I don’t think I’ve ever heard a player ask if his nose was clean and clear before doing an interview, but that’s exactly what happened at Blue Bomber training camp on Tuesday.
Now that’s moxie.
Actually, it was Jonathan Moxey, the veteran cornerback the Bombers snagged in free agency.
The soon-to-be 31-year-old – his birthday is on Thursday – says he was caught once.
“It was embarrassing,” Moxey said. “My mama told me, ‘What are you doing?’”
Ever since, he’s made sure not to repeat the “booger” mistake.
That sounds like the kind of attention to detail that could lead to a long, successful career in pro football.
Winnipeg Blue Bombers cornerback Jonathan Moxey, entering his seventh year in the CFL, is one of several free agents the team landed in February. He played all 18 games with Hamilton last season. Photo: James Carey Lauder
James Carey Lauder
Moxey is going into Year 7 in the CFL, the last two with Hamilton after four in Calgary.
The Bombers see him as the savvy, shutdown corner they were lacking last season.
Three days into training camp, I asked the Florida native what the biggest difference was between this camp and all the others he’s attended.
“I’m a year older,” he said. “Every camp is unique. You’ve got new characters that you’re getting ready to meet, figuring out all the names of the staff, from the janitors all the way up to the front office. It’s really good to meet new people and have fun with it.”
Moxey had, of course, met some of his new teammates before he signed with the Bombers.
He and defensive back Deatrick Nichols were both with the NFL’s Arizona Cardinals back in 2018 and have since made it a habit to talk before their teams clashed in CFL games.
But it was comments from another Bombers player that really hit home for Moxey on Tuesday.
Defender Redha Kramdi told me Moxey is one of the players he’s studied and admired, and now that he’s a teammate in camp, Kramdi hasn’t been disappointed.
“Everything I thought that he was, he is — and more,” Kramdi said. “He’s a vocal leader and super accountable.”
Told of Kramdi’s comments, Moxey had a flashback to one of those cursory meetings that often occur between opposing players after their teams have clashed.
“He might have shaken my hand after a game and said, ‘I appreciate the way you play. I love watching you.’ And I didn’t think anything of it,” Moxey recalled. “And then now, this is really what he meant. He looked up to me. That’s dope. It makes me want to just work even harder for him when I’m out here and just continue to work on my craft.”
Kramdi was also one of the players who called Moxey when the free-agency window first opened, trying to sell him on the merits of leaving Hamilton for Winnipeg.
Turns out the free agent didn’t need much selling.
“Best situation and best offer,” is how Moxey described the factors in his move. “I knew a lot of guys here that make a lot of plays. And their winning culture. I think I can help them do that. There’s no doubt about the reason why they’ve been making it to Grey Cups. And winning some of those as well.
“I’m just excited to be part of their group and make it stronger.”
What Moxey brought to the Tiger-Cats last season: career highs in games played (18), tackles (40) and interceptions (three).
In the same way Kramdi studied him from afar, Moxey had studied and admired the work of Winnipeg’s dynamic duo at defensive half: Deatrick Nichols and Evan Holm.
He’s also intrigued by defensive coordinator Jordan Younger’s approach, which he calls “exotic” and “unique.”
So when Younger called through that free-agent window to say he wanted him in blue and gold, his decision was “a no-brainer.”
“For him to trust me to be able to lock it down at corner, I’m honoured.”
While the Bomber defence was often the backbone of the team last season, it broke in the playoff game in Montreal, giving up 24 points on the Alouettes’ first four possessions on their way to a 42-33 loss.
That got the attention of team brass, who barged into free agency like they hadn’t in years.
The spoils: receivers Tim Smith and Tommy Nield, stud O-lineman Jarell Broxton, stud D-lineman Jake Ceresna – and a 5-foot-9, 188-pound corner known as one of the better ones in the CFL.
“I bring energy, I bring veteran presence, and I bring versatility,” Moxey said. “And communication. I work well with multiple players. And I see the game from a veteran standpoint.”
That last part is key for a head coach who was probably tired of the revolving door of young players learning on the fly in the secondary.
“A veteran guy who’s played at a high level for years, understands the game,” Mike O’Shea said of Moxey. “It was important for us to bring in guys who have CFL experience.”
Moxey looks around and sees nothing but vets intent on one thing: getting back to the Grey Cup.
They might not need another leader, but he’s not shy. So he won’t just sit back and listen.
“Typically, you do,” he said. “But them knowing me and me knowing them… when I came in they welcomed me with open arms. I already have a voice in the room, to an extent. So I try to fit in where I fit in.”
He’ll try to keep his nose clean, too.
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