‘I enjoyed every second:’ Global players react to first season in CFL

Max Zimmermann and Rene Brassea were among the first global players to find their ways in the CFL.

Zimmermann, a German-born wide receiver, and Brassea, an offensive lineman from Mexico, joined Mexican-born defensive back Javier Garcia as the three global players who joined the Saskatchewan Roughriders for the 2019 season.

“I love being (in Saskatchewan). I know I’m going to miss this the first moment I’m going to be out. I’m probably going to miss this hard when I’m sitting on the flight on the plane back to Germany,” Zimmermann said on Nov. 18, the day the players cleared out their lockers after a 20-13 season-ending loss to the Winnipeg Blue Bombers in the West Division final.

“I enjoyed every second that I’ve been here and anyone who has the chance to do it, just go do it. Whatever it takes, do it.”

A new group of global players will get their shot at the Canadian game as the CFL 2.0 initiative continues.

Scouting combines are to take place in seven countries over the off-season, the first being one in Helsinki, Finland on Saturday.

The 2020 global draft is set to take place on April 16.

Brassea said the biggest thing he learned coming to Canada was how every player in the CFL put in the extra work to become better.

“(In Mexico) we used to be the players who did extra stuff and tried to stay after practice and review the plays, practise the technique and stuff no one normally does,” Brassea said. “Here everyone does it. It feels like home here.”

Brassea said he became a better football player in 2019 by learning much more about the technique of playing along the offensive line.

“The thing that I’m doing this off-season is working on the technique and working on the physical (aspects), like going to the gym, but more in the technique,” he said.

Brassea was often the global player the Roughriders had on their active roster for most of the season but he was never listed as a starter.

According to the CFL collective bargaining agreement, teams will have two global players on their active roster in 2020.

Zimmermann will be vying for one of those spots, feeling he could’ve been out there playing late in the 2019 season.

“I don’t think I was ready the first weeks just because I was so new to all of this compared to all the guys that are in front of me (on the depth chart). The receivers room is great, I think almost everyone there played in the NFL or was in an NFL training camp so I was cool with being a backup and learning from the guys,” Zimmermann said. “I think if someone would have went down late in the season (with an injury), I would be ready to play.”

Zimmermann said the biggest thing he’s taking away from his first season in the CFL is how a player always needs to give 100 per cent, even when they’re dealing with an injury.

“(The other receivers) go 100 per cent each and every practice, each and every rep, and that’s what I learned – no matter how you feel, you have to go 100 per cent,” he said. “The pain is temporary and it goes away but winning is something that lasts forever.”

Brassea sees global players making a bigger impact in the CFL in the future and as the CFL 2.0 initiative grows.

“I’m going to tell players from my college how this works — how practices work, how their work ethic is, how their organization works. I know players that come next year are going to come with a different perspective of how this works,” Brassea said. “You guys are going to see that there’s talent from Mexico. We can play, we just need the chance to step in and ball out.”