'Year 2 is when they get it': Riders' Dickenson has high expectations for former rookies
The Saskatchewan Roughriders will have their first test of the season this weekend and the stakes are high for everyone but head coach, Craig Dickenson, hopes to see a big jump in skillset from last year’s rookie class.
“You always bring in so many players so year two is when they get it. Usually year two is a good year for the second year players because the first year, it’s a little big and it’s new. But if you can get them to year two, they usually make huge improvements,” Dickenson explained.
A year two player that fans expect to see a lot of action is running back, Frankie Hickson. Hickson was the Riders’ nominee for CFL’s Most Outstanding Rookie Award in 2022.
He made four starts in 13 games last season and finished the year sixth in rushing yards amongst the league.
“The team is requiring a little bit more of me this year and what comes with that is more responsibility. But it’s great, more ability, more chances to make plays for my teammates,” Hickson said.
“My route running and catching has gotten better but I would say my biggest jump [from last year to this year] is just confidence. Trusting myself a little bit more to do what God has given me the ability to do,” he added.
However, Hickson is not the only player Dickenson will have his eye on from the 2022 rookie class.
“[Samuel] Emilus has been good. A.J. Allen, it’s year three for him but kind of year two because he went back. Amari Henderson is another example they usually get it. Jayden Dalke, another good name. [Dalke] was good for us last year but now you can see he’s taking the next step on defence,” listed Dickenson.
The expectation with a year under their belt is not lost on the newly deemed veterans.
“Grateful for more opportunity, more responsibility because I want to be accountable and I want to be reliable to my coaches and teammates,” Dalke said.
“I’m way more comfortable and I’m making plays [now]. I would say the second year really made me do what I’m supposed to do and be ready for what’s coming,” Emilus said.
The second year players will get their first chance to make a statement as CFL veterans this weekend when they head to Edmonton to take on the Elks.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Why these immigrants to Canada say they're thinking about leaving, or have already moved on
For some immigrants, their dreams of permanently settling in Canada have taken an unexpected twist.
DEVELOPING Live updates from the Trump hush money trial: Stormy Daniels, bookkeeper testify
Adult film star Stormy Daniels is on the stand a second time Thursday as former U.S. president Donald Trump’s hush money case continues in Manhattan. Follow live updates here.
Ontario family receives massive hospital bill as part of LTC law, refuses to pay
A southwestern Ontario woman has received an $8,400 bill from a hospital in Windsor, Ont., after she refused to put her mother in a nursing home she hated -- and she says she has no intention of paying it.
Here are the ultraprocessed foods you most need to avoid, according to a 30-year study
Studies have shown that ultraprocessed foods can have a detrimental impact on health. But 30 years of research show they don’t all have the same impact.
Ontario man frustrated after $3,500 paving job leaves driveway in shambles
An Ontario man considering having his driveway paved received a quote from a company for $7,000, but then, another paver in the neighbourhood knocked on his door and offered half that rate.
BREAKING Sheldon Keefe out as head coach of Toronto Maple Leafs
The Toronto Maple Leafs have fired head coach Sheldon Keefe. The team made the announcement Thursday after the Original Six franchise lost to the Boston Bruins in seven games in the first round of the Stanley Cup playoffs.
Boeing 737 catches fire and skids off the runway at a Senegal airport, injuring 10 people
A Boeing 737-300 plane carrying 85 people skidded off a runway at the airport in Dakar, Senegal's capital, injuring 10 people, according to the transport minister, an airline safety group and footage from a passenger that showed the aircraft on fire.
Breast cancer screening should start at age 40, Canadian Cancer Society says
The Canadian Cancer Society says all provinces and territories should lower the starting age for breast cancer screening to 40.
Man accused of killing two children at Quebec daycare to stand trial in April 2025
The man accused of murdering two children and injuring six others after a city bus crashed into a Montreal-area daycare is scheduled to stand trial over five weeks beginning in April 2025.