I’ve heard that Micah Teitz is a baller. I never thought they meant like this.

“I got a real bad ankle injury in training camp,” says Teitz. “And me and some of the guys used to play hockey, and you know how you have the sock-tape ball. We figured we would take off the spat (tape) and see how big we could get it.”

Since he returned from injury in Week 2, Teitz has been collecting that spat tape from his shoes at the end of every game and practice. He then wraps it neatly around a steadily-growing ball.

“We weigh it every week. It’s about 10 pounds right now.”

10 pounds of used tape. It’s roughly the size of a basketball and easily equal to a medicine ball you would use at the gym. And Teitz says it’s growing by about a half-pound a week.

He says the other guys won’t let him stop, now that he’s been doing it all these months. As for what to become of the giant ball of ankle wrap:

“I wouldn’t be surprised if I put it back in (my locker) and take it to Saskatoon for next year’s training camp.”

Teitz will leave the ball behind as he travels to Calgary for Friday’s game with the Stampeders. With Cam Judge suffering a concussion, Teitz is likely to see him most reps in a game ever.

“I’ve been behind Cam all year and watching him and I’m just trying to follow in his footsteps.”

And he’ll be doing it in front of a lot of friends and family. Teitz is from Springbank, Alberta (just west of Calgary) and played at the U of C.

Making it even better for Teitz is that he will play alongside Solomon Elimimian.

“I’ve been watching him since I began watching football. It’s nice to finally get to play with him and I really look up to him.”

Teitz is reserved when asked about what he hopes to show in the game. He talks about ‘doing his job’. When asked “Who are you looking forward to crushing out there?”, Teitz played along.

“I’ve always wanted to sack Bo (Levi Mitchell), ever since I was in grade 9,” he says. “I’d love to get a sack, but I’m just looking to make the plays when they come to me.”