Consider the message sent.
From the moment the Saskatchewan Roughriders acquired Charleston Hughes in the off-season, people wondered what the veteran defensive end would do when paired up with returnee Willie Jefferson.
On Friday, Hughes and Jefferson played together for the first time — and Hughes recorded three sacks in Saskatchewan’s 27-19 CFL victory over the Toronto Argonauts at Mosaic Stadium.
“It’s what they said, man: The hype is real,” Jefferson said when asked about Hughes. “I came out and I did what I do (with two pressures and a pass knockdown) and he played off me and did what he does.
“He’s a three-time sack leader for a reason. I just wanted to help him and have him help me.”
Hughes spent the first 10 seasons of his CFL career with the Calgary Stampeders. On Feb. 2, Calgary surprised many in the league by trading the 34-year-old pass-rusher to the Hamilton Tiger-Cats, who quickly flipped Hughes to the Roughriders for quarterback Vernon Adams Jr.
Hughes won the CFL’s sack title last season with 11 and he was expected to team up with Jefferson (eight sacks, 37 quarterback pressures in 2017) and free-agent signing Zack Evans (five sacks, 11 pressures in ’17) to give Saskatchewan a potent pass-rushing triumvirate.
After seeing limited duty in the pre-season — neither Hughes nor Jefferson played a snap and Evans got in for just six plays over two games — the trio took the field for the first time as a group Friday.
Hughes sacked Ricky Ray three times and pressured the Argos’ pivot four times. Jefferson, Makana Henry and Chad Geter each had two pressures and Tobi Antigha added one.
Hughes, who now has 102 career sacks, said his performance represented a message to the rest of the CFL.
“I think I made a statement,” he said. “I think I set the tone for the rest of the season about what kind of game it’s going to be and how I’m going to approach every game.”
Hughes noted that his message wasn’t meant just for folks in other cities. His new teammates also were supposed to take notice.
“(The effort Friday) shows the rest of my team what I can do on the field and what I’m capable of,” said Hughes, who also recovered a fumble after one of Toronto’s final-play laterals hit the turf. “I want to be that player who people on this team can rely on and they know what I’m capable of.”
They know, all right.
“I’m glad he’s my teammate now,” said linebacker Derrick Moncrief. “He’s a sackmaster. He has speed and power. He’s athletic. He just has a nose for the art of sacking a quarterback.”
Chris Jones has seen it for years.
Jones was the Stampeders’ defensive co-ordinator when Hughes broke into the league in 2008. Jones famously cut Hughes as a rookie before injuries forced the Stampeders to recall him — and Hughes had five sacks that season.
Ten seasons later, the two men are working together again.
Jones has seen Hughes take on more of a leadership role this season, offering advice to the likes of Antigha, Geter and Eric Striker — and even to Jefferson and other veteran D-linemen.
Jones also has seen something of a transformation in the 6-foot-1, 246-pounder.
“He’s just smarter,” Jones said. “He has got a little bit more lead in his pencil (in other words, more weight) where he can get push in the pocket. When he got up here, he was more of a linebacker-type guy.”
During training camp, Roughriders quarterback Zach Collaros told reporters that Hughes was “the biggest pain in the ass to go against.” These days, Collaros doesn’t have to face Hughes anymore — and he’s glad about that.
“I know from watching film and having to help game plan, you want to get an extra guy over there, whether it’s a tight end, a running back or sliding the protection to (Hughes),” Collaros said. “Granted, there are a bunch of great defensive linemen in this league, but he seemed to always be the one who gave us the most problems.”
The entire defence gave the Argos problems on Friday.
Toronto ran 26 plays over its first seven possessions — and seven of those plays were punts. The Argos had 70 yards of net offence on those 26 plays.
The Roughriders held the visitors to 55 yards rushing, 234 yards passing (86 of which came on two plays, with gains of 46 and 40 yards) and 265 yards of net offence in the game.
The defenders also contributed to the Roughriders’ point total, thanks to a 65-yard interception return for a touchdown by cornerback Nick Marshall.
“Having to practise against them every day is very tough,” Collaros said. “They make it very hard to feel good leaving the practice field because they’re so good.”
In addition to making his own personal statement Friday, Hughes had one other message for opposing teams: The showing against the Argos was just a start.
“Game in and game out, we have to get better,” said Hughes, whose team is to visit the Ottawa Redblacks on Thursday. “There’s a lot we could have done better in this game and I feel like, once we watch the film and review all the mistakes, we can get better.”
