The Saskatchewan Roughriders’ walking wounded were running around at Mosaic Stadium on Wednesday.
Several of the players who were injured during Friday’s 27-19 CFL victory over the host Hamilton Tiger-Cats were on the field for Saskatchewan’s first practice since that game.
Receiver Duron Carter (ankle), returner Marcus Thigpen (shoulder), guard Brendon LaBatte (ankle) and linebacker Otha Foster III (back) all practised, but to varying degrees. LaBatte and Foster participated fully, while the roles of Carter and Thigpen were limited.
Other players who left Friday’s game — including safety Mike Edem and linebacker/special-teamers Beau Landry and Cameron Ontko — didn’t practise Wednesday and their status for Sunday’s game against the visiting Calgary Stampeders is up in the air.
“It looks as if the biggest majority (of the injured players) are going to be OK to play,” Saskatchewan head coach-GM Chris Jones said.
“We were fortunate to have a couple of extra days between these two games. We’re still not out of the woods on some of them, but the biggest majority of them are going to be OK.”
The Roughriders’ injury woes started even before Friday’s game.
Quarterback Kevin Glenn, who injured his right hand during a game Sept. 9 against the Winnipeg Blue Bombers, threw some passes in Friday’s pre-game warmup before leaving the field. He subsequently was one of the Roughriders’ two healthy scratches.
“It was more so the strength and being able to put some zip on the ball and making every throw,” Glenn said Wednesday. “You never want to put your team in an awkward position as a quarterback when you can’t make certain throws, especially when you see the game plan and you know what the game plan entails.
“Giving (backup Brandon) Bridge that opportunity last week was something that was talked about among all of us and it worked.”
Making his first start as a member of the Roughriders and the second of his CFL career, Bridge threw for 231 yards with three touchdowns.
On Wednesday, however, Bridge was back to being the backup as Glenn took most of the repetitions with the starting offence. Glenn said his hand is back to 100 per cent, so he expects to be under centre for Sunday’s game.
Foster, the first starter to fall Friday, also looked no worse for wear Wednesday.
Signed early last week after being cut by the NFL’s Baltimore Ravens, the Roughriders’ strong-side linebacker hurt his back on the game’s first offensive play.
“It was a run play, I took off and something in my back just locked up on me,” Foster recalled. “Last year, I didn’t miss a play on defence and here it is, my first play in my first game back and I end up getting injured …
“Coming back (from the NFL), you’re ready to play and perform. For that to happen on the first play and not be able to play was disappointing.”
Foster stayed on the field for Hamilton’s next play as well — “I ran to the ball!” he said with a chuckle — and then hobbled off. He didn’t return.
Jones said the Roughriders got Foster to a chiropractor the day after the game and to a massage therapist after that.
“We’re hoping that it holds up this week; if not, we’ll make position changes like normal,” said Jones, who used converted safety Jeff Hecht to replace Foster. “But it’s comforting having a guy like that back.”
LaBatte first hit the deck late in the second quarter and was replaced by rookie Dariusz Bladek. LaBatte returned for the second half, but had to leave the contest again in the fourth quarter.
On Wednesday, he was back in the middle of the offensive line without any sign of the limp he had Friday.
“He’s a tough guy, man,” Jones said. “I went and I saw him in the training room the other day and I asked him, ‘Hey, how are you, big boy?’ He said, ‘Don’t worry about me for one second.’ ’’
In fact, LaBatte said he was better Wednesday than he has been for some time.
“I was able to get into some unreal physio guys who were able to diagnose the problem that I’ve been having since the fourth day of training camp,” he said. “Really, what has been going on is it was constantly being compounded and aggravated and it was getting worse and worse.
“(The physios) were able to reset some of the bones. Honestly, it has gone from being jammed up and feeling like bone on bone to feeling like an ankle should. When I say I’m probably feeling the best I’ve felt in 11 weeks, it wouldn’t be a lie.”
The Roughriders have brought in some reinforcements (players like Marc-Olivier Brouillette and Elie Bouka were signed Wednesday, giving Saskatchewan depth at linebacker and in the secondary) and players who have been out (like linebackers Brandyn Bartlett and Glenn Love) are returning from injury.
Pulling out Friday’s victory despite numerous injuries showed the Roughriders that their backups can fill in if required. But Saskatchewan isn’t the only team learning that lesson.
“Everybody’s got to deal with (injuries),” Jones said. “Edmonton’s got them. Calgary’s got them. At this stage of the year, everybody is going to have injuries and it’s up to us to make sure that we’ve got guys schooled up ready to play.”
