Much has been made about Rakeem Cato in Montreal, how the rookie quarterback has come in and won two of his starts in dominating fashion. The fans and media are forgetting about his triple threat of slotbacks at his disposal. The catching tandem is among the oldest bunch in the league, but may also be one of the best. The trio features Nik Lewis, Fred Stamps and S.J. Green.
This is a particularly interesting triple threat considering that both Lewis and Stamps are new additions in Quebec after both spending multiple seasons in Alberta, with the Stampeders and Eskimos, respectively. All three of them are veterans of the league, with both Green and Stamps entering in 2007, three years after Lewis joined Calgary.
After an overhaul at the position in the pre-season, many were worried that these three were over their prime and would not be able to contribute to the team. It seemed inevitable, after each had a 2013 season with lower than usual numbers. Some must have thought the trio was more a liability than a threat.
Fortunately for the Alouettes, the skeptics were looking at the half-empty glass; four weeks into this young 2015 season, they’ve been proven wrong. The three slotbacks have pushed each other into becoming the players that they were four or five years ago, which has made life a lot easier for Cato.
Surprises from Green
The biggest surprise must be the play of S.J. Green. That statement is a surprise in itself. Green, the highest paid non-quarterback in the league, was expected to shine and be that number one guy. But last season, he was relegated to number two on the depth chart behind current Indianapolis Colt Duron Carter, and wasn’t happy with it. He wasn’t likely to return to Montreal in 2015 with a great attitude.
He’s taken this opportunity to be the top target and run away with it. Two weeks ago, in Winnipeg, Green caught for a career high 180 yards on only 6 grabs. He was a deep threat all game, using his speed and size to get past the Bombers secondary. He nearly had a spectacular 50+ yard TD grab in that one, but failed to find pay dirt by a few yards.
This performance was followed up by a modest game against the Tiger-Cats that included five touches for 56 yards and one incredible diving touchdown- which you will see in many highlight packs in weeks to come. After receiving for 835 yards last season, Green already has collected 341 yards on 20 receptions, and we’re not even to the quarter-point yet.
Consistency from Lewis
Lewis has been the most consistent of the three, with games of 46, 65, 27 and 53 yards on four, three, three, and five receptions. Like Green, he also has one major this season. Listed at 5’10”, 240 lbs, Lewis seemed to be out of shape and anything but ready to play, but he’s picked up some serious yards after reception, using his size and ability to rumble through the defence. It’s a funny sight to see this big man run the way he does, but it’s effective and Lewis has given the Stampeders a reason to regret having let go of him – especially after his sole touchdown came after knocking down some Calgary defenders on the way to the endzone.
Lewis is energized on the field and he converts that energy into the above-expected stats that he’s picking up. He and Cato seem to connect well. Cato’s first start, against Calgary, featured a lot of short passes, which usually found Lewis – and we saw good results for the 11-year veteran in that contest, as it was his best game of the campaign.
Stamps Coming Back
Stamps was the slow starter out of the gate, but his numbers have been increasing in four games. In each of the first two games, he caught two passes for 12 and 17 yards, before catching three for 33 yards in week three. The Louisiana-Lafayette product had his break-out game in week four when he had 119 yards off of only seven grabs, although he failed to find the endzone. Stamps is currently the third guy in this triple threat, but he can easily move up if he continues to have games like he did against Hamilton.
After receiving for over 1000 yards in five straight seasons from 2009 to 2013, Stamps only had 545 last season, but already has 181 in 2015. It’s a long shot to reach that elusive millennium mark, but playing like this and staying healthy, Stamps could hover between the 800-900 yard plateau – fantastic for a 33-year-old.
Cato’s Advantage
The reason why the rookie QB Cato has been performing so well is the fact that he has a fantastic triple threat playing in front of him. These three veterans can teach him the ropes in tough situations and they can miraculously catch the inaccurate passes just to get his confidence up. And Nik Lewis, S.J. Green and Fred Stamps, some of the oldest slotbacks in the league, are pushing each other to the very limits of their talents.
