But at 32, how much does receiver Lucky Whitehead still have in the tank?
“I’m like a diesel,” the newest Winnipeg Blue Bomber was saying, Monday. “I’ve got a full tank. I had all this rest. My body feels great… can’t wait to get rolling.”
After nearly a week of getting his immigration paperwork in order, Whitehead has joined the practice roster of the CFL’s most offensively challenged team.
Five weeks of sputtering offence and the loss of star receivers Dalton Schoen and Kenny Lawler were what caused the Bombers to pick up the phone.
That nobody called Whitehead sooner remains a bit of a mystery.
“Good question,” he said. “I don’t know. There was a lot of other things going on. People didn’t know what I was asking for, money-wise. It was just a lot of miscommunication. Then a lot of people wanted to see what they could do with their younger group.
“It was more of a waiting game … and here I am, back where it all started for me.”
Whitehead got his CFL start with the Bombers in 2019, playing 15 regular-season games but watching from the sidelines as they marched to a Grey Cup title.
His big-play ability coupled with his big personality quickly made him a fan favourite.
After joining the B.C. Lions, he came back to watch the 2021 West Final between the Bombers and Riders and wound up partying with fans in the stands.
“The memories, the excitement that I had here when I was playing, the parade – it was epic stuff,” Whitehead said. “I still have close friends on the team.”
Three productive seasons in B.C. later – on average, 13 games, 65 catches and 890 receiving yards – he was out of work.
He says he was at peace, though, with whatever happened.
So he tried some completely different things that don’t have a lot to do with football: Gardening and journaling.
“It was very peaceful for me,” Whitehead said. “It was very healing. I was just doing a whole bunch of different things to help me with my mental side of things. And hanging around family, friends, and obviously still training.”
People like Bombers receiver Nic Demski were surprised to see him remain unsigned.
“I thought somebody would give him a chance,” Demski said. “I’m just happy a deal got done and he’s back here. We’re getting some speed. We’re getting some veteran presence. And we’re getting some familiarity. A lot of positives.
“It’s going to take some time for him to get going, but at the same time football is like riding a bike for somebody like that guy.”
He’ll have to pedal slowly, at least to start. The offensive play book has expanded since he was last here.
Bring it on, Whitehead says.
“If I was up to me I’d try to play this week. I’ve got to learn the offence and I’ve got to learn it quick. They brought me in for a reason.”
Not so fast, says his head coach.
“It’s a little early to be laying a time-frame down,” Mike O’Shea said, all but ruling out Whitehead playing against Calgary on Friday.
Not that O’Shea isn’t a fan.
When a four-year vet and former CFL all-star agrees to start on the practice roster, at a practice-roster wage, that’s starting in O’Shea’s good books.
“When I walked in and asked him how much he remembered, he said all of it,” the coach said. “He knows how we like things done.
He certainly is a very positive guy. He’s, dare I say, joyful, on a daily basis. He’s good to have in the room. Always has energy, and those are the non-football things he brings.
“When he gets out onto the field, he can be electric.”
Quarterback Zach Collaros learned that before he came to the Bombers late in that 2019 season.
“My first memory of him was playing in a pre-season game and he caught a pass for 85 yards against us, when I was in Sask,” Collaros said. “I don’t know him well enough yet, but I’m really happy he’s here. The guys who were with him in ’19 speak very highly of him and the teammate that he is and so does Osh, so that’s all I really need.”
Whitehead arrives with a bit of a chip on his shoulder and new number on his back.
The chip is there to prove people wrong.
“To show the people that didn’t want to take that chance or opportunity,” he said. “You always have that as a competitor. You just hear that, ‘Oh, he’s 32.’ I didn’t get slower. That’s not the problem.”
As for the number, instead of Lucky 7, he’s now Lucky 13 – the number he wore as a rookie pro with the NFL’s Dallas Cowboys.
“So this is like a rebirth year for me,” Whitehead said.
If he can put new life into the Winnipeg offence, it could be like old times again.
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