BCLions.com Staff

VANCOUVER -- Speed, size, great hands and one of the club’s best finds this side of Cam Wake.  Emmanuel Arceneaux or just simply "Manny" around teammates, the young and eager Louisiana native certainly made an big impression in his rookie season. If not for a broken bone in his hand suffered in frosty Edmonton in October which slowed his production somewhat, the wideout may have been the club’s Outstanding Rookie nominee.

It certainly started quickly enough as the former track star notched touchdowns in his first three pro starts and torched the Winnipeg Blue Bombers for nine catches and 158 yards. Manny also had a penchant for long gains as he recorded catch-and-run plays for 41, 42, 51 and 60 yards in the regular season as well as highlight reel snag in the East Semi-Final of 49 yards from Casey Printers.

The youngest member of the team in 2009, Manny returns in 2010 for his second season and you can bet he’ll draw plenty of attention from opposing defenses this year. Between workouts and time spent with family, he took a few minutes out for bclions.com’s According to… project. As always, Manny was given either a single word or a few words to ponder (the bolded ones) – the rest is all him.

Louisiana Born and raised in Alexandria, LA to be exact. It's the place I call home and in any possible way that I can reach back and help, I’m going to put forth my best effort.

I have never questioned the Lord’s decisions or tried to put a ‘question mark’ where He has placed a ‘period’. All things happen for a reason.

Teammates are my extended family. With me being 22 yrs old and having just a sister, my teammates are like a bunch of big brothers.

The NFL is a league I would like to compete in if ever given the opportunity and if it’s in God's will.

Football is my meal ticket and outlet to a positive life. This game has provided me with opportunity after opportunity and taught me to be humble and not take things for granted.

Practice is where I try to get better. Mental Monday, Intense Tuesday, Working Wednesday, Perfect Thursday, Focus Friday, and Successful Saturday!

Defenses can be a pet peeve, but my intentions are to attack opposing defenses so they don’t want to play against me or our offense.

Running track helped me overall as an athlete. It got me bigger, faster, and stronger. When you step foot into your lane and get into your blocks, it’s every man for himself.

I regret nothing as of now. Anything that has been an obstacle in my way has only made me stronger and a much better person than I was before.

My family is what motivates me to keep pushing when I think I have nothing else to give. An ounce of blood is worth more than a pound of friendship.

I learned lately that the times in life that seem to be the worst, always turn out for the best.

Hurricane Katrina was a disaster for the southern region of Louisiana, but Alexandria was only affected with high winds and thunderstorms. My hometown is located in central Louisiana.

The CFL has been a dream come true for me. It’s a league of opportunity and I want to make the most of it.

I really dislike not being able to grow up with a father figure in my life. My mom made sure she did all she could to make me the man I am today and I congratulate her on a job well done.

Being a rookie I never knew what to expect or what was going to happen next. I came into camp with #74 which seemed awkward, but my goal was to first make the team and if selected to be the Most Outstanding Rookie in the league. I also wanted to learn as much as possible from the veteran guys who surrounded me.

I look forward to coming into camp healthy, determined, and full of energy. There is one goal in mind and that’s being able to experience a Grey Cup and finish up on the winning end.

I know that I need to keep my head on straight and continue striving for excellence. I can do everything through Him who gives me strength.

Alcorn State taught me to develop my ‘vision’ and stick with it. When you follow your dream with persistence and resilience, that dream will always become reality.

In my community I’m currently substitute teaching and encouraging youth to move onward and upward.