REGINA -- Saskatchewan Roughriders defensive back Antoine Brooks Jr. is quickly turning into an example of what hard work and patience can accomplish in the Canadian Football League.
While the University of Maryland product might not have seen a lot of field time with the Riders in his first season with the team in 2024, he used his practice squad time wisely -- and as a result, he was one of the highlights of rookie camp at Griffiths Stadium in Saskatoon.
While his first experience with the Canadian game was eye opening last spring, Brooks Jr. has felt far more prepared this time around, and that’s given him a leg up as things have moved forward.
“That's because I understand the game, I know the 12-man game now,” Brooks Jr. said during a media session after the final day of rookie camp Friday afternoon. “The defence is actually going by slow to me now, I'm actually having fun with it. So once you know everything's slowed down, you start having fun and everything is going as planned.”
Even though he’s competing for a job like everyone else, Brooks Jr. has done his best to keep things light and entertaining with his teammates, including some humorous antics during the pre-session warm-ups. That jovial attitude hasn’t gone unnoticed, with teammates telling the 26-year-old second year veteran it’s “actually getting them to go and keep going.”
“Honestly, me, I have fun every day. My life is great,” Brooks Jr. said. “I think it's good because everybody's life ain't as good as mine. I'm enjoying every bit of it… And me busting the moves (during warm-ups), I always bust moves.”
When it comes to the action on the field, Brooks Jr. has become well known for his versatility and ability to play anywhere on the defence, with the team shifting him to defensive halfback and linebacker at times during camp. That ability hasn’t come without plenty of hard work, especially when it comes to learning where he has to be in every position in the defensive secondary, regardless of the situation.
“The mental part is honestly just doing the extra step to try to make sure that I know what I'm doing,” he said. “I know what hole I'm in. I know what coverage I got and I know when I'm blitzing. So that's all I've been keying on. I've been watching my film, watching the older guys and making sure that I can play everywhere on the field.”
That knowledge hasn’t gone unnoticed by head coach Corey Mace, who talked about how important versatility can be to a player and the team.
“I think it's tremendous, the more that you can do obviously puts you in better favour to help the team,” Mace said. “From the schematic standpoint to be able to have guys that can move around a little bit, it's good for disguising and stuff like that defensively. Then also offensively getting guys out of jams and of course special teams. The more positions you can play, if injuries happen or whatever we can get you out there to get us out of a jam. So versatility is very important.”
Part of Brooks Jr.’s success in that regard comes from having played the most important position on offence in the past. A former standout high school quarterback, Brooks Jr. switched to linebacker in college and eventually evolved into a nickel back, leading to his main position today.
“That actually helps me read quarterbacks,” Brooks Jr. said of his previous experience. “That's probably why I'm really good at springing and jumping to the ball when I'm in the zone. And honestly, I know what a quarterback thinks sometimes. That's really what it is. I used to program just like that when I was playing quarterback, so that's really how it's playing all together. I'm getting smarter in the game and what the game's telling me to do.”
If everything goes according to plan, Brooks Jr. will be one of the 85 players invited to main camp beginning Sunday in Saskatoon. The team is off Saturday to pare down their roster, and practices will run at Griffiths Stadium through the first pre-season game on Saturday, May 24 in Winnipeg.
The team will then return to Regina on May 25 for the final week of camp.
Be sure to keep an eye on SportsCage.com and Riderville.com for regular updates throughout training camp.
