Uh-oh… quarterback is seeing things

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This article was published 17/08/2023 (1086 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Te Jessie’s vision is as clear as it’s ever been.

That’s a scary sight for opposing defences in the Canadian Junior Football League, given what Jessie did last year in his first season as the starting quarterback for the Westshore Rebels.

The Winnipeg product took the league by storm upon arriving in Langford, B.C., throwing for 2,864 yards and 28 touchdowns while adding 290 yards and six majors on the ground en route to being named offensive player of the year.

Perhaps the more impressive feat was Jessie dissected his opposition with a bad set of eyes.

“I played the whole season blind basically,” the 21-year-old said in an earlier interview. “I’d see a red jersey and I would just throw it.

“I just got contacts this year. It kind of affected my reading (defences) a little bit last year because every time I changed my direction of vision, my eyes would have to refocus, which was causing issues. So I went to the eye doctor and got that fixed this year.”

Jessie, who stands tall in the pocket at an imposing 6-3, 235 pounds, was projected as the top player in the country after his award-winning campaign, according to the CJFL’s preseason rankings. That came on the heels of his time at B.C. Lions camp in May, when he became the first player from the CJFL to take part in the CFL’s QB intern program.

The gunslinger has needed to play a combined six quarters through three games this season. In that time, he’s accounted for 726 total yards, 16 touchdowns and been efficient as a passer, completing 71.2 per cent of his throws while continuing to showcase his dual-threat ability in an offence that has registered a whopping 188 points, so far.

Indeed, the country’s top junior prospect is even better after spending the offseason honing his craft on the field and losing a bit of weight to grow his ability as a runner.

Jessie is seeing more than just his receivers clearly now, though. He’s rediscovered a love for football that faded for a couple of years between the time he graduated high school and arrived on the west coast.

Following an outstanding senior year at St. Paul’s in which he led the Crusaders to a 6-1 record, Jessie committed to Carleton University in Ottawa. His time in the nation’s capital was short-lived, as he redshirted his only year with the program, then left.

“I just didn’t see any progress that was gonna happen at Carleton,” he said. “There was a bunch of political stuff that was going on there — inside, outside — there was just a bunch of issues. Then I got a call from Westshore so I was like, ‘Shoot, I’ll take my shot there then.’”

That decision has paid off in spades, as Jessie promptly put the league on notice in his debut campaign and was gifted a new head coach in Dexter Jenke this season, who has restored the young pivot’s certainty about pursuing a career in professional football.

“He’s just such a great guy,” Jessie said of Jenke, who played four seasons in the CFL and won a Grey Cup with the Blue Bombers in 2019. “He brings such a positive energy, you know he’s always there for you. He’s just one of those guys you want to be around.”

Jessie also leaned on a crutch back home when things got foggy.

Similar to many children of former professional athletes, Jessie has had the distinct advantage of reading a different playbook than his counterparts. His was catered by his father, Tim, a standout running back who shared a backfield with Bo Jackson for four years at Auburn University under hall-of-fame head coach Pat Dye before enjoying a six-year career between the NFL and CFL.

Tim, who was born in Opp, Ala., won Super Bowl 32 as a rookie with Washington before spending the rest of his playing days in the Manitoba capital with the Blue Bombers, where he lives today.

“We’re best friends,” said Te. “When I’m back home, we’re together almost 24-7. If he’s not at work, we’re together, we’re doing something: we’re in the yard, we’re shooting archery, we’re making things, he’s coaching me football, we’re watching football, training — literally anything. He’s even played video games with me.”

Tim planned to hold his son back from football until he was in junior high in order to let his body mature. That changed when the youngster and his mom unexpectedly came home one day with football equipment.

“I was against it — didn’t want him to play, not that early. But, as I told him, it’s all about commitment. You’re either all in or you’re not,” said Tim. “He was determined. I said, ‘If you’re determined, I’ll be right there behind you.’”

The father and son compromised on a plan that involved the youngster playing every position on the field, regardless of his size, in an effort to help him understand the responsibility of each player on the field. With a wealth of knowledge under his belt, Te settled on quarterback as his position of choice when he reached high school.

Tim not only pulled out teachings from his own book but also used video games to explain the game to a then-young Te.

“My dad used to whup me on Madden,” said Te. “Almost every day I’d come back and I’d play him again, he’d be the (New England) Patriots every time, and he’d whoop me every time and I never understood why until I learned that he was reading defences.

“As soon as I started reading defences, I started getting better at playing. I was like, ‘Oh, this makes so much more sense.’”

It was just one of many hard lessons Tim taught his son, whose greatest attribute has become his mind. Te’s exceptional football IQ is what allowed him to thrive despite playing in a blurry world last year, and it’s what has propelled him into a different echelon among junior football players in the country this season.

“It’s been outstanding to see his growth as a young man because dad’s not there no more. You can see the teachings of life, basically coming out,” Tim said.

“He’s a different animal and we laugh at him all the time and he knows it — he’s a nerd playing football at one of the most prominent positions.“

Te has embraced the label of ‘nerd,’ saying it’s allowed him to understand his teammates better when they’re not on the same page.

He’s also settled on his aspirations. Te hopes another year of stellar play will produce an offer from a Division 1 program down south where he can continue to develop with a different crop of talent.

For now, his sights are clearly set on winning a junior football crown.

“I’m with a good (team),” said Te. “We’re a good team but I don’t even really mean it like I’m with a really good team in that way. I’m within a really good team as in it’s a family culture type thing and I want to win a championship with this team.

“It would mean a lot to me.”

jfreysam@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @jfreysam