Matt Smith/CFL.ca
Part of the theory of evolution is something must be able to adapt to survive.
Being able to adapt to a new position kept Ottawa REDBLACKS wide receiver Brad Sinopoli in the CFL. His ability to evolve as a receiver has helped him survive.
Sinopoli was drafted into the CFL as a quarterback. Just a year later he made the switch from throwing footballs to catching them. He suddenly found himself competing for a job against many players who had been a receiver in high school, college and into the professional ranks.
“I feel like I am still very young in the position,” said the 28-year-old native of Peterborough, Ont. “I’m still getting comfortable. It still is a learning process.”
Sinopoli has proven to be a good pupil. He had five catches for a career-high 156 yards and two touchdowns in Ottawa’s 30-29 loss to the Saskatchewan Roughriders last weekend.
“Any time you can contribute like that, and have a couple of big plays, that’s always nice to do,” said Sinopoli, who has 28 catches for 422 yards and three touchdowns in five games this year.
“It was nice to get a few of those plays under my belt.”
Sinopoli’s growth as a receiver has been helped by watching players like teammate Chris Williams, who leads the CFL with 570 yards and six touchdowns on 32 catches.
“We have so many good guys and guys who have been very successful,” he said. “Each one of them has a unique skill set.
“I’m not going to be doing some of the stuff that Chris Williams does. Some of the stuff he does, not a lot of guys can do.”
One lesson Sinopoli has learned is the receiving position is constantly changing.
“I think it’s always evolving in terms of the way defenses and DBs play against you,” he said. “Rule changes and little things are always evolving the game and how you are running routes.
“I feel like I am still very young and still watching the other great receivers that are around me and seeing what they do. It feels like it is an on-going process for me.”
“I feel like I am still very young and still watching the other great receivers that are around me and seeing what they do.”
Brad Sinopoli
Brad Sinopoli has become a star but says he still has some growing to do (Johany Jutras/CFL.ca)
An injury to quarterback Trevor Harris in the loss to Saskatchewan means Henry Burris will start when the REDBLACKS (3-1-1) play the Toronto Argonauts (3-2-0) Sunday at TD Place. Burris missed four games with a finger injury.
Burris may not have Harris’s speed, but the 17-year veteran has an uncanny ability to keep plays alive. You could say his game as evolved over the years.
“Hank spreads the ball pretty well,” said Sinopoli. “He’s seen so many looks and so many things.
“He will do stuff that everyone is wowed by. Other quarterbacks might not try to make that throw. That is kind of Hank’s specialty.”
Sinopoli has travelled a sometimes twisting road to being a REDBLACKS’ receiver.
He was a Hec Crighton Award winner as a quarterback with the University of Ottawa Gee-Gees. In 2010 he threw for a school record 2,756 yards and 22 touchdowns in eight games. He also led the team with 534 rushing yards on 42 carries.
The Calgary Stampeders selected Sinopoli in the fourth round of the 2011 draft. He spent his rookie season as Calgary’s third-string quarterback.
The Stampeders released him in the spring of 2012, then returned him to the roster following an injury to then starter Drew Tate. He was converted into a receiver later that season.
As a Stampeder, Sinopoli had 54 catches for 614 yards and two touchdowns. Sensing he needed a change, and given the chance to return home, Sinopoli signed with Ottawa as a free agent in 2015.
“Sometimes you fall into a role like I did last year and a lot more opportunities open up,” he said. “I was in a great position in Calgary. They gave me my opportunity as a quarterback and they gave me my second career as a receiver.
“I felt like I would have a little more opportunity in Ottawa. That’s just kind of a way a career goes when you get the opportunity.”
Sinopoli recorded his first 1,000-yard season last year. He helped the REDBLACKS to the Grey Cup with 86 catches for 1,035 yards and three touchdowns.
“After the season, when everything settled down, it was pretty cool to eclipse that mark,” he said. “I don’t think I ever really thought I would be in that positon.
“You look back and see where you came from and where you are at.”
This week the REDBLACKS face an Argo defence that is ranked middle of the league in most categories, but still presents a challenge.
“The style of defence they play is at times a little bit tough for us to decipher,” said Sinopoli. “It kind of forces us to get a lot of YAC yards and be patient.
“There are going to be rare opportunities where we can go over the top. You have to take advantage of those. They are just trying to get you into second-and-long.”
Sinopoli will also be facing former Stampeder teammate Keon Raymond. The Argo defensive back leads Toronto with 26 tackles and has an interception this year.
“He’s a heck of a player,” said Sinopoli. “He reads routes so well.
“Any time you play against guys you spent some time with, there’s a little bit more of a mind game to it. You play that cat-and-mouse game a little bit in terms of what you think they might do. It’s fun to go against guys that you know so well.”
Sinopoli considers himself fortunate to have played in three Grey Cup games in the last four years, winning a ring in 2014 with Calgary. He has no regrets over the decision to switch from being a quarterback, seeing it simply as a matter of survival.
“I wanted to take the new opportunity and fully focus on that,” he said.
“Now, at this point, I am so far removed from it. It seems like it was in the past and part of the process to get here.”
