THE CANADIAN PRESS
If this is Davis Sanchez’s final season of professional football, he couldn’t think of a better way to go out than as a member of the hometown B.C. Lions.
The veteran cornerback is preparing for his 12th pro season — 10th in the CFL — but first with the Lions.
Growing up in North Delta, B.C., Sanchez always dreamed of playing for B.C., but had pretty much given up on the idea after signing his last contract with the Montreal Alouettes.
That changed in February when an agreement Sanchez had with Montreal management let him out of the option year of his deal and allowed him to sign as a free agent with the Lions. Sanchez, 35, and the other B.C. veterans will report to camp Saturday, with two-a-day workouts scheduled to begin the following day.
"It’s something I though early in my career would eventually happen, that I’d get the opportunity to come home and play here," Sanchez said. "As the years went on I just figured it wasn’t going to happen and the last contract I signed with Montreal my family came to the conclusion that I wasn’t going to play here and I’d retire with Montreal.
"But it was surprising. I can’t tell you how happy I am."
Sanchez says getting the chance to play for B.C. at this point in his career makes him appreciate the opportunity more than if it happened five, six years ago.
"No question," he said. "Everything now that I’m older I appreciate more.
"I think that’s one of the reasons why I’ve been allowed to come home and provided the opportunity to play at home. I see what a great an opportunity it is to be here, I appreciate every day now, I appreciate my teammates because I know this could be my final go-around. Now I see everything as a teammate, I see things through those eyes versus seeing it just through my eyes which I believe makes me a better teammate and more conducive to the team atmosphere.
Another reason, too, has been Sanchez’s maturation as a football player and understanding the value of applying his experience and field smarts into ensuring his longevity.
"When I was younger I was pretty athletic," Sanchez said. "But as I’ve gotten older I’ve become smarter and more of a student of the game and I think that has allowed me to play longer.
"As I got older I learned if you’re not going to study the game and learn it, you’re not going to be around a long time. That’s something now I bring to the younger guys in the locker-room, to learn how to prepare for the game. That’s a big thing in pro sports. Guys take for granted the studying aspect of the game and being a student of it and I believe that’s what has allowed me to play so long and have decent success."
Sanchez admits it was tough to leave Montreal, his home away from home for much of his CFL career.
"I’m leaving on a good note and on good terms, which doesn’t often happen in pro sports," Sanchez said. "I leave a Grey Cup championship team with a bunch of guys who I love and played with for a long, long time and have a lot of respect for, as I do for the whole organization from (GM) Jim Popp and (president) Larry Smith to Mr. Wetenhall (owner Bob Wetenhall) and head coach Marc Trestman, who I’ve become very very close with.
"We want the best for each other and the way I left is really a pretty cool situation. I’m obviously going to miss all those guys a lot."
The five-foot-nine, 188-pound Sanchez took a different road to pro football.
In high school, Sanchez was a basketball star, good enough to play at Butte Junior College. In his second season there, Sanchez began playing football, earning a starting job in 1996 as a walk-on. Not only did he earn junior college all-American status but also was named the California Junior College defensive player of the year.
Sanchez transferred to the University of Oregon and appeared in eight games as a junior before sitting out his senior season with a broken leg.
Still, that didn’t deter the Alouettes, who selected Sanchez in the first round, sixth overall, in the 1999 CFL Canadian college draft. The following year, Sanchez had nine interceptions and was named the East Division’s top Canadian.
Sanchez then went on to spend two seasons with the NFL’s San Diego Chargers, starting two games with the NFL club. He returned to the CFL in 2003 with Calgary before being dealt to Montreal the following season. In 2005, Sanchez signed with the Edmonton Eskimos before being traded back to the Als for his third stint with the club.
Overall, Sanchez has appeared in 135 career regular-season games, registering 26 interceptions while returning two for touchdowns. Just as important, though, is his status as a Canadian player. He can effectively play a position usually reserved for an American, meaning his team can use the import player elsewhere in the lineup.
Sanchez joins a Lions team that last year finished fourth in the West Division with an 8-10 record, the franchise’s first losing mark in head coach-GM Wally Buono’s seven-year tenure. But B.C. did reach the East Division final in the crossover and is again expected to contend in the ultra-competitive West Division.
"I’m definitely optimistic because there are a lot of talented players that I know and are familiar with," Sanchez said. "Going into the season I’m sure we’re not a favourite but we have a lot of talent and I know the guys here are really excited and optimistic about the things we can do.
"We’re excited about our opportunity to get things rolling back to the way they used to be around here and get some wins."
