Naaman Roosevelt’s four-game absence from the Saskatchewan Roughriders’ lineup didn’t affect his presence on the CFL’s West Division all-star team.
The 29-year-old receiver was one of five Roughriders named to the dream team on Wednesday after voting by members of the Football Reporters of Canada in West Division markets and by the division’s coaches.
The other four Roughriders selected were receiver Duron Carter, offensive lineman Brendon LaBatte, defensive end Willie Jefferson and defensive back Ed Gainey.
“It’s exciting when (the voters) think of you as an all-star,” Roosevelt said after Saskatchewan practised at the Credit Union EventPlex. “I feel like I worked hard this year and did everything, so I’m happy about (his selection).”
Roosevelt, a product of Buffalo, makes an all-star team for the first time in his three-year CFL career. He was second on the team in catches (75) and receiving yards (1,035) and tied Carter with eight receiving touchdowns despite playing in only 14 of 18 regular-season games.
Roosevelt suffered a concussion in a game against the Calgary Stampeders on Sept. 24 and missed Saskatchewan’s subsequent game, a Sept. 29 affair against the Ottawa Redblacks.
He played in contests Oct. 7 versus the Toronto Argonauts and Oct. 13 against Ottawa, but he sustained another head injury in that latter game.
He sat out the Roughriders’ final three regular-season games, but appears set to return for the team’s appearance in Sunday’s East Division semifinal against the host Redblacks.
In his first season with the Roughriders, the 26-year-old Carter led the team with 1,043 receiving yards, tied for the team lead with eight TD catches and was third with 73 receptions.
It’s the second time in Carter’s career that he has been named a division all-star; he also made the East team in 2014 when he was a member of the Montreal Alouettes.
LaBatte, 31, is a division all-star for the eighth time in his 10-year career. He made the East team three times while with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers and has been selected five times as a member of the Roughriders.
The University of Regina product played left guard in nine games and centre in nine games this season.
Jefferson, 26, is a first-time all-star. In 18 regular-season games, he had 45 tackles and a team-leading eight sacks and also led the CFL with 37 quarterback pressures.
Gainey topped the CFL with a career-high 10 interceptions over 18 regular-season games. The 27-year-old set a single-game franchise record with four interceptions on Aug. 13 in a game against the B.C. Lions. The first-time all-star also had 48 defensive tackles, two fumble recoveries and one special-teams tackle this season.
The Stampeders and Bombers each had seven players named to the West team. The Roughriders and Edmonton Eskimos were next with five all-stars apiece, while B.C. had three players selected.
In the East, the all-star team comprised 10 Argos, eight Redblacks, six Hamilton Tiger-Cats and three Alouettes.
The CFL all-star team will be revealed in early December.
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Defensive tackle Makana Henry is the Roughriders’ nominee for the Tom Pate Award.
The award is presented annually by the CFL Players’ Association to a player who shows outstanding sportsmanship and who has made contributions to his team, his community and the CFLPA.
Henry, who’s in his second season with the Roughriders, has adopted Regina’s Scott Collegiate as his pet project. The 30-year-old Henry volunteered for various events at the school and led a campaign that bought backpacks and school supplies for every Grade 9 student prior to the 2017-18 school year.
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The Roughriders took their show indoors Wednesday.
Despite the relatively pleasant conditions outside, the team moved its first practice of the week inside the EventPlex.
“We needed to get out, really stretch our legs and run …,” head coach-GM Chris Jones said. “We wanted to get good quality work, fundamental work, so that was kind of the thought process.”
The thoughts of the players now have turned to the Redblacks and the East semifinal.
Despite the magnitude of Sunday’s game, the Roughriders were pretty loose during and after Wednesday’s workout. But offensive lineman Derek Dennis believed there was an underlying appreciation for the task at hand.
“A lot of guys haven’t played in the playoffs (before),” he said. “It’s their first time, so it would be wise for them to take it with a grain of salt because guys like Peter (Dyakowski) and Bakari Grant have played in three Grey Cups and they don’t have a ring.
“It’s not every day you get a chance to go and win a championship, regardless of what league or how many teams or what players or any of that. It’s very hard to win a championship, so I think guys are focused on the goal in mind — and that’s bringing a Grey Cup to Regina.”
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The Roughriders announced the addition of linebacker Alexandre Chevrier to their practice roster Wednesday.
Saskatchewan selected Chevrier in the seventh round (55th overall) of the 2017 CFL draft out of the University of Sherbrooke. The 24-year-old attended the Roughriders’ training camp, but returned to university for his final season of U Sports eligibility.
The 6-foot-0, 215-pounder had 30 solo tackles, 25 assists and two sacks in eight games for Sherbrooke this season.
To make room for Chevrier, the Roughriders released receiver Brett Blaszko.
