Mom’s the word for DaMarcus Fields.
The Saskatchewan Roughriders defensive back is delighted to report that his mother, April Green, will be at Mosaic Stadium for Saturday’s CFL game against the Edmonton Elks (5 p.m., TSN, CKRM).
“She watches me on television all the time, but this is the first time she’s coming to a game, so she’s pretty excited,” Fields says with a smile.
“I’m very excited because, when my mom comes, I try to make sure I have a real good game for her so she can post it on Facebook.”
Fields has had a series of strong performances since making his CFL regular-season debut on June 8 in a 29-21 victory over the host Elks.
He has an interception, one sack, 19 defensive tackles (including one for a loss) and one pass knockdown for the 5-2 Roughriders.
From Day 1, he has been a reliable member of the Roughriders’ secondary, despite being unfamiliar with the Canadian game until a few months ago.
After signing a CFL contract on March 25, Fields began immersing himself in the intricacies of the three-down game.
“There’s the bigger field and having 12 guys,” he says, “and the waggle.”
Ahhh, yes … the waggle — a Canadian football quirk that allows inside receivers to get a running start and hit the line of scrimmage at full speed as the ball is snapped.
“At first, I was very confused,” Fields recalls. “It’s very hard to get some help in the States and ask somebody to waggle for me. They didn’t really know what to do.
“Now that I’m here and I’ve been playing, it gets easier every day, but that was definitely one of the hardest things to do.
“I feel like if you can guard somebody waggling, you’re pretty good.”
In an attempt to get a running start on training camp, Fields began searching for the best volunteer wagglers he could find in Taylor, Texas.
“That was probably the weirdest thing I could ever do, because every time I asked somebody, they looked at me funny,” he says.
“I said, ‘Just imitate this. Just do that.’ They’d say, ‘You want me to run at you?’ I’d say, ‘Yes, I want you to run at me, full-speed, and let me sit still.’ ”
The response was not, shall we say, overwhelming.
“I was really embarrassed to ask other people, so I asked my mom and my brother (Dorian) to do it,” Fields says.
Was April Green an effective waggler?
“Yes,” her proud son states. “She’s pretty fast.”
So was her 26-year-old son’s adjustment to the CFL game.
“I’m just happy and grateful for the opportunity to even be here,” he says. “I’ve been able to learn a lot from my Canadian brothers and the team up here.
“It’s very different compared to where I’m from. I’ll tell you this: It’s really entertaining, very exciting and very fun.”
More fun could follow on Saturday, when Field’s mom is introduced to Mosaic Stadium. What kind of show will she receive from the Roughriders’ No. 22?
“Definitely, some major picks coming,” Fields replies. “Major plays coming — and not just from me. It’s from all my guys.”
