Winnipeg Blue Bombers’ defensive end Willie Jefferson has already established himself in the pantheon of CFL greats, but that hasn’t stopped him from seeking the wisdom of his football elders.
Legendary CFL pass rusher Charleston Hughes revealed on 620 CKRM’s The SportsCage this week that his former teammate with the 2018 Saskatchewan Roughriders gave him a call ahead of the 111th Grey Cup, seeking ways to elevate his performance.
“He reached out to me before that Grey Cup and asked me for some advice. Asked me for some tips and some pointers going into a Grey Cup game like this,” Hughes recalled. “I gave him my best thoughts on when I’ve seen him at his best, how great of a player he could be, and how much of an impact he could have on games like that. I told him that he was going to catch an interception that game and look what happened.”
The conversation clearly worked, as Jefferson did more than just collect an interception. The 33-year-old logged a championship performance for the ages, finishing the contest with a game-high six tackles including one for a loss, two sacks, a forced fumble, and a pick that set his team up in the red zone.
Unfortunately, Jefferson’s Herculean effort wasn’t enough to secure a victory, as the Bombers fell 41-24 to the Toronto Argonauts and lost their third straight Grey Cup. Argos’ quarterback Nick Arbuckle was given the game’s MVP in the victory, though many onlookers felt that Willie J was actually the top player on the field.
It was a tough game for them. Everything that could have gone wrong kind of went wrong in that game, with Zach Collaros getting hurt. With Willie Jefferson playing probably hands down one of the best games of his career that I’ve seen him play, it was drop after drop and bad play after bad play,” Hughes said of the performance. “The thing is, once you’re a team like that, you can’t afford to give up anything, and you’ve got to make every play. Usually, Winnipeg is that team, but it obviously didn’t work out at this point.”
The loss will do little to sully Jefferson’s impressive CFL resume, which now includes six Grey Cup appearances and three victories. In 155 games over 10 seasons, he has amassed 253 total tackles, 74 sacks, 21 forced fumbles, and six interceptions. The Beaumont, Tex. native was named the league’s Most Outstanding Defensive Player in 2019 and has earned All-CFL honours six times, with seven West Division all-star selections.
Ironically, Hughes has been to the big game fewer times than his mentee, making it to five Grey Cups and winning two. He also earned six All-CFL selections and was honoured eight times in the West Division, but fell short of winning MODP in 2013. The product of Saginaw, Mich. maintains a statistical edge, having collected 558 total tackles, 136 sacks, 19 forced fumbles and three interceptions in 202 games across 14 campaigns.
In their lone season as teammates, Hughes produced 15 sacks while Jefferson notched 10. The pair will undoubtedly be reunited one day in Hamilton, where their busts will share a wall in the Canadian Football Hall of Fame.
“Hats off to Willie, man,” Hughes said. “He played hands down one of the best games I’ve ever seen him play. I’m just happy I had the opportunity to talk to him before that game and kind of give him the kick he needed.”
