Notebook: Chris Jones issues a call to action

Conversations about the Saskatchewan Roughriders’ potential are lost on Chris Jones.

Asked Saturday for his thoughts on his team’s preparations for Sunday’s CFL clash against the visiting B.C. Lions, Jones — Saskatchewan’s vice-president of football operations, general manager and head coach — cut right to the chase.

“We’ve got a lot of work to do,” he said at Mosaic Stadium. “It’s time to quit talking about it so much and start doing it, quite honestly.

“We had a good week of preparation, especially in our meetings. I thought we had good attention in our meetings. We’ve got to take that to the field.”

The Roughriders enter Sunday’s game with a 2-4-0 record. Two of those losses (27-10 to the Calgary Stampeders on July 22 and 30-15 to the Lions last Saturday) were lopsided affairs while the other two (17-16 to the Montreal Alouettes on June 22 and 43-40 in overtime to the Winnipeg Blue Bombers on July 1) easily could have gone the other way.

Jones hasn’t had any issues with the players’ effort this season, although players trying to do things other than their own responsibilities have caused costly breakdowns. As a result, the coaches have tried to remind their charges to do their own jobs and trust their teammates to do theirs.

“If we had ifs and buts back, we’d be much better off,” Jones said. “You don’t get second chances to go out and perform in a very precise way.”

Jones is in his second season as the Roughriders’ football boss, so the rebuilding process is ongoing. He likes the group of players he has, but he knows that everyone is judged on results — and the Roughriders haven’t been winning with much regularity.

“I don’t want to say that we’re close; I want to say that we’re tired of talking about it,” the four-time Grey Cup winner said. “It’s time to go out and be about it.

“That has kind of been the message all week: We need to go do it.”

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Tyler Crapigna’s stint on the Roughriders’ six-game injured list ended after just one game.

The kicker tweaked a hamstring during Saskatchewan’s 38-27 victory over the Toronto Argonauts on July 29 and subsequently was put on the six-game. As a result, he was replaced by Quinn van Gylswyk for the Roughriders’ loss in Vancouver on Aug. 5.

On Friday, however, van Gylswyk left practice with an undisclosed injury. On Saturday, Saskatchewan put van Gylswyk on the six-game list and activated Crapigna.

Crapigna said his hamstring is back to 100 per cent, so he’s happy to be back on the roster.

“I was hoping to play this week,” said Crapigna, who is 13-for-15 on field-goal attempts and 13-for-13 on convert tries this season. “I felt pretty good from last week’s rehab. I didn’t pull anything (against the Argos), so I feel good after the time off.”

Crapigna noted it would have been difficult for him to play in Vancouver, so he gladly took the week to recuperate. He did some work on his own, but didn’t practise with the Roughriders until Saturday’s walkthrough.

“I got a couple of reps in today with the guys for the first time and everything felt like I hadn’t missed a beat,” he said. “I’m not really too concerned about (losing my rhythm) at all. Guys try to play it up more as a mental thing, but it’s the same old stuff. It’s the same kicking that I did before. It’s just a week later.”

•••

Derrick Moncrief has waited more than a week to get into a game with Saskatchewan.

The 24-year-old product of Prattville, Ala., signed with the Roughriders on June 3 and made the team out of training camp. He since spent time on the injured list, the practice roster and the suspended list before being activated for Sunday’s game.

The 6-foot-2, 220-pounder is to play strong-side linebacker against B.C. He replaces Crezdon Butler, who moves into the secondary to replace the injured Chris Lyles.

“(Getting to play) is a humbling experience,” Moncrief said. “I’ve been working week in and week out, staying patient and staying dedicated to my craft.

“It was tough at times to have to wait, but I come from a spirited background. Patience is a virtue.”

Moncrief was a safety at Oklahoma State University, but both he and Jones are comfortable with Moncrief’s ability to cover receivers — a prime responsibility of the Sam linebacker. According to Jones, the biggest challenge facing the CFL rookie is to stay level-headed.

That shouldn’t be a problem for Moncrief, who pointed to the fact that he started playing football at age five. That has helped him develop a sense of calm.

That could help as he gets his first opportunity to play a game for the Roughriders and to make a lasting impression.

“I’m just staying with the flow of the game and not trying to do too much,” Moncrief said. “I just want to do my job.”

•••

Returner Chad Owens spent the first third of the regular season on the Roughriders’ six-game injured list — and he’ll remain there for a bit.

Owens was eligible to come off the six-game this week and he could have been activated for Sunday’s game. But on Saturday, the veteran was put back on the six-game.

“He’s going to be able to come back,” Jones said. “It has only been a few weeks since he had the other procedure (on the foot that has been ailing him since last season). He’s itching to go. He’s wanting to go, but Markus (Howell, Saskatchewan’s receivers coach) put him through some stuff this week and he’s still feeling just a hair (off).

“(Staying on the injured list) gives him an extra 10 days with the bye (next week). Chad’s going to work as hard as anybody in football, so he’ll be back after the bye.”