Brains and brawn.

It’s a valuable asset in the CFL, and it’s a big reason rookie defensive back Tre Roberson has made the active roster this season.

“He’s a very cerebral player,” said defensive back coach Joshua Bell. “But he has the physical attributes to go with it.

“He soaks up everything, when you tell him something you can tell that he’s receiving everything you’re saying, processing it.”

The Indianapolis, Indiana, native previously spent time on the NFL’s Minnesota Vikings practice squad before being released last fall.

But for someone who hasn’t played Canadian rules before training camp, Roberson’s already close to getting it down-pat.

“First thing that I identified and loved is that he wasn’t afraid of the waggle,” Bell said of the rookie. “I loved that, because the speed is the first thing guys coming from down south have to adjust to.

“He wasn’t afraid, and I was like ‘yeah you’re aggressive’, I fell in love with it.”

After playing in two pre-season tilts, Roberson’s been a quick study. It’s something Bell attributes to the rookie’s college career, as he played quarterback at Illinois State University and Indiana State University over four years.

“The fact that he played quarterback lets me know he has a good knowledge of the game, and he can hold a lot of information,” Bell explained. “He’s filled in greatly when we had guys out in those games. We didn’t have a drop off when he was out on the field as a backup playing with the ones.”

It’s not just Bell who knows what Roberson is bringing to the Stamps’ table, but player himself too. He’s well aware of what he’s got between his ears – a quick mind that won’t make the same mistake twice.

“I’m pretty intelligent football-wise, I know a lot of different formations, I can pick up on different splits, I pick up on things really fast.

“My goal is to limit all the mistakes that I will have during the season as a rookie playing, you’re still adjusting to the game. I’ll be eliminating mistakes, not giving up free money, and not hurting the team in any way.”

After an off-season of full-time work, training, and taking care of a newborn, Roberson is ready to come out hot in his first ever regular-season CFL game this Saturday.

“A lot of hard work has been put into this off-season,” Roberson said. “I’m ready to get in here and get going on these guys: get working on them, try to see what they’d like to do, get the game plan, learn from the guys around me, and get ready for action.”

And with that attitude, you can guarantee he’ll be game ready when the Hamilton Tiger-Cats come to town for the Home Opener on June 16.

“His learning curve is not steep at all,” Bell said. “He’ll be ready to plug and chug, he’s a machine, he can adapt.

“I’m excited to see where his ceiling is.”