As a rookie kick returner with the Montreal Alouettes, James Letcher Jr. acquired the nickname the Human Joystick \u2013 so called for his ability to change directions on a dime, darting in and out of traffic with the football on his way downfield.<\/p>\n
To hear Letcher tell it, he may also bring the same athleticism to his sleep habits.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou know the bigger guys they fill the bed out. I don\u2019t fill the bed out as much so I can roll over a little bit, I can do a little back flip, front flip or whatnot,\u201d a laughing Letcher told reporters after practice Tuesday on Day 3 of the Saskatchewan Roughriders\u2019 training camp in Saskatoon.<\/p>\n
Letcher, signed in the offseason to replace the departed Mario Alford, was responding to head coach Corey Mace earlier letting reporters in on a team joke: \u201cHe\u2019s the only guy at camp with a king-size bed,\u201d Mace said, drawing laughs.<\/p>\n
The joke stems from the fact Letcher \u2013 listed at 5-foot-7 \u2013 may be the smallest player in camp. But, as many of his opponents over the past three seasons would attest, Letcher\u2019s performance since entering the Canadian Football League has been no laughing matter.<\/p>\n
He made his CFL debut Sept. 30, 2023, as an injury replacement for Montreal\u2019s regular returner Chandler Worthy.<\/p>\n
Two games later, in the Als\u2019 penultimate game of the season, he returned a missed field goal 125 yards for a touchdown against the Edmonton Elks. And he followed that up in the regular season finale with a 99-yard punt return TD against the Hamilton Tiger-Cats.<\/p>\n
Fast forward another two weeks to the East Division final and there was Letcher again, running a kickoff back for a 105-yard major against the Toronto Argonauts to help Montreal punch its ticket to the league final.<\/p>\n
Letcher was more subdued as Montreal beat the Winnipeg Blue Bombers for the 110th Grey Cup, but still averaged 25.7 yards on three kick returns \u2013 a full three yards ahead of the league-leading regular season average posted by the B.C. Lions.<\/p>\n
For that success Letcher credits, in part, the man whose misfortune turned him into a CFL regular.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think the most time I\u2019ve spent with a guy is Chandler Worthy,\u201d he said. \u201cHe taught me a lot being younger into the league. Not to say that I\u2019m old now but when I first got in the league he was a big helper and a big mentor for me with how the game was different from down south. So I learned a lot from him and tried to pick his brain and do a little bit of the things he do.\u201d<\/p>\n
In the two seasons since that eye-popping debut, he averaged 24.1 yards per return on 66 returns over 27 games. It\u2019s an average exceeded once in that time by any team \u2013 the 2025 Roughriders, led by the aforementioned Alford (despite missing seven games to injury).<\/p>\n
Letcher also dealt with injury last year, missing Montreal\u2019s final four regular season games. He returned for the team\u2019s East Division semifinal and final games but was scratched for the Grey Cup, which the Als lost to Saskatchewan.<\/p>\n
\u201cI still think I\u2019m an electric guy,\u201d Letcher said Tuesday. \u201cEven from coming in from college I thought I was one of the most electrifying guys in college football so I still think I am. As long as I can stay healthy and give my team what they want from me I think I\u2019ll be good and so will they.\u201d<\/p>\n