CJ Sims is lightning fast, capable of getting from point A to B in an instant.
Which is about the length of time he needed to deliver a performance that the Edmonton Elks haven’t seen in a long while.
In his first pro football game, the rookie out of New Mexico Highlands University had one of the all-time great Green and Gold debuts, racking up 181 yards from six kickoff returns and 101 yards on three punt returns against the Toronto Argonauts at Commonwealth Stadium on Sunday (June 25).
He’s the first Edmonton player to have over 100 yards for both kickoff returns and punt returns in the same game since 2013, and only the third CFL player in nearly 18 years to average over 30 yards on both kickoff returns and punt returns in the same game.
“I was successful because the special teams, punt returns and kick returns, were blocking for (me), making holes,” says Sims, the 2022 Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference (RMAC) Special Teams Player of the Year. “You give me two seconds, I’m going to hit the hole and get out there for you.”
Sims’ 181 kickoff return yards are the ninth most in a game in team history, and most in a game by a Green and Gold player since 2014. His 104 punt return yards are the most in a game by an EE player since 2015. The 285 combined yards from kickoff returns and punt returns are the most totalled by anyone wearing Green and Gold since 2010.
What a return to setup the offence!#CFLGameday | @GoElks pic.twitter.com/MCgwFikH9a
— CFL (@CFL) June 26, 2023
In the opening quarter, Sims brought back a punt 42 yards, the longest punt return by an Edmonton player since 2017. Then in the fourth quarter, he outdid himself, with a 52-yard punt return, the EE’s longest since 2015. But he saved the best for last, in the latter moments of the game, he fielded a kickoff at his own five-yard line and took off, sprinting all the way to the Toronto 33-yard line before being brought down, for a 72-yard kickoff return that stands as the longest for the EE since 2014.
“When I catch the ball, I don’t do any dancing, just a straight shot,” says Sims, who became only the third CFL player in close to four years to have both a punt return of over 50 yards and a kickoff return of over 50 yards in the same game. “Hit the hole and go, that’s about it.”
Witnessing this all was none other than the greatest returner in CFL history, Henry “Gizmo” Williams. The Green and Gold legend, who holds just about every return record in the book, was on hand as part of the 30th anniversary celebration of Edmonton’s 1993 Grey Cup championship team.
“I wish I would have scored one or two touchdowns for him,” says Sims. “I know he’s got some records for the Elks, I’m going to try to go get them.”
The touchdown is next on his list. It’s been close to eight years since an Edmonton returner brought one back to the house.
“It’s going to happen, for sure. Maybe this week,” says Sims, looking ahead to the Elks game Friday (June 30) in the Nation’s Capital against the Ottawa RedBlacks. “If they give me a good kick and good blocks, we’re going to get in that box for sure.”
Be there Thursday, July 13 at Commonwealth Stadium when the Edmonton Elks host the Hamilton Ti-Cats for the Salute to Service game. Being part of the action has never been more affordable, with tickets starting at just $15. Click here to get your tickets now and be part of the tradition.
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