Garry Peters | Tiger Turned Lion

Garry Peters was an integral piece to a Clemson program that won back-to-back ACC championships and most recently played with a nucleus in Edmonton that had sipped from the Grey Cup in 2015.

So it’s safe to say he knows what he’s talking about when he claims that something special can be brewing in the Lions secondary through ten days of training camp in Kamloops.

“I feel like we’re cooking up something special with a lot of veteran guys,” explained the newly signed defensive back.

“Everybody knows what they’re doing, we’re moving fast out there and even though it’s only our tenth day I feel like this defence has developed a rapport and a familiarity that every team should strive for. This is my third year in the league and I haven’t seen it like this before. There aren’t many weaknesses out there.”

Peters is the epitome of what GM Ed Hervey was aiming to do with his defensive backfield in free agency: bigger, longer, faster.

At 6 feet and 190 pounds, the Atlanta native has brought some extra sizzle to the halfback position, where he has been taking reps alongside cornerback and former Eskimos teammate Marcell Young.

Peters bought into Hervey’s philosophy long before he put pen to paper on his contract with the Lions.

“I’ve always trusted Ed so for me, coming here was an easy decision,” said Peters.

“Just watching the way he turned around the program in Edmonton, the type of guys he brought in and the great eye he has for talent, that made me want to be a part of this. It’s just exciting for me as a player to see the extra miles he goes for his players and what he’s willing to do to win. That has me very excited.”

Practicing against the first team offence and receivers like Emmanuel Arceneaux, Bryan Burnham and Shaq Johnson will make any defensive back ready to strap them on for real.

“Iron sharpens iron like they say,” added Peters.

“Just picking those guys’ brains and talking to them after every play, asking them what they did with their routes and having them tell me I covered them well on certain routes, that grows teamwork and confidence. My goal is to get better and better every day until I feel like it’s second nature for me. Those are some of the best guys in the league and I feel that if I can shut them down in practice it will translate to the game. That’s exciting.”

And he certainly has plenty of experience covering elite receivers. Peters points to the 2012 Chick Fill A against LSU has the highlight of his football career to date. He had two big pass breakups and helped his secondary limit LSU standouts Jarvis Landry and Odell Beckham Jr. to a combined seven catches and 77 yards.

“After the game, OBJ and I traded gloves, ” recalled Peters.

“That for sure is one of my most memorable games knowing after my sophomore year that I could play with those greats, I have that mentality that I can’t be stopped. Clemson was the best four years of my life. I couldn’t have picked a better program or a better coach in Dabo Sweeney to play for. My parents loved it there, my sisters go visit the campus all the time. It’s definitely my home and it’s ironic because at Clemson we had the Tiger paw and now I have the Lion paw as my logo.”

Growing up in Atlanta meant football was pretty much life. Although he was too young to remember him with the hometown Falcons, Peters often studied tape of Deion Sanders and that’s what opened him up to the idea of being a defensive back. Peters also played quarterback for most of his youth and when it came to learning new things and taking on challenges, he tried to take after his father, also named Garry, who owns a trucking company and does some construction on the side.

Garry Peters jumps into the stands after helping Clemson take down powerhouse LSU in the 2012 Chick-Fill-A-Bowl.

“My dad has always been my biggest hero because all his life he has pretty much said what he was going to do and accomplish,” explained the younger Peters.

“Even when our family was going through hard times and had to move in with my aunt after first coming to Georgia, he would always make it work for me, get me to my games and would always be there at practice watching me. I feel like he’s the most clutch person I know. If I ever need anything, I can call him and he’ll never let me down.”

He may only have 19 CFL games under his belt, but Peters certainly has that veteran mentality. And these re-tooling Lions can use some of it as they try and write their redemption story.

“God does everything for a reason. Hopefully, we can do what we did at Clemson and get to that championship.”

Matt Baker: mbaker@bclions.com