CFL.ca
Solomon Junior Green is a strong, silent type. S.J. doesn’t get caught up with providing entertaining sound bites or filling up writers’ quote books. Instead, Green walks the walk and let’s that talk the talk for him.
| 2014 By the Numbers |
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Defence
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| Key Roster Changes |
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Additions: DB Chris Ackie Subtractions: OL Ryan Bomben
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| Important Dates |
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July 16 vs. Hamilton Oct. 23 at Toronto
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| Key Statistic |
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Crompton began the year as the third option on the Als’ depth chart but solidified himself and the offence mid-season to lead Montreal to the playoffs. |
Montreal’s All-Star receiver goes about his business on the field with purpose; targeting and destroying defensive backs. During Green’s time with the Als he has racked up 368 receptions for 5,518 yards and 38 touchdowns. Over the last five years Montreal’s most dependable pass target has averaged 1,033 yards per campaign. He enters his ninth Canadian Football League season in 2015, all spent in La Belle Province. And as you can see, the 6-foot-2, 216-pound receiver has been consistently productive no matter who is lining up behind centre for the Als, be it Anthony Calvillo or anyone else.
That’s why the Alouettes wanted to secure Green’s services in the off-season. Letting him walk away as a free agent would’ve been devastating and created a large hole in Montreal’s offence. So General Manager Jim Popp signed Green to a three-year contract extension in January, before he could hit the open market. The new deal reportedly made No. 19 the highest-paid receiver league-wide and also the top-earning non-quarterback in the CFL.
“That was a very important signing from my standpoint. I don’t care what he makes, that’s not a concern of mine. I just care about what he adds to this football team,” Alouettes offensive coordinator Turk Schonert says.
Montreal’s first-year CFL play-caller explains that Green provides a tough matchup for opponents because of his size and quick feet. He doesn’t take long strides, so he can make sharp cuts. And even if you think you’re in good position on Green, if you put the ball up where he can go get it, he’ll do just that. Tremendously strong hands allow Green to high-point the football and secure the catch with a defensive back trying to knock the ball out.
“S.J.’s got a great history of making plays for this franchise,” Schonert says.
Another 1,000-yard effort in 2015 would put Green right up there with the best receivers to ever suit up for Montreal. Ben Cahoon sits atop the Alouettes’ all-time team receiving yardage list with 13,301. Red O’Quinn (7,699), Kerry Watkins (7,431), Jamel Richardson (6,598) and Hall of Famer Peter Dalla Riva (6,413) rank in that order after Cahoon. If Green put up a four-digit yardage total this season, he could jump in front of Dalla Riva and Richardson.
Surely Green doesn’t much care for individual goals, but the numbers he’s amassed are impressive. And no matter what offensive ideas are being put into place, Green always adapts and produces. He will be an integral part of the Alouettes’ new offence if the unit is going to reach its potential. Schonert has put his personal stamp on the new scheme that has some similarities, but also varies from what Montreal did last season.
“I call plays differently and it is a system,” Schonert says.
Green quickly earns trust from new quarterbacks and coaches because he shows such an impressive catch radius.
“If you put the ball in his vicinity he’s going to catch it. He makes very tough catches, he can make catches in a crowd, he can make catches double-covered and he can make catches when it’s a bad throw,” Schonert explains.
If a defensive back has Green blanketed, he uses his innate ability to ability to get into a position where the ball can be thrown his way so he can reel it in.
“A lot of times you have to use your size and body, and when the ball is put somewhere you go up and grab it. It’s just like a rebound, you don’t know where that rebound is going to come off, but you have to see it and go get it. That’s like being a receiver when you’re in tight coverage, the quarterback has to throw it away from the defender and you have to go get it,” Schonert explains.
“S.J.’s pretty good at doing that.”
Should Montreal’s offence begin putting numbers on the board closer to basketball scores, expect Green to be hauling in quite a few “rebounds” for the Alouettes.
