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![\"MIKE](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/3479110_web1_BombersTrainingCamp_MIKESUDOMA_May112025-8.jpg\")
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MIKE SUDOMA \/ FREE PRESS<\/p>\n
Winnipeg Blue Bombers\u2019 Willie Jefferson had a single-game career-high four pass knockdowns in the club\u2019s Week 9 victory over the Toronto Argonauts.<\/p>\n
Jefferson had to hide his appreciation for a good football play made by two men he knew well.<\/p>\n
\u201cTwo of my guys. I wasn\u2019t happy for the play during the game. Afterwards, I was able to celebrate with Anthony Lanier and Cam Judge,\u201d he said Wednesday.<\/p>\n
Jefferson played with Judge in Saskatchewan from 2017-18 and knew Lanier before he entered the CFL in 2021.<\/p>\n
\u201cHim making one of my plays and then Judge finishing the play, it was good to see those guys.\u201d<\/p>\n
Indeed, Jefferson has earned the right to call a batted pass \u201chis play.\u201d<\/p>\n
There\u2019s been no one better at getting their mitt on the ball since he entered the league in 2014, and he\u2019s the best to ever do it at the line of scrimmage.<\/p>\n
The CFL\u2019s active leader in career pass knockdowns with 85 also ranks third all-time behind Hall of Fame defensive back Eddie Davis (111) and Adrion Smith (105). Jefferson is also the only defensive lineman in league history to crack the top 10 in that stat.<\/p>\n
Jefferson, who even at 34 years old still has a knack for wrecking games, also got his in that 40-31 Week 9 victory. Along with a single-game career-high four pass knockdowns, he registered one sack, one forced fumble, eight quarterback pressures and one defensive tackle.<\/p>\n
His dominance was recognized by Pro Football Focus \u2014 an analytics company that tracks every player in the CFL \u2014 which gave Jefferson a 99.3 grade, the highest single-game mark since the organization began grading CFL games in 2023.<\/p>\n
The previous single-game high was 94.6, which was awarded to Vernon Adams Jr. while he was playing for the B.C. Lions in 2024.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was never a thing for me in college. It was either just rush the quarterback and make tackles or sacks. Same thing in the NFL (with the Houston Texans), it was never an emphasis on knocking a ball down,\u201d said Jefferson, who will travel with the rest of his teammates to face the Calgary Stampeders at McMahon Stadium on Saturday (6 p.m. CT).<\/p>\n
It wasn\u2019t until he arrived north of the border that the product of Beaumont, Texas, learned about the art of swatting passes.<\/p>\n
\u201cOnce I came to the CFL\u2026 the mindset was to get to the quarterback \u2014 win your one-on-ones, win on first down, we play in the backfield \u2014 but there was an emphasis on, \u2018If you can\u2019t get to the quarterback and you see the quarterback pulling up to throw the ball, get your hands in the throwing lane,\u2019 especially when we went zero (a blitz concept that leaves no safety help). It was, \u2018Get blocked, stay blocked, and if you have the opportunity to get your hands up, just get your hands up in the throwing lanes.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n
Make no mistake, batting balls is not as easy as Jefferson can make it look at times. His 6-7, 244-pound frame certainly makes him a more viable threat to disrupt throwing lanes, but players and coaches agree that it\u2019s an art that the future Hall of Famer has refined.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s a game-changing ability,\u201d said James Vaughters. \u201cIt\u2019s a combination of height, co-ordination and anticipation. Understanding how the game works, understanding how teams can and want to beat us, and it\u2019s a great tool to have in our repertoire as a defence.\u201d<\/p>\n
Added defensive co-ordinator Jordan Younger: \u201cThe timing of it is something you got to have a knack for, but the understanding of what gaps that the team likes to throw through, the timing of when they like to get rid of the ball, when to get your hands up, when you\u2019re in proximity to the quarterback, we work that, we talk about it, we practice it.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWillie\u2019s gift is God just gave him great size \u2014 very tall, very, very long arms \u2014 and that element of his game is unparalleled. I haven\u2019t seen anybody like that in my time in the CFL.\u201d<\/p>\n
Jefferson became the Bombers\u2019 franchise leader in pass knockdowns years ago. His 61 as a member of the Blue and Gold is 21 better than the next closest player \u2014 current teammate Deatrick Nichols \u2014 and 26 better than third-place Jovon Johnson.<\/p>\n
As for players who play a similar position, that\u2019s where it can become humorous: Jake Thomas, who has four career knockdowns, is the active defensive lineman teammate nearest to Jefferson \u2014 a difference of 57. Vaughters is third with two for his career.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ve heard people jokingly call him the human net before,\u201d Thomas said. \u201cI don\u2019t know if I would use that term, but I think it\u2019s just, he has that intuition of knowing when to do it. Anyone can just stand there and put their hands up all day, but usually, when he\u2019s doing it, he\u2019s usually pretty spot on when to put his hands up.<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t know if I really have the vocabulary for one word to describe it, but it\u2019s definitely impressive to watch.\u201d<\/p>\n
Jefferson said he got better at timing his reach from 2014-15 while playing against Bo Levi Mitchell (with Calgary at the time) and Zach Collaros (Hamilton) \u2014 two quarterbacks who have a tendency to throw the ball quickly. Eventually, he figured out which formations and downs-and-distances they were most likely to get rid of the ball quickly, and that\u2019s when he began to feast.<\/p>\n
\u201cOnce you see the quarterback pull his second hand off the ball \u2014 they get it with two hands, and then when they pull the ball away and get ready to throw the ball \u2014 you know you can\u2019t get around, so you just want to stop them and get your hands up,\u201d he said. \u201cThat\u2019s pretty much the art.\u201d<\/p>\n
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Jefferson has already professed that his goal is to reach 100 pass knockdowns and 100 sacks for his career. Perhaps it would go down as one of those \u201cuntouchable stats\u201d if he were to accomplish that feat.<\/p>\n
He\u2019s at 76 sacks currently, which is still a long way from his dream 100. But, unfortunately for opposing quarterbacks, Jefferson has no designs on slowing down.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhere I\u2019m at right now, nobody\u2019s done this,\u201d he said. \u201cI\u2019m still chasing the 100 sacks, but the 100 sacks are a lot harder than 100 knockdowns. So once I get the 100 knockdowns, I\u2019ll try to extend that. But once I get to 100 sacks, I\u2019m trying to extend that until I get to the point where I want to retire.\u201d<\/p>\n
joshua.frey-sam@freepress.mb.ca<\/p>\n
X: @jfreysam<\/p>\n
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Joshua Frey-Sam Josh Frey-Sam reports on sports and business at the Free Press. Josh got his start at the paper in 2022, just weeks after graduating from the Creative Communications program at Red River College. He reports primarily on amateur teams and athletes in sports. Read more about Josh<\/a>.<\/p>\n Every piece of reporting Josh produces is reviewed by an editing team before it is posted online or published in print \u2014 part of the Free Press\u2018s tradition, since 1872, of producing reliable independent journalism. Read more about Free Press\u2019s history and mandate<\/a>, and learn how our newsroom operates<\/a>.<\/p>\n Our newsroom depends on a growing audience of readers to power our journalism. If you are not a paid reader, please consider becoming a subscriber<\/a>.<\/p>\n Our newsroom depends on its audience of readers to power our journalism. Thank you for your support.<\/p>\n \t\t
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