Arthur Ward/CFL.ca
Given the opportunity to look like the smartest guy in the room, to say that yeah, of course he knew what Cody Fajardo was capable of, Craig Dickenson kept it simple.
The head coach of the Saskatchewan Roughriders told the truth.
“No, we didn’t,” Dickenson said on Friday, after the Riders landed in Toronto.
“But we liked what we saw. We saw a very athletic quarterback who had experience in multiple offensive systems, was highly productive in college and really was a good guy. You could sense that. So we felt like he had the tools. He just needed an opportunity.”
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No one could have known 15 weeks ago when Zach Collaros went down that we were on the cusp of two significant storylines for the 2019 season. The first was that eight out of nine starting quarterbacks would meet similar fates this season and be injured. The second storyline is Fajardo.
The 27-year-old is in his fourth season in the CFL, having spent his first two years in Toronto (2016 and 2017) and last year in BC. He’d played in 13 games in that time, working as a second and third-string QB behind Ricky Ray and Travis Lulay. He’d thrown just 68 passes and had 414 yards with five touchdowns when he signed with the Riders as a free agent in February.
Going into his 13th game with the Riders on Saturday, back where his career started at BMO Field, he’s fifth in the league in passing, with 2,862 yards and 10 touchdowns to seven interceptions.
What the Riders lacked over the last few years at quarterback, Fajardo has stepped in and provided. In a constantly-changing West Division — Winnipeg ruled Matt Nichols out for the season on Thursday and Edmonton put Trevor Harris on the six-game injured list on Friday — the Riders are 8-4, two points back of first place and in a good position to take a run at trying to finish first and host the Western Final.
What’s most impressive about Fajardo’s success is the growth he’s shown as a starter. When he did get on the field in Toronto for more than short yardage work, he was quick to run out of the pocket. At six-foot-two and 215 pounds, he’s built for running the ball and has a natural knack for it. Through this season, he’s learning to be patient and to pick his spots. He’s the top rushing QB in the league and ninth overall, with 396 yards.
“We’ve worked hard and I’ve got to credit coach (Riders’ offensive coordinator Steve) McAdoo and (Riders’ QBs coach Steve) Walsh,” Dickenson said.
“We’ve incorporated stuff within practice to try to have him sense rush coming off the edge and step up so that the game wasn’t the only time he’s feeling that, but that just takes repetitions.
“He’s been successful spilling the pocket so much throughout his career that I think it’s still a default for him. But I think as he’s gotten more comfortable in the pocket and more comfortable trusting that the pocket is going to be there. I think he’s gotten better, but he’ll still every once in a while take off when he shouldn’t but I think he’s gotten much better at it.”
Fajardo said that advice from those experienced QBs he backed up — Ray and Lulay — have helped him evolve as a starter.
“I think I understand the game a little bit differently,” he said.
“(It’s) just realizing that you transition. The older you get, your body takes some hits and you want to be able to protect it. When you want to be a franchise guy, you’ve got to be able to protect yourself out there because you can’t go out one week and get hurt. Then all of a sudden the team needs to rely on someone else.
“For me, it’s just understanding that I’ve got to use my arm to win games. I’m always going to fall back on my legs. It’s one of the things that’s kept me in this league, that got me to this league and it’s one of my strengths. I know I feel a lot better body-wise when I’m able to just drop back and throw the ball.”
Fajardo rushes the ball as a member of the Argos in 2017 (Johany Jutras/CFL.ca)
There’s a perfect irony in this weekend’s match up, that Fajardo leads his new team out onto the field where things started for him. A win on Saturday against the Argos would punch the Riders’ playoff ticket. Fajardo looks back on his two years in Toronto as only positive. He was on the 2017 Grey Cup-winning team and scored a touchdown against the Riders in the Eastern Final that year and it was his gateway into a pro career.
“I wouldn’t be in this league if it wasn’t for Toronto taking a chance on me bringing me up and signing me to a contract with (then-Args GM) Jim Barker,” Fajardo said.
“Just them having the faith in me when Jim Barker left and keeping me in the organization and developing me into a CFL quarterback.”
Facing free agency again this off-season, Fajardo will have many more options. He’s proving himself as a starter and as the franchise guy that he always thought he could be. And doing it in Saskatchewan has been a ton of fun.
“Oh, it’s amazing,” he said of life as the Riders’ starting QB.
“(Seeing) just how passionate the whole province is about their team and we’re the show there, where as opposed to some of the other places I’ve been, in Toronto and BC, you’re fighting with other professional sports organizations (for attention).
“Being the No. 1 team that everyone supports has been a lot of fun. For me to get my first opportunity as QB 1 in Saskatchewan has been tremendous because a lot of people have obviously loved me up when we’re winning games, so I don’t ever want to give them a reason not to love me up. That’s why I’m trying everything I can to win each and every day.”
