It shouldn’t have been a surprise to anyone, it was just a talented veteran player doing a talented veteran player thing.
When it was confirmed on Friday that Toronto Argonauts receiver Damonte Coxie would not play against Ottawa in the Eastern Semi-Final, it was imperative that someone step up to fill the void. To no one’s surprise, DaVaris Daniels was the man to do it.
The Notre Dame product’s numbers tailed off this year. He caught 48 passes, just four fewer than in 2023, but the yardage dipped from 1,009 yards to 622, and he caught just a pair of touchdown passes.
He would equal that total in the biggest game of the year.
Daniels caught TD passes of 41 and 9 yards in the Argos 58-38 win, finishing with 4 catches for 88 yards in what became his most important contribution of the season.
“It felt good,” he told Argonauts.ca. “Obviously I felt it was long overdue. Just to get out there and hit on all cylinders as a team, I think that was the biggest takeaway for me, that it’s coming at the right time.”
The Argo offence has been spectacular of late and produced at an incredibly high level on Saturday despite Coxie’s absence. In Chad Kelly’s eight regular season outings and one playoff game the team has averaged a whopping 31.8 points.
Daniels is on the verge of tying, or perhaps breaking a longstanding Argo team record. The league keeps separate stats for Grey Cup, so the record for playoff (Divisional Finals and Semi-Finals) touchdown catches as an Argo is five, set by the great D.K. Smith between 1986-91.
Last week the native of suburban Chicago doubled his number of Argo playoff TD catches to four. He was taken aback when his sudden proximity to the record was mentioned.
Would it be important to him?
“No question. I think when I look back on my career, for sure that will be something that I could be proud of, but right now my only focus is to get that ring in Vancouver and give our team a chance to cement our legacy.”
Daniels turns 32 next month and is closer to the end of his career than the beginning. The same cannot be said of rookie Jake Herslow.
The product of Old Dominion and the University of Houston has made an impact in his first two CFL games, the season finale in Edmonton and last week’s win over Ottawa. He caught TD passes in each of those games, continuing to impress the coaching staff every day.
There’s really not much that stands out about the Virginia Beach, Virginia native. He’s listed at 6’0” tall, which may be generous. He’s not a burner by any means. He caught just 11 passes in 30 games at Old Dominion, then 36 in 14 games with Houston, though he did snag five touchdown passes with the Cougars.
Regardless, he has attracted the attention of pro teams. He signed with Seattle in the NFL before a quick stop in the XFL, then the first part of the 2023 CFL season he was with Saskatchewan.
He signed with the Boatmen this June and has been biding his time, patiently waiting for a chance to get into a game. The Argos opened the door for him in Edmonton and he kicked it down, catching 2 passes for 55 yards, including a diving 29-yard reception on his first CFL target. He also averaged 33.5 yards on a pair of kickoff returns.
With the injury to Coxie he got a chance to play again against Ottawa and took advantage, catching four passes for 47 yards, including another TD. He’s thrilled to finally get the chance to contribute.
“That sounds good,” he said with a laugh when his two touchdowns in as many games was mentioned. “I’m just approaching every week as if I’m going to play. I’m trusting that every day I go out there and prepare like I’m going to play and give it my best effort. Learning multiple positions has definitely helped me as well, just knowing the offence in general.”
The rookie also has a pretty good mentor in Daniels.
“He’s always hyped me up, motivated me. When I make plays in practices or in the games, he’s always supportive and always excited. There can be guys who are threatened by new talent coming in, but he’s definitely been helpful with everything as far as route technique and learning plays in general.”
Daniels has always excelled in a leadership role. He’s one of the team captains and has the respect of everyone in the room. One of the reasons he’s so universally accepted is his insistence of putting the team first.
“We pull everybody by the same string no matter who is in there,” said Daniels. “Offence or defence, they come in there and they do their thing. Jake has been putting in the work ever since he got here, learning the ropes, putting in extra time with the QBs. He’s learned the offence and has asked the right questions in the meeting rooms. It’s no surprise that he had success as soon as he got on the field. That’s a testament to his work ethic and the type of guy he is.”
Next up for the Argos, the Eastern Final in Montreal on Saturday against the Alouettes.
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