VANCOUVER — About five inches, 147 pounds and close to a decade of experience separate Winnipeg Blue Bomber veteran offensive tackle Stanley Bryant and Toronto rookie defensive back Benjie Franklin.
Besides their size and age, there’s another major difference between the two men.
Bryant, who casts a large shadow on a sunny day, is a nine-year CFL veteran who will play in his seventh Grey Cup game Sunday at B.C. Place Stadium.
The long and lean Franklin is appearing in the championship game in his first full CFL season.
The two men may be on opposite ends of their careers, but find a middle ground in the thrill of playing in a Grey Cup.
Bryant laughed when asked if playing in the big game ever gets old.
“No. Never,” said the six-foot-five, 319-pound native of Goldsboro, N.C., who has been named the CFL’s most outstanding offensive lineman four times. “You never know when you get to this point (if) it’s going to be your last game or your last play on the football field. Football is just one of those things you never take for granted.”
Franklin knows some athletes spend an entire career not playing for a championship.
“It’s definitely a blessing,” said the six-foot, 172-pound Houston native who played just one game for the Argos last year. “It’s the best thing in the world.
“You don’t take these opportunities for granted. You want to cherish this as long and as much as you can. You want to make the best of the opportunity as you can.”
Bryant, 38, was a Calgary Stampeder in his first Grey Cup in 2012 when Franklin, 28, was in his first year of high school.
“I didn’t know too much about the CFL at all,” recalled Franklin, who had 59 tackles, a sack and two interceptions this year. “Wouldn’t even thought about it at that time.”
Bryant won championships with the Stampeders in 2014 and the Blue Bombers in 2019 and 2021.
Receiver Makai Polk, another first-year Argonaut, shook his head when told of Bryant’s track record.
“That’s crazy, like some Tom Brady stuff,” said Polk, who had 61 catches for 1,024 yards and five touchdowns. “Some people don’t even get to play seven seasons.”
The Bombers will play in a fifth consecutive Grey Cup and is the first team to do so since Edmonton appeared in six straight between 1977 and 1982.
Of Winnipeg's 18 players with previous Grey Cup experience, nine have played in three or more games.
The Argos, who upset Winnipeg 24-23 in the 2022 championship, have 15 players who have played in a Grey Cup. Of those, only three have played in two or more.
Toronto head coach Ryan Dinwiddie's advice for players making their Grey Cup debuts Sunday was "don’t make it bigger that it is."
"It’s just another football game," he continued. "Sometime when you look at the magnitude of the game, you play a little bit tighter.
“We’re going to have ups and downs throughout the course of the game. We just can’t make those critical mistakes. When you start over-thinking things, that’s normally when they come about. I told them, just trust the process. Trust your decision making. Go make a play.”
For Polk and Franklin, having family in the stands makes Sunday’s game extra special.
“A great moment for me in life,” said Franklin. “I’m looking at moments to cherish.”
Bryant intends to soak up as much of the atmosphere, again, as possible.
“People say it’s a job, but you’re really just having fun,” he said. "You always want to leave on your own terms but it’s beautiful. You can’t take it for granted."
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 16, 2024
Jim Morris, The Canadian Press
