Swain tries to catch on with Riders
REGINA — Taylor Field’s north end zone was once dubbed Hughie’s Haven due to the success that Saskatchewan Roughriders legend Hugh Campbell enjoyed in six-point land.
On Saturday, Gluey Hughie’s son — Ottawa Redblacks head coach Rick Campbell — was on hand as someone with a different surname quickly carved out his territory in the stadium’s northernmost region.
First-year receiver Brett Swain caught two touchdown passes in the one-time Haven while helping the Roughriders register a 21-17 CFL pre-season victory over the expansion Redblacks.
Granted, comparisons to Hugh Campbell are highly premature — especially after an exhibition matchup against an Ottawa team that was playing its first game of any description.
And, yes, there is also a danger in mentioning Swain in the same sentence as luminaries such as Andy Fantuz, Chris Getzlaf and Weston Dressler. But I’ve gone there, anyway. So sue me.
There were reminders of Fantuz, Dressler and Getzlaf during Saturday’s second quarter, when quarterback Darian Durant found Swain for an 18-yard touchdown that opened Saskatchewan’s scoring.
Swain snared the ball after getting open on a corner pattern, which was telling. After all, Durant loves to throw that pass. Therefore, any receiver who aspires to make the Roughriders’ roster must be able to run a corner pattern — a la Fantuz, Getzlaf and Dressler — and complete the play.
“That’s a staple route in this league,” Durant said. “It’s one I love and we’d better have a guy who can make that catch and make it happen during the route. (Swain is) doing a great job and he definitely has a place on this roster.”
There is a spot open, due to some notable departures. Dressler, a five-time 1,000-yard receiver, signed with the NFL’s Kansas City Chiefs during the off-season. Geroy Simon, a future Hall of Famer, announced his retirement shortly before training camp.
With voids to be filled, and with Getzlaf not on the roster for Saturday’s game, there were opportunities to be seized by the Roughriders’ first-year slotbacks on Saturday.
Nobody did so more productively than Swain, who scored on both of his northend receptions. But, again, how he scored the first touchdown raised eyebrows.
“We’ve been working on it all camp,” Swain said of the corner route. “It was good that we got out there and got to see it in a game-type atmosphere. I was able to time up a waggle right and hit the top end of my route.
“Darian, like you said, loves to throw those routes. He threw a great ball and I made an adjustment and I kind of let it fall into my hands. It was good to get out there and get that confidence from Darian as well so next time he’ll throw that ball again.”
Swain also collaborated with Adam Weber on a fouryard scoring strike in the third quarter. Afterwards, though, Swain was quick to accentuate a few plays that did not unfold as choreographed.
In the first quarter, he was offside by, ohhhhhh, 15 yards.
He also admitted to some missed assignments and faulty timing on a waggle — a slotback’s running start prior to the snap of the ball.
Overall, however, it was an auspicious start for Swain.
“I had to take a step back and understand what was going on,” said Swain, 29, who saw NFL regular-season duty with the Green Bay Packers and San Francisco 49ers before being introduced to three-down football.
“It’s a quick game and it’s a fast-paced game. As soon as I was able to slow it down in my head and be out there and just understand how it’s being played and switch my mindset over to more of a speedball-type mentality, I was able to kind of come into my own and get more comfortable.”
The two-touchdown debut will soon be forgotten if Swain cannot carry that success into the regular season. Durant is confident that Saturday’s showing will not eventually be written off as a mirage.
“We still have a long way to go, but he’s a smooth routerunner, he has great hands, he’s smart and he knows where to be,” the Roughriders’ marquee player said after completing seven of eight passes for 76 yards in one quarter of action.
“Everything is in place for him. It’s just about getting that chemistry down and that’s what we’re working on.”
If everything unfolds according to plan, Swain will soon find a home in Saskatchewan.
It helps that he has already found a Haven.