Chris O'Leary
Edmonton Journal

(Regina) Shamawd Chambers ran through the play, made the catch and, at the end of it all, saw Ed Hervey standing on the sidelines.

So Chambers, a rookie with the Edmonton Eskimos, told one of the team's all-time great receivers what was on his mind and declared that he was going to be the next Ed Hervey. Or better.

"It was just at practice," Chambers said. "I caught an out and he happened to be sitting right there. It wasn't planned at all. I think I said something around the lines that I wanted to be better than him, something like that."

The sixth overall pick in the Canadian Football League's draft this year, Chambers has 476 passes to grab, 6,715 yards, 43 touchdowns and a pair of Grey Cups to go before any talk of the next Ed Hervey can begin. The 23-year-old will get the chance to make catch No. 1 on Sunday, when he gets his first pro start against the Saskatchewan Roughriders.

Chambers took to his Twitter account Friday afternoon to announce he'll be playing Sunday. He's likely filling in for Matt Carter, who injured his leg in practice Thursday.
 
In his short time with the Eskimos, Chambers has struck up a strong relationship with Hervey.
 
"He's really helped me through training camp," Chambers said of Hervey. "You always know about Ed when you come to Edmonton and I want to be better than Ed and I know he wants me to be better than him, too.

"It's going to be a lot of hard work that I'll have to put in to get to his level or even get close, but with the guys I'm with, A.D. (Adarius Bowman) and Fred (Stamps), Greg (Carr), all of the guys here really want to help me get there."

Hervey, still being a highly competitive guy, hasn't let Chambers off the hook for anything since the rookie piped up in practice. Chambers said he enjoys the push.

What he's struggled with, especially after a successful career at Wilfrid Laurier University and a standout showing at the CFL draft combine this spring, is the waiting game that rookies often play in the CFL. Chambers was frustrated with having to sit out the Eskimo season-opener a week ago.

"I shoot for the stars," Chambers said. "The first week, it was (tough), because it's not something you're used to.

"When you get home and get to talking to family members and I got to sit down and talk with coach, it became something that you just have to be patient (with)."

Eskimo Head Coach Kavis Reed said that he appreciates Chambers' fire, even if he has to answer the same questions from him every day.

"I'm happy that it's hard on him," Reed said. "If it wasn't, then we'd have drafted the wrong guy. He wants to play. He annoys me every day about playing, so that's a good thing. I enjoy the fact that he wants to play so badly.

"He's a guy that has a passion about football and isn't just happy to be a high draft pick and be in the CFL."

"Once you get your shot, you get your chance, you never want to look back on the situation, and that's what I'm doing right now," Chambers said. "I have my chance and I'm going to go out and perform to the best of my abilities and never look back.

"This is a long season and hopefully, God willing, it's a long career as well."