Featured Writers
July 19, 2017
It was a night where people were chirping about officiating and wondering what should happen to some poor woman from Winnipeg named Karen.
What became a secondary, or even tertiary story, was what was happening to some guy from Asheville named Martese.
Last week in the ‘Peg, Martese Jackson, a diminutive running back/kick returner, forced his way into CFL conversation from coast-to-coast. He took a punt back for a 78-yard major. He then would have, could have, should have returned a kickoff for a touchdown (sorry Karen). He later added a spectacular punt return for 67 yards.
In total, he amassed 339 return yards, the fourth highest single-game total in CFL history, and made a name for himself in the process.
“It felt good,” said Jackson. “It could have been better if we got the win, but it felt good.”
The road to Toronto, like most of his returns, wasn’t a straight line for Jackson. He was a star at Clyde A. Erwin High School in Asheville, North Carolina, where he was a 2,000-yard rusher. From there it was off to Fort Scott Community College, where he rushed for over 1,100 yards. He transferred to Florida Atlantic University, where he was, for lack of a better term, a nondescript player.
He wanted to keep playing after graduation and got a workout with two CFL teams. Jackson chose to sign with Winnipeg, though he never made it to the Bombers. He’d end up signing with the other team he worked out for that day, putting a smile on the face of that team’s General Manager.
Jim Popp eventually got his man.
The current Argos GM has a good eye for finding kick returners, particularly those who, shall we say, will never be top NBA rebounders. Popp brought Larry Taylor and Chad Owens to Montreal and signed Jackson last year, where he spent the 2016 season on the practice roster.
“I just tried to stay focused and not get frustrated,” he said. “Looking at the big picture I was behind (Stefan) Logan. He’s a great returner so I learned a lot from him.”
The most important tip he picked up from the veteran was something that you’d think would come naturally to a returner who doubles as a running back.
“Just securing the ball,” said Jackson. “Secure the catch before you make a move. Catching the ball, making sure you’ve got the ball, and then making your move.”
Hearing a player talk about ball security is music to a coach’s ear. Watching him have that kind of night was even more enjoyable for Marc Trestman.
Have they found a returner?
“We found a good one the other night,” said the head coach. “We’ve just got to continue to block for him and understand that it’ll be different next time around because (Ottawa is) certainly going to plan for him.”
The Argos game plan is in the hands of first-year Special Teams Coordinator Kevin Eiben. The former linebacker was a standout on specials during his 11 years in Double Blue, where he played with some of the best returners in league history.
When asked if Jackson reminded him of any of those players he didn’t pull any punches.
“He’s got a little bit of Chad Owens in him, he’s got a little Bashir Levingston in him, he’s a little Pinball,” said Eiben matter-of-factly. “He’s hard to bring down, he’s elusive, he’s got the speed. He’s a smart football player.”
Eiben played with all three of those electrifying returners and knows first-hand what a big play on specials means to a team.
“It gives them a lot of confidence,” Eiben told Argonauts.ca. “You could tell on the sidelines when they saw him break one, they all wanted to work that much harder to get their blocks, and it showed up in the film.”
Argos P.A. announcer Don Landry has already nicknamed the lightning-fast returner “The Martese Falcon”, but it was a move against the Bombers based on agility, not speed that made many a jaw drop.
The spin move.
On a second-quarter punt return, it looked like someone hit the ‘B’ button while playing Madden. The 360 spin added an extra 55 yards to a 67-yard return. Jackson says that’s just a part of his game.
“I definitely work on it,” admitted Jackson. “We work on it in individual drills with the coaches, so I work on it, and it just kind of comes naturally.”
A combination of natural talent and hard work has allowed Jackson to make it this far. Argo fans are hoping he can start bringing them out of their seats at home like he did in Winnipeg.