MONTREAL — According to newly-signed Montreal Alouettes receiver Ernest Jackson, grabbing back-to-back 1000-yard seasons was a combination of hard work and documentation.

“I usually always set goals at the beginning of the season,” Jackson admitted. “We usually write something down on paper. Last year we set our little goals in Ottawa in the locker room. We wrote all of our little goals down and I achieved all of them which was pretty cool. I’ll probably have something written down before the season starts up again.”

This time when the 30-year-old writes things down, he’ll be inside a different locker room as a member of a different team.

Jackson was a pending free agent in 2017, and when the clock struck 12 noon on February 14, he was no longer a REDBLACK and was on the lookout for a new place to call home.

It took two days after hitting the free agent market for Jackson to finally put pen to paper – this time in the form of a contact instead of his goals – signing a two-year deal with the Alouettes.

“It was a great opportunity with Jacques (Chapdelaine) being there, he’s going to try and implement his offence there and being able to work with him before,” Jackson said of his decision to sign in Montreal after unsuccessfully reaching a deal to remain with Ottawa. “Seeing some of the guys (in Montreal), (there are) a lot of veteran guys there, which is a great opportunity to be around veteran guys who know the game well and who can bring a championship to Montreal.”

One of those vets is the man who will take the reins under centre for the Alouettes this season, Darian Durant. Durant signed a three-year deal with the Als in January, just after his rights were traded to the club with earlier in the month, after spending 11 years with the Saskatchewan Roughriders.

Jackson will likely be the favourite target for the pivot when the season gets underway in June. The 6-foot-2, 220-pounder was a reliable option for REDBLACKS quarterbacks Henry Burris and Trevor Harris – he didn’t drop a pass all season and also found the end zone 10 times in 17 games to go along with his 1225 yards.

“No it really didn’t cross my mind at that moment in time,” Jackson laughed when asked about thinking about not dropping a pass all season. “Everyone was talking about the whole drop ball thing making a big deal during the season, it was great though.

“I had my first drop in the Grey Cup. I don’t know if anyone even noticed but it was my first drop. It was in the second quarter, it was a low ball and it went through my hands.”

No one noticed that drop because of the overtime catch that tipped off his fingers two times before he reeled it in to score. That catch was the eventual game-winner, awarding the Ottawa REDBLACKS the coveted trophy in the 104th Grey Cup presented by Shaw.

“That moment when I landed in the end zone, I was just sitting there like, ‘I just won the game for us,’” Jackson recalled of the most memorable moment of his 2016 campaign. “The guys came running up, Kienan (LaFrance), Greg (Ellingson) and all the guys came running up to me and we just started screaming.”

The Alouettes finished the 2016 season with a 7-11 record, missing the playoffs for the second-straight season but with head coach Chapdelaine behind the bench, newly-appointed Kavis Reed directing things from the front office as general manager and key signings to the roster, things could go differently for Montreal in 2017.

But for now, Jackson will continue his off-season training and maybe get in a few more viewings of the Grey Cup catch.

“Oh yeah, definitely re-watched the catch a few times,” Jackson laughed. “Somethings are going to be memorable for the rest of my life.”