Jamall Johnson puts the hammer in Hamilton

Jamall Johnson is always calculating, constantly measuring his proximity to the ball.

The Hamilton Tiger-Cats linebacker quantifies his success not on his bone-rattling hits - the ones so hellacious they are posted on YouTube.com - or his tally of tackles, even though he currently leads the CFL with 26.

"I'm being measured on how close I am to the ball at the end of a play," the 28-year-old said. "If we run 60 plays and I'm near the ball 58 times, that's a pretty high rating. I just want to get to the ball and be measured at a high rating."

At 6 foot 1, 222 pounds, Johnson considers himself undersized for a linebacker, but that doesn't stop him from punishing opponents. In a hit heard 'round the league on July 1, he drove Winnipeg Blue Bombers quarterback Buck Pierce to the turf. Video clips of the play soon bombarded the Internet and the social networks buzzed with phrases like "Hardest Football Hit Ever."

"I'm not the heaviest linebacker in the league, so one of my assets has always been my speed," Johnson said. "Weight-wise, I'm undersized playing linebacker, so I make up for it with knowledge, studying, watching film and using quickness and leverage to hit some guys unexpectedly."

His three sacks in four games this season had him in a tie for third in the league before Thursday's action - only Winnipeg linebacker Odell Willis (six) and Montreal Alouettes defensive end John Bowman (four) had more. But with an increased emphasis in the CFL on protecting quarterbacks and getting rid of helmet-to-helmet hits, Johnson says it's not always easy for a defender to keep it clean in such a fast-moving game.

"It's football, we're paid to tackle, and it's no one's intention to hurt someone I don't think," the seven-year veteran said. "It's looked at under a microscope now. It's tough, but you have to rely on your good technique to keep it clean.

"We've been learning to close in as much ground as you can on a guy and bend your knees, and wrap up, but don't launch at him."

Asking others within the Ticats organization what makes Johnson such a lethal tackler seems to yield a common response: Leverage.

"When we all saw that hit on Pierce, we were like 'wow,' but we weren't surprised, because we know J.J., and he's a big hitter, so when gets a chance, he's definitely going to take it," fellow linebacker Markeith Knowlton said. "It's about the leverage you have on a player when you hit him, and I think J.J. has a real knack for that."

Johnson, who also had two brief stints in the NFL with the Cleveland Browns and Tampa Bay Buccaneers, believes, in football, the lower man always wins. He constantly studies how high his opponent is playing and tries to get lower to win the play.

"He's still the same athlete and has the same abilities, but he's a much more focused person this year," Ticats head coach Marcel Bellefeuille said. "He understands offences more, what they are trying to do to him.

"He is playing with much better leverage. It all stems from him being a much more mature player this year."

Johnson, a native of Norco, La., played his U.S. college football at Northwestern State University. He says he's always considered himself an underdog player, even as his numbers have often shown otherwise. It keeps him hungry.

"I like to do things with aggression - disciplined aggression," Johnson said. "I came into the season wanting to take a larger role as a leader on our defence, vocally.

"As the season goes on, we want teams to know we're going to hit 'em. If they're going to catch a ball, they may get a couple of yards, but we will make them pay for it."

The Ticats (2-2) face the Als (3-1) in Hamilton on Friday.