The Tiger-Cats knew they had something special and the CFL is confirming just how special.

The league’s statistics department sent out a note earlier this week that with 34 catches in just five games — less than a third of the season — Hamilton rookie receiver Shemar Bridges is on pace for 122 catches this year. That would shatter the CFL record for first-year receivers, which is the 89 that Derel Walker hauled in for Edmonton in 2015.

Walker – who played a couple of games for the Ticats last fall and hasn’t suited up in the CFL since—was on the other end of passes thrown mostly by Mike Reilly. It’s no accident that the receiver who holds the rookie record and the receiver who is already nearly 40 percent of the way toward breaking it, have had veteran Hall-of-Fame-bound quarterbacks tossing the ball their way. Bo Levi Mitchell has accelerated the development of young CFL receivers throughout his career and from the start of rookie camp it was obvious that he had a feel for Bridges. They have a symbiotic relationship and Bridges keeps improving various parts of his game, further enhancing that relationship.

With 34 receptions, Bridges stands fourth in the CFL behind B.C.’s twin engines, Justin McInnis (1st with 45 catches) and Alexander Hollins (3rd, 38) and Montreal’s Tyson Philpot (2nd,44). They’ve all played one more game than Bridges has.

Bridges also ranks fifth overall with 396 reception yards—that pace would put him fourth all-time among CFL rookies—but ranks just 29th in YAC (yards after catch) with only 79, which suggests that he’s making a large percentage of his catches against tight coverage, an important asset. That notion is supported by another statistic: Bridges leads the league in second-down receptions, with 44 percent of his grabs coming when defences suspect it’s a pass play because of the down and yardage.

It’s been a remarkable start for Bridges, who will attract a lot of Toronto Argonaut attention when the two ancient rivals meet Saturday night (7 p.m.) at Tim Hortons Field. The Argo defence is strong and they can mount a vicious pass rush which means Mitchell will have times when he has to get rid of the ball more quickly than he’d prefer, and a tall (6-foot-4) target with a broad catching radius can serve him well.

One of the defenders Bridges will encounter on short routes and crossing patterns Saturday night is Toronto linebacker Wynton McManis, who has made 19 tackles in the last three games between the Ticats and Boatmen. The Argos are coming off a significant 39-18 victory over the previously unblemished Montreal Alouettes to move three games ahead of the Ticats. Against the Als, McManis had four tackles and an interception return for a touchdown, the third major of his CFL career. In the past three games all against top teams—Montreal twice and Saskatchewan—McManis has made 21 tackles.

 

“I don’t think he gives just us problems,” Ticat head coach Scott Milanovich said during today’s media availability. “That guy’s a super good football player. And good football players make plays. We have a ton of respect for him. He’s an elite MIKE linebacker in this league or any league. We certainly talk about him quite a bit, we understand we’ve got to know where he’s at. We can’t let him beat us.”