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Ten months ago I was standing atop Ron Joyce Stadium on McMaster University’s campus watching the Waterloo Warriors take on the Marauders on a perfect Friday afternoon. McMaster was battling through a difficult season while Waterloo was coming in hot on the heels of a 30-23 home win over Guelph.
Mac – finally – found the win column that day, but what caught my eye as much as anything was a street-clothed coach on the Warriors sideline – Tyrell Ford.
Of course CFL fans know Ford as the current corner for the Winnipeg Blue Bombers who just came off a 25-0 shutout victory over the BC Lions. One made all that much more impressive when BlueBombers.com‘s Ed Tait notes eight first year starters factored into the twelve man starting defence.
At that time Tyrell was coming off a stint with the NFL’s Green Bay Packers after a 2022 rookie season in the CFL’s Blue and Gold. He spent the rest of 2023 waiting for an opportunity somewhere down south to arrive and ended up not playing.
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That same night McMaster beat Waterloo with Tyrell on the Warriors sidelines, his twin brother Tre Ford was down the QEW competing as the Edmonton Elks starting quarterback against the Toronto Argonauts. Tre would notch the second Ford brother loss of the day 35-12 at BMO Field but not without great effort (19-31, 220 yards, 1 TD, 2 INT) and one of the best highlight reel plays of the year with a wild scrambling, fadeaway touchdown toss.
As the CFL universe has ranted and raved – rightfully so – about the Philpot twins from the same draft class of 2022 who when healthy have attacked the CFL with pure intensity, the Ford’s have quite commonly been forced to wait, then thrive when given the chance.
Wait, get a chance, make the most of it, wait, get a chance, make the most of it.
Over and over and over again dating all the way back to their high school days, recruiting journeys, draft evaluation, combine efforts, and now week-to-week in the pros.
To their credit, I’ve come to stop doubting the Ford brothers. Eventually people show you enough through adversity and their natural ability to remain undeterred that the next moment of adversity feels more like a delay to greatness than an end to the story.
For both Tyrell and Tre this has come in the form of roster moves, coaches decisions, injuries and unavoidable frustration at the lack of chances afforded to them while watching others get what they can only see as ‘their spot’ by knowing themselves and their abilities so well.
That’s what made Week 9 in the CFL so special for me. As Tyrell was getting an interception off Vernon Adams Jr., twin brother Tre was getting ready to enter the fervour of Mosaic Stadium in Regina to take on the Riders after jumping off the bench to set a staggering Elks offence on fire in the final minutes against Hamilton in Week 8.
Tre would go on to complete 18 of 22 passes for 252 yards and a pair of touchdowns including the fourth longest touchdown pass by a Canadian quarterback in CFL history (93-yards) according to CFL on TSN stats guru Jon Perlberg. Only a pair of Russ Jackson attempts and a Frank Cosentino Ticats touchdown were longer, all three of which came in the 1960’s.
Ford has now accounted for 62-points and 659-yards over the last five quarters as Edmonton’s quarterback. He has brought life and vitality into an Elks offence that didn’t know how to spell either just a few shorts weeks ago.
Wait, get a chance, make the most of it. Wait, get a chance, make the most of it.
The next challenge for each will be the BC Lions. A team without starter Adams Jr. who is week-to-week after an injury suffered in Week 9. That should help Tyrell as he plays the dark side of the CFL ball – former quarterback at the keyboard here – while Tre faces one of the CFL’s stingiest defences led by coordinator Ryan Phillips.
Wait, get a chance, make the most of it. Wait, get a chance, make the most of it. Could this be the chance they need to make the waiting stop? I won’t doubt them.
