Johany Jutras/CFLc.a
Richard Leonard has no excuse for not making an impact each and every single time his cleats hit the turf – especially when it comes to picking off the man behind centre.
“I feel like that with every quarterback,” he said matter-of-factly after practice in late September. “I should get an interception and I will. I just play the game and it will come to me.”
Perhaps that confidence and drive is how Leonard has quickly become one of the premiere defenders in the CFL.
At just 5-foot-8 and 173 pounds, the rookie cornerback regularly goes head-to-head with receivers who have a considerable amount of weight and height on him. But does that size difference matter for the 26-year old? Absolutely not.
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Take the Tiger-Cats Week 4 matchup against the BC Lions – the contest that Leonard tallied two of his three interceptions this season.
On the Lions’ first drive of the game, Leonard found a way to out-muscle Emmanuel Arceneaux – who, by the way, is 6-foot-2 and 210 pounds – to nab his first interception of the evening.
The second, also during the first quarter of that contest, was a two-point convert. Leonard picked off a Travis Lulay pass that was intended for Shaq Johnson in the end zone.
His third interception came against the Toronto Argonauts during the annual Labour Day Classic. This time it was a pass intended for S.J. Green – another receiver who is over six feet and 200+ pounds that Leonard was matched up against – and he managed to come up with the ball in double coverage.
Yes, his two-interception night was a memorable one, but it only took Leonard a few plays into his CFL career to make his name known around the league.
A blocked field goal returned for a touchdown late in the first half of the Tiger-Cats season-opener against the Argonauts set the tone for the Leonard’s stellar play through 15 weeks.
While it wasn’t the first play Leonard had in the contest – he knocked down a Ricky Ray pass that was intended for Jeff Fuller in the first quarter and returned a kickoff early in the second – it was the biggest.
The Argonauts were set up on Hamilton’s 17-yard line for a field goal attempt. Will Hill blocked Lirim Hajrullahu’s kick and the ball popped right into Leonard’s hands, who sprinted 84 yards to the end zone for the score.
And ever since then, Leonard’s found his groove in the Canadian game. He’s tied for the league lead in knockdowns (11) and has three fumble returns– including one for a touchdown. He also has three interceptions and has tallied 55 defensive tackles.
“Just playing fast,” Leonard suggested when asked what’s working for him so far this season. “(I’m) seeing the plays faster and just reacting.”
Leonard joined the Tiger-Cats in May of 2017 after being released by the Houston Texans back in 2016. He played five years at Florida International University between 2011 to 2015 where he suited up in 49 games for the Panthers. He collected 205 total tackles, three forced fumbles, five fumble recoveries, nine interceptions and two interception-return touchdowns.
He also pitched in on special teams, adding 86 returns for 2,145 yards and one touchdown while also collecting 577 yards and two touchdowns on 37 punt returns. The Miami, Fl. native also earned First-Team All-Conference USA Honours in 2014 and 2015.
Now, he finds himself north of the border with the Tiger-Cats.
“I’m fitting well,” Leonard said. “I like the schemes that we run. They make us play faster. I just want to thank my teammates for looking over me and helping me out every day and getting me prepared for each game.”
When Leonard first arrived in Hamilton, he joined a group of players who have been in and around the league for while – especially in the secondary.
It was guys like safety Courtney Stephen and halfback Emanuel Davis, who are both in their fifth year in the CFL, that helped Leonard feel like a part of the family.
“I had the whole secondary when I first came here teaching me the rules and what I can do and what I can’t do,” he said. “They just showed me little things that I need to know while playing this game. It was a variety of guys (that helped me).”
Leonard celebrates one of his two interceptions against BC in Week 4 (Dave Chidley/CFL.ca)
Leonard has also suited up on special teams with Hamilton – a unit that has collected a league-leading six blocked kicks. Edmonton is next best with three, followed by Calgary (two), Saskatchewan (two), BC (two) and Winnipeg (one).
Hill collected two of those blocked kicks in Week 1. Terrell Davis blocked a punt in Week 5 while Khalid Wooten blocked a convert in that same game. Don Unamba blocked a field goal in Week 8 and in Week 9 it was Jay Langa who blocked a convert kick against the REDBLACKS.
“We just have that mentality of just going fast every time and good will happen,” he said of the Tabbies special teams. “Every time we go on the field, we just think that we’re going to block every field goal. (We) never take a play off.”
With just five weeks left in the CFL season, Leonard and his Tiger-Cats are still in the hunt for playoffs. After a loss against the Toronto Argonauts in Week 15, the Ticats will need every win they can possibly get.
And for Leonard, who is in serious consideration for Rookie of the Year, he just needs to keep doing what he does best.
“I think about the plays to be made, what I could do better during that game,” he said. “I just try to look at my mistakes and my good and just play from there.”
