He’s got sticky hands, an athletic frame, nimble feet, and acrobatic abilities. And Rodreke Joseph freely admits that his most troublesome sporting encumbrance has traditionally been right between the ears.

Last fall, after two long years away from football, the resident of suburban Toronto thought he would secure his gridiron fix by joining the junior Burlington Braves, who play in the Canadian Junior Football League’s Ontario Football Conference. Things didn’t exactly go as planned.

“I was hard-headed last year in Burlington. I had a little bit of an attitude problem,” says Joseph, 21, who’s currently the Calgary Colts’ leading receiver, with 278 yards on 15 receptions and a touchdown grab for the Prairie Football Conference squad. “I wasn’t willing to learn. I thought I knew everything. I didn’t want to learn the playbook. I caught a few passes, but I didn’t play that much. That’s kids, I guess.

“This year, things are way different. I think I’ve matured. I’ve learned a lot . . . and I’m still learning. Our mission statement is: Everything matters. We say it every day, before practice and after practice. Coach Ray (offensive co-ordinator Ray Salverda) drills it into us every day. And everything does matter.”

The Colts (4-1) have already sewn up their fourth straight PFC playoff berth — but after dropping a close one to the Saskatoon Hilltops (5-0) on Sunday, are now girding for a battle with the Winnipeg Rifles (3-2) for the right to host a conference semifinal. The Colts and Rifles have two games left against each other this regular season, starting on Sunday, Sept. 25 at Winnipeg’s Canad Inns Stadium with an 11 a.m. MT kickoff.

The six-foot-two, 220-pound Joseph, a slotback who came out to the Stampede City this season for a change of scenery, was highly regarded by the Colts’ coaching staff for his athletic abilities. But the lad from the Big Smoke didn’t truly have his a-ha moment until two regular-season contests were in the books.

“When he got here, let’s just say he was very hard to convince. He didn’t travel to Edmonton in Week 1 (against the Wildcats), and he didn’t play in Week 2 (against the Edmonton Huskies). That was kind of a wake-up call for him, I think,” says Salverda. “And since then, he’s simply grabbed more and more of our offensive concept, and it shows in his play. Is he where he wants to be? I’d say no. But he’s getting there.”

Joseph’s breakout game came on Sept. 10 against the host Huskies, when he snared a club-leading 165 yards on seven catches, including a 72-yard TD bomb that saw him fake a few defenders out of their cleats en route to the end zone. During Sunday’s 22-15 loss to the Hilltops, Rodreke’s sensational 41-yard grab was a pivotal starting point in an 84-yard drive that ended with quarterback Clayton Masikewich’s (3rd year, Calgary, John G. Diefenbaker HS) 24-yard scoring strike to Mac Sarro (2nd year, Calgary, Notre Dame HS).

“He’s an athlete. He knows how to make the play, and he does that on a consistent basis. If the ball’s in the air, and it’s a jump-ball, nine times out of 10 he’s coming down with it,” says Salverda. “And he’s happy to accept his role now. Everything we ask him to do, at this stage, he says: ‘OK.’

“He’s OK to run the clearing route all day, because he knows that eventually, one’s going to come to him and he’s going to make a play out of it. He’s bought into the fact that it’s not about one receiver, it’s about four or five.”

Rodreke, who considers it a “blessing” to have two-time Grey Cup winner Ryan Thelwell and Canadian Football Hall of Famer Tom Forzani as his receivers coaches, says his attitude has changed 180 degrees.

“There’s a right way and a wrong way,” he says. “For me, it’s a learning experience while I’m playing. I’m proud of the guys, and I’m proud of myself, that we came this far together. But we’ve still got a ways to go.”

The Colts will also host the Rifles during their regular-season finale on Sunday, Oct. 9 at McMahon Stadium, with a 12 p.m. kickoff.

Keith Kendal’s Colts will be prepping for the Green Gunners this week with 7 p.m. practices on Wednesday, Sept. 21 through Friday, Sept. 23 at Optimist Athletic Park. They’ll fly to the Manitoba capital on Saturday, Sept. 24.