Riders winding down training camp, preparing for regular season
With no pre-season in 2021 the Green and White game is the closest the Saskatchewan Roughriders will get to a game-like scenario before their season kicks off on Aug. 6.
The scrimmage simulated gameplay and the players were able to get something out of it, the team's coach said.
“It brought an awareness to our conditioning level, and when I said to the team ‘we’re not ready to play a game yet’ it wasn’t meant to be an insult or a negative, it’s just reality,” Head Coach Craig Dickenson said.
He said the players were able to grow by getting a better understanding of the pace and speed, which he believes will help them next Friday against the BC Lions.
Overall, Dickenson is pleased with the team and thinks they have a “good core group of players.”
The final roster is just days away, and there are some positions up for grabs.
A starting offensive tackle position is wide open.
“I need to see some physicality from our offensive tackle position… that’s something I’d like to see,” said Dickenson.
A returner position is also available. Dickenson said it’s hard for returners to stand out in practice, so it’s likely they’ll dress different players over a few weeks.
Both returning and new players are feeling the pressure of making the final roster.
Jordan Williams-Lambert is looking to finish strong after returning to practice today due to a hand injury sustained earlier in camp.
“[I’m] just finding a way to get my name out there as much as I can it’s been unfortunate that that’s been the case, but you know that’s uncontrollable, and I look forward to focusing on the things I can control, which is doing my job at a high level,” said Williams-Lambert, wide receiver for the Riders in 2018 and 2019.
Newcomer DeMarquis Gates is also looking to secure his spot on the team these final few days of camp.
“Hopefully what I’ve been doing in practice and stuff impress the coaches and hopefully gets me on to that last roster so I can make some plays in the real games and show you all how I really play football,” said the linebacker.
In Dickenson’s eyes, the Riders have had a competitive camp and in the final week, he is looking for guys that flash both on film and in practice.
“I wanna see a couple guys make some plays, and if they do that they’ve got a chance of solidifying their spot or possibly making us change our mind here in the last few days,” said. Dickenson.
He said the player will have to maintain their health and make some tough decisions to be ready for the season.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Grandparent scam: London, Ont., senior beats fraudsters not once, but twice
It was a typical Tuesday for Mabel Beharrell, 84, until she got the call that would turn her world upside down. Her teenaged grandson was in trouble and needed her help.
Deaths of 4 people on Sask. farm confirmed as murder-suicide
The deaths of four people on a farm near the Saskatchewan village of Neudorf have been confirmed a murder-suicide.
CRA no longer requiring 'bare trust' reporting in 2023 tax return
The Canada Revenue Agency announced Thursday it will not require 'bare trust' reporting from Canadians that it introduced for the 2024 tax season, just four days before the April 2 deadline.
Full parole granted to man convicted in notorious 'McDonald's murders' in Cape Breton
The Parole Board of Canada has granted full parole to one of three men convicted in the brutal murders of three McDonald's restaurant workers in Cape Breton more than 30 years ago.
Incident on Calgary's Reconciliation Bridge comes to safe resolution
Nearly 20 hours after a man climbed and remained perched on top of the Reconciliation Bridge in downtown Calgary, the situation came to a peaceful resolution.
Sunshine list: These were the Ontario public sector's highest earners in 2023
Ontario released its annual sunshine list Thursday afternoon, noting that the largest year-over-year increases were in hospitals, municipalities, and post-secondary sectors.
George Washington family secrets revealed by DNA from unmarked 19th century graves
Genetic analysis has shed light on a long-standing mystery surrounding the fates of U.S. President George Washington's younger brother Samuel and his kin.
'We won't forget': How some Muslims view Poilievre's stance on Israel-Hamas war
A spokesman for a regional Muslim advocacy group says Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre's stance on the Israel-Hamas war could complicate his party's relationship with Muslim Canadians.
Why some Christians are angry about Trump's 'God Bless the USA' Bible
Former U.S. President Donald Trump is officially selling a copy of the Bible themed to Lee Greenwood’s famous song, 'God Bless the USA.' But the concept of a Bible covered in the American flag has raised concern among religious circles.