Thigpen is back and ready to make his mark
Veteran eager to make season debut against Als after two-game suspension
Marcus Thigpen is poised for another comeback with the Saskatchewan Roughriders.
Thigpen is expected to be on the active roster when the Riders play host to the Montreal Alouettes on Saturday. The veteran running back missed the first two regularseason games while serving a CFL-mandated suspension after testing positive for a banned substance.
“It feels good to be back here and running around with my teammates,” Thigpen said. “It’s good prepping for a game. I treated it like last year when I had to sit out when I got injured for six weeks. I stayed at it while running and working out and making sure that I was prepared. It’s good to be back.”
Thigpen knows all about comebacks with the Roughriders. His CFL career started in 2009 during a practice-roster stint in Saskatchewan. He then spent the 2010 and 2011 seasons with the Hamilton Tiger-Cats before embarking on a long journey through the NFL.
He re-signed with the Riders on Sept. 12 and injured a shoulder during a 27-19 win over the TigerCats three days later. He returned to the roster Nov. 4 for the final regular-season game, in which he scored two touchdowns — one rushing and another on a reception — in a 28-13 loss to the Edmonton Eskimos.
In the East Division semifinal, Thigpen had 15 carries for 169 yards, including a 75-yard touchdown romp, in a 31-20 win over the Ottawa Redblacks.
Thigpen wasn’t utilized to the same degree in the East Division final, limited to 34 yards on seven carries and two receptions for 16 yards as the Toronto Argonauts defeated the Riders 25-21.
He signed a one-year contract extension late in the 2017 season. Thigpen was looking forward to another season with the Riders while building off what happened in 2017.
On March 12, however, Thigpen was suspended for two games after testing positive for de hydro ch lo rm ethyl testosterone, an anabolic steroid. He said he was surprised by the positive test and wasn’t sure what led to it, but did learn a lesson while on the sideline.
“I learned to really pay attention to what I put in my body,” Thigpen said. “Don’t take anything that can harm me or harm the team for not being able to help us get those wins that we need. More importantly, it’s about protecting my own safety and my own health. That’s the big thing that I learned from it.”
With the suspension out of the way, the Riders have welcomed him back and all that he brings to the team.
“He’s probably one of the top five fastest guys in the league,” said Chris Jones, the Riders’ head coach and general manager. “He’s able to return, he’s able to play receiver and he’s able to play running back. He’s tough and he adds a lot to our special teams. He’s a dangerous player.”
Jerome Messam and Tre Mason have played at the running back position while Thigpen was suspended. It’s likely Mason will be scratched to allow Thigpen a spot on the roster.
“I just want to give the team that spark,” Thigpen said. “I want to be able to hit the holes as fast as I can and give us that edge I feel that we need out there. We need that burst and that spark. I feel I can do that when I come back.”
The Riders head into Saturday ’s game after absorbing a 40-17 loss to the Redblacks last Thursday. Saskatchewan has to do a better job of protecting the quarterback and running the ball.
Thigpen should help with both aspects.
“(Blocking) is a priority,” Thigpen said. “If we can’t protect the quarterback, then we can’t play. That’s one thing that I’ve been working on personally. The coach said, for me to go from good to great, I have to protect the quarterback as well as run the ball and catch it out of the backfield.”
NOTE: The Riders announced the signing of international quarterback Devin Gardner, a product of the University of Michigan Wolverines. The Riders need another quarterback because Zach Collaros (concussion) is on the six-game injured list. Gardner joins Brandon Bridge and David Watford as the quarterbacks on the active roster.
I stayed at it while running and working out and making sure that I was prepared. It’s good to be back