Ernest Jackson keeps on truckin’. Marquay McDaniel keeps on shiftin’.

On opposite sides for the 104th Grey Cup presented by Shaw, and with very different styles of play, Ottawa’s Jackson and Calgary’s McDaniel are linked in some ways nonetheless.

They don’t know each other, outside of watching and marvelling at the other’s play. They’ve only ever met briefly, in those post-game handshakes-and-hugs rituals.

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Yet, Ernest Jackson and Marquay McDaniel are the perfect people to ask about each other; about their similarities and differences. Because they’ve observed each other closely, from the sideline or from a television screen.

They will, of course, be key players during Sunday’s Grey Cup, relied upon to make clutch catches, particularly those on second and long. What you can say equally about the two of them is that they both have built sterling reputations for moving the sticks for their teams with important receptions at opportune times, usually on second and long.

You could also say both Jackson and McDaniel have shared a bit of a head-scratching journey to prominence in the CFL, having both been underrated for too long before getting their due as the very best there are.

“I don’t play the game to be talked about,” says McDaniel, who so often plied his trade with quiet excellence, with receivers like Eric Rogers, Mo Price, Nik Lewis and others grabbing more headlines. “I don’t need that.”

“I just continue to do what I do,” says Jackson, when asked if it ever bothered him to be a little overlooked in that Ottawa offence before finally busting out as the East’s most outstanding player in 2016.

He’d spent two previous seasons with the REDBLACKS, doing pretty much everything he did this year, only without league-wide notoriety and fanfare. Seemed that Chris Williams, Greg Ellingson and Brad Sinopoli were getting most of the attention. “It really didn’t bother me, knowing that I wasn’t getting the publicity,” Jackson says. “I just knew that I had to do my job on the field.”

Jackson and McDaniel share a mutual admiration for each other and don’t disagree that they are linked as clutch receivers. McDaniel finished the regular season with 35 second down conversion catches, while Jackson was just behind at 34, both of them trailing Edmonton’s Adarius Bowman, who grabbed 40.

Both Jackson and McDaniel topped the thousand yard mark in 2016, with Jackson piling up 1,225 to McDaniel’s 1,074. In addition to making key conversion catches, they each had very good Yards After Catch numbers; Jackson with 504, McDaniel with 433.

McDaniel is a fan of Jackson’s athleticism and power. Jackson likes McDaniel’s smarts and precision.

“I would say he’s more of a naturally gifted athlete,” says McDaniel. “Nice size and he can run. He can really run.”

“He throws guys off,” says Jackson, in a nod to McDaniel’s mental and physical elusiveness. At 6’2″ and 220 pounds, Jackson admits that McDaniel’s smaller stature (5’10”, 210 lbs) allows him to be a little more agile.

“He’s a little more finesse with his routes than I am,” says Jackson. “I’m more of a power route runner, I would say.”

McDaniel agrees. “I think he hit it head on. I’m more of a route runner. Me, not being the fastest guy, I use my quickness where I can get in and out of routes. He’s a big body. I think where I’m a little bit different than him is I’m a little bit more shifty than he his, probably because I’m shorter, smaller.”

It does seem that when those critical second down catches are made, they’re done a little differently. In my mind’s eye I see McDaniel catching a pass with the nearest defender out of reach, after falling victim to his wily moves and route smarts. Then he’ll make the next guy miss with a juke, whereas Jackson will bulldoze right over him. Jackson often makes his catches in traffic, outmuscling the nearest defender, as he did at a crucial moment of last week’s Eastern Final against Edmonton. With the REDBLACKS holding on to a tenuous 28-23 lead and two minutes to play, he fought off Eskimos’ defender Pat Watkins – who was glued to him – to convert on second and nine, continuing the drive.

“When Hank let it go, I knew he (Watkins) was gonna be all over me and so I just made sure I big-bodied him like it was a basketball game and made sure I took care of the ball,” says Jackson. “I love the contact. Manning up. Just me and you. That’s my favourite part about it.”

“He might be in traffic but he can body ‘em out and still make the catch,” says McDaniel. “I like his toughness. I think that’s a similarity. He goes over the middle. You see him in the run game, blocking. Receiver screens, he’s blocking so I think we’re similar in that.”

That is true. A modern CFL receiver must have abilities in negating defenders when teammates are catching the ball and both Jackson and McDaniel score highly in that department, often opening a seam by sealing off a defensive back or linebacker. McDaniel has the reputation for being an exceptionally intelligent football player and Jackson’s rep in that regard is growing as well. His willingness to adapt is part of that growth.

“I always watch all the guys run routes,” says Jackson, though I don’t get out of him what he may or may not have stolen from McDaniel’s bag of tricks. “I try to mimic some of the things they use if I think it was something unique that they did on a DB and it worked. I’ll try to put it in my game as well.”

Similar in effect, if not in style. Ernest Jackson and Marquay McDaniel may play the game differently, but they are mirror images when it comes to the result. Watch for it again on Grey Cup Sunday.

The sticks will get moved.