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Talk to his BC Lion teammates and they will sing Jason Arakgi’s praises as a special teams player.
Fullback Rolly Lumbala, who often sings off the same special teams song sheet, calls Arakgi a warrior.
“He’s somebody that can beat you with speed, he can beat you with strength,” said Lumbala.
Linebacker Adam Bighill, no choir boy when it comes to laying on a hit, considers Arakgi the ultimate special teams player.
“He can block and he can make tackles,” said Bighill. “He’s athletic, he’s fast. He has the mentally where he’s not going to be stopped.”
“When you have that mentality first and foremost, you are going to be hell to deal with.”
As good as he is at what he does, it’s not what Arakgi wants. Playing in his seventh CFL season, Arakgi still has dreams of being a starting linebacker on the Lions defence.
Arakgi defiantly shakes his head when asked about accepting his role as a special teams player.
“I’ve never accepted it and I never will accept it,” said the 29-year-old Montreal native. “I think that’s part of what made me good at it.
“I still (think) I have to make as many special teams tackles so that one day, someone will realize I should play on defence. That’s how you have to do it. You can’t give up your actual goals. I still use special teams as my stepping stone onto more and I’m never going to stop that.”
Arakgi has played linebacker when starters have been hurt. Middle linebacker Solomon Elimimian says Arakgi is an insurance policy.
“God forbid something happens to me or Adam Bighill (but) Jason can come out here and play and I don’t think we miss anything on defence,” said Elimimian, the CFL’s leading tackler.
Head coach Mike Benevides believes that burning desire to be a defensive starter helps forge Arakgi’s determination on the field.
“You don’t extinguish that,” said Benevides.
“When someone settles in life, or the game of football, you are done because the fire and passion is going to dwindle.”
The Lions (8-7) are coming off of a bye week and will take on the Winnipeg Blue Bombers this Saturday. BC then plays its final two games of the season against Edmonton and Calgary. Those matches will help determine if the Lions make the playoffs in the West or cross over to the East. There’s even a chance of BC missing the playoffs entirely.
Special teams have a significant impact on most CFL games. A big play on teams can dramatically change field position by trapping an opponent deep in their own end or springing a returner for a big gain or touchdown.
“Everybody underestimates the importance of teams,” said Bighill. “There can be a lot of games won and lost on teams.”
Its takes a special mentality to survive in the special team trenches.
“It’s the will to do it,” said Arakgi. “You just have to be a soldier.”
“You have to do what the coaches ask and do it for the team. You have to be a selfless player. You have to be able to want to make the play you might not get recognition for.”
When it comes to punt and kick coverages, Arakgi is like a guided missile. He leads the Lions with 20 special teams tackles. Heading into this weekend’s play he is third in the league behind Calgary’s Karl McCartney and Edmonton’s Deon Lacey who have 21 and 26 tackles respectively.
During his career Arakgi has 155 special teams tackles. Earlier this season he moved past Sean Millington’s 140 to become the Lions’ all-time leader. He also needs just three more to move into the CFL’s Top 10 all-time.
Wade Miller, who played for Winnipeg between 1995 and 2005, has the CFL record of 184 special teams tackles. Miller is currently the Bombers’ president and chief executive officer.
At six-foot-two and 205 pounds, Arakgi has the size and speed to make his presence felt on the field. He also has the mental ability to shift from the aggression of kick coverage to the precision and discipline needed for blocking on returns.
“I find it takes a little bit more focus to be a blocker,” he said. “You need to know your x’s and o’s a bit better. You need to know where you are going and know who you’ve got.
“Also, you are protecting for somebody else’s glory a little bit. You’re not getting the tackle at the end of the day. I’m blocking so that Timmy (Brown) can score a TD. His name will be in the paper, not mine. But you do it for him.”
Benevides has seen Arakgi’s progression as a football player and a person.
“I can’t tell you how much he has grown,” said Benevides. “This was a rookie who for the first couple of years had a hard time staying focused in meetings.”
“He’s grown to the point now where he’s a father, he’s a leader. He brings a tremendous level of accountability and knowledge to the special teams. He kind of brings everybody together. He’s kind of a benchmark for the younger guys.”
Arakgi, who earned an anthropology major at McMaster University, has a football pedigree. He is the son of Nick Arakgi, an all-star receiver with Montreal and Winnipeg, and the godson of former Lions’ defensive coordinator Dave Ritchie.
By becoming a professional football player Arakgi is already living the dream of many young men. That doesn’t mean Arakgi has given up on his dream.
“Every time I practice, every time I go out on special teams, I think I want to be a defensive player,” he said.
“I’ve never accepted special teams as my role. I have accepted it in the sense I am going to give my all to it every time I am out there. I’ll never say that’s all I want to do.”
