Judge, Moncrief form formidable linebacker duo for Riders

Cameron Judge and Derrick Moncrief are providing the Saskatchewan Roughriders with a dynamic duo in the middle of their defence.

The linebackers are both in their third seasons with the CFL team. Judge was selected by the Roughriders with the second pick overall in the 2017 CFL draft. Moncrief was discovered during a tryout in 2017 and was signed by then-general manager and head coach Chris Jones.

The duo are one of just two sets of teammates who are currently in the top 10 tacklers in the league in 2019. Moncrief has recorded 36 tackles while Judge has wrapped up opposing ball carriers 33 times so far.

Ottawa Redblacks linebacker Avery Williams and defensive back Corey Tindal are the other pair.

Both Judge and Moncrief could be asked to do a little more Friday, as injuries have battered the Roughriders’ defensive line for the game against the host Montreal Alouettes. Kickoff is scheduled for 5 p.m.

Judge, who was born in Montreal, played his high school football in Thousand Oaks, Calif. The former UCLA Bruin said he felt a bit of pressure when he first arrived in the CFL.

“I came up here late and I realized that doesn’t do me any good,” said Judge, who missed training camp because he stayed in California to complete his schooling. “I’ve just kind of taken (the opportunity) as it is, take it in stride and control what I can control.”

Judge recorded 41 tackles in 18 games during the 2018 season, but he’s set to blow that number out of the water in 2019.

Judge is actually playing at a historic pace thus far in 2019. He’s on pace for 85 tackles, a number that would make him the Roughriders’ single-season tackles leader for a Canadian. Linebacker Henoc Muamba recorded 82 tackles in 2017.

“I feel a lot more comfortable out there,” said Judge, 24. “It’s not as many wheels spinning before the plays and stuff.

“I just try to get to the ball as much as I can. I just try to go sideline to sideline as much as I can and (tackles) have just been coming to me. I just try to do my job.”

File photo of Saskatchewan Roughriders linebacker Derrick Moncrief. (Photo courtesy of the Saskatchewan Roughriders)

Moncrief has had a front-row seat to seeing Judge develop, with both coming into the league at the same time.

“(Judge) is a baller for sure,” Moncrief said. “He’s smart and plays with great instincts and great energy. I love to play with him.”

Moncrief came to the Roughriders after playing safety at Oklahoma State University. The Prattville, Ala., product credited players like Jovon Johnson, Crezdon Butler, Mike Edem, Ed Gainey and Charleston Hughes with helping him learn and excel at the Canadian game.

“I grow each year with the vets,” said Moncrief, 26. “It’s all about preparation and the off-season grind. I just stay ready for the moment and each week I want to get better and just win the Grey Cup.”

Defensive co-ordinator Jason Shivers isn’t surprised to see how the two linebackers have developed over the past three seasons.

“They’ve been building up towards this,” Shivers said. “They came into training camp ready to go and it has just been rolling ever since. They fly around like maniacs out there chasing that football and that’s what we preach.”

The Roughriders’ defence has been swarming quarterbacks as well this season, earning 23 sacks. That’s second in the league as a team.

But turnovers have been something the defence has been struggling to find in 2019. The team has intercepted four passes and hasn’t recovered a fumble yet.

After the Aug. 1 game against the Hamilton Tiger-Cats, head coach Craig Dickenson said the team was starting to gel more after an influx of new faces in the off-season. Judge agreed with that statement.

“We’ve for sure got a lot more work to do,” he said. “We definitely have to stay in our playbooks. We’ve got a couple steps to take but I feel like we’re moving in the right direction.”

The Green Zone pre-game show Friday gets underway at 3 p.m.