Hot returns put Washington on top

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This article was published 11/07/2012 (4835 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

What’s this, a Bombers return man among the league leaders and it’s NOT Jovon Johnson?

That’s right. There’s Demond Washington, at the top of the CFL kickoff-return department after two weeks of play. With 279 yards on 12 chances (both league-leading marks), the 24-year-old rookie is burning up the open field he has to work with when the opposition serves it up off the tee. And that 23.3-yards-per-return average? Not too shabby.

Deeper into the numbers, the Auburn product is fifth in yardage on punt returns (seven chances for 113 yards) and with 392 combined return yards he trails only Calgary’s Larry Taylor (560) and B.C.’s Tim Brown (427) in that category. Like those two speed merchants, Washington also has a touchdown to his credit, thanks to the 82-yard punt return against Montreal last Friday.

Not too shabby, indeed.

Here’s the thing: The Bombers coaches say he can be better.

“Demond’s biggest strength is his ability to aggressively attack the ball and hitting the seam at 100 m.p.h.,” special teams coach Kyle Walters offered after practice at Canad Inns Stadium Tuesday, “but we need him to get a little better at is being more patient when the holes aren’t there.

“He’s learning from the American game, right? Down there, if the holes aren’t there you just put your head down and go, because guys are right on top of you. Here, with the bigger field, you have a little more time to develop things.

“Once he helps in setting up his blocks, he’s going to get even better.”

The tweaking process is already underway. Head coach Paul LaPolice said the staff sat down with Washington Tuesday, showing him video of a return that should have resulted in a another big gain. Learning to set up blocks is a skill that requires repetition, though, so the club will live with some early hiccups from a new CFL player.

“If he just trusted Ian Logan, it might go for 50 yards instead of trying to bounce it away,” LaPolice said, lamenting the missed opportunity against Montreal.

Tinkering with something that isn’t broken might give Blue and Gold fans pause when one considers the excitement Washington has brought to the Winnipeg return game in this early season, but the intention is not completely out of bounds. The player agreed with the early conclusion, understanding his success is tied to the group in front of him, and when the subject of his touchdown run came up, he was quick to hand out the praise.

“You could have (driven) a Mack truck through there,” Washington said about his first CFL touchdown. “They were doing a great job blocking all night, I just happened to find a hole and that was it.

“It was easy. You could’ve done it.”

Those kind words for the front lines on the kick/punt returns weren’t just coming from Washington. Despite the one blown coverage in B.C., Walters has been very impressed with his return units through the first two weeks, singling out the hustle of Henoc Muamba, the leadership of special teams captain Brady Browne and the unexpected, positive impact a guy like Dan West has put on the group.

As important as those players are to a good return, though, Washington was the missing ingredient. Everyone knew about his ability from his college tape, but what the coaches quickly latched onto was his ability to catch the ball — an underappreciated skill for a returner, Walters said.

“It sounds simple, but it’s the guys you trust to catch the ball that you go with,” he said. “During camp, (receivers coach) Markus Howell and I talked every day about who we would rank to trust to catch the ball — regardless of the other skills they have. If you can’t do the first thing, the rest is irrelevant.”

Washington was always in the top three when the coaches had this conversation, Walters continued.

adam.wazny@freepress.mb.ca Twitter: @wazoowazny