Riders' offensive line fine tuning for third meeting with Calgary
The Saskatchewan Roughriders’ offensive line is preparing for their third consecutive meeting against the Calgary Stampeders on Saturday.
The Riders dropped both games to Stampeders before their bye week and will be heading off Calgary for the final regular season meeting.
Dan Clark, offensive lineman, said Calgary had been “whooping” him on the line in those past two games.
The veteran added the Stampeders are good upfront and have been doing a great job of coming up with game plans against them.
“They’re definitely beating our one-on-one match ups that we’ve got to win and it’s just something we need to be better at as an O-line group across the way and that starts on Saturday in their place,” said Clark.
Fellow lineman Evan Johnson said the O-line has been using practice to work on picking up the different techniques the Calgary defence has been throwing at them.
“We are able to see it throughout the week and during our individual periods with just the offensive unit we’re able to do bag work in order to kind of simulate that look and that feel,” said Johnson.
The Riders’ offensive line coach Stephen Sorrells said the group has to find a way to get better everyday and that is done through hard work.
“I’m a big believer of if you chase perfection you can catch excellence,” said Sorrells. “I know we’re not going to be perfect, but we’re striving to do that.”
Sorrells said the O-line hasn’t been playing to his standard and he hasn’t been coaching to it, but if they play well up front in Calgary this weekend they have a chance to snap their Stampeder losing skid.
“Quarterbacks, it’s like our mama, we don’t anybody messing with our mother, so we don’t want to let anybody be messing with our quarterback and the more comfortable that we can him feel the better we’re going to play,” said Sorrells.
The offensive line has a number of new faces on it this season and the players have been working on cohesion and communication since the beginning of the season.
“It’s about having each other’s backs and going to battle for each other and that’s something we will do and that’s something that as one of the vocal leaders of the offensive line that we will continue to do and we will continue to be better for this team,” said Clark.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
DEVELOPING Man sets self on fire outside New York court where Trump trial underway
A man set himself on fire on Friday outside the New York courthouse where Donald Trump's historic hush-money trial was taking place as jury selection wrapped up, but officials said he did not appear to have been targeting Trump.
Sask. father found guilty of withholding daughter to prevent her from getting COVID-19 vaccine
Michael Gordon Jackson, a Saskatchewan man accused of abducting his daughter to prevent her from getting a COVID-19 vaccine, has been found guilty for contravention of a custody order.
She set out to find a husband in a year. Then she matched with a guy on a dating app on the other side of the world
Scottish comedian Samantha Hannah was working on a comedy show about finding a husband when Toby Hunter came into her life. What happened next surprised them both.
Mandisa, Grammy award-winning 'American Idol' alum, dead at 47
Soulful gospel artist Mandisa, a Grammy-winning singer who got her start as a contestant on 'American Idol' in 2006, has died, according to a statement on her verified social media. She was 47.
'It could be catastrophic': Woman says natural supplement contained hidden painkiller drug
A Manitoba woman thought she found a miracle natural supplement, but said a hidden ingredient wreaked havoc on her health.
Young people 'tortured' if stolen vehicle operations fail, Montreal police tell MPs
One day after a Montreal police officer fired gunshots at a suspect in a stolen vehicle, senior officers were telling parliamentarians that organized crime groups are recruiting people as young as 15 in the city to steal cars so that they can be shipped overseas.
The Body Shop Canada explores sale as demand outpaces inventory: court filing
The Body Shop Canada is exploring a sale as it struggles to get its hands on enough inventory to keep up with "robust" sales after announcing it would file for creditor protection and close 33 stores.
Vicious attack on a dog ends with charges for northern Ont. suspect
Police in Sault Ste. Marie charged a 22-year-old man with animal cruelty following an attack on a dog Thursday morning.
On federal budget, Macklem says 'fiscal track has not changed significantly'
Bank of Canada governor Tiff Macklem says Canada's fiscal position has 'not changed significantly' following the release of the federal government's budget.