Rails From The Rails #2 - Old School

Rails from the Rails – Two (originally posted July 18, 2007 at www.argonauts.ca)

All Aboard: Abraham Lincoln is quoted as saying “Don’t worry when you aren’t recognized, but strive to be worthy of recognition.” There is a player on the Argonauts who epitomizes this quote: Chris Hardy. “Hard Rock” has toiled in the CFL for 11 years and has played in a manner worthy of recognition. I’m afraid he has not received as much as he should have. However, he received a little this year as the coaching staff named him an Argonaut special teams Captain. Well deserved!

Tickets Please: One of the things older football players worry about, and by older I mean those having played at least 10 years, is the question of who will carry the torch once they have ended their careers. The elders in a football locker-room are always looking for certain qualities in up-and-coming athletes that will ensure the storied tradition of CFL players will be honoured and upheld. And what type of qualities do they look for in younger players? One phrase can answer that question: “old school”.

Wikipedia defines “old school” as a slang term referring to an older school of thinking or acting and suggests that it may be used to refer to a time of perceived higher standards or level of craft. That is the way in which I am using that term. Older football players are looking for the next generation of players to demonstrate they can play football, and be players, reminiscent of those in the good old days. When we see players of that ilk, we say “he’s old school”. To clarify this idea, allow me to list a few traits and give you a few examples off of the current Argos roster.

There are 3 traits in particular that I would like to highlight; toughness, humility, and teamwork. I admire football players who will collide with opposing players with such velocity and violence that they actually knock themselves silly. I also admire teammates who may be smaller in stature than their peers but play as if they were giants. Players who play in this fashion make their courage and toughness evident by the way they play. This is truly “old school”. Mark Twain put it like this: It is not the size of the dog in the fight, but rather the size of the fight in the dog. This trait is something the old men of the CFL love to see. The Argos have such a player in Brian Crawford. “Crawdaddy” will not back down from any assignment that he is asked to perform. Seeing him hurl his body at defensive lineman considerably bigger than himself is inspiring. Last year I gleefully watched “Crawdad” propel himself into a Ticat with such vigor that he did not know where our bench was when he picked himself up off the ground. I made sure the aforementioned Chris Hardy would escort him back to his teammates. That is how the game was meant to be played. Toughness is an “old school” character trait.

Humility seems to be a rarer commodity amongst rookies and young players every year. I am amazed at the arrogance of some young players who have never proven themselves at a professional level. The arrogance usually becomes evident when young players open the mouths with too much regularity. Now, call me a curmudgeon, but I like to see players speak with their pads before they speak with their mouths. Or as ex-Argo Elfrid Payton would say, “Let’s see you bring it before we hear you sing it”. The Argos have an excellent corner in ex-basketballer Byron Parker. The league recognized him as an all-star this past year. Interesting thing about Byron, despite his early success in the CFL, he goes about his business of being one of the best defenders in Canadian football with little fanfare and even less tongue wagging. If you would like to engage him in some fun, verbal jousting, he will oblige. But he made his mark, and continues to do so, with his skill on the field… which is the way it should be. That is “old school”. That’s what us over-the-hill footballers like to see.

Finally, the noblest trait in the eyes of over-the-hill CFLers is the ability to be a team player. Football is a game which requires more teamwork than anything I have been a part of. Teamwork is held in reverence by veterans of the gridiron. And seeing this understanding in a young footballer gives us old-timers hope for the game’s future. One such player is Toronto Argonauts offensive lineman Jeff Keeping. Now in his third year, “Keep” exemplifies what teamwork is all about. The key to teamwork is the deferring of one’s own goals for the goals of the group. Jeff will do anything that is asked of him. He has played offensive line, defensive line, tight end, fullback, special teams, and even lined up as a wide-out. He will put what is best for the team at the forefront. If anything is “old school”, willingness to put the team first is!

As I consider the future of this great game, I am one old-timer who is confident of the able young men who will carry on when I am done. I hope that other teams have some equally “old-school” athletes on their rosters. It appears as though the Argos have a glut of them with the addition of rookies such as Brian Ramsay, Glen January, and Durham Cato. It looks like a good crop of “old-school” rookies to keep us old guys from fretting.

Last Stop: “Honouring tradition” is one of the mottos being used by the Argonauts this year. Here is a quote by G. K. Chesterton about tradition: Tradition refuses to submit to that arrogant oligarchy who merely happen to be walking around. Some of my arrogance was quickly subdued when I read the list of offensive guards who were nominated for the All Argos Team. Their collective accolades and achievements are incredible. The tradition that the current Argonauts have inherited from these players as well as the other nominees is something truly worth honouring.