The Tribune

By RENALDO DORSETT

Sports Reporter

rdorsett@tribunemedia.net

NOW one of the veteran leaders on the defending Grey Cup champion Calgary Stampeders, special-teams ace Bahamian Karl McCartney reflected on his time with the club thus far and his plans for the immediate future.

McCartney, a fifth year linebacker, was the Canadian Football League franchise and was profiled by the Stampeders organisation on their website www.stampeders.com.

Despite finding a niche as a special teamer, McCartney said his ultimate goal remains to make an impact on the defensive side of the ball as he team prepares to defend the title.

“I’m still trying to get more linebacker reps and go after that spot. All the guys are hungry. They know how it is coming off a championship and we’ve had some of the ’08 guys prepping us and telling us what we need to do to get ready to defend.

“I think every guy went hard after training in the offseason and, after we partied for the Grey Cup, that was it,” he said. “It’s all about the team. I just want to try and get back to where we were. Like [head coach/general manager John Hufnagel] Huff said, get in the dance and let’s go from there. I’ve been waiting a while. I thought it might have happened in my first year and that didn’t happen, thought it might have happened in my third year and that didn’t happen. Now we’ve finally got it but that doesn’t change anything — you still have to train hard and get ready to try and defend it.”

In addition to becoming a Grey Cup champion, McCartney recently welcomed his son into the family as he became a father for the first time.

“It’s very rewarding but very time-consuming too. I’ve loved every minute of it, wouldn’t trade it for the world. Right now, he’s just working on keeping his head up but give him a few months and I’m sure he’ll be trying to help me out a lot on the field,” he said. “You can’t describe it. I’ve been waiting to be a dad my whole life and the same thing with a championship. You feel blessed because nothing is promised, you know? I’ve known a lot of guys who have tried to have kids and can’t have kids, so it’s a blessing.”

The Stampeders are in training camp and will play their second and final preseason contest on Friday when they travel to Regina to face the Saskatchewan Roughriders.

As they continue to trim their roster in preparation for the regular season, the Stampeders have released fellow Bahamian, offensive lineman Enrico Forbes.

[It’s] work on technique and conditioning. When you are doing two-a-days, you can’t really practice for that. As a vet, I know when to push now. I’m a bit smarter with how I work. You just use it to physically and mentally get ready for the season ahead.

The Stampeders won the cup with a 20-16 win over the Hamilton Tiger-Cats at the BC Place in Vancouver, British Columbia.

McCartney was an integral part of the game deciding play on special teams coverage.

With just over a minute left to play, the Stampeders punted to Ti-Cats and former Washington Redskins returner Brandon Banks who looked to return the punt for the go ahead score.

However, the play was called back for a block in the back, when Taylor Reed was called for pushing McCartney in the back just as he was about to make the tackle.

On the season, McCartney played 18 games and had one tackle and led the team with 23 special-teams tackles which ranked him second in the CFL.

He also played in the Western Final and had two special-teams tackles.

The Calgary Stampeders finished the regular season with top record in the CFL at 15–3. Their 15 wins also tied the franchise record whereas the Ti-Cats finished atop the East Division with a 9–9 record.

The Stampeders have been perennial contenders during McCartney’s tenure, with his second Grey Cup appearance and first win.

It was the seventh Grey Cup championship title for Calgary in franchise history.

McCartney was selected in the fifth round (37th overall) of the 2010 CFL Canadian Draft and signed on May 20, 2010.

In his rookie campaign he was an immediate force on special teams as he led the Stampeders with 19 special-teams tackles.

He finished the season with eight defensive tackles, including one tackle for loss.

In his second league season, McCartney was limited by injury to seven regular-season appearances but still managed to top his previous total with 13 tackles while also tying for second on the squad with three tackles for loss.

In year three, McCartney played in all 18 regular-season games, both playoff contests and the Grey Cup.

He led the team for a second time in his career as he made 23 special-teams tackles, third in the league.

He also had nine tackles and a sack on defence. In the post-season, he totalled six special-teams tackles.

During the regular season, he played in 11 games and had 11 defensive tackles, including a tackle for loss, a sack, a fumble recovery, 14 special-teams tackles and a knockdown.