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A noticeable name was not on the field Wednesday morning when Day 4 of Saskatchewan Roughriders training camp got underway.
Newly acquired all-star centre Sean McEwen was seen sitting on a chair in the north end zone with crutches next to him, watching his teammates practice after injuring himself at camp yesterday.
“Just with his leg, he was doing some of the one-on-ones and then he did some stuff. It just didn’t sit well with him,” said Riders head coach Corey Mace when asked about what happened to McEwen.
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“No real update yet,” Mace added. “We’re going to get some more eyes to kind of get a better idea, but it’s nothing that we’re super stressed about. We need to get a little bit more information.”
Because of the injury, offensive lineman Zack Fry was taking first-team reps at centre, helping protect quarterback Trevor Harris.
Mace said the reason Fry was given the centre reps was simply because of comfort.
“Zack’s played centre for us as well. He knows how to make the calls and we like the flexibility of Logan (Ferland) – obviously, we want to see if we can keep him comfortable where he’s at, but again, it’s just another opportunity for somebody to step in,” Mace added.
“There’s a bunch of other guys who can snap the ball for us, so we’re pleased with that, and we’ll get looks at everybody. We got competition everywhere.”
“He’s a huge player for us. He’s not only a great player, but he’s super smart and he’s kind of the anchor for that o-line at centre,” said Fry when asked about what the loss of McEwen could mean for the team. “Of course it’s a huge hit for that guy to go down, but hopefully he’s back soon.”
Although the loss of McEwen could be a big one for the Riders, Fry said he feels prepared to snap the football if called upon.
“I got lucky enough to get some centre snaps last year, so it’s not as hard as it would be if I didn’t get those snaps,” Fry said.
“But again, it’s always hard to step up into a position that’s not naturally your first, but I thought it went well today, all the guys around me were communicating super well, so they make it easy.”
Fry said this past off-season he actually put some work into the centre position just in case, but admitted the most important thing about playing centre is being prepared.
“The biggest thing at centre is just knowing the playbook in and out and just focusing that time in film — just make sure you’re good to go whenever something happens like that,” Fry said.
The Riders offensive line went through 13 different starters last year after it was decimated by injury.
Offensive lineman Logan Ferland feels the other guys on the o-line are ready to step up if needed.
“We got to have guys step up. We’re used to that from last year and we have a lot of experience and depth because of what’s happened in the past,” Ferland said.
“It’s a hard position to replace and it’s never going to be the exact same as it was, but we got to get good at it. There’s no ifs, ands or buts – we have to be solid in that position regardless of who’s playing there,” Ferland explained.
“It’s just about rotating guys, getting them comfortable in different spots that they might be uncomfortable in, so we can be a hundred per cent on game day regardless of what happens.”
News and notes from Day 4 of camp
The Riders decided to don the pads for the second consecutive day on the fourth day of camp.
Quarterback Trevor Harris was looking good on Wednesday and was throwing the football accurately and deep with confidence.
He tossed two big passes for completions of over 30-plus yards to KeeSean Johnson and Dohnte Meyers.
Receiver Samuel Emilus had the play of the day when he caught a deep ball in double coverage and hit the ground hard, but was able to hang onto the football.
Emilus was OK on the play, but defender Tyrique McGhee was slow to get up. After a couple of minutes on the ground, McGhee would eventually get up and walk off the field under his own power. He ended up being OK and remained in the practice.
Mace said he really enjoyed watching the aggressiveness of defensive backs and receivers going for the football.
“They’ve been going back and forth for the last couple days and you know they’re jawing at each other, but it’s healthy competition. We talked about it yesterday, complete. We want to keep that continuing,” Mace added.
Wednesday’s practice was the first one since the Riders made the first round of cuts.
The Riders announced Wednesday morning that Joe Couch, Nicario Harper, Ty James, Justin Jefferson, Leon Jones, Khalan Laborn and Noah Zerr were among those who would be leaving camp.
Julius Buelow, Jordan Herdman-Reed and Justin Herdman-Reed were all added to the club’s suspended list.
