Riders offensive line facing adversity after injury bug takes another bite

Barely a full week into training camp and the Saskatchewan Roughriders offensive line has already taken some pretty big hits.

On Saturday at the Green and White game, head coach Corey Mace confirmed that newly-signed all-star centre Sean McEwen was going to be out for “a while” after suffering an injury during a one-on-one drill in the opening week of training camp.

Fast forward to Victoria Day Monday and the Riders offensive line got hit with another injury after Philippe Gagnon walked off the field with a trainer 30 minutes before the end of practice.

At practice Tuesday, Gagnon was seen walking with a sling on his right arm and didn’t participate.

“He’s going to get some imaging today just to see if we can get some conformation there. We should have a better idea tomorrow about what it is,” said coach Mace after practice.

Read More:

• Saskatoon Police Briefs: Man allegedly draws CO2 pistol after refusing to pay for cab
• Death in Regina police custody likely caused by attempted drug smuggling: SIRT
• Government decisions a major factor in inflation, Sask. business analyst says

Although the storm of injuries feels like it never left for offensive line coach Edwin Harrison, he’s confident his group of linemen will be able to handle the adversity in their way.

“My mother gave me a great quote maybe a couple of days ago when I let her know about about Sean going down. She said on the phone, ‘Son, you know, God gives his toughest battles to the strongest warriors and just like last year, the men in that room and you will come out just like you did before and it will make you even better men, better football players,’” Harrison said.

Harrison mentioned he has complete confidence in his offensive line to get the job done no matter what.

“I couldn’t really be more proud of the men. One thing I think that really aided them starting off camp strong is that these guys came up early this off-season,” Harrison added. “They came up here before the rookies did and almost had an offensive line minicamp, so their investment into the into the unit, into themselves, into this organization I think it’s really paying dividends here at the beginning of camp.”

Because of the injuries, the Riders announced they’ve re-signed offensive linemen Noah Zerr less than a week after he was released from the team.

“Football is a crazy sport. I loved playing for the Riders last year. I think when they did let me go, the mindset was just to stay ready. Stay positive. It’s a crazy business and there’s opportunities popping up left, right and centre,” Zerr explained. “I just kind of tried to stay out of my own way, stay in my notebook, stay in the film from what I could get and just stay ready.”

Zerr said before he was released, he tried to leave an impression on the Riders coaching staff.

While he always left the door open with the Riders, Zerr admits he didn’t think the opportunity to get back on the team would be this quick.

“I wasn’t expecting it to work out so fast, but I’m very happy to be back. I’m very happy to be back on the field with the guys and competing every day and getting better,” Zerr said. “It’s one of those things where it happens and you hope to be back, but it’s kind of whoever is gonna pay the bills. I’m just glad it was the Riders.”

News and notes form Day 8 of Riders training camp

After coach Mace said on Monday that he didn’t think the team had its best practice, Mace was much happier with the effort put forward on Tuesday.

“I think the compete level was high,” Mace said. “Pleased with how those guys responded – offense had some big plays. I thought run game as well did a good job.”

The battles between the offensive line and defensive line were intense on Tuesday, with several players taking big tumbles during the drills.

One of those players taking a big tumble was defensive linemen Charbel Dabire, who went to the ground and was yelling in pain.

He was able to get up with some help and went over to the bench where he dealt with the medical team. Not long after, Dabire got up and was able to walk under his own power to the dressing room and later rejoined the Riders on the sideline before practice ended.

Mace reminded the players after practice that there still is a line to cross.

“It’s a trench play and that’s what we just talked about – there’s a way to compete at a high level, but also a way to be smart and be safe around your teammates,” Mace explained. “Just something that we got to be a little bit better at as far as today, but it is a fine line when you’re competing the way that these guys are. We just got to be a little bit smarter towards the end of the whistle.”

There were no real big plays that stood out on Tuesday, but coach Mace did feel all of the quarterbacks had a good day.

Trevor Harris, Jake Maier, Jack Coan and Tommy Stevens were all launching the ball and completing their passes for big gains.

On the defensive side of the football, Antoine Brooks Jr. climbed the ladder to block a pass from Maier towards the end of the practice. He once again was everywhere on the football field.

The Riders return to training camp on Wednesday at 8:30 a.m. at Griffiths Stadium.