The Saskatchewan Roughriders are navigating an unusual schedule as they wrap up training camp. After playing two pre-season games, the team now has a full week of practice before final roster cuts are made this weekend.
A Quick Taste for Harris
Quarterback Trevor Harris saw limited action in Saturday's 31-27 pre-season victory over the Winnipeg Blue Bombers in Saskatoon. He played just one series, completing all three passes for 82 yards, culminating in a two-yard touchdown run by A.J. Ouellette. Harris then watched from the sidelines as Jack Coan, Tommy Stevens, and Brayden Schager took over.
“I came off and (head coach Corey Mace) said, ‘That’s enough, I’ve seen enough, you’re done,’” Harris recalled on Monday. “And I said, ‘Come on, just one more.’ and he said, ‘No, you’re done.’”
Despite the limited action, Harris felt positive about the drive. “Obviously you just get a taste of it, and you start rolling, you’re like, ‘OK, yeah, this is good.’ It feels right, the timing is good. The speed of the game feels good. The guys are on the right spots doing the right thing.”
A Quirky Schedule
The Roughriders face a unique schedule compared to other CFL teams. While the other eight teams play their second and final pre-season games this weekend, Saskatchewan is back at practice preparing for roster cuts. The defending Grey Cup champions then have a bye in Week 1 before starting the regular season on June 13 against the B.C. Lions.
“I wish the CFL could have done something about giving us five days between games one and two, and then three weeks off,” said Harris, who turns 40 on Sunday. “You do pre-season stuff to get in rhythm and then this happens.”
However, Harris sees the silver lining. “But the schedule is going to be great. We have no complaints about it. On the flip side, we get plenty of time to work on ourselves to make sure we’re refining and fine tuning everything that we can heading into the first game of the regular season.”
Focus on Self-Improvement
Head coach Corey Mace did not comment directly on the schedule, but the team is using the extra time to focus on internal improvements. “It does give us a little bit more time just to focus in on ourselves and focus in on install, the things that we want to get good at and finding our identity more and more every day,” Harris added. “So, there are some positives to it.”
The Roughriders will continue practice this week before finalizing their roster for the upcoming season.
