Reggie McNeal, hauling in one of his five receptions Saturday (Photo Credit: John E. Sokolowski)
There’s no questioning the versatility of Argos wide receiver Reggie McNeal. The 25-year-old started at quarterback in college for Texas A&M, was drafted by the Cincinnati Bengals at that position and even signed with Toronto as a quarterback last season. When injuries to the Argos’ receiving corps forced him to line up wide in his debut last August, McNeal responded with six catches and 101 yards. He was Kerry Joseph’s top option in Toronto’s home opener against Saskatchewan last Saturday as well, hauling in five receptions for 114 yards and a touchdown. I had a chance to talk to McNeal Tuesday afternoon after practice:
Q: You’ve always been a versatile player — you were a quarterback in college, the NFL and were signed as one in the CFL. Now you’re a full-time wide receiver. Are you finally starting to find your niche at that position?
McNeal: Yeah, it’s always fun when you can run around and catch passes and score touchdowns. This is a quarterback-receiver league. A lot of stats get put up — touchdowns, yards — from both quarterbacks and receivers. Right now I’m able to focus on catching the football, and it’s a lot of fun.
Q: How much easier is it to prepare for a game knowing what your role is week-to-week?
McNeal: It’s a whole lot easier, because I can just go in and focus on my position and go 100 miles per hour. I don’t have to worry about throwing balls or the perfect placement of a pass. Now I can just go out and read zones and I’m good.
Q: Does it help to have that quarterback mindset as a wide receiver?
McNeal: Oh yeah, all the time. It slows down the game — when defenses start rotating I see it all from the receiver’s spot and I also see exactly what the quarterback’s seeing.
Q: What player did you most look up to growing up?
McNeal: I was a big Warren Moon fan growing up, and a Michael Vick fan when he got to the league. I was still in high school and coming up and college — they were my two favourite quarterbacks.
Q: Do you still have aspirations of playing quarterback, or are you settled as a wide receiver?
McNeal: I’ll be blessed if it happens, but I’m happy playing receiver for now. The team gives me all the opportunity to play, so I can’t be mad at that.
Q: What’s the most memorable moment of your football career?
A: Probably my freshman year at Texas A&M when we beat Oklahoma. They were ranked number one and we were the underdogs, and I came in and led my team to the win.
Q: What do you think this Argos team is capable of doing this season?
McNeal: We can really do something special. We’ve got a lot of talent, from O-Line, D-Line, linebacker — everywhere. You just look at our whole roster from top to bottom — it’s a lot of talent. Everybody is on the same page, everybody is going in the same direction. The sky is the limit.
