‘Electric’ McCrae ready for any role

YOU may call him a chameleon or a Swiss Army knife — Greg McCrae calls himself a football player.

“I think that’s the ultimate compliment is being called a football player, not really being labelled,” said the 25-year-old product of Miami. “That’s how I see myself, I try to uphold that standard and just be available for anything that (the Bombers) need me to be.”

McCrae — listed as a running back on the Blue Bombers roster — converted to slot back last season, where he made an impact as a do-it-all player in the run and passing game, registering 328 total yards and a major in 15 appearances. In last Friday’s contest against the Calgary Stampeders, he added the third duty of returner to his resumé after Janarion Grant left with an injury.

Indeed, McCrae wasn’t the hero the Blue Bombers expected in a comfortable 24-11 victory over the Stamps at IG Field, but quickly became the one they needed.

The electrifying second-year pro made the two biggest plays on the night, one that lifted a hushed Bombers’ offence from the dead and another game-changing play on special teams that helped Big Blue build a comfortable lead.

McCrae’s first strike came in the second quarter when quarterback Zach Collaros sold the Stamps defence on a pump fake before finding the speedster for a 68-yard touchdown that tied the game at 11.

His second came as the Bombers white-knuckled an 18-11 lead early in the final frame. McCrae corralled a missed field goal attempt by Rene Paredes in the end zone before taking a few moments to assess the play while trotting behind the goal line, then hit the turbo button, weaving through a mass of Calgary defenders for 102 yards before finally being tackled at the visitor’s 13-yard line.

The Bombers used the favourable field position to set up a 17-yard Sergio Castillo field goal and extend their lead to 10.

“I think it was I knew what I could do,” said Grant after Tuesday’s practice at IG Field. “Janarion, me and him have a really good relationship. We’re real tight, we’re always at practice catching punts together, just talking. And even during the game sometimes, I’ll tell him what I saw on the sideline, he’ll tell me what he sees.

“I was just hoping I did a good job for him.”

McCrae left the game with 182 all-purpose yards — rushing the ball three times for seven yards and catching two passes for 73 to go along with his big return.

While the CFL got its first taste of McCrae the returner, the speedster has been honing that part of his game for some time. During his time at the University of Central Florida, McCrae only fielded four kickoff returns in-game but said he got his fair share of reps in practice.

“I feel like I’ve always had the ability (to return kicks),” he said. “My running back coach from college was actually my return coach. So even though I wasn’t returning in games, he always had me back there in practice doing returns and honing the skill so that when I get the opportunity to, I would be able to fall back on my habits.”

McCrae’s big game was certainly unexpected by fans, but to his teammates, it was only a matter of time.

“It takes a lot of trust,” said receiver Rasheed Bailey, another multi-use weapon on the team, of what it takes to be as versatile as McCrae. “You got to put a lot of time in.

“Greg McCrae, I could talk so much about that kid. He’s a hard worker, he doesn’t say much, he’s a lunch-pail and hard-hat, he’s always in the right spot and he’s getting better. And as you can see, starting to show up in the games.”

Head coach Mike O’Shea didn’t reveal whether McCrae became the defacto returner once Grant went down but said he was one of the players he was most comfortable putting in that position. While the Bombers will continue to assess who they want to fill in for Grant full-time, McCrae’s performance may have put him at the top of the list.

“He’s electric,” said O’Shea. “The point we’re not talking about is we’ve always liked Greg. We’ve always liked what he could do, sometimes it’s just a matter of getting him on the roster. If you can find ways to get him the ball, there’s a good chance he’s going to make a play.”

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Twitter: @jfreysam