Team: Winnipeg Blue Bombers
Number/Position: #1 / RB
Date of Birth: April 3, 1979
Make no mistake about it. The Winnipeg Blue Bombers
are a BIG team. When they roll into town, heads turn.
And in the middle of this large ensemble stands one
of the largest at a towering five feet six inches. Charles
Roberts is living proof that you can play much larger
than your actual size. He does it every week. In 2002
the Bombers were one win away from going to the Grey
Cup for the second straight year. So with an off-season
to prepare for another run at the Cup, Roberts and company
had plenty of time to think about the coming season
and prepare for it as well. "I did a lot of speed
training and lunges in the off-season", Roberts
offered recently. "I also played basketball every
day just to stay in shape. My main thing was training
my mind and staying sharp."
Talk about sharp. Roberts came into camp with a driven
approach. To get to - and win - the Grey Cup. He knows
expectations are high in Winnipeg. "The expectations
are always high for us in Winnipeg. Our fans expect
us to win every year. But we are up to the challenge",
he continued.
What the fans may not have expected was Roberts to
have the kind of break-out year he has had. Against
Toronto last week he recorded a number of career highlights.
Back-to-back 1,000 yard season for the first time; his
10th career 100-yard game rushing; passing the 500 mark
in career rushing attempts; holding on to the top spot
in the 2003 CFL rushing category....well you get the
drift. But in typical Roberts fashion, he wanted to
downplay his achievements. "I don't think I'm necessarily
the go-to guy. I'm just one of the go-to guys, and I'm
happy about that. I like to get the football just like
everybody else does on offense."
Speaking of go-to guys, the Bombers boast one of the
strongest locker rooms in terms of pure talent. Jones,
Stegall, Sellers, Benefield, and many more. On any given
day they can beat you any number of ways. Roberts is
quick to acknowledge that strength in "The Room".
"We have the Number One team in the CFL in that
locker room", he continued. "We have All-Stars
on both sides of the ball."
Only time will tell if the power in the Bomber locker
room translates to another Grey Cup appearance, but
the quest for the Cup is first and foremost in the mind
of Charles Roberts. "That's why we do all this
hard work. It won't be a career year for me unless we
win the Grey Cup".
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