He isn’t a flashy guy by nature and always adopts that the ‘team first’ mentality. So you’d have to forgive Cory Watson for not thinking about his latest career milestone until we brought it up on Monday.
“Not much at all,” the mild-mannered receiver chuckled.
“It’s a great accomplishment to have and says that you’ve probably been doing some good things the last few years. It makes the win a lot sweeter too.”
With two receptions in Saturday’s thrilling come from behind win, Watson now has 300 for his career. It takes a lot of skill and perseverance to record those numbers in any football league and if you told him he would get there one day, he likely would not have believed it.
The Jamaican born Watson and his eight siblings were raised by their single mother Ann-Marie Spence who always insisted education came first. It wasn’t until Watson’s uncle Dave Spence, a former player at Idaho State, convinced him to take up football when he realized he found his true calling.
His addition in free agency may not have been at the top of any tickers or sportscasts, but the 2015 Grey Cup champion has proven to be a valuable piece to the club’s new-look Canadian contingent on offence. Now that they are back in the win column, the former standout at Concordia University says the mood in his new home is positive.
“Fun comes when teams are winning,” explained Watson.
“This one was a big step forward. Sometimes losses can be a blessing in disguise because you learn things along the way, but Saturday was a result we needed. I think the comeback showed what kind of team we can be when things are firing on all cylinders and the defence and special teams are also doing what they’re doing. We’re going to take this as a first step toward better things.”
And that next step is a trip to our nation’s capital and proving they can play with that same intensity away from home. After posting a 6-3 road record in the turnaround season of 2016, last year’s squad finished below .500 away from BC Place and was on the receiving end of two blowout results in trips to Edmonton and Winnipeg so far in 2018. Now they prepare to tackle a desperate REDBLACKS team that fell 27-3 to the undefeated Calgary Stampeders last week.
Cory Watson celebrates a fourth quarter touchdown in a victory over the Montreal Alouettes on June 16th/2018. Photo: Paul Yates
“It’s always a challenge to play there in front of those great fans,” said Watson.
“They’re a pretty balanced team with a good quarterback, good receivers and their defence is solid despite what happened last week. They’re going to be ready and prepared so we have to bring that same intensity from the second half on Saturday. The number one thing is to consistently go at them and try and take their fans out of it.”
Like many of his other teammates, Watson was also left mightily impressed with the way Travis Lulay stuck with it and ultimately carried the offence on his back to make Saturday’s win possible. He admits it was a lot more refreshing to be on the winning side of the veteran quarterback’s heroics for a change.
“He’s just one of those guys you fear playing against,” explained Watson.
“That’s because you just know has the capabilities to bring a team back like that every time. His skills and leadership abilities just exude confidence in everyone on the team. Being on the opposing sideline all those years, it was always tough coming in here to play and Travis just made it even tougher.”
So does he think he has another 300 catches in him? Bigger fish to fry he says.
“We’ll see about that, but the number one priority is to win another ring. That’s the only goal right now,” stated Watson.
Monday Report: Backfield Shuffle?
With only three practice days before facing Ottawa and second bye of the season to follow, Wally Buono admitted that running back Jeremiah Johnson is likely doubtful to play this week after rolling his ankle early in Saturday’s victory. The likely scenario would see Brandon Rutley make his debut in the backfield.
“That’s who we would target to share the load (with Chris Rainey). Brandon is a good back, that’s why he’s here,” confirmed Buono.
“We talk to all the players about when you get tapped on the shoulder we expect big things. That’s what they’re here for and they have to understand their role, that’s what Brandon does. He works hard, understands the offence and he’s a physical back. On the road, you want those kinds of guys.”
Rutley was providing some good competition for Johnson in camp before going down with a leg injury of his own, one that forced him to miss the pre-season opener in Calgary. He would recover in time to suit up for the final tuneup against Winnipeg and finished with 41 yards on six carries. After suiting up for five games with Hamilton in 2012, Rutley moved on to Montreal where he was most recently in a similar situation competing for reps behind Tyrell Sutton. Rutley’s finest season came in 2016 where he finished with 800 all-purpose yards and six touchdowns. GM Ed Hervey picked him up in a trade with the Alouettes on January 22nd.
Johnson did not take part in Monday’s late afternoon practice but said the ankle is “getting better each day.” Offensive lineman Hunter Steward was also part of the walking wounded. The 2013 first round selection has not dressed for the last two games because of a recurring back injury.