Saskatchewan Roughriders safety Jaxon Ford will be stepping into a new position when the Green and White take on the Montreal Alouettes on Monday morning.
And while it might seem a rather interesting decision to make a major move at this point of the campaign, Ford’s style of play just might emerge as a perfect fit.
The Regina product took a host of first-team reps at linebacker during practice this past week and is expected to primarily play that position when the Riders hit the field in Montreal for their crucial, playoff-implications battle.
“Compared to safety it's a lot more aggressive, you're in those run fits, you have a gap most of the time and it's a lot more physical, so I have to bring my A game,” Ford said when asked how the adjustment has gone so far. “I'm excited for it, I think it fits my skill set quite well. I'm more of a coverage DB, but I can fit in that box anytime you need me to.”
Ford has played a bit of linebacker in spot situations with the Riders in the past and saw some action in the hard-hitting position as an injury replacement in high school, but other than that, the situation is completely new.
That shouldn’t be a cause for concern, though, as Ford has become well known among the Rider faithful for his aggressive and all-out playing style, something that should fit well when it comes to playing in the box in the CFL.
Ford’s preparation has involved plenty of filmwork in addition to getting reps on the field, and because of that he’s confident that things will go well once the real action begins
“It comes down to film study, knowing exactly what I'm doing, knowing exactly what gap I have and my pass responsibilities,” Ford said. “I'm not as deep now, I have more hook, curl, shade drops and whatnot. So I think I had a good week of practice so far and I'm ready to go.”
Ford’s work at safety will also help out with the new position.
“When you’re playing safety you're the furthest back guy back there and you really have to understand what everyone else is doing,” Ford said. “Putting me down at (strong-side linebacker) now gives me a new perspective for the box.”
Ford’s teammates have also played a role in the adjustment, as he’s leaned heavily on experienced veterans like Jameer Thurman to pick up some tips and tricks of the position.
“He makes my job real easy,” Ford said. “iif I ever have a question or a check, he's always the first guy that I go to and it's a huge advantage for me to have him to work with.”
One thing that’s for absolute certain is the importance of Monday’s game. A win could go a long way to helping Saskatchewan lock down a playoff spot, while a loss could be especially troublesome. So the goal is to bring the best game possible as the postseason push begins in earnest.
“All these games moving forward are huge for us,” Ford said. “We're making our playoff run here. We've done a lot more film preparation, a lot more meetings player-wise. I think we just got to come together as a group here and really focus in on this game.”
Monday’s contest features a very early start, with the Rider Broadcast Network pregame show with Teagan Witko, Wes Cates and plenty of special guests beginning at 8 a.m. Dave Thomas and Luc Mullinder will then have the game call at kickoff at 11 a.m.
