He’s not a chest thumper.
He doesn’t do the photobomb thing when the cameras are rolling or seek out any sort of attention whatsoever.
And, guaran-dang-teed, Sukh Chungh will never, ever, speak of himself in the third person.
In fact, the Winnipeg Blue Bombers mammoth right guard would just as soon do his thing in football’s trenches in relative anonymity, never hearing his number called out by an official or being singled out for whiffing on a block by the television or radio guys calling the game.
Earlier this week, however, the spotlight was turned momentarily to the 24-year-old Port Coquitlam, B.C. product when it was announced he had signed a contract extension that will keep him in Bomber colours through the 2018 season.
And given the opportunity to speak about himself in a chat with bluebombers.com, Chungh went out of his way to instead praise his position coaches and offensive line compadres.
“It’s been the coaches trusting me and putting me out on the field right from my rookie year through to this past year,” began Chungh. “It’s given me a lot of experience and I’ve got to thank the coaching staff for believing me and letting me grow as a player.”
That’s the kind of team-first quote that often has the media turning away or powering down their cameras, but endears a guy to his teammates.
Big S/o to my guy @BigBodyBuggati on the extension! One of those guys you just need to give one look at in the huddle and know he’s ready 👊🏾
— Andrew Harris (@andrewharris33) February 14, 2017
And that, in a nutshell, is Chungh.
Drafted second overall by the Bombers in 2015 out of the University of Calgary, Chungh was immediately thrust into the starting lineup and started all 18 games. He started 16 games last year, nursing an injury in the final two weeks and in the West Division Semi-Final.
In a sense, Chungh has grown on the job, morphing from being billed as a ‘nasty piece of work’ by TSN draft expert Duane Forde prior to being selected, into a durable and reliable starter.
“I was sort of forced to be in there, but I tried in every rep I got to take and got better.”
“I’m continuing to learn as an offensive lineman. It’s definitely an adjustment from the college or university level… the speed of the game and how fast your making decisions. I feel like l can still get better every week. I believe I’ve gotten better technically, and it’s something I still have to improve on.”
Chungh raved about his teammates along the offensive line and their potential heading into 2017. Continuity and chemistry are key, after all, and the Bombers have both for the first time in eons.
“A big factor is keeping the group together, that five or six guys,” said Chungh.
“I feel like we’ve created a good atmosphere in our offensive line room and that’s what I’m really excited to be a part of again.”
“I’ve been here and seen things begin to change and the atmosphere in the city. I believe we have a lot of people on our side again and I’m just excited for this year. We, as a team, believe we’re just getting started.”
