First CFL game extra special with parents in crowd

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This article was published 12/07/2017 (3008 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Jackson Jeffcoat is understandably fired up about his first start in the CFL.

The occasion is heightened by the fact his mom Tammy and dad Jim, a stellar member of the Dallas Cowboys during the 1980s and ’90s, will be on hand when Jackson lines up as a defensive end Thursday for the Winnipeg Blue Bombers, replacing an injured Tristan Okpalaugo.

“Oh, I’m excited,” said Jeffcoat following the Blue Bombers’ walk-through in preparation for Thursday’s game against the Toronto Argonauts at Investors Group Field. “I’m a rookie in the CFL, but not a rookie to pro football… this is my fourth year playing. I’m excited to start this game and play against the Argonauts.”

Jeffcoat made a good account of himself in training camp and was stashed away on the club’s injured list, waiting for an opportunity to play. The chance came sooner than anticipated when Okpalaugo suffered a lower-body injury during Week 3 against the Calgary Stampeders.

“He came last week. He and my mom, he was just planned on coming these first two weeks… and so it worked out great,” said the 6-3, 255-pound Jeffcoat about his dad. “I’m excited to have him in the stands and get them to see my first start.”

Jeffcoat believes he’s received an excellent education from Okpalaugo, who is currently on the club’s six-game injured list but not expected to stay there for the duration, and another veteran defensive end, Jamaal Westerman.

“From those two guys, I’ve learned that you’ve just gotta go. Every play. I mean, there’s no such thing as getting tired. That’s what I’ve been able to see those guys do, day in, day out,” Jeffcoat said.

“It helped a lot because I was able to sit back and see what everybody was doing. To see the difference between the CFL and NFL and whatnot, kinda learning what Tristan and Jamaal were both doing on the field. I was trying to be a sponge, taking everything in that they’ve been telling me in practice… and then apply on the field.”

The nuances of the Canadian game are also becoming second nature, although being a yard off the ball at the line of scrimmage and needing to be ready to throw a block or make a tackle on a missed field goal attempt was disconcerting at first.

Thursday’s big challenge will be facing veteran Toronto quarterback Ricky Ray, who leads the CFL with 1,199 passing yards while completing 70.1 per cent of his passes. Jeffcoat understands his role, but was reminded that Ray is not a particularly mobile target.

“I’ve been watching him on film, he makes a lot of plays, explosive plays and throws it down the field, and he’ll stand in there, take a hit and get right back up like it didn’t faze him. Our goal is to get back there as many times as we can and put pressure on him, sack him and make him uncomfortable. But he’s a vet. He’s done this for a while,” Jeffcoat said.

The Argos make their money through the air, with Ray exploiting the talents of three receivers (S.J. Green, DeVier Posey and Armanti Edwards) currently in the top seven of CFL pass catchers.

“He’s a savvy quarterback, obviously,” said Winnipeg halfback T.J. Heath, acquired from Toronto in the Drew Willy deal last season. “He’s a veteran, he’s played in this game for a long time, so there’s not too many things he hasn’t seen, so we’ll definitely have to be precise with what we’re doing and making sure we’re showing him different looks. Ricky Ray’s shown a lot of good things the past couple of weeks. He looks like a better player than he was last year.”

Green, meanwhile, has been reborn in Hogtown after tearing the MCL, PCL and ACL in his right knee last season while playing with the Montreal Alouettes. In the first three games of his 11th CFL campaign, he has 367 yards on 19 catches for an average of 19.3 yards per catch.

“He’s shown a lot of explosive plays, especially from the first game, so he’s bounced back very well and he has a great catch radius, so that’ll be a challenge, especially for me since I’ll be matched up with him most of the game. I’m looking forward to that matchup,” said Heath.

“He’s obviously come back from his previous setback really well,” added coach Mike O’Shea. “He’s done a lot in this league and he’s come back to form, which is good for him and bad for opponents. He is a pleasure to watch, that’s for sure.”

The Argonauts may have an adept passing attack, but O’Shea was careful to remind reporters his team must be aware of the Toronto ground game. James Wilder is the Argonauts’ leading rusher with 63 yards on 13 carries for an average of 4.8 yards in three games.

“If you’re not paying attention to the run or fall asleep on it, it’s going to hurt enough at the time… if you take a take a team that doesn’t run the ball often but every time they do, they make you pay, that’s bad,” said O’Shea. “Obviously, if they end up with their average amount of rushing yards on less carries then you’re not doing your job.

“They use the short passing game like the run game and they have Ricky Ray, I mean, he’s extremely accomplished.”

mike.sawatzky@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @sawa14