Look up ... look waaay up
The first couple of days you noticed his height, but after that you noticed what he does with it.
Rookie Tiger-Cat Justin McGriff is six-foot-six and has emerged as one of the front-runners in a spirited battle among a strong field of American candidates for the very few available jobs on a deep corps of receivers. With some veteran starter-types spending various amounts of sideline time with injury or maintenance days, McGriff and fellow newcomer Omar Bayles, have been getting A-team reps. They’ll likely start Saturday’s exhibition game against the reigning champion Argos because it’s essential to see how both fare on the angry, physical stage of a CFL game.
Head coach Orlondo Steinauer says McGriff and Bayless are having training camp success because they’d been paying attention on the second units — and also because co-ordinator Tommy Condell and his offensive staff have spent extra time with younger receivers.
McGriff, who won’t be 23 until late July, is the youngest American in camp and third youngest among the 80 or so players still around. Canadian rookies Reece Martin and Keon Edwards are just a few weeks younger.
Like most American newcomers, McGriff concedes that on opening weekend he was a little overwhelmed by a new playbook, the extra acreage of the Canadian field, the short gap between plays, the “waggle” movements at the line of scrimmage and a 12th player on defence.
“At first, it was a little fast, with all the movement, but it’s slowed down for me and I’ve got comfortable,” says McGriff. “I think I’ve had a good camp, but it’s a business and that job isn’t done until you perform it in a game.”
McGriff, who plays the wide spot on the short side, is not only the tallest player on the field, he’s also quick and runs solid routes. He’s appreciative of the tutoring from veteran receivers Anthony Johnson and Tim White, who’ll line up just inside him on many plays Saturday.
McGriff was recruited to Nebraska and redshirted in 2018, before transferring to a junior college in Miami, then spending three productive years at Utah State in the pass-happy Mountain West Conference. The Ticats called as soon as he wasn’t drafted by the NFL and
At first, it was a little fast, with all the movement, but it’s slowed down for me and I’ve got comfortable.
JUSTIN MC GRIFF TIGER-CATS RECEIVER
he gladly accepted their invitation to come north. He still wants the NFL, but says that’s on hold as he focuses solely on making the Ticats and then “being among the best in the league.”
Confidence is never a bad thing in pro sports, and McGriff bet on himself with his education path. He chose to accelerate his high school education so he could enter college a year early — he was 17 when he arrived at Nebraska — and earned his university degree in interdisciplinary education with a major just a few weeks after turning 22.
“I just believed in myself so I graduated from high school early because I wanted to be one of the best in the college game and felt that if I could get there young and get acclimated, it might be easier,” he said. “I used to be a procrastinator, but I learned that when I get my school work done, I have way more free time to do what I want. It pleases me that I got my college degree because now I can just put everything into football.”
One thing nobody can learn — or teach — is height. Steinauer praises his personnel department for assembling a receivers group with a variety of skill sets, but acknowledges being taller is an advantage because of the greater “catch radius,” and the potential for a tall body to shield the ball from a defender. “It doesn’t mean smaller guys don’t have lots of range, but some of the bigger guys give you a better chance of a mismatch,” says quarterback Bo Levi Mitchell.
He can throw over top of onrushing linemen to create a 50-50 jump ball, rather than having to change his arm angle.
“I think it’s the ability to put the ball to an area, rather than to a spot,” he continues.
“It’s almost like throwing the ball down to the bigger guys in the post in basketball,” he added. “They can box a guy out, so you can soft-toss it to him.”
With, among others, Anthony Johnson, Duke Williams and Richie Sindani, the Ticats have some good height at receiver, but no ballcatcher in camp comes within three inches of McGriff’s elongated frame.
“It can put some fear in the defensive backs, not knowing what to expect with a big guy who can also move,” he says. “It can bring a different element.”
Notes The Ticats have brought back Canadian OL Alex Fontana who had been released right before camp and also signed K Jonathan
Garibay, who played at Texas Tech … Monday’s team-bonding drill was the annual tug of war which the offence won, 2-1, after three very long pulls.