Photo courtesy: Bob Butrym/RFB Sport Photography
The Hamilton Tiger-Cats have had offensive lineman Brandon Revenberg in the lineup for nine seasons but head coach Scott Milanovich believes he could have spent his career playing down south.
“He’s just so consistent. I believe [Revenberg] could have played in the NFL. He’s like a guy I coached in Montreal: Scott Flory,” Milanovich told the media in Hamilton on Tuesday.
“The guy’s talented, he’s athletic, he’s strong. We’ve gotten injuries at tackle, moved him out to tackle against some of the best in the league and he just can do it. Intelligence, work ethic — total package, really.”
The six-foot-four, 300-pound blocker was named All-CFL for the fifth time in his career on Wednesday, putting him four selections shy of Flory, who was a first-ballot Canadian Football Hall of Fame inductee following a 15-year run with the Montreal Alouettes.
The only things missing from Revenberg’s resumé are a Most Outstanding Offensive Lineman award and a Grey Cup. The 32-year-old is a four-time finalist for Most Outstanding Offensive Lineman — he lost to Stanley Bryant the first three times — and will be up against West Division nominee Jermarcus Hardrick next week in Winnipeg.
Revenberg has also played in two Grey Cups, though his team lost to the Winnipeg Blue Bombers both times. He and his team are looking to get back to the Grey Cup this weekend when they host the Montreal Alouettes in the East Final.
“To me, it’s the consistency of what he does every day. He’s the same guy every day, he’s got a great attitude, but what he does on the field is just special,” said franchise quarterback Bo Levi Mitchell.
“He’s the kind of guy you want playing offensive line, he fits the mold. He’s got the long hair, no gloves, no extras. He loves football. In weird way, he just loves playing o-line. A lot of o-linemen wish they’d played basketball, wish they were a tight end, thought they could’ve played another position. He loves protecting me, loves opening the hole for the running backs. The guy’s pretty damn tough to beat one-on-one, just a special guy that’s been in front of us and been a catalyst on that offensive line for a lot of years.”
The native of Essex, Ont. allowed a pressure rate of only 2.5 percent this season, according to Pro Football Focus, which ranked first among guards with at least 110 pass-blocking snaps. The Tiger-Cats finished fourth league-wide with 27 sacks allowed.
Milanovich knows the NFL, having spent four years at quarterback with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and five years as the quarterbacks coach for the Jacksonville Jaguars and Indianapolis Colts. His comparison to Flory, who is arguably the best interior offensive lineman in CFL history, is also extremely high praise.
“I don’t think we take [Revenberg] for granted,” said Milanovich. “I don’t study all the guards around the league, but I can’t imagine there’s one better than him.”
The Hamilton Tiger-Cats (11-7) will host the Montreal Alouettes (11-8) for the East Final on Saturday, November 8 at Hamilton Stadium with kickoff slated for 3:00 p.m. EST.The Alouettes defeated the Winnipeg Blue Bombers in the East Semi-Final by a score of 42-33, while the Tiger-Cats were on bye after finishing atop the East Division standings.
The weather forecast in Hamilton calls for a high of six degrees with a 30 percent chance of showers. The game will be broadcast on TSN, TSN2, CTV, and RDS in Canada and CFL+ internationally. Radio listeners can tune-in on TSN 690 in Montreal and the Ticats Audio Network.