THE ‘WESTON’ SEMIFINAL
Dressler always a hit with Rider fans
At every Saskatchewan Roughriders home game, a loyal constituency of fans can be seen proudly wearing green jerseys bearing the number seven and good name of Weston Dressler.
“I just assumed all the 7s had ‘Jefferson’ on the back of them now,” a chuckling Dressler, now of the Winnipeg Blue Bombers, said Tuesday in reference to Roughriders defensive end Willie Jefferson. “He’s a pretty good player out there.
“That connection with the fans will always be there for me. That mutual respect back and forth is pretty special.
“Obviously, some of the greatest fans in the world are out there. They’re always supporting their team and supporting their players. It’s something that I’ve never taken for granted and will always appreciate well after my time with football is done.”
Regardless of what Dressler accomplishes with the Bombers, he will always be associated with Saskatchewan. He was a phenomenally popular member of the Roughriders from 2008 to 2015, posting the first five of his six 1,000-yard seasons as a CFLER.
He also helped the Roughriders win a home-field Grey Cup in 2013, catching a touchdown pass in a 45-23 victory over the Hamilton Tiger-cats.
For the time being, the 101st Grey Cup is the most-recent post-season game to have been played in Regina.
The five-year drought will be snapped Sunday, when the Roughriders play host to Dressler and the Bombers in the West Division semifinal.
“It’s always a little different playing against the Riders, just because of the history that’s there,” said Dressler, 33, who signed with the Bombers in 2016 after being released by Saskatchewan for financial reasons.
“I’ll never forget all the things that we accomplished while I was there — the good times, the bad times.
As far as the game itself goes, once the game gets going and you get into the game, I want to win just as badly, no matter who we’re playing.
“As far as the game itself goes, once the game gets going and you get into the game, I want to win just as badly, no matter who we’re playing.
“I really enjoy being a part of the Blue Bombers right now, the organization, and the guys we have in the locker-room right now, who I’m having a blast with. I want to hopefully come out with a win for those guys just as much as anything else.”
The Bombers’ chances of winning are greatly enhanced when Dressler is on the field.
As Jamie Nye pointed out Tuesday on CJME’S Green Zone, the 2018 Blue Bombers had a
10-3 record when Dressler was in the lineup, but were 0-5 when he was sidelined.
Dressler, being as modest as he is classy, will never take credit for such things. He is much quicker, though, to single out others — such as Darian Durant, for example.
When the Roughriders last staged a West Division semifinal, it wasn’t looking promising for the home side.
The B.C. Lions provided the toughest test of the 2013 postseason for the eventual Grey
Cup champions, who won their following two playoff games by a combined score of 80-36.
Saskatchewan trailed the Lions 17-16 at halftime and 25-16 after three quarters before Durant, as Dressler put it, “kind of took over for us and almost single-handedly won us that game.”
On the final play of the third quarter, Durant ran for 15 yards to extend a drive.
Two plays later, in another second-and-10 situation, he took off on a 35-yard run to set up his 10-yard touchdown pass to Dressler, who scored his second major of the game.
The Roughriders’ next possession — an eight-play, 49-yard march — ended with a 45-yard Chris Milo field goal that put the home side ahead, 26-25.
Durant used his mobility once again late in the fourth quarter, running for gains of 28 (again on second-and-10) and 13 (on second-and-7) to put Saskatchewan in position for a 28-yard field goal by Milo, who concluded the scoring with 51 seconds remaining.
The Roughriders won Durant’s signature game, 29-25.
“Obviously,” Dressler noted, “the rest is history.”
The Roughriders are poised to make history Sunday, when the first post-season game at new Mosaic Stadium is to be played.
It is only fitting that Dressler will be part of the proceedings, albeit in blue and gold.
Despite his current affiliation, don’t be surprised if, as usual, there are abundant green “Dresslers” — wearing the number seven — in the audience.