The Saskatchewan Roughriders take on the Winnipeg Blue Bombers in pre-season CFL action on June 10th, 2017 at Mosaic Stadium in Regina, SK. Derek Mortensen/Electric Umbrella
MONTREAL — The Saskatchewan Roughriders open their 2017 CFL regular-season schedule today against the Montreal Alouettes.
To set up the contest (5:30 p.m., CKRM, TSN), here’s one man’s list of five Roughriders who bear watching:
1. Kevin Glenn: The 38-year-old quarterback begins the third stint of his CFL career with the Roughriders, but his first as their undisputed starter. He started games with them in his previous two go-rounds, but this time, he opens the season as the No. 1 guy. Glenn played just three series in the pre-season, all in Saskatchewan’s 42-10 loss to the B.C. Lions on June 16. He completed five of seven pass attempts for 81 yards, aided by a brilliant 41-yard reception in double coverage by Duron Carter. Glenn’s decision-making and ability to get rid of the ball quickly mesh well with the preferred style of offensive co-ordinator Stephen McAdoo. The idea is to get the ball into the hands of the Roughriders’ playmakers as quickly as possible — and that’s one of Glenn’s strengths.
2. Cameron Marshall: The former Winnipeg Blue Bombers tailback won the Roughriders’ starting job in training camp, fending off the challenges of Anthony Allen and Greg Morris even though Saskatchewan didn’t run the ball much in the pre-season. Marshall had two carries for two yards against the Lions after rushing four times for 31 yards in a 25-25 tie with Winnipeg on June 10. Marshall may need a good performance rushing, receiving and blocking today to hold off Kienan LaFrance, whom many considered the favourite for the starting job after signing as a free agent in the off-season. LaFrance missed most of training camp with a hamstring injury, but he has resumed practising.
3. Peter Dyakowski: Acquired from the Toronto Argonauts during training camp, Dyakowski was installed as the starting left guard after Brendon LaBatte suffered an ankle injury. LaBatte has recovered enough to return to the Roughriders’ lineup for today’s game, but that didn’t send Dyakowski to the bench. Instead, he was moved to right guard — a position he played earlier in his career with the Hamilton Tiger-Cats. That sent rookie Dariusz Bladek to the sideline. Dyakowski — who once won the title as Canada’s smartest person — is a cerebral brawler who anchored the Tiger-Cats’ O-line until he was allowed to leave in free agency this off-season.
4. Willie Jefferson: The long-limbed defensive end played five regular-season games with Saskatchewan in 2016 after an unsuccessful run at the NFL. In those five games, Jefferson recorded three sacks, so the Roughriders are eager to see what he can do in a full season. He was a handful for Saskatchewan’s offensive tackles in camp — his one-on-one battles with Derek Dennis were legendary — even though Jefferson was nursing a leg injury. If the 6-foot-6 pass-rusher isn’t getting to (or at least getting close to) the quarterback, he also has a knack for knocking down passes by using his length and timing to get into passing lanes.
5. Erick Dargan: The CFL rookie makes his regular-season debut with Saskatchewan at weak-side linebacker. The 5-foot-11, 213-pound Dargan played safety during his college days at Oregon so he can be a physical presence, but now he’ll be in the box where offensive linemen like to pound on smaller people. Roughriders head coach-GM Chris Jones said this week that Dargan won the Will job with his showing in camp and the pre-season games, which says something about the newcomer. After the contest in B.C., Dargan was so unhappy with his play that he expected to be cut the next day. Instead, he’s starting one week later.
