Around the CFL: Johnson showing he can do more than rush QB

By Fred Williams Aug 18, 2006, 14:00 GMT

Vancouver, BC - Brent Johnson is proving he can do more than just rush the quarterback.

Last week against the Winnipeg Blue Bombers, the B.C. Lions defensive end recovered a fumble and had two interceptions. And, yes, he also had a sack, giving him a CFL-high nine so far this season.

Two weeks ago, Johnson also had a 16-yard touchdown catch after lining up as a tight end on offense.

Last year, Johnson, a native of Kingston, Ontario who played his college football at Ohio State University, was named the CFL's top Canadian-born player, an honor he's doing his best to successfully defend in 2006.

RYAN FARING WELL: Jon Ryan is turning a lot of heads at the Green Bay Packers camp.

The former Winnipeg Blue Bombers punter averaged 46.3 yards for Green Bay in its 17-3 NFL exhibition loss last week to the San Diego Chargers. He also served as the holder on Billy Cundiff's 23-yard field goal.

Ryan signed with Green Bay as a free agent following last season, one that saw him average a CFL-record 50.6-yards per punt with the Bombers.

Ryan's competition in Green Bay is coming from incumbent B.J. Sander, who averaged 36.7 yards on his three punts

The Packers will resume their exhibition schedule Saturday versus the Atlanta Falcons.

SPEEDING UP PROCESS: Ricky Williams is resorting to spending time in a hyperbaric chamber in an effort to speed up his recovery from a broken forearm.

The Toronto Argonauts running back suffered a broken forearm trying to break his fall during a 26-23 win over the Saskatchewan Roughriders last month. After undergoing surgery the next day, the prognosis for Williams was that he'd be out between four and six weeks.

Three weeks into his recovery, Williams spent a week undergoing treatments in a hyperbaric chamber. The former Miami Dolphin and NFL rushing champion began attending a clinic in St. Catharines, Ontario last week and spending more than two hours in the chamber twice a day.

SURGERY CAN WAIT: Toronto Argonauts quarterback Damon Allen doesn't expect his injured finger to require additional surgery this season.

Allen injured the middle finger on his passing hand in Toronto's season opener and needed an operation to have pins inserted into the finger. He returned to the Argos lineup recently, but following last week's 20-2 win over Hamilton suggested the injured digit might require additional surgery this season.

But this week, Allen, 43, said barring something unforeseen, he expects not needing surgery on the finger until after the season ends.

Toronto desperately needs Allen in the lineup if it wants to make the playoffs. Backup Spergon Wynn was very inconsistent replacing Allen and while veteran Michael Bishop returned to the Argos last week, the former Heisman Trophy candidate is a stop-gap measure, at best.

Allen heads into Toronto's game Saturday versus Montreal needing just 88 yards to reach 70,000 for his career. Former CFL player Warren Moon, who earlier this month was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame, has the distinction of being the leading passer in pro football history at 70,553 yards.

SINGH STILL OUT: The B.C. Lions will have to go without offensive lineman Bobby Singh for at least another two more games.

Singh has missed three games with a shoulder injury, but an MRI last weekend revealed Singh actually had a tear in the shoulder muscle that will sideline him for at least two more games.

Singh is hoping that by resting the shoulder the injury will heal naturally. If surgery is required, Singh will likely be gone for the remainder of the season.

Fortunately for the Lions, they can look forward to a little down time. After hosting Edmonton on Friday night, B.C. will play just once more in a 29-day period as a result of bye weeks.

That's also good news for quarterback Dave Dickenson, who is out with an ankle sprain.

SCORING DOWN: The CFL has always prided itself on offering its fans a high- scoring and wide-open brand of football.

But scoring is really down this year.

Last season, a total of seven teams finished the season averaging 25 or more points per game. At the midway point of the 2006 season, only Montreal and B.C. are scoring at that clip.

Three teams -- Toronto at 16.6 points per game, Hamilton (17.8) and Edmonton (18.1) -- are all averaging less than 20 points per game. Last year, no CFL team averaged less than 20 points per game.

As well, only Edmonton quarterback Ricky Ray is on pace to register 5,000 yards passing this season. Last year, three quarterbacks reached that lofty plateau.

© 2006 The Sports Network