Graham Hughes
Too small, they said, too slow, too old - well, now he's also the most prolific pass catcher in Canadian Football League history.
The annals will record that the Montreal Alouettes' Ben Cahoon logged his 1,007th reception in the 14th game of his 13th pro season - more than some scouts predicted he'd ever play - eclipsing Terry Vaughn, the only other CFL player to haul in over 1,000 passes.
The record was an exclamation point on Montreal's 46-19 humbling of the Calgary Stampeders, who travel to Saskatchewan next weekend for a first-place showdown. The Als, meanwhile, sit comfortably atop the East, and host Winnipeg.
When it happened - a nine-yard reception with 5:08 to play - Cahoon, owner of perhaps the surest hands the league has ever seen, was mobbed by his teammates.
"That was awesome, I actually got a little choked up," said the 10-time all-star and two-time Most Outstanding Canadian in the Grey Cup.
After the catch, CFL commissioner Mark Cohon walked on to the field for a short ceremony, where the 38-year-old Cahoon was also joined by his wife and four daughters.
"Nobody told me there was any plans for that," Cahoon said. "I thought it took a little long, to be honest with you."
The Als' victory clouds the crystal ball up nicely.
In each of the past two CFL seasons, whichever team swept the season series between the Als (10-4) and Stamps (10-4) also won Grey Cup, so what happens in case of a split?
Offence
Montreal's Anthony Calvillo was 28-for-38 and racked up 395 yards and two touchdowns, the Als also chalked up 116 on the ground. Jamel Richardson made a couple of breathtaking grabs, needing only four catches to reach his game-high 126 yards. Calgary's Henry Burris was 16-for-30 for 219 yards, but was most effective in the second half, when the game was out of reach. "We didn't get in synch all day. Kudos to Montreal ... the next game in Regina is a big one," Burris said.
Defence
The Alouettes' defence was embarrassed in last week's 46-21 loss to Calgary, and replied with a suffocating first half. They pressured, harried and battered Burris, who was 6-for-16 for 74 yards with two fumbles and an interception. He was also sacked twice. In the second half, linebacker Ramon Guzman returned an interception 43 yards for a touchdown. "Last week wasn't us," said defensive end Anwar Stewart. Calgary's defence, meanwhile, was savaged for 517 yards on the day.
Turning Point
With under two minutes to play in the first half and Montreal up 16-4, Calvillo hit Jamel Richardson (42 yards), S.J. Green (11 yards), and Brian Bratton (24 yards) on consecutive plays - Bratton's grab was in the end zone.
Calgary was pinned on its own one-yard line on the kickoff. Then Burris was picked off by De'Audra Dix, and three plays - and two Brandon Browner penalties - after that, Montreal was in the end zone again. Game over.
Numbers
1,007
The new gold standard for CFL career receptions.
221
The number of games it took Cahoon to reach the mark.
6
The number of field goals booted by rookie kicker Colt David, signed last week to fill in for the injured Damon Duval. "You couldn't ask for a better game field goal-wise," he said.
Turnovers
There were several from the men in red-and-white, five in fact. Three fumbles, two interceptions, and Montreal scored 17 points off Calgary turnovers. The Als, meanwhile, had only one fumble - by Calvillo - which they quickly recovered.