May 21, 2018

Sam Eguavoen is looking to make an impression

SASKATOON — Sam Eguavoen nailed it.

Three times this off-season, members of the CFL’s Saskatchewan Roughriders — defensive back Ed Gainey, defensive end Willie Jefferson and head coach-GM Chris Jones — have mentioned in passing that Eguavoen does a pretty good impression of Jones.

So on Monday at Griffiths Stadium, Eguavoen was asked to provide a sample. And it was pretty good.

“I listen to Coach Jones every day,” the Roughriders’ third-year linebacker said with a chuckle after a training-camp workout. “I absorb everything he says in the defensive room and even in the team meetings.

“Everything he says, I absorb it for, one, the knowledge to get onto the field and play for him and, two, when he’s not in the room to make fun of him a little bit.”

Ay, there’s the rub.

During CFL Week in Winnipeg, Gainey and Jefferson said the funniest incident they had seen or heard involving Jones was the time he caught Eguavoen in the act. Jones also told reporters on a recent CFL-sponsored conference call that he had heard Eguavoen’s impression.

“I’ll always go up to the podium (in the auditorium at Mosaic Stadium) before he gets in and I’ll just do my little thing,” Eguavoen said. “Everybody will laugh and I’ll make sure to get back to my seat before 9 o’clock.

“For some reason, he got in there early (that day) and I was doing the whole skit. He told me to just go ahead and stay up there.”

Luckily for Eguavoen, Jones took the impersonation in good humour and Eguavoen is still with the team. Because of that, the 25-year-old product of Garland, Texas, could be a valuable cog in Jones’ defence this season.

The 6-foot-0, 227-pounder out of Texas Tech University is auditioning to become Saskatchewan’s new middle linebacker. Eguavoen has played primarily on the weak side through his first two seasons with the Roughriders, but he’s one of the candidates to replace the departed Henoc Muamba in the middle.

“(The opportunity) is huge,” Eguavoen said. “I’ve found myself out here pushing myself harder than I was in my first and second year because now I’ve been in this defence for three years. I have no room for mistakes.

“I love it like that. I love the pressure on me. Even if I’m at Mike or Will, it doesn’t matter. I’m just ready to play and put it all together.”

Eguavoen was a revelation in his first season with the Roughriders, registering 21 tackles, two special-teams stops, two pass knockdowns and one tackle for loss in the team’s first six games. But a knee injury suffered Aug. 4, 2016, against the Calgary Stampeders ended his rookie season prematurely.

He rehabbed the knee in time for training camp in 2017, but an ankle injury sustained on the first day of camp sidelined him until Week 2 of the regular season. He played the next 13 regular-season games before an upper-body injury put him out again.

He missed three of the Roughriders’ final four regular-season games before returning for the post-season. He finished the season with 62 defensive tackles, three special-teams stops, one sack and one interception through 14 regular-season games and two playoff contests.

He has yet to play a full season, but Eguavoen doesn’t feel like he has to make up for lost time.

“Every season is a new season,” he said. “You can’t think so much of, ‘OK, I didn’t do this last year so let me do it (this year).’ You’ve just got to play ball.

“You’ve got to do what you’ve got to do, play within your assignment and play full speed. You’ve got to have a short-term memory.”

On Sunday, Eguavoen was playing middle linebacker but on Monday, he was back on the weak side and Sam Hurl was in the middle.

Jones said the Roughriders will try a number of linebackers at different spots to see what the best combination is, but it seems to be a given that Eguavoen will be one of the three starters.

“I hope this year he comes in and can play all 18 ball games and show that he’s one of the best in the league,” Jones said, “because athletically he can stack up against anybody.”

The one thing Jones doesn’t expect is for Eguavoen to be the voice of the defence. Eguavoen admitted he has to work on being vocal and he vowed to do that this season.

“When I see something that’s just not right, I’m going to speak up,” he said. “I’m going to get everybody aligned and everything.

“It’s just not in me to be the hurrah guy. But my play style is going to be hurrah. Everybody’s going to feel my presence there.”

One question, though: If he does feel the need to speak, will he do it as himself or as Jones?

Replied a laughing Eguavoen: “If I need to get guys to turn and look at me, yeah, I’m going to use his voice.”

EXTRAS: Jones said the prognosis for receiver Jake Harty “does not look good.” Harty injured his right knee during Sunday’s practice … Defensive tackle Zack Evans left Monday’s workout for precautionary reasons with what Jones called tightness in his lower body. Defensive halfback Crezdon Butler also departed early; his status wasn’t known … Defensive tackle Rakim Cox has yet to make an appearance at camp. Jones said the second-year lineman, who hurt his back tying a shoe, is expected on the field in the next few days … The Roughriders announced Monday they had released offensive lineman Marcus Oliver, whose signing had been announced Sunday.