Saskatchewan’s defence gets some redemption

Fans of the Saskatchewan Roughriders had nothing on Ed Gainey.

If supporters of the CFL team were unhappy with its defence after its on-again, off-again showings in the first two weeks of the regular season, their frustration level didn’t come close to matching that of Gainey.

“I didn’t have a good two weeks like I should have,” the Roughriders defensive back said after he — and the defence as a whole — turned in a bounce-back effort during Saturday’s 37-20 victory over the Hamilton Tiger-Cats at Mosaic Stadium.

“I could have played better the first two weeks, so I’ll speak for myself on (the topic of redemption). I definitely had a chip on my shoulder this game and I wanted to make sure that I showed my coaches and teammates that I’m there for them, that I’m a veteran and that I’m going to get my job done.”

Saskatchewan’s defence was relatively solid in a season-opening, 17-16 loss to the Montreal Alouettes on June 22. But a busted coverage allowed B.J. Cunningham to score a 65-yard pass-and-run touchdown in the second quarter, and the unit failed to head off a Montreal drive in the fourth quarter that led to Boris Bede’s game-winning field goal.

Things didn’t get any better for the defence on July 1 against the Winnipeg Blue Bombers.

Saskatchewan started well, holding the visitors without a first down through the first quarter and to just 13 points in the first half. But the Bombers scored touchdowns on three straight possessions in the third quarter to turn a 17-13 deficit into a 34-20 lead.

Winnipeg eventually prevailed 43-40 in double overtime.

The Saskatchewan secondary struggled in that contest, as communication and alignment issues left the Roughriders vulnerable. Three of Winnipeg’s touchdowns were scored by receivers who were wide open because of confusion among the defensive backs and linebackers.

The DBs met as a group the day after the Winnipeg game to discuss the situation. Judging by their showing Saturday, the issues were addressed.

“This (performance) was very important,” Gainey said. “We’ve created an identity for ourselves by knowing that, when we get lined up, do our jobs and communicate, we can play at a very high level.”

“We wanted to make sure that we were fundamentally sound,” added cornerback Jovon Johnson. “Everybody just had to do their job, not try to do too much, know their assignment and get it done.

“As long as we don’t give up easy plays to the offence, we’re a very tough team to beat.”

On Saturday, the Roughriders were facing a Hamilton team that was missing two of its top receivers in Andy Fantuz and Terrence Toliver. But the Tiger-Cats still had the likes of Brandon Banks and Luke Tasker at their disposal, along with quarterback Zach Collaros.

Saskatchewan’s defence was up to the challenge. Neither Banks nor Tasker caught a pass and Collaros was held in check.

The Roughriders got a good push up front, registering 11 quarterback pressures — including three each by ends Willie Jefferson and A.C. Leonard — and holding Hamilton to 27 yards rushing on 10 attempts.

More importantly for the home team, the secondary didn’t have any mental lapses that left receivers all alone downfield. Collaros passed for 189 yards on 34 attempts with just one touchdown.

That scoring toss, a 13-yarder to Junior Collins, was scored after Hamilton was set up in good field position by a Banks punt return. The Tiger-Cats’ other major came on a 110-yard interception return by Justin Rogers.

Two Sergio Castillo field goals rounded out Hamilton’s scoring.

“I thought the defence played pretty solid,” said Chris Jones, the Roughriders’ head coach and defensive co-ordinator. “I only called three or four defences the whole night and just allowed the guys to try to play fast and play hard.

“It was a pretty easy game plan as far as calling the defences and I thought the guys responded. They played fast again and we just played a little bit smarter.”

According to Gainey, the difference between Saturday’s game and the Roughriders’ first two this season was preparation.

“It was learning from our mistakes and not putting ourselves in those situations again,” he said. “We’ve still got a few things to clean up. We’re not going to always be perfect, but we want to get as close to a perfect game as possible.”

The Roughriders have a bye in Week 4 and then face the high-powered Calgary Stampeders at McMahon Stadium on July 22.

Bo Levi Mitchell and the Stamps’ offence will provide a stiff test for the Saskatchewan defence, but that unit generated some confidence with its showing Saturday.

That said, the defence has to duplicate its effort against the Tiger-Cats in future games before anyone forgets the first two weeks — losses that Johnson said “ultimately came down on our shoulders.”

But Saturday’s performance was a good start.

“We’ve got to continue to put 60-minute ball games together on defence,” Johnson added. “In the first half (Saturday), we outmanned them and continued to show progress and then in the second half, we started a little slow.

“We’ve got to come out in the second half ready to go and be able to close teams out from the get-go. We can’t wait until it’s two minutes or three minutes into the third quarter before we actually get back to playing.”