Johnny Sears Jr. (0) of the Toronto Argonauts during the game against the BC Lions at BMO Field in Toronto, On., Friday, June 29, 2017. (Photo: Johany Jutras)
There are a couple of reasons why Johnny Sears Jr. stands out on a football field.
He wears the number zero, not rare in the sport, but certainly not common. That number is partially obscured on the back of his jersey by the dreadlocks that he, and many of his fellow Argonaut defenders are sporting.
The other is much more important. The Argo defensive halfback is making a ton of plays. A first-half sack against Hamilton, an interception late in the first half against B.C. that led to a last-second field goal, will leave a lasting impression.
So far the native of Fresno, California, is having a blast in Toronto after heading up the QEW from Hamilton as a free agent.
“For so long I’ve been on the other side of giving them hell, so I said hey, why not?” joked Sears. “But really it was just pushing the reset button and getting to a new place and taking it from there. You know, a new page in the book.”
The Argos are glad he turned that page in Toronto. The new-look defence has been exceptional in the first two games, keeping their opponents out of the endzone for over seven quarters to start the season, before finally giving up a couple of scores to the Lions in the fourth quarter last Friday.
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Sears has been a big part of the team’s defensive prowess, but why? Argonauts.ca played word association with head coach Marc Trestman, asking him for the first word that came to his mind when hearing the name Johnny Sears Jr.
“Dependable. Accountable. Professional. It’s important to him. Team player. Great teammate,” rattled off Trestman before admitting he was bending the game’s rules, “It’s not one, but it’s hard to find one.”
The coach seemed anxious to talk about not just Sears, but the other members of the secondary.
“We’ve got guys that love playing together,” he added. “They’re great communicators. They enjoy working off the field together in meetings. It’s a real positive thing. We’ll see where it goes, but the platform has been really good and Johnny has been one of the key components.”
If anyone on the Argos knows what Sears Jr. is all about, it’s Rico Murray. Twice tiger teammates, first with the NFL’s Bengals in 2010, most recently with the CFL’s Tiger-Cats, Murray highlighted the element of his secondary mate’s game that impresses him the most.
“How he strikes people,” said an earnest Murray. “He’s one of the hardest hitting DBs in this league. He’s one of the hardest working DBs in this league.”
The pair reunited in Toronto, signing free-agent deals 15 days apart, with Sears signing first. Murray says he didn’t sign here because his friend had inked a deal with the Argos, but added: “It most definitely helped.”
Murray didn’t use the word ‘leadership’, but with the way he described his teammate, he didn’t have to.
“In the film room he’s going to bring the energy,” said Murray. “On the field he’s going to bring the energy. On the practice field, if it’s a hot day and guys have been running and mentally guys are starting to get low, he’s the guy that’s going to shake the bunch up and rewire everybody and get him excited.”
Sears has taken to the defence employed by defensive coordinator Corey Chamblin, himself a new Argo. It’s a more conventional defence than the match coverage system employed by Rich Stubler a year ago – or at least that’s how it appears.
“It looks like it,” Sears said of the defensive scheme’s conventionality, “It’s more complicated than you think. With our looks we make it seem like it’s the same, but we’ve got little nuances that we keep under wraps. It’s not as easy as it looks.”
The boundary halfback loves that he’s given the freedom to jump routes, at times.
“We get to read what (opposing offenses) do,” explained the eight-year veteran. “So what they present, I get to be able to react. So on some plays, I’ll be able to jump. If they give me something else I can’t, I have to cover and the other guy, he gets a chance to jump.”
Whatever they’ve done through two games has worked for the most part. For a defence that features eight new starters, it’s far ahead of schedule. As the group continues to learn the system – and each other – it bodes well for continued success in the future.