SASKATOON — Marquise Williams received some inside information on the CFL before signing with the Saskatchewan Roughriders.
The former University of North Carolina quarterback has spoken with another ex-Tar Heels pivot — a fellow named Darian Durant — and in those conversations, Williams has asked the erstwhile Roughriders QB a few questions.
“It was great to get to talk to him and to ask him, ‘How’s the CFL different from the NFL?’ ’’ Williams, a 24-year-old product of Charlotte, N.C., said Wednesday — his first day at the Roughriders’ training camp at Griffiths Stadium on the University of Saskatchewan campus.
“I spoke to him yesterday. He wanted to congratulate me for signing with his former team. He said that if I get the chance, I shouldn’t try to break all the records like I did in college. It’s a great opportunity to follow in his footsteps once again.”
The 6-foot-2, 220-pound Williams started 33 games at North Carolina and broke more than 20 school records, including career rushing touchdowns by a quarterback (35), career rushing yards by a quarterback (2,458) and career total offence (10,423 yards). He ranks third in school history with 61 TD passes and — including his three scoring receptions — was responsible for a school-record 99 touchdowns in his career.
In his senior season, Williams passed for 3,072 yards with 24 touchdowns and 10 interceptions and rushed for 948 yards and 13 majors.
Roughriders head coach-GM Chris Jones said Williams was on the team’s radar for about a year. The quarterback signed with the Green Bay Packers as an undrafted free agent in May of 2016 but was released by them prior to the 2016 NFL season.
After travelling for some 15 hours on Tuesday, Williams took the field with his new teammates Wednesday.
He didn’t get a lot of repetitions in his first workout, but he was grateful for the help he received from Saskatchewan’s experienced quarterbacks. That included Vince Young, whom Williams said he has idolized since elementary school.
“I’m glad Coach Jones gave me this opportunity,” Williams said. “A lot of people passed up on me. With this opportunity, I’m going to study the playbook hard and I’m going to show people why they shouldn’t have passed up on me and overlooked me.
“I’m excited I got this chance and I’m ready to go.”
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Another rookie named Williams on the Roughriders’ roster took advantage of Young on Wednesday.
Defensive back Sam Williams intercepted two of Young’s pass attempts. Both passes were underthrown, allowing Williams to beat the receivers to the ball.
“It’s a confidence boost for me (to pick off a former NFLer), but at the same time, I work hard to try to stay level-headed,” said Williams, a rookie out of East Texas Baptist University. “I guess it gives me a little bit of exposure, too. I’m picking off a quarterback that came from The League.”
Williams, a 23-year-old product of Monroe, La., was signed just before the Roughriders opened camp, so his head has been spinning in the early stages as he tries to adjust to Canada — and to the waggle.
“I’m starting to get it down,” he said of the CFL game. “The first day was a little shaky, but I’ve just got to get in there and keep working.”
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Things got a little heated early in Wednesday’s practice when the Roughriders went mano a mano in a blocking drill.
After getting into it with defensive back Reggis Ball, receiver Thomas Mayo threw a couple of punches at DB Zavian Bingham before other players intervened. There were other brief skirmishes as well.
“It’s the baddest guy drill,” Jones said in shrugging off the battles, “so we just wanted to set the tone for the day that we were going to get after it from the word ‘Go.’ ’’
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The list of players who didn’t participate in practice grew Wednesday.
Linebackers Sam Eguavoen, Glenn Love and Gary Wilkins, tailbacks Kienan LaFrance and Daniel Thomas, fullback Spencer Moore, receiver Ricky Collins Jr., offensive lineman Marc Glaude, defensive end Ivan Brown, long-snapper Jorgen Hus and punter Josh Bartel all sat out with undisclosed injuries.
During practice, defensive end Jonathan Newsome, defensive back Ed Gainey and guard Brendon LaBatte left the field with injuries of undetermined severity. LaBatte stayed on the sideline through the end of practice.
Safety Mike Edem went down with a leg injury during practice, but he returned after getting some treatment.
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EXTRAS: Caleb Holley returned to practice Wednesday after missing Tuesday’s workout. The second-year receiver made one of the better catches of the day, ripping the ball away from cornerback Tevaughn Campbell for a 40-yard gain … Rookie QB Bryan Bennett continues to make his case to be the backup quarterback. His play of the day was a perfectly thrown 45-yard TD strike to Duron Carter, who caught the ball in stride behind double coverage … Receiver-returner Chad Owens ran some pass routes Wednesday after being limited over the first three days of camp. Jones has tried to be cautious with Owens as he recovers from a foot injury.
