He is a self-confessed nerd, and not only when it comes to his schemes and assignments on the offensive line. When Chris Greaves isn’t banging pads and protecting his quarterback, the Lions’ new addition at left guard devotes his time to a different kind of mechanics.
“I always was a little bit of a nerd, loved computers, and cars,” said Greaves after practice on Thursday.
“I even custom built my own computer a couple of years ago.”
So do we have another Steve Jobs on our hands? Not exactly, the hulking offensive lineman admits.
“You just buy the bits and pieces and put it all together. It’s really not that hard, probably sounds a lot more detailed than you think it is,” added the former Western Mustang.
“My dad had built one when I was younger so I just tried to follow what he did.”
Offensive lineman Chris Greaves talks with some former teammates after a win over the Montreal Alouettes on June 16th/2018. Photo: David Friederich
In light of a lingering injury to Hunter Steward, Greaves is expected to get most of the work at left guard for a second straight week. As the squad prepares for a bounce-back game against the equally hungry Winnipeg Blue Bombers, Greaves is of the mind they simply have to forget what went wrong in the setback against Edmonton.
“I don’t even want to grade it if it’s not a win, it doesn’t even matter,” said Greaves of last Friday’s performance.
“There are always some things you can improve on, that’s just the way it is every game. But all that really matters is winning. We have to stay on the field and capitalize on our opportunities. Those are the main things. We had some turnovers we didn’t really take advantage of and we’ve got to convert on those. If the opportunities present themselves, we’ve got to put it in the end zone.”
Thanks to the flurry of transactions made by Ed Hervey in the opening hours of free agency, the addition of Greaves perhaps went a little under the radar. Along with his experience- Greaves was a Grey Cup champion with the Eskimos in 2015- he also brings some of the important Canadian depth you need up front.
“We knew what we were getting: a guy that’s been a starter, played different positions and has been very reliable. From training camp until today, all of those characteristics have come true,” said Wally Buono.
“Last week I thought he did a good job, I thought the offensive line did a good job and Ed was wise in bringing a veteran like him who fit in nicely and has helped us.”
“I’m really happy to be here,” added Greaves.
“Ed wanted me out here and he took a chance, I obviously know a couple of the guys and this is a great organization. I played with Odell (Willis) in both Winnipeg and Edmonton. He’s a great football player and makes everyone he practices against better.”
Despite a solid career at Western that concluded with a second-team OUA All-Star selection, the 6’3, 305-pound Toronto native never truly thought he would play this long in the CFL. At least not until he caught the eye of some pro scouts before the 2010 Canadian draft.
“To be perfectly honest I didn’t even know if I had a chance coming out of university,” recalled Greaves.
“I was invited to the combine and decided to just roll with it and the rest is history. It was just about going out there, trying as hard as I could and proving to all the coaches what I was capable of doing. You can’t get too worked up because you’ll start thinking about a million different things and not focusing on the task at hand.”
The Blue Bombers selected Greaves with the 45th overall pick of that year’s draft. After 56 starts and 74 appearances in the blue and gold, he moved on to Edmonton in 2015 and won his first and only Grey Cup ring so far. He signed with the Lions after spending 2017 with the Montreal Alouettes.
At age 31, he has already started thinking of a post-football career, but it doesn’t involve building more computers.
“I want to eventually work my way up and become a police detective,” said the criminology major.
“It’s just the team environment that makes me want to do it. A lot like football, but obviously the stakes are quite different.”
Having that “de-tech-tive” mindset on the offensive line can be nothing but a good thing.