DB covers more ground
Argonauts defensive back Jalen Collins isn’t going to show his hand when it comes to his approach to the Hamilton Tiger Cats in Sunday’s Eastern Conference final at BMO Field.
Collins, a relative newcomer to the Argos and the CFL, carries a quiet, all-business demeanour that has served him well. He had 12 defensive tackles, a forced fumble and two interceptions in five games after signing with the Argos at the start of October.
His ability and experience — the Atlanta Falcons picked him in the second round of 2015 NFL draft after he played his college football at Louisiana State — has helped turn the Argos backfield into a team strength.
“The first few weeks he got caught up to speed for us, then we got a chance to put him into a game and he showed out,” head coach Ryan Dinwiddie said.
“The ultimate professional, works hard, doesn’t say much, focuses on each day and we’re impressed by his work ethic.
“He’s got long arms, he’s pretty tall, and he can cover up some ground. I saw a few times this year, he let guys on deep throws get over the top, and then he recovers. He has great recovery speed.”
The 28-year-old Collins, whose NFL career stalled after he was suspended for violating the NFL policy on performance-enhancing substances, says he remains in learning mode when it comes to the CFL. But he’s also an advanced student with a ball hawk’s skill set, and it comes from a career path that includes a trip to the Super Bowl with the Falcons in 2017. He had 11 defensive tackles in that game.
“It’s definitely a learning curve, there’s more field to cover (in Canada) and I’m still learning every day,” he said.
Collins will be facing his toughest test with the Argos when they host Hamilton. The Argos, who went 3-1 against Hamilton during the regular season, watched the Ticats’ semifinal win over Montreal last weekend in a private box at BMO Field. Collins knows Hamilton will be a different and more motivated team on Sunday.
The Ticats are led by quarterback Jeremiah Masoli, who was fifth in the CFL with 2,445 passing yards and has an experienced set of receivers. And they would like to be playing in the Grey Cup, which is set for Dec. 12 in Hamilton.
“(Hamilton) has a bunch of guys who try to get the ball up there, give the defence bad eyes so they can get
over the top … they try and make plays,” said Collins, adding he wasn’t surprised with the Ticats’ win over Montreal. “It was pretty much what I expected, it’s that time of year where every play counts, so they did everything they could to get the win.”
The CFL and its three-down, pass-heavy style of football leads to a busier time in the defensive backfield than Collins might have seen on a play-to-play basis in the NFL. Teammates have helped with the differences between the two leagues. Crezden Butler, for example, is an outgoing, positive talker in the dressing room and on the field, and he was quick to discuss CFL basics with Collins after he joined with the team.
“He’s done a great job for us, he’s played a lot of football down south, but I told him its different up here,” Butler said. “But he has that skill set, and he’s just gone out and done the job.”
Dinwiddie has a potential decision to make in his defensive backfield if Jamal Peters is ready to return from a lower body injury (knee). Peters took reps in Wednesday’s practice, and Dinwiddie is certainly eyeing what his lineup will be come Sunday.
“We wanted to get him out there, see if he’s up to speed,” Dinwiddie said. “It’s been a while, so we needed to get him some reps. Not sure if he’s going to be in there, we have a lot of good depth in the secondary, so we’ll put out the best team possible.”
3-1
Argos’ record vs. Ticats this season 6-1 3-4
Argos’ record at home
Ticats’ record on the road