Rest the best medicine for battered Roughriders
Some extra time off gives injured players time to heal for game against Stampeders
Some extra time off was just what the doctor ordered for the injuryravaged Saskatchewan Roughriders.
The Riders emerged from Friday’s 27-19 win over the Hamilton Tiger-Cats with as many as 10 players dealing with injuries. On Wednesday, the Riders practised for the first time since improving their CFL record to 6-5 and the injury situation wasn’t nearly as dire.
That’s good news for the Roughriders, considering they play host to the 10-1-1 Calgary Stampeders on Sunday.
“It looks as if the biggest majority (of the injured players) are going to be OK to play,” said Chris Jones, the Riders’ head coach and general manager. “We were fortunate to have a couple of extra days in between these two games. We’re not out of the woods on some of them, but the biggest majority will be OK.”
That group includes centre Brendon LaBatte, who twice left Friday’s game because of an injured right ankle.
He tried to play through the injury on Friday, but was eventually replaced by rookie Dariusz Bladek.
“The time off really helped and I was able to do a few things to help the ankle out,” LaBatte said. “It was great to have four days off, get it worked on, and make some progress. It’s feeling pretty good.”
Wide receiver Duron Carter said his sprained right ankle was also feeling better compared to Friday evening.
“If it came down to me playing, it would be me deciding if a zebra was more white than black,” Carter said with a laugh, adding that it was 50-50 whether he’d be available Sunday.
Like LaBatte, Carter worked with the athletic staff to treat the injury.
“It was regular treatment and I know that everything structurally is OK,’’ said Carter, who leads the CFL with eight touchdown receptions.
“It’s more about dealing with the pain and the inflammation. We’ll see how the rest of the week goes.”
Then there’s quarterback Kevin Glenn, who missed Friday’s game with a bruised right hand.
He was hurt during a 48-28 loss to the Winnipeg Blue Bombers on Sept. 9.
Glenn turned over the quarterbacking duties to Brandon Bridge after testing his hand before Friday’s kickoff. Glenn told Jones his bruised hand wasn’t strong enough to handle the rigours of a game.
On Wednesday, Glenn looked like his old self and was able to deliver his passes accurately and with some authority.
“Letting it settle and taking the last week off was a big help,’’ said Glenn, who will start on Sunday.
“It’s 100 per cent or I wouldn’t be out here playing. A lot of time — especially with the quarterback — your hand is what we use to be able to play. We need to make sure that it’s at 100 per cent health to do what we need to do in the game and to make all of the throws.”
Linebacker Otha Foster, who injured his back on the Riders’ first defensive play of Friday’s game, is expected to play on Sunday. The same goes for special-teams player and backup linebacker Kevin Francis.
Returner Marcus Thigpen (shoulder) is day-to-day.
Safety Mike Edem won’t play Sunday and may be sidelined indefinitely with a shoulder injury.
Jones, meanwhile, bolstered the roster with the additions of veteran CFL safety Marc-Olivier Brouillette, defensive back Elie Bouka and returner Jacoby Ford. They’re all expected to play on Sunday. Linebacker and specialteams ace Glenn Love has exhausted his stint on the six-game injured list and is expected to be on the active roster.
The Riders selected Bouka in the third round (24th overall) of the 2016 CFL draft out of the University of Calgary. He then signed as a free agent with the NFL’s Arizona Cardinals and spent the 2016 season on injured reserve due to a hamstring injury. The Cards released Bouka after the pre-season.
“The ability to sign Bouka and Brouilette gives us one guy who has experience in the league at safety and on special teams and we got another young man who possesses some tremendous talent,’’ Jones said.
It looks as if the biggest majority (of the injured players) are going to be OK to play. We were fortunate to have a couple of extra days in between these two games.