'A serious game': Wes Cates gives his view on Rider's first regular season appearance

“An ugly win,” but a win nonetheless is how Wes Cates summed up the Saskatchewan Roughrider’s first regular season performance against the Edmonton Elks on June 11.

Cates joined CTV News’ Brit Dort to chat and grade the green and white’s performance in their first real test of the 2023 CFL season.

Brit Dort:

It is the first edition of X's and O's for the regular season and we of course welcome Wes Cates. We get to top it off with talking with the Rider win this week. So welcome in Wes.

Wes Cates:

“Thanks Brit. That was a serious game. There was guys who were playing like it was playoff time already. But the Riders pulled one out. It wasn't pretty but they got the W.”

Well, let's talk a little bit about Trevor Harris because this was the first sample size Rider fans got. A full game with him at the helm and I mean, it ended on kind of an iffy note there. We're not sure, we'll have to wait and see maybe if there's any injury report coming out, but how do you evaluate his performance?

“Yeah, he had some ups and downs. What I did like when I saw he kind of pulled the ball down and ran it a couple of times, times when he really needed to, to move the sticks. I think he threw the ball and rhythm and got the ball to his playmakers and did a good job of that but clearly had a couple of missed cues. He had that overthrow in the first half and then that big kind of rush through and he kind of got spooked by the rushers there. To throw a pick down in your own zone, like that is really a no, no. So that was a big strike on his play grade. But nonetheless he got the win, so all is forgotten I hope.”

Well it definitely was a tight game all the way to the end there. He kind of kept us waiting, which is a good football game. We like when it's like that, it keeps it exciting. But let's talk about the defense, because they really did keep the Riders in the game, especially toward the end when they denied Edmonton when they were, you know, first and goal, second and goal, third and goal.

“Right, Rolan Milligan (Jr.) came up, made some huge plays in the second half, just a big playmaker, got a huge pick on Jean Louis, all star, the best receiver last year. So kudos to the defense for coming up with some big stops. And a big sack by Brown took Edmonton out of field goal range late and just Robertson was coming off the edge, really just causing some problems. Then of course, the big three stops on the goal line. With Milligan finishing it off with a great tackle on the quarterback and a good athlete at that. So, I think the defense definitely did a lot more than what should have been expected from them. But we've come to expect that from a Rider’s defense. So hats off to them for kind of dragging offense along and getting the W.”

As mentioned too, not a lot of offense. A lot of field goals for scoring. But the one touchdown the Riders did have Derel Walker, getting one against his former team. What do you think that moment was like for him?

“Well that was the best feeling. First game in old Taylor Field actually got to score twice against the Stamps and felt so good and I know just how Derel Walker was feeling. When the team says they don't think you’ve got enough for them to keep you around and then you come in and not only score but get the win, he's going to sleep real good tonight.”

All right, we’re going to continue with my new tradition of letting you grade the team and their performance. I want to throw some numbers at you first. So, you can really evaluate this grade fairly. The Riders allowed two sacks, but they did sack five times. They also had three turnovers and five penalties. So when you put all those numbers together, you look at the scorecard. What are you giving this team this week?

“That was that was a tough one. It was a gritty win. I really want to tip my hat to the players. I mean, they found a way to get it. But they kind of took a step back, didn't look as smooth on offense, definitely. Defense had a couple of big plays that hurt them, but at the end of the day, they got the win. I'm going to say C+. You got to pass them because they got the W. But man that was an ugly win, Brit.”

We’ll give it a pass then. But like I said, it's going to be a tough test next week when they face Winnipeg at home for the home opener. Well, of course, we'll break down that game in our next edition, but thank you for this one.

“No problem.”

Cates played as a running back for the Riders from 2007 until 2011. In that time he recorded 46 touchdowns, over 4,700 yards rushing and 2,095 yards receiving. Originally from Columbus, Ohio, Cates now calls Saskatchewan home.