Each week a Blue Bombers player will answer questions from fans. This week, safety Ian Logan steps up to answer your questions.
Ian, Where are you right now?
I’m living in Waterloo, Ontario right now. It’s my permanent home. All my friends and family live here. It’s the one city you’ve never heard of but probably should have. It was named as one of the world’s Top Seven Intelligent Communities in 2006 and 2007. It’s the home of Research in Motion (Blackberry), Open Text, The Perimeter Institute of Theoretical Physics and the biggest insurance company in North America, Manulife Financial. Look it up if you don’t believe me!
What have you been up to since the season ended back in November?
I spent a few weeks catching up with my family and friends, and then I spent December in Thailand travelling around. Right now I work at Research in Motion, processing invoices and making sure customers get paid. When I retire from football I’m hoping to continue working at RIM and join the sales or marketing department.
You went to Thailand, what was that like?
Thailand is a beautiful country with a lot of exciting things to do. The beaches are gorgeous, the people are nice, and the cost of living is very cheap. The worst part was getting there - 30 hours of total travel time! The movie “The Beach” was filmed on one of the islands off the west coast, which was really breathtaking. I spent New Year’s Eve on another island, Koh Phaghan. This was one of the craziest parties you could ever imagine. Koh Phaghan is known for its “full-moon” parties every month. Well, for the first time in decades, a full-moon landed on New Year’s Eve. About 60 thousand people showed up to this island to party. It’s definitely something I’ll never forget!
Who did you go with? Any teammates? Who are your closest people on the team and in the organization?
I travelled with my boy B Brizzle, aka Shady Brady, aka Brady Browne and his good friend from back home. We met up with Pat MacDonald and his wife while they were on their honeymoon. Most of the guys I’m closest with are in the secondary, like Brady, Nick Kordic and Shawn Gallant. Pat and I are also tight, as well as Dante Luciani who is one of my best friends from back home. We played at Wilfrid Laurier together for 3 years. Despite our record last year, we had one of the tightest teams I’ve ever played for. Everybody was cool with one another and the camaraderie really made the year fun.
Ian, you’ve been with the team for a few years now, and developed into a starter, are the changes (coaches, players etc) tough on a player?
It’s definitely not easy because you’re constantly challenged with learning a new system, picking up new terminology, and adjusting to new players. You’ll notice that teams with a consistent core of players and coaches are often the most successful in the CFL. That’s not to say you can’t put together a Grey Cup winning team in one year. There’s no doubt in my mind that the Bombers of ’09 were talented enough to win the GC. There were obviously some other issues that prevented us from reaching our potential, but I firmly believe we can reach the Grey Cup with the guys we bring to camp this year.
You play safety....what do you like most about playing that position??
The best part about free safety is being able to see everything going on in front of you. I’m rarely in man to man coverage so I get to watch the play develop right in front of my eyes. There’s nothing better than watching the quarterback stare blindly at one of his receivers only to throw the ball right into my hands. It’s also fun getting to move around a lot – whether I’m blitzing, dropping into zone or helping one of our DB’s shadow a receiver. Even though I start the farthest from the action, I still get the chance to lay some big hits (ie. Wes Cates, 2006). It’s not easy coming down hill full-speed to make a tackle but when you time things right, it’s usually a big collision – and that’s why I love football.
Who's your fave CFL player of all time & why??
Doug Flutie was easily my favourite CFL football player growing up. I started watching him play for the Stamps, but it wasn’t until his two Grey Cups in ’96 and ’97 that I really became his biggest fan. He electrified the league and it many ways helped create a much needed buzz in Southern Ontario for CFL football. It was also great to see him get a second shot in the NFL and be successful. I had the fortune of meeting him at the Hall of Fame dinner in Hamilton a few years ago.
Being Canadian...where's home?...or do you live in Wpg all year round?
As I mentioned earlier, I live in Waterloo during the off-season. Winnipeg is a great city but its way too cold in the winter!!
The day comes and Ian Logan is the new Commissioner of The Cfl. What changes would you like to make for the betterment of the league?
The first thing I would do is change the ratio to have more than 7 Canadian starters. Then I would change the terminology of “import” and “non-import”. Doesn’t it strike anyone as odd that we’re called “non-imports” in our own country? It should be Canadian and non-Canadian!! Lastly, I would do everything possible to get a team back in Ottawa, or work towards building a team in Halifax or Quebec.
With all of the changes off the field for the Bombers and with the loss of guys like Hefney to the NFL, how do you see the Bombers doing in 2010?
It’s tough to lose players like Hef; who’s easily one of the best half-backs I’ve ever played with. But that’s why we have scouts and a Director of Player Personnel to search for new stars. There’s no doubt in my mind that management will bring in a Grey Cup caliber roster. We already have a solid foundation of players; it’s just a matter of fitting in the pieces and believing in ourselves. As everyone in Winnipeg knows, the time is NOW to break this Grey Cup drought!
During the offseason do you train all winter or do you take a break after the season ends and then get back at it?
It would be counter-productive to start training right after the season. The body needs time to recover from the wear and tear of a football year. I took about a month off and now I feel great. My training is in full swing with gym workouts 4 times a week, hot Yoga twice a week, and the occasional touch football game.
What is your favourite city to play a road game in?
That’s a tough call. I love playing in Toronto and Hamilton because it’s close to home so I get to see my family and friends. But a city like Montreal is always exciting because it’s so culturally different. If there’s one city I don’t like playing in, it’s Edmonton. Nothing against the city, but that grass field ruins football for me!!
What do you do on your time off in Winnipeg?
I keep pretty low key to be honest. I’ll hit up Earls and Boston Pizza every once in awhile, but usually I get together with some of the boys and just chill. We play a lot of video games.
Who do you room with on the road? Do players get to pick who they room with?
They give us the choice to pick our roommates if we want but not all the guys do. I’ve roomed with Shawn Gallant, Nick Kordic and Brady Browne. It really just depends on injuries too. You definitely don’t want to get caught with a guy who snores all night or makes phone calls at 4am…
What was playing at Laurier like?
I had a blast playing at Laurier. We were 30-4 in my last 3 years, including winning the Vanier Cup in 2005. When you’re that successful, you can’t help but love football. There’s about 12 of us who graduated the year we won the championship, and that’s a bond that’ll always never be broken. Laurier’s a really small school; it only has about ten thousand undergrad students. We used to joke that it’s like a big high school. We’re often overshadowed by the University of Waterloo, because they’re known internationally for academic reasons, but athletically Laurier dominates.
What do you think of the 2010 schedule? You guys play Hamilton A LOT in the first bit of the season, is that an advantage or disadvantage, or does it not really matter?
Personally I like playing in Hamilton because it’s close to home, but 5 times in 8 weeks? That’s a little ridiculous. It’s going to be an advantage for whichever team starts the season off hot. Hopefully the league doesn’t let this happen again in the future.
What stadium is the toughest to play in? Why?
The toughest place to win has to be Saschachwan for the Labour day classic. I’ve been there 4 times and lost every year. The fans are crazy, the atmosphere is electric, and the home team really has an advantage. Having said that, I think this year is our year – Bombers by 10!!
What are you looking forward to most about the 2010 season?
The opportunity to win the Grey Cup. We have a great core-group of guys that know how to win. Our record didn’t show it last year but we were a very talented team. Now that we’ve named a head coach, we can start building towards a 2010 championship.
Send your questions for next week's Q and A with Blue Bomber Head Coach Paul LaPolice. Send questions for Paul to bbombers@bluebombers.com, subject: Question for Paul.
