A touchdown has been a long time coming for defensive back Michael Griffin.
The CFL rookie jumped on the opportunity last weekend against Toronto when a fumbled punt rolled into the endzone and he was the first there to scoop up the rock for six.
“Man, it felt good,” said Griffin. “It’s been since 2016 since I’ve been in the endzone, so it’s been a long time coming. And I was so excited, I didn’t know what to do.
“I couldn’t believe it because it was a crucial situation. You’re supposed to just catch the ball and take what you can,” he said about seeing the fumble happen. “And when I saw he dropped it, I just saw the opportunity. I just didn’t want to panic and hit it out of bounds or something so I tried to secure it the best way I could.”
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It was a bit of a Stampeders footrace for the loose ball but luckily for Griffin, his teammate Tyson Middlemost fell just before getting to the ball.
“I just thought that was part of the plan,” he said with a smile. “So I figured he blocked the guy for me to get it, I appreciate him letting me have it.”
The big play built momentum for the Red and White heading into halftime. The rookie’s recovery propelled Calgary to a 20-7 win over the previously undefeated Argonauts. The Minnesota native says it’s important to make plays like that on special teams every couple of games to help out the offence and defence.
“Some people sleep on special teams and think it’s not as important,” explained the 25-year-old. “But special teams can change the game. Usually the team that makes the most plays on special teams wins. So it’s very important to make those plays.”
Griffin plays in most, if not all, special-teams situations and couldn’t be happier to have a coach like Mark Kilam as the coordinator.
“He’s a great guy, a great coach,” he said. “He’s always believed in me from the beginning, so it’s just easy to play for a guy like that.”
Griffin and the Stampeders will have a chance to build on the momentum of their win over Toronto this Saturday when they head to Vancouver to take on the Lions and he knows this is a crucial situation for the team.
“Don’t get complacent,” he said. “Last week was a win, but we got to carry on and build off of it.
“We can’t just think we’re coming in as the best team in the league. We have to get our minds right and realize that we’re 3-5 still and we have a long battle to come, so we have to stay focused.”