Jeanty comes full circle in his pro career; Defensive lineman played with Edmonton from 2003-05
Chris O’Leary
Edmonton Journal
A lot of the faces are different for Rashad Jeanty this time around, but when he sits down in the Edmonton Eskimo locker room, he gets that same old feeling.
“It’s still that team atmosphere, it’s not egos in this locker-room,” said Jeanty, who has come full circle, back to where his pro football career began.
Jeanty, 29, was with the Eskimos for some good times. He played on the defensive line from 2003 to 2005, winning Grey Cups in two of his three years. He left the Canadian Football League for the National Football League, spending 2006 to 2010 with the Cincinnati Bengals. He broke his leg in a Cincinnati playoff game in 2010 and signed with the Philadelphia Eagles in 2011, but was released before the season began.
He rejoined the Eskimos on Feb. 7.
Even the locker room is different to Jeanty, who saw the benefits of renovations completed in 2010. The six-foot-three, 245-pound Miami native is suiting up around myriad new bodies in that new-look room, but said the feeling of his old team still lingers.
“There are definitely some similarities as far as guys working,” he said. “Guys are coming to work every day.”
The newness comes in terms of a group of players that is still trying to learn each other’s strengths, weaknesses and suitability for one another.
“I think back in ’03, the guys were a lot more familiar with each other,” Jeanty said. “It was a lot easier for guys to just do things in one motion. We’re doing it here, but it’s not as together.
“Don’t get me wrong, we’re together, but everyone here hasn’t been here for an extended time. We’re working at it, but I like where we’re at right now.”
Jeanty also recognized that he’s a new face to everyone except fullback Mathieu Bertrand, who was also with the team in Jeanty’s first goround.
“It’s not for me to judge where we’re at right now,” he said. “I’m trying to fall in and fit in myself, but I can see that this is a team, so that’s good.”
With Marcus Howard and Julius Williams back for their second year in the CFL, Eskimo Head Coach Kavis Reed said that he’d be leaning on Jeanty for leadership on and off the field with the younger, talented pass rushers.
“He has all of those qualities,” the coach said. “In fact, that’s one of the biggest reasons we brought him back is because we have two very young defensive ends that are supremely talented.”
“Sometimes, you get the old veteran in there that has a lot left in the tank that can give them some direction how to be a pro in this league, how to take care of their bodies, how to study film and how to work their technique when nobody’s looking. It’s very important for their development as well as Rashad’s ability to contribute to this defence,” Reed said.
In coming back from a broken tibia, Jeanty has navigated a difficult road of rehabilitation. He went through surgery where doctors built a metal rod into his leg. He sat idle for weeks while it healed and then had to beef his right leg back up to the size of his left one. Then he got back into pro football shape.
“There’s a process as far as getting that strength back and being motivated every day to get back on the field and, at the same time, you watch your teammates go out and go to war every day, you want to be out there with them,” he said.
“Unfortunately, you go through an injury, but I’m a firm believer that everything happens for a reason. You’re motivated, you want to go and get back, you rehab it for a purpose and everything will work out full circle.”
“I’ve loved the way Rashad looks,” Reed said. “He hasn’t missed a practice, he hasn’t missed a rep. He’s practising as if he’s 21 years old. (The coaching staff) just spoke last night about the way he’s practising and he’s pushing those young guys.”
In terms of size, culture and temperature, Edmonton is drastically different from Miami. As he watched the rain fall outside the Commonwealth Stadium field house on Wednesday morning – it was 29 C at that point in the day in Miami – Jeanty said what’s in front of him is unique.
“I’ve never been around an atmosphere like this where everyone is basically on the same page as far as what we’re trying to do, how we treat each other and how we go about business,” he said. “I’m excited. It teaches you more than just being a football player. It’s off the field, meeting people, how you treat people, how you want to be treated. That means a lot to me, personally.”
coleary@edmontonjournal.com
Twitter.com/olearychris