The missing return star case has been resolved.
Janarion Grant, the small and elusive speedster who captivated Winnipeg Blue Bombers fans the last four seasons, has returned to Toronto after an odd off-season that saw him vanish from the CFL radar.Grant usually disappears during the winter and is difficult to get in touch with, even for his own agent, according to Bombers General Manager Kyle Walters.
Apparently, the Bombers ran out of money for him nevertheless.
On Tuesday, head coach Mike O’Shea stated, “He deserves to be playing.” “Every year, you can’t sign everyone, in our opinion.”
Even if the Bombers tend to minimise player departures in favour of their remaining players, this one must be painful.
O’Shea, who considers ball security to be among football’s Ten Commandments, was rewarded handsomely for his willingness to overlook Grant’s sporadic mishaps.
Grant, who is a generous 5-foot-10 and 173-pound player, has returned kicks to the house more often than anyone else over the last four seasons.
Here’s a ratio for you: in just 41 regular-season games, Grant became the franchise’s all-time leader with eight touchdowns on kick returns.
Nor did the bitter cold or the pressure of the playoffs slow him down.
Grant scored twice in eight playoff/Grey Cup games: once on a 92-yard punt return in the 2022 West Final victory over British Columbia, and again on a 102-yarder in the Grey Cup defeat of Toronto, a week later.
The little guy, despite his bulk, would much rather drop his shoulders and head and take the ball right up the centre.
He may break five tackles the next time around en route to a touchdown that would end the game.
Content of the article O’Shea adored him.
“Hell, yes,” replied the coach. “He was excellent. And for many of them, he was on time.
He’s an Argo now, and you can’t help but wonder what punt cover punters for the Bombers think of that.
Linebacker and special teams player Shayne Gauthier commented, “Sounds like they got a great player.” “I’m glad for him. He secured employment. It will be difficult to play against him. Although we always hope they could have made it work, we are powerless.
Long snapper Mike Benson continued, saying, “Happy that he’s somewhere.” And maybe he can maintain a successful career after this. Just don’t work against us.
Despite playing in only eight games the previous season, Grant managed one touchdown—a 92-yard punt return.
The previous season, he tied for the best average (13.1 yards), finished in the top five for kickoff return averages, scored another touchdown, and led the league in punt-return yardage (817) and touchdowns (two).
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Perhaps his greatest play of the season occurred in Saskatchewan in June of last year, when he scored a 90-yard touchdown by dodging a few potential tacklers.
One of his blocks on the play, Gauthier, can only imagine the difficulty of tackling him.
“I suppose we’ll find out this year,” he muttered under his breath. Undoubtedly, he was the best player who collaborated with me. I hope we can locate one man who is qualified for the position.
Even though it will take until the last preseason game to find out who the Bombers have, O’Shea seems confidence in his team’s ability.
The coach remarked, “It starts with how they field footballs, mostly from the punt side of it.” “Those are the hardest things to catch.” It could be challenging to assess. It is your hope that kids receive well-punched balls that they can field and play with. Getting them a kickoff return is simple.
Content of the article “How soon do guys who are new to the CFL learn up the complexities of the game and the instructions they’re given? We wouldn’t have them back there if they hadn’t all demonstrated the potential to return.
The Bombers prefer that one player do both duties. But there’s more to the job description than just making tacklers miss.
O’Shea stated, “I don’t think it’s the be-all and end-all.” “I’ve seen a lot of really terrific returners, and some of the ones you like the most are the ones that just go north, really hard.”
The return game has always been a major component of the CFL, and Grant was a tremendous asset to the Bombers, giving them field position advantages as well as those unexpected six points every now and then.
There are other strong ones in the league; Terry Williams of British Columbia and Toronto’s Javon Leake, who led the way with four touchdowns and a 15-yard average the previous season, were mentioned by both Gauthier and Benson.
“The league has a tonne of excellent returners,” Benson remarked. “The exciting aspect of the CFL is that there are no fair catches.” Most of the time, you’re going to receive your money back. makes it far more enjoyable to watch and to plan for as a player.
They will be organising for Grant by the end of July.
He was found by Argos. Everyone else will attempt to overcome him.
Benson declared, “I am completely confident in our cover teams.” “I haven’t yet had to deal with Janarion. Thus, I suppose we will find out.
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