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June 18, 2017

Jones sticks around

Linebacker Riley Jones during a pre-season game on June 6, 2017 (Photo by David Moll)

Living the life of Riley.

Actually.

“Yeah, life’s pretty good right now,’’ confesses Riley Jones, on the first day of actual gettin’-down-to-it preparation for the Calgary Stampeders’ 2017 curtain-raiser Friday at TD Place Stadium in Ottawa.

“Can’t complain.”

Cut-down Saturday out McMahon Stadium-way came and went.

The undrafted linebacker stayed.

“It was tough, waiting to find out,” he says. “A bit nerve-wracking. I had no idea where I sat. But everything that was in my control, I tried to do.

“That’s all you can ask of yourself. Still, you never know what they’re thinking.

“So to get that phone call telling me I was on the final roster . . . a pretty special moment.”

A moment he felt compelled to immediately share with family, his parents back home in Tsawwassen, B.C., Billy and Anna, his brother and a sister who’s now based in Regina with the RCMP.

“It was pretty exciting. I called, we group texted, and I told them: ‘Hey, guys, I’m not coming home.’ ”

A satisfied smile of remembrance.

“They were all right with that.”

Photo by David Moll

A five-year UBC Thunderbird, part of the school’s 2015 Vanier Cup-winning team, the 6-foot, 215-pound Jones arrived for training camp here after signing with the Stamps as a free-agent on May 15.

“From the get-go, it’s an uphill battle, not being drafted,’’ Jones admits. “As a free agent, probably not many people had a clue who I was.

“So you feel you really have to make an impression; get yourself noticed.”

That may have been his thought process but to the Stampeders, it wasn’t as if Jones had somehow wandered out of a large swatch of B.C. wilderness unannounced.

“We knew about him,’’ counters Stamps head coach Dave Dickenson. “We’d looked at film. The thing that piqued our interest, to be honest, is that we like to carry two good long-snappers.

“Not to say they’re both active but you need another one on your team, just in case. And, well, we love Rob Cote to death but his long-snapping days are probably passed.

“Then as we got into camp, Riley made plays more than just on special teams. That stuck out. As I said, we’d seen some fairly good film but I think it’s safe to say he exceeded expectations. And our linebacking corps had taken a hit, with injuries and retirements.

“So for him to step up is big for us.”

No different than any other raw rookie, Canadian or American, Jones found the pro experience initially daunting.

“The first few days it was . . . fast,’’ he concedes. “Just a blur. Everybody’s faster. Everybody’s bigger. The schemes are harder. It’s definitely a step up from playing college ball in Canada. But you have to adapt on the fly. You’re left no other choice.

Photo by David Moll

“I came in with the same thought most guys do, I guess – I’ve got to make my mark on special teams. I’m fortunate that I know how to long-snap. I did it a couple of years in college. That was something I knew would help me.

“But I had to prove I could play, too.

“So I came in, tried to watch as much as film as I could, hung around the older guys, (Alex) Singleton, (Deron) Mayo, checked out how they did things and asked as many questions as I could. I made some mistakes at linebacker but I think I definitely showed I’m capable of playing there. If something ever happened, I’d be able to step in.

“And after that first (pre-season) game, I thought to myself: ‘I can do this.’ ”

In putting thought into action, he became one of the feel-good storylines of training camp 2017.

A study in self-belief.

The longshot made good.

Undrafted, maybe, but far from unappreciated.

That’d be him, living the life of Riley, No. 52 in your game-day program.

“I guess the biggest thing is that I had confidence,’’ reasons Jones. “I always do. I’d trained hard for this. It’s a big step up, sure. But I knew I was ready.

“I thought I had a pretty good camp. I wanted a spot on this roster.

“And here I am.”