Mitchell Blair
The Rider Nation could have tolerated the sight of Weston Dressler wearing the red of the NFL’s Kansas City Chiefs, but they couldn’t imagine him wearing any other colour in the CFL except green and white. They don’t have to.
After some anxious hours following his release from the Chiefs on Monday, the Riders were thrilled to know Dressler was coming back to Saskatchewan to resume his CFL career having signed a new deal Wednesday night.
“I can’t put it down to one thing as to why I came back other than playing against John Chick,” joked Dressler as he spoke with reporters’ hours after signing that new contract. “I couldn’t be more excited to be where I’m at right now today. My focus is on here, to win some football games and help this team win another Grey Cup.”
Dressler was very honest when he left for Kansas City when it came to the love he had for the Riders organization and as he returned Thursday, that honesty poured out again as he talked about his desire to return.
“There’s a lot here. There’s a lot I’ve gone through in this organization,” Dressler said. “Players, coaches, the front office, the media and the fans really mean a lot to me. It was a much harder process than I anticipated it to be because of the interest in me shown by other clubs, and I thank them for that, but in the end there is just too much history here for me to walk away from it.”
While there is happiness from one corner of the province to the other and beyond for Dressler’s return, the man with the biggest smile on his face might be quarterback Darian Durant. He could not hide his excitement when talking about the return of number 7.
“It’s great to have him back.” Durant said. ‘He’s a good friend of mine and I feel we’re both in our primes. Having an extra threat on our offence is good and I think first and foremost he will bring that big play ability and that chemistry with me that goes back years and years. We are on the same page and I think he will bring that big play ability back.”
If Durant was the happiest guy to see the return of the 29-year-old North Dakota native, the most relieved man to see Dressler walk back through the doors of the dressing room was General Manager Brendan Taman.
The congenial Taman does admit though it helped somewhat knowing Dressler had a soft spot for the Rider ‘S’.
He obviously really wanted to be here so it made my job easier that’s for sure, but there were some nervous times for a while” Taman said. “He’s a loyal individual though, that’s for sure.”
Head Coach Corey Chamblin is excited to see Dressler re-join what can potentially be an explosive Riders offence, but he does caution that he may not be the same player he was when he left for the NFL right away.
“A lot of people expect him to be the same person he was before he left, but I think it will take some time for him to re-adjust, “Chamblin cautioned. “I’m hoping that adjustment will be a short one and we will move from there. I don’t know if he will play this week even though the playbook isn’t a lot different. It’s an option for him, but I can’t say right now.”
When word came out Dressler was coming back to the CFL and was perhaps considering what was said to be a more lucrative offer from the Ottawa REDBLACKS, Regina businesses tried to sweeten the pot by offering this and that if perhaps the most popular Rider to pull the sweater over his head in the last 20 years needed some convincing. He conceded the offers of free sandwiches to ice cream treats to carwashes did catch him a little off-guard.
“I’m always amazed at the support of this fan base and while it did surprise me, it didn’t” Dressler said. “They show support in a number of ways and this was one of them. I don’t think I’d be the healthiest guy if I took advantage of all the offers, but I’m going to treat my boys, that’s for sure.”
Dressler has no qualms with his experience in Kansas City, but he will acknowledge he has one regret about what happened.
“I think I got a fair chance, but I would have liked more opportunities in the pre-season game.” Dressler said. “As a player, I feel you need to earn the opportunity to get on the field and I guess in their eyes I didn’t do enough to earn that opportunity.”
He has certainly earned the opportunity to be on the field in the CFL and while he doesn’t know if he will be on the field Sunday in the annual Labour Day Classic against the Winnipeg Blue Bombers, he is back and is ready to continue doing what he’s done for his previous six seasons in green and that is be an impact player.
Welcome back Weston! A sold-out crowd is ready to remind you how much you mean.
