Some of the first cuts were the deepest.
Such is the harsh, unavoidable reality of professional football — factoring in a new vantage point.
I have been following the Saskatchewan Roughriders for more than 50 years, either as a fan or in the employ of the Regina Leader-Post.
For most of that time, training-camp or pre-season cuts were simply a name in the newspaper.
It was coldly transactional.
The players seemed like commodities.
Then came Wednesday morning.
At 7:54 a.m., Arielle Zerr — our Director, Communications — sent out a media release that was headlined RIDERS TRIM ROSTER.
Ten players had been released, in accordance with the first cutdown deadline of Coors Light Riders Training Camp.
• National defensive back Jordan Beaulieu.
• American defensive back Julius Faulk.
• Global defensive lineman Valentin Gnahoua.
• American linebacker Alvin Jones Jr.
• American defensive back Austin Joyner.
• American defensive lineman David Kenney.
• American quarterback Levi Lewis.
• American offensive lineman Kooper Richardson.
• American receiver Tabashi Thomas.
• American defensive lineman Marcus Webb.
Suddenly, it stings.
Now that I am embedded with the Roughriders as a writer and historian, there is a different viewpoint — and far more empathy than I could have imagined a year ago … or 20 years ago … or when I was 12, using a black felt marker to cross off names from a roster that appeared in the 1976 Training Camp Prospectus.
It never occurred to me that so many lives were being affected.
It never struck me as a personal story — not for the longest time — because there wasn’t a human connection.
Which brings us back to Wednesday morning …
Many of us were a little deflated to begin the day — a mindset that had to dissipate, by necessity, once Day 4 of main camp began at 9:15 a.m.
Until then, a considerable portion of the early-morning conversation pertained to the players who were no longer part of our group.
These are people with whom we had interacted in the dorms at the University of Saskatchewan.
We have chatted with them formally (in interviews) or casually (while crossing paths or during downtime).
It might have been as much as an impromptu 10-minute chat or a quick hello. But the interactions have been uniformly pleasant.
Then you have Tuesday night in Riderville, where football-operations people conducted quiet, sombre, compassionate conversations.
“It doesn’t get any easier, because these men have worked hard to get to where they’re at,” Head Coach Craig Dickenson said. “It’s tough news to hear.”
INDOOR FOOTBALL
Due to smoke emanating from the wildfires, Wednesday’s practice was moved from Griffiths Stadium to an indoor facility — the Saskatoon Soccer Centre.
“We had to do it,” Dickenson explained. “We checked the weather last night and you could see the smoke moved in. This morning, it was the same.
“I want to give props to our equipment staff, training staff and football-operations people. They were able to get us into that facility on a moment’s notice.
“It was a good day. The guys practised well, it was a nice facility, and we got a lot of good work in today.”
The larger priority, though, was to take care of the players by avoiding the smoke.
“Usually, it’s the players’ association that recommends it, but we always follow the rules,” Dickenson said. “It was so smoky that it was obvious that we weren’t going to be able to practise outside.
“My first job is to take care of the players. We wanted to make sure we did that by going inside today.”
For Thursday, the tentative plan — weather and air quality permitting — is to hold back-to-back practices (beginning at 9 a.m.) at Griffiths Stadium, with an intermission separating the two sessions.
“We’re planning on going back to our padded practice tomorrow and having it out here,” Dickenson said outside Griffiths Stadium, where the players and coaches did interviews on Wednesday after returning to the University of Saskatchewan.
“We’ll stress them a little bit. We need to get our legs right and the only way you do that is by playing football, so we’re going to push them a little bit tomorrow.”
GUARDIAN CAPS SHELL BE WORN
Several Roughriders players wore Guardian Caps for the first time on Wednesday, in adherence to one of the CFL’s new health and safety measures.
Throughout the 2023 season, use of the Guardian Cap will be mandatory for offensive and defensive linemen, running backs and linebackers during training-camp sessions and regular-season practices in which there is contact.
Players at other positions also have the option to wear the Cap — a padded black protective shell that is fastened to the exterior of the helmet.
“We want to walk the walk,” Dickenson said. “If we say we care about players and player safety, we want to do everything we can to make sure we’re following that.”
According to a CFL media release issued Tuesday, “Research has shown that when worn by one player, the Guardian Cap reduces the severity of impact by at least a 10 per cent reduction, and by at least 20 per cent when worn by both players.”
SHORT SNORTS
- Dickenson lauded the play of all four quarterbacks — Trevor Harris, Mason Fine, Jake Dolegala and Shea Patterson — on Wednesday. The nicest throw by Harris was to Brayden Lenius on a deep route down the left sideline. Lenius had a step and the ball was perfectly placed. With a flick of the wrist, Dolegala hit Kalija Lipscomb in stride on a deep route. Patterson’s best pass was a sizzler over the middle to Jake Wieneke on an intermediate route. Fine’s consistency is noted with each passing day.
- Wednesday’s lone interceptor: Cornerback Nic Marshall, for a pick-six. Marshall is the Roughriders’ all-time leader in interception-return touchdowns, with five. (Please note: Nic, not Nick, is the correct spelling.)
- Micah Johnson, Philip Blake and Zack Fry are enjoying strong camps in general. Johnson (defensive tackle) and Blake (offensive lineman) are CFL veterans. Fry, the Roughriders’ second-round draft pick last year, is making a strong bid for a roster spot after returning to Western University in 2022 for a final season of U Sports football.
- Face in the crowd: Jeff Fairholm, a game-breaking receiver with the Roughriders from 1988 to 1993. Fast fact: Fairholm, whom Saskatchewan drafted second overall in 1988, made his CFL pre-season debut in Saskatoon. He caught five passes for 49 yards, including a 13-yard touchdown strike from Kent Austin, in a 41-6 victory over the Winnipeg Blue Bombers on June 26, 1988. The game was witnessed by 5,000-plus spectators at Gordie Howe Bowl.
