With training camp kicking off last Sunday, and a month to go before the start of the season, the pressure to perform may be daunting for some players but barely ruffles guys like Nick Usher.
I’m just excited to be playing football again. It’s been a journey for all of us. Like I know some guys it’s been over two years since they tested the grass, but I’m happy to be out here and do what we do.
As a former Edmonton defensive lineman, the euphoria that comes with the mere act of touching the ball was enough to dampen the anticipation of having to fight for a starting position. Plus, reconnecting with some Elks-familiar faces in the locker room helped to ease the transition of moving from the West Division to the East Division.
Just having Mondo (Sewell) in the room makes it feel like I’m at home again, you know.
Usher, who joined the team as a free agent, already has a solid experience in the league after having a successful season in Edmonton with six sacks. The 26-year-old American defender inspired the CFL with his impressive performances and was an eye-catching athlete for our GM in this year’s free agency.
We could get excited about Usher’s athletic qualities for a long time, but his state of mind also suggests some great things for this year.
My personal objective is basically just to be a guy in the room to help everybody and just to do my part. It’s all for one and one for all. So, if I’m doing my best, everybody else is supposed to do their best and if they’re not, we’re going to bring them up.
Now with the Alouettes, this extremely mobile athlete will be able to put pressure on the opposing quarterbacks, but also be there to stop ball carriers. If critics say the Alouettes can improve defensively under the wing of defence coordinator Barron Miles, there’s no reason we can’t have a good shot at winning the Grey Cup this year with players like Usher on our side.
He’s a guy (Barron Miles) who wants to hit you in the mouth. He wants you to be fast. He wants you to be mean. So that’s our style of defence. We’re just going to fly around the ball and be who we are.
Almost a week in and there’s already so much to look forward to before the new season. Thrilled to help the team pick up where they left off in 2019, Usher is especially looking forward to meeting the Alouettes fan when we open the gates of McGill Stadium on August 27th for our first home game presented by TELUS.
Like every time we played here, they always gave us little tails, you know. I’m excited to be here and have them cheering for us.
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