It’s been great to be back in the CFL again. I love this game, so any chance I get to play is just an opportunity to do what I love.

It’s a great game and I’m just glad to be out here.

At the same time, once you’re back, you have to work. To be good, you have to put in that extra work. It’s not just fun, but you do have to find the things that you like about it. The game that I play with myself is that I try to stay mentally into it, keep working out and keep watching film.

The reception from the guys in the locker-room has been good. As good as a team as we are, it seems like a relaxed environment, from the head coach on down. When we have to work, we work, but everyone has fun together also.

Joining the team late as I did, I wasn’t sure about playing time but any time I’m anywhere, I expect to be on the field. But the way things were looking here, it didn’t look like it was going to happen too quickly.

Then it worked out that I did get a chance to play and I was definitely glad. It was a chance to get my feet wet. Hopefully, nothing bad happens to one of the regulars so that I have to play but if something does happen, now I feel like I’ll be more ready to play.

I wanted to show that I could be one of those guys that if you put him out there, he can help out the team.

We’re playing Winnipeg, my former team, this week but I don’t consider that too significant from a personal standpoint. Maybe if it was still the same core coaching staff as last year, it would make more of a difference but it’s a new staff and they didn’t know me. I didn’t talk to them until the day they released me.

It’ll be cool to go up against guys that you know but really, beyond that, it’s not that big a deal.

Siddeeq Shabazz, #8
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