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EDMONTON -- Relegated to the practice roster after his first pre-season, J.C. Sherritt looked like he might become an afterthought with the Edmonton Eskimos. Two seasons and 202 bone-crunching tackles later, Sherritt is not only the cornerstone of the Eskimos defence, hes the top defensive player in the CFL. The Eskimos rewarded Sherritt for his stellar play Wednesday, signing the five-foot-nine, 218 pound linebacker to a contract extension through the 2015 season. "Last year was obviously a season of highs and lows, and one of the highs was definitely the play of J.C. Sherritt," Eskimos general manager Ed Hervey said. Sherritt was the overwhelming choice for the CFLs outstanding defensive player award, earning 49 of the 57 votes cast by CFL coaches and members of the Football Reporters of Canada. His stats backed up the praise. He made a record-setting 130 defensive tackles in 2012. He also recorded three sacks, three special teams tackles, three forced fumbles, one fumble recovery, two knockdowns and five interceptions for 56 yards. A nagging ankle injury kept him out of the CFL East semifinal with Toronto, which the Argonauts won 42-26. "He is an extremely talented player who has character beyond reproach," Eskimos head coach Kavis Reed said in a statement. "He is a core player who will help us in our championship quest." Thats big praise for someone who wasnt even expected to make the team. Sherritt initially signed with Edmonton on April 20, 2011, as a free agent, but Hervey said even the process of getting him into camp was an "uphill battle." "When he got here there were people that were skeptical of his ability," Hervey said. "It wasnt until coach Reed had a practice session where he went live and J.C. ended up showing how physical he was, nearly knocking out one of the running backs on a goal-line drill. "I think at that point everyone said Hes going to make it at least until the first pre-season game, and the rest is history." That history included being cut after the 2011 pre-season and placed on the practice roster. But with the Eskimos dealing with injuries on defence, Sherritt got into the lineup for Edmontons 2011 season opener against Saskatchewan. He emphatically took advantage of the opportunity, making 11 tackles in the Eskimos 42-28 win over the Roughriders. The Eastern Washington product ended the 2011 season 74 defensive tackles, three quarterback sacks and was named the West Division rookie of the year. "J.C. took full advantage of every opportunity to every opportunity given to him, and because of those last two seasons he was obviously rewarded for his services." Securing Sherritt to a contract was a priority for the Eskimos, who have also extended the contracts of kicker Grant Shaw, linebacker T.J. Hill and offensive lineman Brian Ramsay over the last couple of weeks. "These signings keep the nucleus of this football team intact," Reed said. "We are extremely proud to have them be a part of this team because of their talent and character." NFL Jerseys China . The reasons? Well, you can start with the timing of the firing of George Cortez, their former head coach and director of football operations. He wasnt dismissed until nearly six weeks after Hamiltons season ended, which suggests the Tiger-Cats were intending to keep him. NFL Jerseys From China . Kuptsovs second goal of the game with eight seconds left led the St. Michaels Majors to a 4-3 win over the Barrie Colts. http://studyworx.org/china.html . The 31-year-old Snyder, who gets a $500,000 buyout, played 76 games for Houston in 2012 and hit .176 with seven homers and 24 RBIs. INDIANAPOLIS -- Andrew Luck isnt the only rookie having a pretty good season for the Indianapolis Colts. T.Y. Hilton became the latest first-year player to come through for the surprising Colts with a little club history in Sundays 20-13 win over the Buffalo Bills. The third-round draft choice became the first Colt to return a punt for a score and catch a touchdown pass in the same game. "That surprises nobody on this team and thats what hes paid to do," fellow receiver Reggie Wayne said. "Im excited for every one of these guys when they make a big play. Everybody on this team, their futures are so bright. Im just glad to be part of it." Hilton scored on a 75-yard punt return in the first quarter and caught an 8-yard pass from Luck in the third to cap his big day. The 5-foot-9, 183-pound receiver came into the game with three 100-yard days, so hes already made quite an impression. He also showed hes pretty tough, too. After returning the first punt for a score, he took a vicious high-low combination hit on his second punt. The hit left Hilton holding his head with both hands and fans breathless as he lay motionless on the ground for several minutes. Hilton was cheered as he walked off gingerly off the field, and team officials announced he was being evaluated for a head injury. But he returned later in the first half and helped Indys sluggish offence wake up in the second half. While he caught only three passes for 33 yards, he was the star attraction even though Wayne set a record of his own. The veteran receiver broke Cris Carters NFL record for most consecutive games with multiple catches. Carter had done it 58 times in a row. Waynes streak is now at 59. He also passed Art Monk and Derrick Mason on the NFLs career receptions chart and with 946 is now within five of moving into the top 10. The Colts improved to 7-4, while the Bills fell to 4-7. Luck, who has gotten most of the credit for Indys remarkable turnaround, was 20 of 37 for 240 yards with one touchdown and one interception. He became only the second Colts rookie to top 3,000 yards in a season. The other was Peyton Manning. Hilton said he spoke to ailing coach Chuck Pagano before the game. Bruce Arians is the interim coach while Pagano is being treated for leukemia, but Paganoo attended his second game at Lucas Oil Stadium.dddddddddddd "I talked to coach Pagano before the game and he just told me to stretch and cut, stretch and cut," Hilton said, describing the advice he was given about returning kicks. "So I was able to stretch and my blockers did a good job of getting in front of their dudes, made two guys miss me and I went to the house." The Bills (4-7) couldnt muster enough offence to keep up with the Colts. C.J. Spiller ran 14 times for 107 yards, his sixth straight game with 100 yards from scrimmage. Ryan Fitzpatrick was 17 of 33 for 180 yards with one TD and one interception, and Stevie Johnson caught six passes for 106 yards, his first 100-yard game since December 2011. The Bills did end their red-zone touchdown drought with Fitzpatricks 1-yard TD pass to Lee Smith with 11:30 left in the game. Losing was a major setback for a team hoping to end a 12-year absence from the playoffs. "This one was obviously really needed," Fitzpatrick said. "I dont really want to project or talk about the next however many games we have left. Its all about Go get back to work and try to win next week. Its all we can worry about." Hilton got things started by fielding Shawn Powells 48-yard punt at his own 25, faking out Smith, breaking another tackle in the middle of the field and sprinting to the end zone for Indys first punt return for a score in five years. After the teams traded four field goals, Hilton emerged again, pulling down Lucks third-down pass in the back of the end zone. All the Bills could come back with was Fitzpatricks late TD pass. "I couldnt be prouder of the football team, because Chuck was here and the goal was to make him smile when he left," Arians said. "Im sure hes up there smiling." NOTES: Spillers six-game streak is the longest by a Bills player since Thurman Thomas in 1992-93. ... Wayne also moved into the NFLs top 15 for yards receiving, passing Monk and Irving Fryar. ... Bills defensive end Chris Kelsay left in the first half with a neck injury and fullback Corey McIntyre left in the fourth quarter with a right ankle injury. Neither returned. ... Buffalo hasnt won in Indy since 1998 and has lost seven of the last eight in this series. ' ' '