November 15, 2018

O’Leary: Bryan Bennett a quarterback of all trades

BlueBombers.com

Usually when a quarterback makes a tackle, it’s a sign of things gone horribly wrong.

When Winnipeg Blue Bombers third-stringer Bryan Bennett did it, it might have saved his team’s season.

The 26-year-old has thrown just eight passes this season for 72 yards, without anywhere near the fanfare or league-wide recognition that Matt Nichols and rookie backup Chris Streveler have gotten. Even his game-preserving play on Sunday against Saskatchewan flew fairly low under the radar.

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“I could just tell. I kind of saw it all unfolding,” Bennett said on Wednesday, recalling how he saw Roughriders’ return man Kyran Moore weaving his way through the Bombers’ coverage unit.

“We talked about him being a vertical returner and I saw him get vertical. I saw him kind of get through a couple of guys and I threw on the brakes, retraced my steps and was able to sneak off and get my head across and hang on for dear life at that point.”

He laughed as he said it, something he could do three days later with his team living to play another week. Had he not gotten there, with the Bombers clinging to a five-point lead, it could have been a much different story. Moore broke the first wave of coverage and quickly slid into that second level. Past Bennett, there might have been one more player to beat, in kicker Justin Medlock.

“I think only Meddy was left, Kyrie (Wilson) was close,” Bennett said.

“If they would have scored there we would have been battling uphill. There might have been 30 seconds on the clock and we would have had to score or at least get in field goal range.

“I’m just happy that I was in the position that I was to make the tackle and not have to see if he would have (scored) or not, you know?”

So how does a third-string quarterback end up on special teams, covering a punt return at his team’s highest-stress moment of the season (to date)? Bombers coach Mike O’Shea makes an unconventional thing sound simple.

“He’s a hell of an athlete,” O’Shea said. “He raised his hand one day and said, ‘I can do that.’ We gave him a shot.”

At six-foot-three and 215 pounds, Bennett can more than hold his own in an element of the game that can get chaotic and highly physical.

“These guys…I bet you there’s 25 per cent of our room played quarterback at some point because they were the best athletes in their high school or their junior or their minor football team,” O’Shea said.

“Then they move on and play different positions. Bryan kept on going (at quarterback) and he happens to be a hell of an athlete, he has a skill set that you can use on special teams and he doesn’t mind mixing it up, like a lot of quarterbacks.

“You look at a bunch of guys over the years, and you see that term, ‘He’s a linebacker playing quarterback,’ those guys could play special teams too. You just wouldn’t do it if they’re your starter.”

Bennett looks at a clipboard with fellow quarterback Chris Streveler (BlueBombers.com)

In 2018, Bennett had been out of football for almost a year and his hustle mode was veering toward panic mode. He’d spent the final weeks of the 2015 season and the entire 2016 season on Winnipeg’s practice roster. He was a final cut in the Riders training camp in June, 2017 and then his phone stopped ringing. So Bennett picked up the phone and got busy.

“I was trying to do whatever I could,” Bennett said. “I was talking with people I know, staying in contact with Nichols obviously, we’ve become friends over the years. Guys around here, people I’ve always known in the football world.

“They say sometimes the squeaky wheel gets the oil, so I just kept trying to talk to people I knew and kept working out.

“It got tough at times. It almost got to the point where I was about to take a job at my high school where I’d have to be there full time on the football staff, with the faculty. I was ready to pull that trigger.”

Before he could do that, Bennett heard about Your Call Football, a spring league that let fans make play calls online. It was unconventional, but as Bennett puts it, it put eyes on you. He ended up spending time there around Montreal Alouettes head coach Mike Sherman. He thought a CFL team might call him but was happily surprised that it was the Bombers. Knowing the QB structure there and wanting to be a part of the team, he raised his hand in meetings and offered his services.

“I just wanted a chance to play. I’m a competitor and I want to be out there and help my team win,” Bennett said. “I’ve been able to earn their trust and stay on the field since then.”

He’s had seven special teams tackles this year. Every championship team’s season is scattered with small but significant moments. The third-string quarterback coming up huge on special teams has the makings of one of those moments.