Harker ready, willing and able if called upon to start on Saturday
QB who helped engineer winning season is resting injury, may play in key game
REGINA The Saskatchewan Roughriders believe that backup Isaac Harker could be a money quarterback.
That’s the word from head coach Craig Dickenson, who added some humour to a potentially serious situation on Thursday after it was revealed that Cody Fajardo pulled a back muscle during Wednesday’s closed practice at the University of Regina.
As a result, there’s a chance Harker could make his first CFL start in Saturday’s regular-season finale against the visiting Edmonton Eskimos.
“I didn’t see Cody (when the injury occurred), so we’ll have to make sure Isaac wasn’t slipping him a few 20s off to the side,” Dickenson said with a laugh.
“Cody has been durable, but injuries happen all the time. We’re hopeful it’s not that bad but, if it is, we’ll play the other two (quarterbacks).”
With Fajardo out, Harker and Bryan Bennett shared reps during Thursday’s indoor practice at the Affinityplex.
Harker is No. 2 on the depth chart, so he’s next in line.
“We still don’t really know what’s going on — whether Cody’s starting or not,” Harker said. “If he’s ready to go, he’ll go. But if for any reason he can’t, then I’ll be ready, and I’m 100-per-cent confident with the plays we have. It’s a big game for us.”
Although Harker has been awaiting an opportunity, it doesn’t sound like any money changed hands.
The 24-year-old rookie said he’s on “pins and needles” about the injury — just like the rest of Rider Nation.
“When your best friend on the team gets hurt, you get really concerned, obviously,” said Harker, who initially wasn’t sure what to think. “We have such a funny relationship that sometimes I can’t tell if he’s (serious), but he was in a good amount of pain. He’ll do anything he can do to get back in this game. This is one of the toughest quarterbacks in any league, let alone the CFL.
“So if he can be back, he will be back.”
Although Fajardo’s injury kept him out of practice, it wasn’t enough to prevent him from contributing to Saturday’s preparations. He spent time assisting Harker in the film room Wednesday after the rookie took first-team practice reps.
“He’s an invaluable tool to have,” Harker said. “It speaks volumes to who he is as a person.”
It’s also clear that the Riders support Harker, who has appeared in three games this season, completing 21 of 33 passes for 254 yards with no touchdowns and three picks.
Before Fajardo’s injury, the players had talked about trying to get him some mop-up duty against Edmonton.
A win over the Eskimos will secure first place in the West and an opening-round playoff bye.
“(Harker) wanted to play anyway,” said receiver Naaman Roosevelt. “We were like, ‘We’re going to go out there and give it our all and try to dominate and try to get you in this game.’ I know he has been excited to play. He’s ready to go.”
Dickenson called Harker “a super sharp guy” who understands the offence. The only thing missing is more live bullets, so the opportunity to play Saturday might serve the team well.
“Nothing simulates reps like a game,” Dickenson added. “It’s a great way to grow. Sometimes you learn through good experiences and bad but we certainly feel confident in him. He played in a game against Hamilton and played well. He has done nothing but practise well this whole year.
“If he plays, I think he’ll play well.”
On Halloween, there was a haunting reminder of misfortunes that have befallen the Saskatchewan Roughriders in times of seeming prosperity.
Breaking news that franchise quarterback Cody Fajardo did not participate in Thursday’s practice — for reasons that were not immediately known — sent shock waves reverberating through Riderville.
With precedent in mind, and without any details, it was impossible for this seasoned scribe to avoid defaulting to a worst-case mindset.
Were the team’s Grey Cup hopes suddenly scotched? How could this happen again? Et cetera.
Scary.
During a 90-minute period in which Fajardo’s absence was the only news, there were flashbacks to previous seasons of promise that were ruined by an injury to the marquee quarterback.
In 1970, for example, cracked ribs and a bruised muscle in his back prevented Ron Lancaster from making more than a cameo appearance in the deciding game of the best-of-three Western Conference final against the Calgary Stampeders.
In frigid conditions, Calgary won 15-14 on a 32-yard field goal by Larry Robinson, who somehow split the uprights while kicking into what was supposedly a prohibitive wind.
Robinson had connected on only 12 of 32 field-goal attempts — a 37.5-per-cent accuracy rate — during the regular season, but then he made that kick?
Flushed away was a 14-2-0 season in which Saskatchewan established an enduring franchise record for victories. Calgary (9-7-0) ended up losing to another mediocre team, the 8-7-1 Montreal Alouettes, in the CFL’S championship game.
Grey Cup chatter was also audible in September of 2014, when the Roughriders — defending league champions — expanded their winning streak to seven games.
In the third quarter of the seventh game, however, quarterback Darian Durant suffered a torn tendon in his right elbow. He was lost for the season, as was any scintilla of optimism.
Lancaster, Durant, and, now, Fajardo?
Fears of a serious injury were largely allayed Thursday when head coach Craig Dickenson met the media following practice.
“Cody pulled a muscle in his back yesterday during (a closed) practice,” Dickenson explained.
“We just wanted to play it safe with him. We’re hoping it’s OK. He’s getting treatment right now and we’re taking a look at it, but he wasn’t out here today because of what happened yesterday.”
So it could be worse. It has been worse.
But the timing is still far from ideal.
The Roughriders, after all, have an opportunity to clinch first place in the West for only the second time in the life span of Gainer the Gopher (b. 1977).
A victory over the Edmonton Eskimos on Saturday will do the trick — and be a rare treat — for a Saskatchewan side that has not claimed top spot since 2009.
The Roughriders are not facing a must-win scenario, but the stakes are higher than usual for a regular-season game — the outcome of which will influence the playoff picture.
Considering the entire equation, what does Dickenson do? Does he treat the Roughriders’ looming contest like a playoff game?
“That’s a tough question,” Dickenson replied. “It’s super important. We know that, but we’re still playing another game and so we’re not going to do something that’s going to jeopardize our chances in the next game.
“But, all that being said, this is an important game. We want to win the West and we want a chance to host the West final, so we’re going to play our best guys.”
Their best guy, this season, has undeniably been Fajardo — who on Wednesday was named the team’s most outstanding player. He was not in any visible discomfort while meeting the media after the team’s award winners were announced.
While quarterbacking the Roughriders to 12 victories, Fajardo has demonstrated an ability and a willingness to play through pain. Now his judgment outside of the heat of battle will carry considerable weight.
“It’s going to be his call,” Dickenson said. “If he feels fine, he’ll play. If he feels like he can’t be effective, he won’t.”
At issue is the status of the consummately competitive Fajardo, who routinely puts himself in harm’s way while fighting for additional yards.
That much should provide Rider Nation with at least a sprinkling of reassurance that the ghosts of 1970 and 2014 can be exorcised.