The Man Behind the Mask

June 7, 2014

By CHRIS HOPKINS
Every great team needs a wildcard — a player who is loyal to a fault and possesses just enough crazy that his opponents start focusing more on him than the game.
Arena Football Hall of Fame coach Tim Marcum was famous for saying, “You gotta have a few outlaws.”
Unhinged players become a necessary ingredient to a championship formula.
The 1990s Chicago Bulls dynasty had Dennis Rodman, who baffled a lot of opponents with his unique hairstyles and off-the-court behavior but nonetheless was a Hall of Fame basketball player.
Manny Ramirez was a catalyst for the Boston Red Sox World Series winning teams in 2004 and 2007 but his on and off the field antics became so infamous that they spurred their own slogan of “Manny being Manny.”
Mac linebacker James Bryant serves as the honorary wildcard for the 8-3 Pittsburgh Power.
Bryant has become known for his Earth-shattering hits on opponents and donning the Hannibal Lecter mask before every game.
Hannibal Lecter is a fictional character made famous by Anthony Hopkins in the Academy Award-winning film, Silence of the Lambs. Lecter is a brilliant but conflicted psychiatrist who is a cannibalistic serial killer.
Pittsburgh is off to their best 11-game start and currently riding a five game winning streak.  They are also coming off, arguably, the biggest win in the franchise’s history after they defeated the East Division-leading Cleveland Gladiators.
Maybe the power of the mask was all Pittsburgh was missing last season. 
After finishing 4-14 last year, the Power front office attacked the offseason making a flurry of transactions on both the offense and defensive sides of the ball. Bryant was one of those key defensive acquisitions.
The Power defense in 2013 was already stout—having finished first in total defense—but Bryant and the other new Power members helped put the defense over the edge.
Thus far this season, the Power rank first in: total defense, rush defense, pass defense, opponent first downs, and turnover margin.
Bryant has been a big part of this defensive reaffirmation in Pittsburgh.
“He’s a high-energy guy, high-motor guy, and a team player and from being here last year, that was something we lacked,” defensive captain Curtis Young said.
Bryant, a native of Reading, Pennsylvania and the youngest of six children, has always found a way to make his presence felt—one way or another.
Coming out of Reading High School, he was a high school All-American and one of the most sought after recruits in the Class of 2004.
“I wanted to make sure I was one of the most talented players to come out of high school,” Bryant said.
He ultimately chose the University of Miami in Coral Gables, Florida.
“The U” is a program known more for its flash than humility and Bryant meshed well with his new surroundings.
Unfortunately after three years in Coral Gables, Bryant and Miami’s relationship ran dry.
“I left Miami because I thought it was time,” Bryant said. “When you look at opportunities in life, you have to know when it’s time to move on and go a different route in order to get what you want for the end result.”
Bryant transferred to the University of Louisville and graduated in 2008.
He then had a short tenure in the NFL before turning his attention to a different sport, boxing.
“It allowed me to see the world from a different perspective,” said Bryant of boxing. “I was dealing with a different class of athletes and I was dealing with a different class of mental stability because boxing is definitely more mental than anything else.”
Bryant credits his time in the boxing ring with becoming a better teammate and leader.
“Boxing allowed me to be a better leader than I was before because of the fact that being in the ring—I know I’m by myself—I had to understand the importance of the people around me who are helping me be successful in the ring and it’s the same thing here,” Bryant said.
“I have to make sure I approach, talk to, handle, deal with, and build relationships with my teammates so I can get the best out of them and they can get the best out of me. And that’s why, right now, our team is on fire because of our togetherness and compatibility with each other, is on another level.” 
Bryant’s boxing career also spurred the birth of the Hannibal mask.
“I came out for a weigh-in wearing the mask in a straightjacket chained to a dolly.” Bryant said. “It was a great time and then I went out there and beat my opponent in the second round with a knockout.”
Despite wearing a mask made famous by a fictional serial killer, Bryant is loyal as a dog and doesn’t flinch if he notices one of his teammates in peril.
“If somebody antagonized or puts my teammate in a position to be harmed, I’m going to back my teammate up all the way but I don’t go looking for problems or issues,” Bryant said.
Akin to other wildcards in sports, Bryant is trying to play some mind-games with his opponents. He is trying to take his opponents out of their game.
“The advantage of me getting in my opponents heads is forcing them to not focus on their task at hand,” said Bryant. “I’ve always done this; I did it in high school without the mask and I’ve done it here and it’s been effective.”
Curtis Young agrees with the effectiveness of the mask.
“I think it works on some opponents because guys on other teams will ask questions about it so he has them thinking about it so it’s doing something,” Young said.
The Power will try to extend their winning streak this Saturday as they host Bryant’s former team, the New Orleans VooDoo.
Whether his intimidation tactics work on his former team, Bryant is not concerned.
“I take it one game at a time and do what I do best: get the crowd rowdy and knock people out.”
Opponents beware.