The Saskatchewan Roughriders’ defence could have a different look — and quite possibly a different outlook — when it next faces a CFL opponent.
Middle linebacker Henoc Muamba, who on Friday was placed on the six-game injured list and thus missed Saturday’s 43-40 double-overtime loss to the visiting Winnipeg Blue Bombers, was back on the field for Tuesday’s practice at Mosaic Stadium.
Defensive end Jonathan Newsome, who played in Saturday’s game, was not at Tuesday’s practice. He was released earlier in the day after what Chris Jones called a “difference of opinion” between player and coach.
But personnel changes are only part of the adjustments the Roughriders have planned for their defence. They’re eager to be more consistent — which has not exactly been the defence’s calling card through Saskatchewan’s first two regular-season games.
Blown coverages and other breakdowns have hurt the Roughriders, who have surrendered leads in losses to the Montreal Alouettes on June 22 and the Bombers on Saturday.
“We’ve got to be disciplined in the little things and be consistent from beginning to end,” Muamba said. “Both games we played, we showed a lot of great things but (we had) too many mental busts and (were) not fully disciplined for the course of the game. If we’re able to do that, we’re going to be a dominant defence.
“We have everything we need in the locker room. It’s just a matter of being consistent and being disciplined throughout the course of the game.”
Muamba’s return should help in that area.
The veteran linebacker was on the field for practice Wednesday and Thursday of last week, but didn’t complete either workout. On Friday, Saskatchewan put him on the six-game injured list with a knee injury — the expectation being that he would be out for a while.
He watched Saturday’s game from the sideline and then, three days later, was back in the middle of the defence.
“I went with the process,” he said of his recovery. “Sometimes you’ve got to have a little patience and be mentally strong. I did everything I needed to do in order to be able to get back on the field — and here I am.”
The Roughriders have activated Muamba off the six-game injured list and he’s expected to play Saturday against the Hamilton Tiger-Cats at Mosaic Stadium.
Jones admitted the Roughriders initially could have put Muamba on the one-game injured list, but they ultimately decided on the six-game because they believed his injury warranted it.
When Muamba declared himself ready to go, the decision was made to take him off the six-game list early.
“He says that he’s capable of making it through a game, so we’ll put him back on,” said Jones, who can only hope the veteran linebacker will add stability to his defence.
Newsome, on the other hand, won’t be on Saskatchewan’s roster again.
The former NFLer, who was on the Roughriders’ injured list for the game in Montreal, had a tackle and an interception inSaturday’s contest against Winnipeg. He was in meetings Tuesday morning, but was cut before practice started.
“Everything comes down to how we play and how we’re evaluated,” said Jones, who also is Saskatchewan’s defensive co-ordinator. “There was a difference there of his opinion and my opinion, so it was time for him to go.”
Whether the release of Newsome delivers some kind of message to the Roughriders’ remaining defenders is to be determined. Besides, many of them already have done some sort of self-evaluation to figure out how they can change things on the defence.
Veteran defensive back Jovon Johnson reported that the members of the secondary got together Sunday to watch the video of Saturday’s game.
The DBs wanted to know why occasional busts in coverage had left Bombers receivers running free through the secondary. Such was the case on Weston Dressler’s 87- and nine-yard touchdown catches 37 seconds apart in the early stages of the third quarter.
For much of Saturday’s game, the Roughriders’ defence was solid. But in a seven-minute span, Bombers quarterback Matt Nichols threw three touchdown passes during a scoring run that turned a 17-13 deficit into a 34-20 Winnipeg lead.
“(The solutions to inconsistency are) paying attention to details, being disciplined, not taking penalties, lining up, knowing your assignment and doing your job,” Johnson said. “You don’t have to make every play — it’s a team game — so as long as you’re where you’re supposed to be, another guy will make the play.
“At the end of the day, if we can do that, I think we’ll be very good.”
Jones believes that mental fatigue has been the Roughriders’ undoing on defence. Muamba agreed, suggesting the defenders have to stay focused from the start of games until the end if they’re to turn things around.
“We did a lot of good things; that’s the reason why we’re in games,” he said. “The margin of victory in this league is very slim, so we’ve got to be really consistent in doing the little things and we’ll get over the hump.”
