Davis proving unsung quarterback killer on Calgary’s defensive line
Since returning from injury, athletic defender has terrorized the opposition
Considering the way defensive ends seemed to be dropping like flies for the Calgary Stampeders earlier this season, Ja’Gared Davis’ contributions likely would have been appreciated even if the only thing he did was stay in the lineup.
Fortunately, Davis has done so much more than that.
After being placed on the sixgame injured list before the Stamps’ Week 2 game against the Ottawa Redblacks, Davis returned to the lineup in Week 9 and has given an already scary Stampeders defensive line an extra terrifying dimension.
Some of his more famous teammates may get more attention from the media, but Davis’s coaches and teammates aren’t shy about heaping praise on the second-year pass-rusher.
“Ja’Gared just gives the offensive line something else they have to worry about,” said Stamps defensive tackle Micah Johnson. “Me being an interior guy, I love it because now they can’t think of me as much.
“If you double me, Ja’Gared’s free. If you double Charleston (Hughes), I’m free. Somewhere, someway, with him rushing the way he has, it’s going to free somebody up.”
Davis’s ascent is no surprise for Stamps fans.
In his debut season last year, the crowd at McMahon Stadium watched Davis quickly adjust to the differences in the Canadian game and terrorize opposing quarterbacks. He finished the year with seven sacks, three forced fumbles, an interception and 32 defensive tackles.
Even with the now-injured Cordarro Law joining the fold late last season, expectations were high for Davis heading into 2017.
Then, when Law went down with a pre-season injury, it seemed to clear the way for Davis to assert himself as one of the league’s elite pass-rushers.
An injury in the regular season opener derailed that plan, but since returning in Week 9, Davis has exploded back onto the scene with 14 defensive tackles, three sacks and a forced fumble.
“You look at him and you don’t expect him to be the most athletic dude,” Stamps defensive line coach Corey Mace said.
“But the way he moves, he’s probably one of the most athletic guys in the league. He has great quick-twitch, has good pass-rush ability, he’s super explosive and he’s a little unorthodox in the way he rushes.
“Not too many guys rush like him. His effort to the ball is relentless, he’s a hell of a player.
“I understand we have some guys on our team — especially on the D-line — who get a lot of credit, but trust me, you can’t go sleep on (Davis) either.”
Considering Davis is only two sacks back from the CFL’s top-10 leaders despite missing such a big chunk of the season, it’s unlikely teams around the league are sleeping on him.
Of course, paying attention to the Stampeders’ defensive line isn’t the same as figuring out how to stop them, and Davis seems far more interested in talking about the high standards his teammates set for one another than he does in hyping himself up.
“Everything starts up front on offence and defence,” Davis said. “We set the tone, we set the tenacity and the physicality. Everything’s won in the trenches.
“On the defence, just like I know (Randy Richards and Shane Bergman) and everybody takes it on the offensive side, it’s just setting a standard week-in and week-out no matter who’s in there.”