It’s easy to say now when you look back on the entire body of work, but Makai Polk spent the first two-thirds of his rookie season getting a feel for what the CFL is like for a receiver playing in Canada for the first time.
There’s the concept of the waggle, then learning its cadence. There’s dealing with an extra defender on this longer, wider field. Then there’s all of the other dynamics that playing professional football on a team for the first time present, like building chemistry with your quarterbacks and learning to work within the offensive scheme.
Through his first 10 games this year, the six-foot-three, 197-pound receiver had 350 yards and two touchdowns off of 28 catches. They were decent numbers for a first-year player. From Week 14 through Week 21, Polk seemed to have exponential growth every time he stepped on the field. He went over the 100-yard mark five times in his final seven games and finished the season as the Argos’ leading receiver, with 1,024 yards.
111th GREY CUP
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The playoffs haven’t slowed him down. Polk had four catches for 158 yards and a touchdown in the Argos’ Eastern Semi-Final win over the Ottawa REDBLACKS and he had six catches for 72 yards in the Argos’ win over the Montreal Alouettes in the Eastern Final.
After getting past the Als’ league-leading pass defence, Polk and the Argos will go up against the second-ranked Bombers’ pass defence on Sunday in the 111th Grey Cup. Here are three ways the rookie can impact the game.
Blue Bombers’ halfback Evan Holm said he viewed Polk as the Argos’ best receiver.
“(He’s a) big play threat, moves very fluid and he keeps plays alive, especially when scrambling,” he said.
“He finds windows, finds ways to lose DBs and get open so you always have to be aware of him, see where he’s lining up, what they’re trying to do to you. I assume he’s going to be another big play throughout they’re going to try to dial some plays up for him.”
That’s exactly what Polk did to the REDBLACKS’ defence two weeks ago. While Ottawa led early and was clinging to the ball to own time of possession, Chad Kelly was able to find Polk for a huge 70-yard touchdown connection that gave the team some much-needed life. Polk is capable of a big play that can snuff out an opposing team’s momentum quickly. He’ll look to do the same on Sunday against the Bombers.
Polk’s rapid maturation through the final third of the season helped diversify the team’s receiving corps. As he worked his way up to being the team’s leading receiver, it forced defences to account for someone who was suddenly playing like a star.
In turn, with increased defensive attention on him, it has allowed other players like DaVaris Daniels and Damonte Coxie to benefit, with opposing teams having to pick their poison when trying to make a stop on someone.
“They’re just really dialled in and what they’re doing. They’re all accepting of the roles that they’re given,” Holm said. “Everybody’s willing to do a lot of different things. That allows them to move everyone around, which helps them hide some tendencies. Obviously, they still have tendencies but everybody’s willing and accepts the role, which is really important.”
Polk has performed in his first playoff games. The brighter lights of the post-season haven’t affected him and those closest to him don’t expect that to change, even with a week in Vancouver and a ton of attention around him. In this week’s anonymous 111th Grey Cup players survey, one of Polk’s teammates was very impressed with his focus through the year.
“He understands. He thinks like a vet. He prepares like a vet. He asks all the right questions and he wants it,” that teammate said.
“Especially in Toronto. There’s a lot of guys that come in and get lost in the sauce of Toronto. His head is on right, he does all the right things. He’s humble and he’s a great teammate. I think his future is very bright.”
You can bet that Polk is hunkered down, looking through film or working with teammates or coaches for some kind of advantage on Sunday. That kind of thing can be the difference in a winner-takes-all setting like the 111th Grey Cup game.