Loucheiz Purifoy has never lived in Saskatchewan before, but he feels right at home already.
When he signed with the CFL’s Saskatchewan Roughriders, the 25-year-old defensive back was reunited with former B.C. Lions teammates like Mic’hael Brooks, Adrian Clarke and Mike Edem and with ex-University of Florida Gators teammate Matt Elam.
“I’ve got a lot of boys that I played ball with, so I kind of feel like I’m at home,” Purifoy said following Thursday’s closed practice at Mosaic Stadium.
The 5-foot-11, 190-pound product of Cantonment, Fla., had NFL stints with the Indianapolis Colts and Seattle Seahawks before joining the Lions in 2016. Over two seasons with B.C., Purifoy had 92 tackles, eight special-teams stops, five sacks, four interceptions and four forced fumbles.
He signed with the Ottawa Redblacks in February and played seven games with them to start the 2018 regular season, recording 29 tackles, one interception and one forced fumble.
Despite those numbers, he was released by Ottawa on Aug. 6. Both Redblacks general manager Marcel Desjardins and head coach Rick Campbell subsequently told reporters that Purifoy wasn’t a good fit with their team.
“People find any kind of response to make it seem like it’s your fault,” Purifoy said Thursday. “But at the end of the day, it’s a business. Me and the (defensive) co-ordinator weren’t getting along (so) I can respect their decision.”
Purifoy signed with the Roughriders on Aug. 8 and was working with the starting defence during Wednesday’s practice — the team’s first full practice since he signed.
He could play in Sunday’s game against the visiting Calgary Stampeders, but so could incumbent Crezdon Butler or recent addition Will Blackmon. Purifoy will take whatever comes.
“It’s football; you’ve got to wait for your opportunity,” he said. “I’ve just got to learn the stuff. Football comes easy. I’ve just got to wait my turn and that’s what I’m doing.”
Purifoy hasn’t played for Chris Jones before, but the newcomer noted that he likes the way the Roughriders’ head coach-GM runs his defence and his team. That includes one-on-one instruction when it comes to the Roughriders’ defensive playbook.
“I go pick his brain every morning so I can know what he wants from me so I can know what to do on the field,” Purifoy said. “Right now, that’s what I’m doing.”
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The Roughriders enter Sunday’s game with a 3-4-0 record — the same mark they had after seven games last season.
The 2017 Roughriders won five of their next seven games and seven of their next 10 to get back into the West Division’s playoff race.
This season, Saskatchewan currently is tied for B.C. for fourth in the West.
“It’s always around this time that we find something,” Roughriders slotback Naaman Roosevelt said. “I don’t know what it is — a little spark, a little energy — and we get it going. Hopefully this year is the same type of year.”
Jones said “it would certainly be great” if the Roughriders could rediscover the magic that helped them get hot last season. But he noted there isn’t anything special that they can do; the key is simply to play error-free football.
“Players don’t have to put on a Superman cape and then all of a sudden play above and beyond their ability,” Jones said. “It’s a matter of going out and taking care of the football, it’s a matter of going out and being assignment sound in all three phases and then just let the chips fall and see where you’re at.”
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The contest Sunday against Calgary will be the first of 11 straight the Roughriders will play without a break.
Saskatchewan played games in the first four weeks of the regular season before getting its first of three byes. After that break, the Roughriders played games in three straight weeks before their second bye came along.
Now they’re to play for 11 consecutive weeks before getting their final bye in the last week of the regular season.
Would they have preferred to have their byes spread out more?
“I don’t know; we’re going to see what happens,” Roosevelt said with a grin. “But we know what’s up ahead. We know we’ve got a grind. It’s going to be 11 straight, but I think we’re all excited to play.
“We’re motivated to do what we thought we were going to do at the beginning. It’s for us to have fun and play as a team. That’s the thing we’ve been lacking. We’ve been down on ourselves for the way games have been going. We have to play as a team and play for each other.”
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On Wednesday, Jones told reporters the Roughriders released receiver Rob Bagg at the end of training 
camp because he had an ankle injury.
On Thursday, Jones admitted “there was kind of a deal” made because the team cut an injured veteran — a move that doesn’t sit well with the CFL Players’ Association.
Bagg rejoined the Roughriders on Wednesday, but Jones stressed the signing had nothing to do with the team’s decision to let Bagg go when he was hurt.
“He was at home and we’re sitting there with very little depth at the Canadian receiver position,” said Jones, whose team has national pass-catchers Josh Stanford and Devon Bailey on its active roster. “He called and expressed an interest to get back.
“He said, ‘Now I’m completely well, my ankle’s not affecting me, I’m 100 per cent and I would love to be back with the football team in any capacity.’ Those are the words you want to hear when you have the GM hat on.”
