More than 16 months after he was acquired by the Saskatchewan Roughriders, Bruce Campbell finally practised with the CFL team Tuesday.
On Feb. 10, 2016, the Roughriders sent a fourth-round pick in the 2016 CFL draft and the rights to a negotiation-list player to the Toronto Argonauts for Campbell — a former NFLer who had played one season with the Argos. But on May 3 of last year, the 6-foot-7, 317-pound offensive tackle retired unexpectedly, leaving the Roughriders in the lurch.
“Maybe I was homesick; I really don’t know truthfully,” the 29-year-old product of New Haven, Conn., explained after Tuesday’s practice at Mosaic Stadium. “I just felt like, at the end of the 2015 season in Toronto, I just didn’t feel it anymore.
“I kind of listened to myself, went with the punches and retired.”
As the 2016 season played out, however, Campbell realized his feelings for the game had never completely gone away. He watched CFL and NFL games and talked to friends who were still having fun playing the game and came to his own conclusion.
“I was at home working and the love (for football) was still there,” Campbell said. “I don’t want to be that person who goes, ‘What if …?’ or ‘I regret something,’ so that’s why I came back.”
Roughriders head coach-GM Chris Jones stayed in constant contact with Campbell during the 2016 season and through the winter. As conversations continued during Saskatchewan’s 2017 training camp in Saskatoon, Campbell eventually decided to come out of retirement.
“(Jones) hit me up one day and he was like, ‘Still miss it?’ and I was like, ‘Is that a trick question?’ ’’ Campbell recalled. “It went from there.”
Jones said Campbell was going to report before training camp ended, but the Roughriders decided to hold off on adding him. He was signed to the practice roster on Monday and was on the field for practice Tuesday.
“We’ve got three veteran offensive tackles now,” said Jones, whose team deploys Thaddeus Coleman and Derek Dennis as its starters at right and left tackle, respectively. “If we have an injury to the other two, we don’t have to rely on a young guy to come off the (practice roster) and protect our quarterback.”
Campbell admitted he stopped training for football during his hiatus, but he did stay in shape. Now he has to get reacquainted with the speed of the game, the footwork and everything else required to keep a quarterback healthy.
“There’s rust, but that’s the fun part of it: Watching myself grow again,” Campbell said. “There’s a little bit more knowledge under my belt. The game will be fast to begin with, but it should definitely slow down drastically.”
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The Roughriders added linebacker/special-teamer Cameron Ontko to the practice roster Tuesday and released linebacker Jordan Burton.
Ontko, a 25-year-old product of Cleveland, began his CFL career with the Calgary Stampeders in 2015 before signing with the B.C. Lions in July of 2016.
The 5-foot-11, 220-pounder finished 10th in the CFL in special-teams tackles last season, making 18 such stops in 15 games with the Lions. He had three special-teams tackles and one defensive tackle in four games with Calgary in 2015.
There’s a chance Ontko could be activated for Saturday’s game against the visiting Winnipeg Blue Bombers.
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Before joining the Roughriders late in 2015, Jones was the head coach and defensive co-ordinator of the Edmonton Eskimos.
During his stint there, he got to coach and know linebacker J.C. Sherritt. So Jones obviously was disappointed Saturday to see Sherritt suffer a season-ending ruptured Achilles tendon in the Eskimos’ 30-27 victory over the Lions.
“Great guy, great leader, great person,” said Jones, who noted he planned to text Sherritt to offer his support. “He’s just a pro’s pro and was fun to coach.
“It’s just unfortunate. I know how hard he has worked in the off-season to continue his career.”
Another of Jones’ former players, long-snapper Randy Chevrier, announced his retirement Tuesday as a member of the Stampeders. Chevrier filled in as Saskatchewan’s long-snapper during the latter stages of the 2016 season.
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EXTRAS: Jones was asked again Tuesday about the decision to insert backup quarterback Brandon Bridge in the fourth quarter of Thursday’s 17-16 loss to the host Montreal Alouettes. The Roughriders had the ball on the Montreal 13-yard line when Bridge replaced Kevin Glenn at the helm of the offence. Bridge rushed for three yards on first down and threw an incompletion on second down, forcing Tyler Crapigna to kick an 18-yard field goal that put Saskatchewan ahead 16-14 with seven minutes remaining in regulation time. Jones stood behind the decision Tuesday, saying: “I would never second-guess our coaches.” … Jones reported that Ricky Collins Jr. — who had been pegged to handle the Roughriders’ returns in the absence of the injured Chad Owens — will miss the next month after suffering a shoulder injury in Montreal. Nic Demski will be Saskatchewan’s return man for the foreseeable future … Rob Bagg, who missed the contest in Montreal with an ankle injury, was back on the practice field Tuesday. If he’s deemed healthy for Saturday’s home opener, Bagg would bump Demski from the starting receiving corps. Demski caught seven passes for 87 yards in the loss to the Als.
