OWENS IN RUNNING FOR MVP
Record-setting pace puts Argo in discussion with Ticat Williams
It’s still a bit early, but Argonauts receiver/returner Chad Owens is on pace to break longstanding CFL records — including one set by Pinball Clemons — and could run away with the league’s top individual award.
Hamilton Tiger-Cats receiver/returner Chris Williams remains the odds-on favourite to be the CFL’s MVP, but Argo Chad Owens could give him a run for the title before the season ends.
Heading into Sunday’s showdown for Eastern Conference supremacy in Montreal, Owens needs just 62 receiving yards to reach 1,000. The league’s current No. 2 pass catcher could also become the first player in professional football history to have three consecutive seasons of 3,000 all-purpose yards. He needs just 305 more.
It’s certainly possible considering the Flyin’ Hawaiian set a franchise record 402 combined yards in Toronto’s 33-30 win over the TigerCats on Labour Day.
But Owens isn’t taking anything for granted, especially seeing how fast a season-ending injury can happen, such as the torn knee ligament that sent Montreal tailback Brandon Whitaker to the sidelines.
“The only thing you’re guaranteed in this game is the play you’re in,” Owens said on Wednesday as the Argos returned for the first full day of practice since their 28-23 loss to the B.C. Lions last Saturday in Vancouver. “Look at Whitaker. He’s a good friend of mine. He was having a helluva season and now it’s over.
“I tore my ACL in 2008 so I know what it’s like. I was blessed and fortunate to be able to come back. I told myself that if I ever did come back then I would give it my all on every play, as if it was going to be the last play of my career. You just never know what can happen.”
Pound for pound, the five-footeight, 180-pound Owens has been one of the toughest and most resilient players in the league. After every catch he takes a punishing hit, but it hasn’t prevented him from catching 67 passes for 938 yards and five touchdowns. He’s just 15 yards behind league leader S.J. Green of the Alouettes, who has three majors.
Owens went into the season with the goal of becoming a big-time pass catcher and kick/punt returner. A 1,000-yard season, the first by an Argo since Arland Bruce in 2008, was also high on his list of personal achievements.
“It’s an individual goal that I shot for before the season began. But it really shows what we’ve been able to do offensively this season as a team,” Owens said. “It’s a credit to everybody across the board: the Oline, the rest of the receivers and obviously Ricky Ray. “But the bottom line is, if I end up with 20 yards receiving against Montreal and we come out with the win, that’s all I care about. I mean, do I want to have just 20 yards receiving? No. That’s just being real. But getting a win in this big game is everything.” Owens is also on pace to also shatter Michael (Pinball) Clemons’1997 record for combined yards, 3,840. With seven games to go, Owens has 2,695, averaging 245 per game. He needs just 1,146 yards, an average of 164 per game, to eclipse Clemons. He is also on pace to break Ian Smart’s 2008 record for kickoff return yardage, 1,805. Owens is on track for 1,813. As well, he’s been averaging 158 yards of total kick returns this season, 1,742 in 11 games. He needs 1,137 more in the final seven games to surpass Eric Blount’s 1998 mark of 2,878. Owens has a knack of coming up with big games against Montreal, where he was on the practice roster in 2009 before his trade to the Argos in June 2010. Earlier this season, Owens was an offensive machine in the first half of Toronto’s 23-20 win in Montreal. The Toronto slotback caught two touchdown passes, something he hadn’t done since August 2010, also against the Als, and has seven catches for 97 yards, all in the first 30 minutes of the victory. “Some teams you just match up well against,” Owens said. He expects to get double-teamed on Sunday, but he’s not concerned. “That means somebody else will be open,” Owens said. “That’s the great thing about what we’re doing here. We’ve got a lot of different playmakers across the board.”