Riderville.com
In Zach Minter’s mind, CFL pre-season games aren’t just about evaluating prospects or schemes.
For Minter, contests like the Saskatchewan Roughriders’ exhibition opener Saturday are all about setting the tone.
“It’s a game — a game,” said the veteran defensive tackle, whose team is to face the Winnipeg Blue Bombers at 7 p.m., at Mosaic Stadium.
“We’re going there to win. We’re going there to set the bar for the season. We’re going there to show not only Winnipeg but everyone around the league what kind of defence we are, what kind of team we are, the way we get after the football, the way we move the football.
“This is how we’re going to build our resumé for the season.”
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Matt Nichols and Brandon Bridge are the projected starters for Saturday’s pre-season match (Johany Jutras/CFL.ca)
The Roughriders are coming off a 2016 regular season in which they went 5-13-0 and missed the playoffs. The contest Saturday will be Saskatchewan’s first since Nov. 5, when it lost 41-18 to the B.C. Lions in its regular-season finale.
In the seven months since that game, head coach-GM Chris Jones has reworked the Roughriders’ roster in hopes of seeing improvement on the field. The current members of the team (barring a few who are injured) will play their first game Saturday — and veteran receiver Rob Bagg can’t wait to see what shakes out.
“(The pre-season) is a great way to analyze and evaluate your teammates when they get between the lines and the lights are on,” Bagg said. “You can see who’s going to show up and who’s going to play hard regardless of the situation.
“When you’re winning, it’s easy to play hard, but in those games that aren’t going your way, who’s going to be there to fight to the end? Exhibition games are a great opportunity to show exactly what type of person and player you are and I look forward to that opportunity.”
No one remembers the results of pre-season games, but that doesn’t mean victories can’t be registered. It’s those wins that Bagg is anxious to see in Saturday’s game and in Saskatchewan’s second pre-season game, June 16 against the host Lions.
“Coaches and people on the outside often talk about how the score at the end of the game doesn’t really matter,” Bagg said of the exhibition slate. “But football is unique in the sense that, every single play, there’s a winner and a loser. We’re going to have roughly 60 snaps on offence and when we’re on the field, we’re trying to win every play.
“At the end of the day, we’ll see what the final score says and you won’t lose too much sleep over that, but you’ll look at the plays you had and see if you beat the man across from you and if your unit was successful. We want to set the tone for the entire season in that sense.”
While the Riders want to win, evaluation will, of course, still be a key component for Chris Jones (Riderville.com)
Jones and his staff obviously will use the pre-season games to evaluate players and to answer questions ranging from who will be the primary backup to starting quarterback Kevin Glenn to who will comprise the rebuilt secondary.
For the players, one of the thrills will be facing someone in a different uniform.
“Playing against our teammates (in training camp), we want to compete and we want to go hard, but there’s that point where you have to take care of yourselves and take care of your teammates,” said defensive back Ed Gainey.
“Flying around against an opponent where we can let it all loose, that’s a big thing for us — getting some of the other team’s colours on our helmets, maybe getting some scratches on our facemasks, that type of thing.”
Adding to the excitement for the Roughriders is the location of the game. The contest Saturday will be the first CFL game ever played in new Mosaic Stadium, into which the Roughriders moved in February.
Most of the players have seen their new digs but, with training camp in Saskatoon, they’ve had to wait to completely settle in. And while the Roughriders are to return to Saskatoon after Saturday’s game, at least they’ll have played a game in their new home.
“It’s going to be unreal,” Gainey said. “Just having a place to call home, having a place that’s put there for us, that’s a big thing for us. It’s going to raise our energy level. We’re definitely looking forward to the fans. It’s supposed to be packed, so we’re going to ride that wave.
“We’re going to show the fans that we’re creating a culture around here. As far as the defence, we’re going to be flying around, sprinting to the ball, trying to get all 12 hats to the football. I’m pretty sure that atmosphere, that crowd and just being in that moment will help.”
Bryan Bennett is among young Riders looking to prove themselves Saturday night (Riderville.com)
Rookie slotback Mitchell Picton has a leg up on his teammates in that regard.
Picton is the only member of the Roughriders who has played a game at Mosaic Stadium, having helped the University of Regina Rams down the University of Saskatchewan Huskies 37-29 in a Canada West contest there on Oct. 1.
That game was a test event for the new stadium. The contest Saturday will be a test for Picton, who’s trying to earn a roster spot with the team that selected him in the fifth round (37th overall) of the May 7 CFL draft.
“It’s just going to be business as usual for me,” Picton said. “It’s just another football game. I can’t think about it too much that I’m on a bigger stage and things like that. I’ve just got to play my game and do what I do.”
