Jake Herslow has never been one to be shy.
As the Toronto Argonauts opened training camp, the receiver approached your humble typist with a question, “Am I eligible to win the Rookie of the Year.”
The query was not expected for a couple of reasons; he wasn’t eligible because he had appeared in one regular season and two playoff games last year, and more importantly he wasn’t in all likely going to crack the starting lineup, perhaps not even the opening day roster.
But, in a nutshell, that’s Jake Herslow. Often overlooked, usually in an underdog role, but able to contribute when called upon.
And never lacking confidence.
Currently, Herslow is the hottest receiver in the CFL with nine touchdown catches in his last six games. The nine TDs rank him second among all receivers, not bad for a guy that’s only started seven games this season.
Baseball hitters often talk about being “in the zone”, a state where the game slows down and the ball appears to be the size of a small planet. Herslow is currently residing in that same mystical area, where the touchdown catches have been unusually plentiful.
When is the last time the always confident Herslow found himself in the zone?
“I was born like this,” he told Argonauts.ca with a laugh. “No, I’ve got all the confidence in the world, but I would say in college, toward the end of my career at Houston. Those last couple of games we played against some big teams; third-ranked Cincinnati, then I scored the game winner against Auburn.”
After ending his college career on a high, football then became a little less fun. Stops with the Seattle Seahawks, Houston Roughnecks (XFL), and Saskatchewan Roughriders over two years resulted in zero games played. He signed with the Argos last June, spending the season on the practice roster until the last game of the season in Edmonton.
Getting a chance to play when Damonte Coxie left that game with an injury, he caught his first career touchdown pass, adding another score in the Eastern Semi-Final against Ottawa.
After not being able to crack the lineup in the first part of this season, he’s seized the opportunity to play, seemingly scoring touchdowns at will and enjoying football again.
“I’m having a lot of fun,” said Herslow, his broad smile confirming his words. “I love playing with these guys, I love playing here in Toronto, I love being in the building, all the coaches, the management, the player personnel guys, the training staff; I just love being an Argo. I don’t think our record reflects the kind of guys and the team we have. I wouldn’t count us out quite yet.”
When you look at Herslow you may wonder how he’s doing this. At 6’0” he’s not Makai Polk tall. With 40 time of 4.46-4.56 he’s not Benjie Franklin fast, but he’s become an incredibly productive receiver.
Argonauts.ca asked Argo head coach Ryan Dinwiddie what has made the receiver so successful.
“His want to,” explained the coach. “I think Jake is a little scrapper. We put him in there and he’s done a good job blocking as well. He’s not a stout, big frame guy, but he’s willing. He’ll show he’s physical, but he does get outmatched from time to time. He’s done a good job and he’s got a bigger catch radius than people think, he’s got long arms and he’ll go up and get it. He’s made some big plays for us and has been a difference maker for our offence.”
When Herslow was asked what his main attribute is, he mentioned a couple of things his coach didn’t.
“I’d say my route running and my football IQ, knowing where I need to be and having the twitch and the savviness to get open. Just knowing how to set guys up on routes, making it look like I’m doing this, but I’m really doing another thing.”
While he may be able to throw off defenders, he hasn’t confused his quarterback. Nick Arbuckle, who returns to the lineup Friday after missing last week’s game with a calf injury, seems to always be on the same page as his receiver, even if a play breaks down and needs to be extended.
Herslow says the chemistry between the QB and receiver hasn’t evolved by accident.
“It goes back to last year,” the Virginia Beach native explained. “He was the third-string quarterback and I was on the practice roster. We stayed after practice for a long time. We would throw, we would run through our offence and run fire, we just got a lot of reps. When it comes to the games, he understands my timing and knows where I’m going to be and trusts me.”
If someone were to select their own football superpower, being able to score touchdowns wouldn’t be the worst choice. Herslow would love nothing more than to continue his hot streak Friday night against the Lions in Vancouver.