Saturday\u2019s game against the Montreal Alouettes (5 p.m., Mosaic Stadium)<\/a>. \u201cIt\u2019s a blessing, but I can\u2019t be satisfied there.<\/p>\n\u201cWe still have plays to make. We still have games to win. It\u2019s good getting my feet wet, but we\u2019ve still got to climb up the ladder.<\/p>\n
\u201cI still have goals for myself that I want to reach. Every day, I just try to put that work in to try to get there.\u201d<\/p>\n
The calibre of Onyeka\u2019s work on special teams is well documented.<\/p>\n
He had 17 special teams tackles in 2023 and seven more (in 10 games) the following season. This year, he has 10 special teams stops (including games of four and three) in five appearances since returning from a knee injury he suffered in training camp.<\/p>\n
\u201cSpecial teams is a very important aspect of the game,\u201d Onyeka said. \u201cIt\u2019s a third of the game \u2014 offence, defence, special teams.<\/p>\n
\u201cEspecially in Canada, with three downs, special teams gets a lot of reps, a lot of time on the field. If you can prove that you can do more, the more value you have as a player and the more trust you can build with the coaches.<\/p>\n
\u201cSo every day I come in and I do my work. The coaches see that, my teammates see that, and that way I can build my trust and then they feel comfortable with starting me back there.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhatever I can do to help the team win, that\u2019s always what I\u2019m going to do.\u201d<\/p>\n
At the same time, he will be unsparing in terms of critiquing his own play.<\/p>\n
\u201cHow would I grade it? It wasn\u2019t the best personally, but I set my teammates up for success,\u201d the former University of Guelph Gryphons standout said.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe had four picks in that game. We won the game as well, so it wasn\u2019t too bad, all things considered. But I\u2019m trying to get a pick myself.\u201d<\/p>\n
Onyeka is quick to commend Mace and Defensive Backs Coach\/Pass Game Co-ordinator Joshua Bell for their impact on the secondary and the \u201ctightly knit\u201d defence as a whole.<\/p>\n
\u201cEveryone is really close and, obviously, this is our second year in the system with a lot of guys returning,\u201d Onyeka said. \u201cA lot of guys already know their role and know what to do. They know the whole scheme of the defence.
\u201cShout-out to the defensive line. The D-line leads the league in sacks. That helps us on the back end.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s a complementary game. If we\u2019re playing well on the back end, the D-line can get to the passer. If the D-line is getting to the passer, it helps the DBs, because we can be really aggressive and attach to routes and attack the quarterback.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s just a testament to the work that we put in every day and the expectation and the standard that we set for ourselves at the end of last year.<\/p>\n
\u201cEveryone coming back into the building knows that, \u2018OK, we made it to the Western Final, but there\u2019s bigger goals.\u2019 We\u2019ve got to get to the Grey Cup.<\/p>\n
\u201cSure, we\u2019re 10-and-2 right now, but we\u2019re just scratching the surface. We all have goals to raise the Grey Cup in November and we won\u2019t stop until we get there.\u201d<\/p>\n
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