August 16, 2017

Vernon Adams Jr. looks to fit right in

Joining the Saskatchewan Roughriders is like a reunion for Vernon Adams Jr.

In the early stages of the 2016 CFL season, Adams was a teammate of quarterbacks Kevin Glenn and Brandon Bridge with the Montreal Alouettes before Glenn was traded and Bridge was released.

Bridge signed with the Roughriders later that season and Glenn inked a free-agent pact with them in January. The trio was reunited Tuesday, when Saskatchewan acquired Adams from the Als.

“I was talking about it yesterday with a couple of Montreal teammates and I said, ‘I think it’s cool that I’m going to a group that I’ve already worked with,’ ” the 24-year-old quarterback said Wednesday during his introductory media conference at Mosaic Stadium.

“Sometimes you come into a group and some guys are thinking different things and you just never know how the vibe is going to be, but I know how these two are and I know how to work with them. They told me things about Marquise (Williams), that he’s a good guy too. I think it’s going to work out well for all of us.”

The Roughriders got Adams and a fifth-round selection in the 2018 draft from Montreal in exchange for national defensive back Tevaughn Campbell and a third-round pick in each of the 2018 and 2019 drafts.

On Wednesday, Saskatchewan head coach-GM Chris Jones revealed his organization had been talking with the Als about acquiring Adams for more than a year. The deal finally was consummated Tuesday.

“Last year when we played him, we sent a lot of stuff at him,” said Jones, whose team faced Adams on Oct. 22, 2016, when he made his first career CFL start. “He’s as elusive as anybody I’ve ever had to coach against.

“Certainly, he’s got some things to work on as a quarterback, as all young quarterbacks do, but he’s 65-and-14 (as a starter) since high school, so that’s what I like most.”

One of those victories was a 19-14 decision over the Roughriders on that rainy October day. Adams was 11-for-24 passing for 177 yards with one touchdown and rushed twice for 26 yards in the Montreal win. He also threw an interception — and ironically it was made by Campbell.

“Wow, I didn’t even know that,” Adams said Wednesday. “That’s crazy.

“It was just a fun game: My first start, playing here in front of these crazy fans. They were loud, so now I’m glad I can play with them and hear them cheering for us instead of against us. I’m excited.”

Adams, who hails from Pasadena, Calif., was on the B.C. Lions’ negotiation list before his rights were traded to the Alouettes in May of 2016. Montreal sent a first-round pick in the 2017 draft to the Lions for the rights to the former University of Oregon Ducks pivot.

The 5-foot-11, 200-pounder played in 15 regular-season games (with three starts) with the Alouettes last season. He completed 42 of 75 pass attempts for 575 yards and four touchdowns and rushed 29 times for 112 yards and a TD.

This season, he had eight carries for nine yards and a touchdown in seven games as a backup to Darian Durant. But with Drew Willy returning to the lineup — and with three other young quarterbacks currently in the Als’ stable — Adams figured something was going to happen.

That something was Tuesday’s trade.

The Roughriders are on a bye week, so Adams has time to get up to speed on their offence and to get acclimated to his new home. Jones said Adams would be inserted into the short-yardage offence right away, meaning he’ll handle those duties when Saskatchewan faces the Edmonton Eskimos on Aug. 25.

Asked who would come out of the lineup to make room for Adams, Jones replied: “We’ll see. It’s going to be a competition thing.”

“We need both (Bridge and Williams) to up their game, at practice and in games when they get opportunities,” Jones added. “This is not a message being sent to them. It’s the fact that he’s a winning quarterback who has done it at a high level. He has won a lot of games and he’s 3-and-0 as a starter in this league.”

Glenn is the Roughriders’ undisputed starter this season, but he is 38 years old. His backups now are 25 (Bridge), Williams (24) and Adams (24) as the Roughriders work on their depth at the position.

“All of those guys we have are here for a reason,” Jones said. “Now it’s just a matter of who comes out.”

Jones spoke to a number of people about Adams, including his former coach at Eastern Washington University (Beau Baldwin), some of his ex-teammates in Montreal (John Bowman and Chip Cox) and some of his future teammates in Saskatchewan (Bridge and Glenn).

Jones head about Adams’ work ethic, his competitiveness and his leadership skills. He also showed a willingness to learn in Montreal, improving his film study and meeting regularly with quarterbacks coach Anthony Calvillo.

Adams also converses often with fellow Baldwin pupils/CFL starters Bo Levi Mitchell, Matt Nichols and Mike Reilly as he tries to learn the ropes.

“I really want to just perfect my ways as a quarterback, keep learning from Kevin Glenn, see how he does it, see how he has been playing for so long and just be a professional,” Adams said.

Adams’ mobility has never been questioned, but he admitted he has to work on being more patient in the pocket and going through all of his reads before taking off. His progression will determine where he fits in the Roughriders’ future plans — especially when the starter is the CFL’s oldest player.

“Nobody’s going to play forever, but he’s still playing at a high level right now,” Adams said of Glenn. “That’s why this is a good opportunity for me to come in mid-season, learn from him and just do what I can to help this team.”