Stampeders delighted to see Lewis set record
New CFL leader in career receptions caught most of those passes in Calgary
It’s been three years since Nik Lewis plied his trade in Calgary, but it’s evident the record-setting receiver is very much a local treasure.
Now with the Montreal Alouettes, Lewis, 35, eclipsed Geroy Simon’s previous CFL record for most career catches when he hauled in 10 in a 34-31 overtime loss to the Winnipeg Blue Bombers on Thursday night, giving him 1,031 in his 14-year career.
The bulk of those — 806 — came in the red and white of the Calgary Stampeders, and this is where he became best known for his reliability. Understandably, his former teammates and coaches are tickled by the affable Lewis’s achievement.
“It’s an amazing accomplishment to have the length of career, No. 1, at 14 years now,” said Stamps receivers coach Pete Costanza. “And then to be able to break that record of Geroy’s? I remember when Geroy broke the record and me and Nik were talking, and he said to me, ‘Hey, I hope I’m fortunate enough to get to play long enough where I can have a chance to break that record.’
“I texted him last night after the game. I know that all of us here and a lot of people he’s played with are proud of him. There’s a lot of hard work and dedication that went into getting him to where he’s at now,” Costanza said.
A cocktail of longevity, good health, confidence and ability, that’s what makes a record-worthy CFL career, and Lewis has enjoyed all of those.
“You hit it on the nose,” said former Stampeders receiver Jabari Arthur, who suited up alongside Lewis for five seasons. “Was Nik the fastest guy in the world? No. Was he the tallest or biggest receiver? No. But, he thought he was! His football IQ — being able to read defences — was on a whole other level. It’s almost like having a second quarterback on the football field.”
Costanza echoed that apt description.
“What most people don’t realize is that he’s very cerebral with the game plan, with the game of football,” Costanza said. “I think that creates trust and chemistry with the quarterbacks that he’s had over the years, and they’re not afraid to throw him the football.
“There’s no way you can put up those numbers if you’re not reliable and consistent. Sometimes the best ability you have as a player is your availability. Other than that one injury that he had with us (in 2013), he’s been a very consistent guy.”
Lewis and confidence, Arthur pointed out, go hand in hand.
“I remember when I got here, I asked, ‘ Who’s the man here?’ and he was the first person to say, ‘I am!’ ” Arthur said with a chuckle. “I know he thought he had all the ability in the world. Despite us making jokes about him getting larger and larger in stature, he was still able to make all the big-time catches and the big-time spectacular plays.
“I’m just so proud. This is a Nik Lewis line that I still use: ‘ You kept the party going.’ The party is still going, and it’s an incredible feat.”
Marquay McDaniel, Lewis’s fellow receiver for three seasons, added his thoughts on the man.
“He’s one of THE most consistent players I’ve seen since I’ve been up here,” McDaniel said. “Just a gamer. Loves to play the game. Loves to compete. I told someone a couple weeks ago, ‘ You know, I can’t remember the last time I actually saw Nik drop a catchable ball.’
“Nik catches the ball underneath, then makes people miss — running around them, over them or through them. He’s been that his whole career.”
That physicality, making the most of his five-foot-10, 240-pound presence, has become a hallmark of his play.
“I remember in 2008, our first game, and we were opening up against B.C. and B.C. was the sheriff in the West for a long time,” Costanza said. “We talked about how we needed a physical game, try to make a statement. I remember Nik going in there and taking a shot at (Lions all-star pass-rusher) Cam Wake, and he blew him up. That kind of set the tone for the rest of the football game for us.
“He’s not going to be a burner, obviously, and beat you down the field. But what he can do is catch the football, and he’s a real hard guy to tackle in space, his ( yards after catch) is unbelievable.”
Yet another Stampeders passcatcher, Anthony Parker, enjoyed four years of Lewis’s mentorship before the latter moved on.
“Lot of respect for the guy, his game and the career he’s put together for himself,” Parker said of Lewis. “Probably his first year in Montreal, he didn’t have the year he was hoping for, but look at last season, and this season has been outstanding, again. It’s a testament to the type of player he is.”