Ferguson: More than meets the eye for ‘Big Play VA’
You know him as ‘Big Play VA’ but maybe it’s more than that, more specific that is.
Vernon Adams Jr. doesn’t look like a big armed quarterback with his relatively thin frame and ability to lose defenders in a phone booth, but the stats in 2019 don’t lie.
Adams was the best deep throwing threat in the CFL regular season this year.
He led the Canadian football League in attempts, completions, yards and touchdown passes on throws of 20 yards or more in the air.
So how does he do it?
“He learns people’s body language really quick and knows the perfect spot to put it for us, it’s easy to adjust to Vernon’s throws” rookie standout Quan Bray told me after Friday’s final practice ahead of this Sunday’s Eastern Semi-Final.
“You know when you’re about to get the ball on a deep shot because he gives you those eyes. They get wide and when you see those eyes, you know it’s for real. I just run the route and let the ball find me, with VA it always seems to.”
VERNON ADAMS FIELD DISTRIBUTION IN 2019
Free agency addition DeVier Posey has also been on the receiving end of numbers big plays from VA this season, but what is Vernon like in the huddle when he gets ‘the call’?
“You might get a ‘be ready, be ready, be ready’ but that’s just Vernon being Vernon. He’s aggressive and loves to take shots, make big plays, as a receiver you love playing for a guy like that. He doesn’t try to hide his excitement when we get those big calls because he’s so comfortable in his own skin. I think that’s part of why he’s having success here.”
So many times this season Montreal has been down and found their way back into games through the creativity, imagination, and big play ability of Vernon Adams Jr. Ten of Adams’ 24 passing touchdowns in 2019 have come in the final quarter of ball games, a fact that isn’t lost on Posey.
“It’s not that I get happy when we’re down, but there’s comfort knowing that Vernon can rattle off three double moves, a couple go balls and we’re right back in this thing. We’re lucky to have him. Personality is expected, but production is demanded and he’s met both those standards with flying colours. It gives us a sense of ease to see Khari dancing and him having fun, it makes us who we are.”
VERNON ADAMS COMPLETION PERCENTAGE BY ZONE
Ahh yes, Khari, the brains behind the comebacks, the deep throws, the aggressive mentality. Khari Jones has allowed Vernon Adams Jr. to have the freedom to be himself and make mistakes knowing that the risk is quite often worth the reward, but what does he see in Adams’ deep passing ability?
“He’s just a really good quarterback who doesn’t rely on size or strength, he knows how to put the ball in the right spots and he has that uncoachable ability to extend plays with his feet, making people miss and finding receivers down the field.”
If Vernon can make those marquee plays again this Sunday the Alouettes will most likely be on their way to Hamilton next Sunday for the Eastern Final. A fitting next step in a journey few, if any, saw coming. The Alouettes were a long shot to say the least to be in this situation, so why not rely on the long bomb? Especially when it’s your head coach’s favourite part of the game.
“I loved it, that was my favourite thing. I just wanted to do it as much as possible and I was sometimes calling my own plays so I’d walk in the huddle and ask who wants to catch a touchdown? It was like, I’m going deep, I don’t know who is catching it but we’re taking our shot.”
That in a nutshell is the 2019 Montreal Alouettes.
VERNON ADAMS IN TWO GAMES VS. EDMONTON
