Courtesy Hamilton Spectator:

To understand his situation, imagine a tuba player being asked to learn clarinet in two weeks despite never before touching a woodwind.

Or maybe a short-order cook specializing in chili dogs being told he has a few days to learn to prepare foie gras for royalty.

Tough adjustment?

“It is,” J.P. Bekasiak says, rolling his eyes and letting out a long breath for emphasis. “It is quite difficult to make the change.”

Nobody at the Hamilton Tiger-Cats’ training camp has a harder job than the second-year lineman from the University of Toledo. Drafted a season ago as a defensive end, his task over the next two weeks is to learn to play on the offensive side of the ball. And to do it well enough to play at the professional level.

If you’re one of those fans who thinks this should be a breeze because the only difference between playing the offensive line and defensive line is the direction you’re pointed, Bekasiak would like to invite you into his world for a bit.

Other than the fact that both groups spend their time crashing into other large men, the roles are entirely different. Learning to block on the line is like learning a complicated new dance. Except in this tango, your partner’s a sweaty, muscular, 250-pound man who’s trying to flatten you.

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