EDMONTON — At 6-foot-2, Kacy Rodgers II has a five-inch height advantage on fellow Saskatchewan Roughriders cornerback Jovon Johnson.
But that hasn’t stopped the 25-year-old Rodgers from looking up to his 33-year-old teammate.
“I knew of him through the league and whatnot, but when he got to our team, I saw that he’s as cool as they come,” Rodgers said after Saskatchewan’s 54-31 CFL victory over the host Edmonton Eskimos on Friday. “I ask him questions a lot.
“When I watch film, I have him and (defensive back) Crezdon Butler critique my technique because those are two guys I’m trying to emulate in my career. J.J. has played (in the CFL) forever and been an all-star up here forever and Butler played in (the NFL) forever. Anytime I can pick those guys’ brains, I always do.”
Johnson is a five-time division all-star (2009 through ’12 with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers, 2015 with the Ottawa Redblacks) and a two-time CFL all-star (2009 and ’11 with Winnipeg).
The product of Erie, Pa., also was named the CFL’s most outstanding defensive player in 2011, when he became the first defensive back in league history to win the award.
Johnson began his CFL career with the Roughriders in 2007 before moving on to stints with the Bombers, Redblacks and Montreal Alouettes.
After playing all 18 games with Montreal last season, he re-signed with the Als in February — but he was released June 17 at the final roster deadline. Two days later, he signed with Saskatchewan.
“Anytime a team decides to go in a different direction, it puts a bigger chip on your shoulder to go out and show that you can still do it,” Johnson said. “Saskatchewan gave me an opportunity to come here and be a part of this great organization, so it was my job to take full responsibility for my actions and make plays.”
He has done just that so far. In eight games this season, the 5-foot-9, 180-pound product of the University of Iowa has 18 tackles, eight pass knockdowns, one forced fumble and one interception.
He made that pick Friday, snaring a Mike Reilly pass and returning it 40 yards for a touchdown. The interception was the 33rd of Johnson’s CFL career and the pick-six was the seventh of his career. He’s now fifth on the league’s all-time list for interception returns for touchdowns, behind Byron Parker (nine) and the trio of Malcolm Frank, Jason Goss and Dick Thornton (eight apiece).
The touchdown Johnson scored Friday was his first since Sept. 9, 2013, when he returned a fumble 48 yards for a major in Winnipeg’s 35-27 overtime loss to the Eskimos.
His previous pick-six happened Sept. 24, 2011, when he went 27 yards to the house after intercepting Steven Jyles in the Bombers’ 25-24 loss to the Toronto Argonauts.
It’s unclear if Johnson can return to the days when he’d make eight interceptions in a season — that was his total in 2011 — but the Roughriders will gladly take whatever he can give them.
“His fastest days are behind him, but he does a really nice job of finding the football and getting his hands on the football,” said Saskatchewan head coach-GM Chris Jones. “He’s very calm. It’s one of those deals where his heartbeat beats very slow because he has been in so many games. It’s fun to watch him play.”
That veteran savvy is one of the things on which Johnson now has to rely.
“I might not be as fast as I once was, but intelligence and experience carry me through a lot of times,” he noted. “I’ve seen every route combination, I know what the guys who line up in front of me are capable of and what their strengths and weaknesses are. It all comes from studying the game.
“When you lose something, you’ve got to gain it somewhere else and that’s what has allowed me to play so long.”
And now he’s sharing those lessons with others. As Jones pointed out, Johnson’s confidence as a player and as a leader is rubbing off on his younger teammates in the Saskatchewan secondary.
But that hasn’t just happened on the practice field, in meeting rooms, during road trips or during games.
Earlier this season, Johnson hosted a get-together at his house so that the DBs could get to know each other better. His hope was that the event, and others like it, would lead to better communication and a better understanding of each other on the field.
Coming up with the idea of the house party is part of Johnson’s maturation process.
Having learned as a Roughriders rookie from the likes of Eddie Davis and James Johnson, Jovon Johnson now is trying to give back.
“The last three or four years, being a veteran guy on the team, I’ve had to take on a different role — and I’m OK with that,” he said. “I’m not the most vocal guy, but when I see something, I try to give my input.
“These guys are playing tremendously. Our defence, our special teams, our offence — when we play together collectively as a unit and for each other, we’re going to be tough to beat.”
