Mitchell Blair
When Riders middle linebacker Rey Williams was lost for the season with a knee injury September 10 in Winnipeg, questions were asked about what the team would do and who would man the middle. You didn’t have to ask Head Coach Corey Chamblin who he was going to slot in that spot because he already knew.
Mike McCullough may be one of the senior members of the football club at age 33, but he has shown he still has a lot in the tank as he has been a major contributor to the success of the defense in the second half of the season.
It was a tough first half for the Kingston, Ontario native as he suffered the first major injury of his 10 year CFL career when he suffered a biceps injury that kept him on the sideline for the first nine games of the season. He was more than ready to get back on the field, but he hated to do it at the expense of Williams who was having an all-star season when he went down.
“You always want to be on the field, but you don’t want to get out there because one of your teammates is out for the season. Rey was having a helluva season and it was tough to see him go down.” McCullough said. “I didn’t want to come in and replace Rey because he is irreplaceable, I just go in and try and manage the game and hope to be able to fill in adequately.”
Whether or not McCullough is a member of the starting twelve on defense or not, he has been a respected Rider in the dressing room for years. Former Riders defensive lineman Luc Mullinder spent seven years as a teammate of McCullough. Mullinder, now a radio analyst for 620 CKRM, says the respect he has for McCullough is off the charts and that’s because Mike commands it.
“He’s a pro’s pro,” Mullinder insisted. “He will never make a mistake on the field when it comes to assignments. He can tell every player on the field where they need to be and how to get there if they ask. He takes care of his body and I think he’s underestimated by a lot of people. You can’t take away the football I-Q he has.”
Head Coach Corey Chamblin agrees with that assessment and admits he has a soft spot for the man the Riders took in the 3rd round of the 2003 draft.
“I like Mike,” Chamblin said with a smile on his face. “Mike is a calming factor out there. He doesn’t get overwhelmed out there. He knows what to do and he does it well when he is called upon whether he is the middle linebacker or on special teams. Many people wondered what we were going to do when Rey went down, but I knew Mike could come in and do the job and he has. “
With McCullough in there, the defense has been playing at a championship level. His two forced fumbles on Saturday against B.C were a big factor in a 35-14 win. He will be tested this Friday when he has to try and control the man who is considered the odds-on favourite to be the league’s Most Outstanding Player—Jon Cornish of the Calgary Stampeders Saturday. To beat the Stampeders, you have to stop Cornish which is something McCullough is fully aware of as the team tries to keep dreams of finishing first in the West and hosting the Western final alive.
“Having a home playoff game is great because it will be a big deal to have the crowd behind us.” McCullough stated. “I’d love to have the Western final here, but if we don’t beat them next week we have second place in our backpocket. We will give them everything we have and make them work for it.”
Cornish will provide McCullough and the rest of the Rider ‘D’ with an immense challenge, but if McCullough meets this game and plays the way he has since becoming the man in the middle, the Calgary running back may not have the type of day he has been accustomed to having.
Game time Saturday afternoon at McMahon Stadium is 500 Saskatchewan time. A Rider’s win and they can finish first in the West if they were to beat Edmonton in the final weekend of the season with the Stampeders losing or tying in their season finale against the Lions.
