Walter Tychnowicz/CFL.ca
When talking about foot speed, Jeremiah Johnson drops his voice into a whisper to explain why he might not be as fast as some of his teammates.
“I am 31,” the BC Lions running back said with a grin.
Not that being on the north side of 30 bothers Johnson.
“Age is just a mindset,” he said. “My wife tells me all the time you’re getting old. I say, ‘but when I’m between those lines I feel like I’m 25.’
“It’s all about going out there and getting the job done.”
Having a healthy Johnson in the backfield will be a bonus when the Lions (2-3) play the Calgary Stampeders (6-0) Saturday night at McMahon Stadium.
Running backs have been an endangered species the last several weeks for the Lions.
Johnson suffered an ankle injury in the first quarter of BC’s 20-17 win over Winnipeg on July 14. He didn’t dress in the Lions’ 29-25 loss to the Ottawa REDBLACKS a week later.
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Lions running back Brandon Rutley will miss the remainder of the season after a knee injury (The Canadian Press)
Brandon Rutley was tapped to replace Johnson but tore his ACL against Ottawa and is on the six-game injured list. Speedy return man Chris Rainey also twisted an ankle against Ottawa but finished the game after Rutley was hurt.
The Lions having a bye last week allowed Johnson to heal.
“I’m ready to go,” said Johnson, who has 222 yards and two touchdowns on 37 carries this year. “I’m very optimistic about this game and my health and I’m ready to let loose.”
Lions head coach Wally Buono likes the energy Johnson brings.
“To get Jeremiah back is a big plus,” said Buono. “He’s anxious to go and he’s fresh.
“Against a good team like Calgary you have to be productive on first down.”
The Stampeders are rolling through the CFL like rocks down a mountain. The Calgary defence has allowed a miserly 68 points all season and the offence is second in the league scoring almost 30 points a game.
Beating the Stampeders is never easy, and the Lions are no exception. Dating back to 2015, the Lions have one win in their last nine games against Calgary, including two playoff losses. They were outscored 287-154 in that stretch.
The Lions last win in Calgary was Aug. 1, 2014, when quarterback Kevin Glenn threw a 65-yard touchdown to Ernest Jackson with 92 seconds left for a 25-24 victory.
The Lions are scoring an average 21.6 points a game, third worst in the league, and average 107.2 rushing yards, fourth best. Calgary has allowed an average 75.3 rushing yards, second best in the CFL.
None of that diminishes Johnson’s confidence heading into Calgary.
“They beat us a lot and they come like they’ve already won the game,” said the Los Angeles native. “We kind of use that a lot against them.
“I’m not worried about their record. They are a team like we are a team. They get paid just like we get paid.”
Rainey, who leads the CFL with 1,018 combined yards, was still limping at practice this week and has been left off the Lions’ depth chart vs. Calgary. That means Travon Van will dress as a backup running back and handle returns.
Having Johnson and Van in the backfield offers a one-two punch. At five-foot-nine and 210 pounds, Johnson is two inches shorter than Van and about five pounds heavier.
Johnson prefers to run over people. Van relies more on speed to find open space.
Quarterback Travis Lulay likes what Van brings.
“He’s a very explosive back,” said Lulay. “He’s really pretty multiple in what he can do.
“He’s good on the return game. He’s a good change-of-pace back because he is different than Jeremiah.”
Van spent two seasons in Ottawa, where he was a teammate of Johnson, and played with Edmonton last year. In total he has 705 yards and five touchdowns on 152 carries.
Van signed as a free agent in May and spent training camp with the Lions but had to return home to help his mother deal with some health issues.
He returned to the team after the Ottawa game.
“We did a good job of communicating while I was gone,” he said. “I took an iPad home, was able to watch film, kept studying stuff.
“When I got back I was able to pick up where I left off.”
Johnson said Van brings some excitement to the offence.
“Him getting the ball in his hands is kind of like waiting for the movie to start,” Johnson said. “Having him on our team is most definitely a thumbs up.
“We are kind of cut from the same cloth. We both have speed, he more than me. We’re just hardnosed. We are going to get up there and block. On second-and-one we are going to put our head down to get that first down.”
Van was part of the 2016 REDBALCK team that upset Calgary to win the Grey Cup. Johnson had left Ottawa to sign with BC that year.
Van doesn’t hesitate to remind Johnson he has a Grey Cup ring.
“Plenty of times,” Van said. “We talk trash all the time.”
Johnson prefers to look at the future than dwell in the past.
“I told him keep that stuff at home,” he said. “I don’t want to see it.
“I’m happy for him that he’s got it. Now it’s time to get (a ring) when we are both in orange and black.”
