SIMON READY TO RESUME CATCH STREAK
But 37- year- old veteran was pleased to see young replacement haul in TD catch against Als
Missing last Saturday’s 43- 10 win over the Montreal Alouettes did not affect Geroy Simon’s streak with at least one catch for the B. C. Lions.
The unbroken line stands at 169 consecutive games, and the clock is on again this Saturday against the Toronto Argonauts, if Simon plays.
He is pursuing Don Narcisse, who holds the CFL record for catches in consecutive games ( 216), though the former Saskatchewan Roughrider missed eight games through injury during that span.
As for Simon, his absence against the Alouettes because of a hamstring strain was only the fourth time since he joined the Lions in 2001 that Simon has missed a game because of injury. He is used to being healthy, and performing as an impact player and gamechanger.
Plus, the CFL’s all- time reception yards leader felt he was hearty enough to play. So when coach Mike Benevides — who, earlier last week, said he would defer to the player in regard to his playing status — decided to go with Nick Moore in his stead last Friday, Simon’s mood turned dark.
He had played in 74 straight games ( since missing Game Nos. 6 and 7 of the 2008 season with a hamstring pull). Only once before that time ( the last game of the 2002 season, the year after he first joined the Lions) was Simon a scratch from the B. C. lineup.
Simon’s mood didn’t improve a great deal after the Lions’ 33- point victory against the Alouettes. Even three days later, on the first day of the new practice week, when the black cloud should have dissipated, Simon clearly was still in a funk.
What the football media loves about him is his honesty and plain- speaking manner, and Simon couched his response in anything but lawyer’s terms when he was asked how he felt when told to take a seat.
“I was pissed,” he said. “It ( the decision) was taken out of my hands. I wanted to play. I was mad. I don’t like missing games. I was happy we won, but I didn’t want to sit.”
Simon made the declaration on the day he turned 37, though Tuesday was mostly devoted to football and little in the way of birthday celebrations.
“I have ( his son’s) football practice from six to eight tonight, and then I’m going to go home and relax,” Simon said. “Nothing major, maybe on the weekend.”
Benevides seemed to indicate it was not a given that Simon will play against the Argonauts, though it seems more than likely.
“We’ll look at him tomorrow ( today) and see how sore he is,” Benevides said. “It was tough for him to sit out.”
The Lions, however, did discover, in Simon’s absence, that Nick Moore can play ( he had six catches, 64 yards and a touchdown) and that there’s no need for speedster Kierrie Johnson to rush back.
Johnson is ready to dress following rehab from a fractured forearm suffered in a July 14 game against Saskatchewan. He took about 30 per cent of first- team reps in practice Tuesday, the remainder going to first- year wide receiver Ernest Jackson who showed his mettle in the game against the Alouettes. He had four catches for 74 yards, including a spectacular 43- yard end- zone reception in which he laid out to grab the bomb from Travis Lulay.
For a guy who’s 6- 3, 215, the lanky Jackson did a remarkable job of extricating his long legs from the Benevides doghouse. Just before halftime, he broke off a route prematurely, resulting in a Lulay incompletion and a tongue- lashing from the head coach.
“After that error, I was up and down, all over him,” Benevides said. “But I saw right away, with his body posture and his eyes, ‘ I’ve got a chance with this guy.’ Ernest can handle that. And what does he do? He responds. There are other people you can do that with, and they don’t respond.”
In the second half, Jackson scored his first CFL touchdown on the airmail delivery from Lulay in the fourth quarter. He also carried the ball on a sweep ( for 29 yards) on a drive that ended with a one- yard touchdown plunge by tailback Andrew Harris.
Strangely enough, it’s Jackson, not Harris, who leads the Lions in average yards per carry ( 14.0).
Of course, that’s based on just four rushes for 56 yards since his CFL debut on Aug. 6. But still ...
“I was a running back my whole life until I got to college ( University of Buffalo),” Jackson explained. “Running wide comes naturally to me. I don’t mind them handing the ball off to me at all. It’s a thrill.”
So was his touchdown catch, frozen in time on video, and a sure- fire candidate for Highlight of the Night/ Week/ Month.
“It takes a while for young guys to figure out what they can do best,” Simon said. “He’ll be a great asset for us.”
There’s no need for Simon to say the same about himself, when his next turn comes.