By Geoff Crane
Stampeders.com
Last Wednesday was a reunion of sorts for a few players on the Stampeders roster as University of Hawaii alum John Estes arrived to join the practice roster and provide some much-needed depth on an offensive line that has been stretched to its limits the last couple of weeks.
As Estes entered the locker room, right away he noticed a familiar face from his university days in quarterback Bryant Moniz.
In 2009, Moniz was in his sophomore year and had been given the reigns as the Warriors starting QB for eight of the team’s last nine games that season.
The man who would deliver him the ball that year was none other than senior centre, Estes. Now the two find themselves sharing a locker room in a familiar situation.
“It was my first year as a starting quarterback,” recalls Moniz. “He’d played all four years at the University as a starter, so he definitely made it comfortable for me to play as a sophomore.”
That year, Moniz threw for over 300 yards in seven of his eight starts and was the 29th-rated quarterback in the nation.
“He was kind of thrown into the mix in ’09 because he was their third-string quarterback,” says Estes. “It’s good to see how far he’s come since then.”
Surely, neither player could have imagined they would be reunited on the football field in the slightly less tropical confines of McMahon Stadium, a long flight and a couple of layovers away from beautiful Hawaii.
This isn’t the first time they’ve seen each other since their collegiate days, however. During the pre-season last month, the two were on opposite sides of the field as Estes played for the BC Lions in the first exhibition game.
While both players admit it can be a steep learning curve to grasp the Canadian game, the early pre-season action seems to have boosted Estes’ confidence as he works to earn a spot with the Red and White.
“It’s nice that I was able to play here for the first preseason game,” says Estes. “Because I already had that mental picture of the stadium in my head.
“Now I just need to pick up some things and learn to play a bit faster.”
His Hawaiian counterpart is looking forward to being a resource to get the new offensive lineman up to speed on the Stamps playbook.
Moniz is familiar with Dave Dickenson’s complicated offence now that he has a year under his belt and will be able to get Estes on the same page quickly.
“Being that I’m a quarterback and he’s a centre, there is good communication,” says Moniz. “Since I’ve been here for a year now, I can help him out with things as far as our offensive scheme, our protections and stuff like that.
“One thing (Estes) knows to do, for sure, is play centre. That’s what he did back in university. He knows how to snap the ball, so you don’t have to worry about the little things with him.
“Now it’s just picking up the offence and I think he’ll pick it up quick.”
All Estes has to do now is focus on playing football and making an impact when he’s given the chance.
“It was a long trip with a couple layovers,” says Estes, trying to take in the whirlwind after arriving in Calgary. “But I’m glad to be here and excited for the opportunity to play for the Stamps and be a part of this team.”
With that said, there was only one question left to ask, when is the big luau?
“Tonight!” laughs Moniz. “Immediately.”