The catch might come on a short route across the middle or on a deep pattern that ends in a touchdown.
No matter how it happens slotback Geroy Simon will soon become the CFL’s all-time leader in receiving yards.
With Simon needing just 67 yards to break Milt Stegall’s record of 15,153, he could do it Friday night when the defending Grey Cup champion B.C. Lions open their regular season at home against the Winnipeg Blue Bombers.
The man who was never the biggest, fastest or most physical player on the field will cement his reputation as one of the best receivers to play the game. It’s a title that is well deserved but not one Simon always feels comfortable wearing.
“I’m just trying to do my job,” he said after the Lions practised this week at their facility in Surrey, B.C. “Breaking a record, it’s a great accomplishment. I’m not trying to down play it. It’s just not the most important thing to me right now.”
Simon is a player who never puts himself before the team. What he does only matters if the Lions win.
“This season isn’t about 67 or 68 yards,” he said. “That’s not what I trained for. I have trained to be a Grey Cup champion again.”
The 36-year-old Simon has a quiet confidence. He uses his intelligence and desire to beat players much younger than him. One of the catches he remembers most was a corner route in 2004 when he leaped over two Saskatchewan Roughriders to haul in the ball.
“It was a good moment in my career,” Simon said with a smile.
Defensive back Lin-J Shell, a former Toronto Argonaut who the Lions signed as a free agent over the winter, said Simon is patient and waits for his opponents to make a mistake.
“He allows the defender to use their talents, strength and speed against them,” said Shell. “He’s really savvy. His routes are really smooth.
“If you are a really aggressive guy, he lets you get aggressive for a second, then bounces off at the last second. He uses your strengths against you.”
Simon is entering his 14th season in the league. He was the CFL’s most outstanding player in 2006 and is a six-time All-Star. He’s had nine consecutive years of 1,100 or more receiving yards but has missed just two regular season games during that stretch.
Still, the father of two never forgets growing up in Johnstown, P.A., a hardworking, blue-collar town.
“There are not a whole lot of positive things going on there,” said Simon. “It taught me the ability of hard work and what hard work can do for you.
“Coming from there, it’s a tough place. That’s helped me as an athlete.”
Simon usually plays the best when he’s needed the most. He thrives on pressure.
“I wasn’t afraid to be successful,” he said. “A lot of people are afraid of that spotlight. That’s something I’m not afraid of. I feel I play well when the spotlight is on me.”
Simon’s cool is one reason why the Lions overcame a 1-6 start last year to win 12 of their final 13 games and beat the Bombers 34-23 in the Grey Cup. He also thinks this year’s team has a better chance of repeating than the 2006 championship team.
“We know what it feels like to win a Grey Cup and come out the next season and having success but not winning,” Simon said. “I think we understand what happened that season. We are prepared to go against that. We have a different attitude than the ’07 team did.”
The biggest offseason change for the Lions came when Wally Buono retired with the most wins of any CFL coach and was replaced by long-time assistant Mike Benevides. Buono remains as general manager.
The Lions lost linebacker Solomon Elimimian to the NFL while defensive end Brent Johnson and defensive back Davis Sanchez retired. B.C. selected defensive lineman Jabar Westerman second overall in the Canadian draft and also signed defensive back Byron Parker as a free agent.
The B.C. offence remains potent with quarterback Travis Lulay, last year’s most outstanding player, slotback Arland Bruce, running back Andrew Harris and wide receiver Akeem Foster.
Lulay established himself as one of the league’s premier quarterbacks last year by throwing for over 4,800 yards, 43 touchdowns and just 11 interceptions. He believes he can improve on those numbers.
“There are lots of areas to improve,” Lulay said. “Just because we won last year, just because I won an award, it doesn’t mean there still isn’t a ton of improvement that can happen in my game.”
Lulay wants to improve his ability to read defences, protect the ball better and reduce unnecessary hits.
“It’s a continued progression of seeing defences, being decisive and getting the ball out of my hands,” he said.
Benevides faces the unenviable task of taking over a team at the top. He has pounded home the message that this year’s team hasn’t won anything.
“We are former champions,” he said. “It has nothing to do with last year. It has everything to do with the here and now. I told them to focus on the present.”
Simon likes the attitude the Lions are taking into the season.
“I think we are a confident group but I think we are still humble,” he said. “We want to start where we finished last year and keep getting better.”
