with Duron just like it is with anybody else. The thing we have in our locker room is a bunch of guys who get excited when new guys come in because they want to help them along, and I think that’s not necessarily unique, but it’s something I’m proud of, particularly with the veterans we have in our locker room.”
The receiver also wants to learn, looking back on the experience of being released by Saskatchewan.
“I think getting fired would make anybody examine how they are at their job,” said a very serious Carter, “I just want to get better, being a better person, being a better player and I know that leads to getting championships, and hopefully this will be a spot for me.”
The Argos are hoping for exactly the same thing.