VANCOUVER — The Saskatchewan Roughriders wrap up their 2017 CFL pre-season schedule tonight against the B.C. Lions.
To set up the contest (8 p.m., BC Place, CKRM, TSN), here’s one man’s list of five Roughriders who bear watching:
1. Kevin Glenn: While the 38-year-old quarterback didn’t play in the Roughriders’ pre-season opener Saturday against the Winnipeg Blue Bombers, he was itching to take the field after experiencing the atmosphere at new Mosaic Stadium. But Glenn had to watch as his understudies (Brandon Bridge, Bryan Bennett and Marquise Williams) took their turns running the offence in Saskatchewan’s 25-25 tie with the Bombers. So, in his pre-season debut tonight, Glenn is expected to get about a quarter and a half of playing time. The veteran QB, who’s entering his 17th CFL season, already has been named the Roughriders’ starter for the season by head coach-GM Chris Jones due to his experience and accuracy. Glenn was Saskatchewan’s best quarterback during training camp, making excellent reads and delivering the ball on time. He’ll be expected to do the same thing when the bullets are flying in BC Place.
2. Dariusz Bladek: The rookie offensive lineman is to get his first start in a professional football game tonight, when he fills in for an injured Josiah St. John at right guard. After the Roughriders selected Bladek in the second round (11th overall) of the May 7 CFL draft, Jones said the coaches felt the 6-foot-4, 300-pounder out of Bethune-Cookman University was the most pro-ready guard in the lottery. Well, three weeks of training camp haven’t done anything to change the coaches’ minds. Jones noted that Bladek may have struggled at times in one-on-one drills during camp, but the 23-year-old was very good when the offence went up against the defence. The Lions’ defensive tackles will give Bladek a stern test tonight.
3. Sam Williams: After starting camp in the secondary, the 23-year-old out of East Texas Baptist University now is at linebacker — and he’s to start at the strong-side spot tonight. The 6-foot-2, 205-pounder showed during training camp that he had good ball skills, as evidenced by his two interceptions of Vince Young aerials during one workout. He also has shown the ability to cover receivers man-to-man, which is a requirement of the Sam linebacker. Derrick Moncrief started at this spot in the pre-season opener, but he’s out with an injury. Moncrief’s backup in that game was Tyler Hunter, who was released earlier this week. That means Saskatchewan is still looking for someone to replace the departed Otha Foster III at this spot, so a solid performance tonight by Williams could vault him into the lead.
4. Mike Edem: The fifth-year CFLer (and first-year Roughrider) is locked in a battle with veteran Jeff Hecht for the starting safety job. Hecht is slated to start tonight’s game, but Edem will get playing time. The 6-foot-1, 210-pounder showed his ball-hawking nature throughout training camp and can be a physical force. He also could have a chip on his shoulder tonight when he faces for the first time the team that traded him to Saskatchewan before training camp in what was believed to be a cost-cutting move. Because of that trade — in which Saskatchewan surrendered a conditional draft pick in 2018 — the 27-year-old safety could have something to prove tonight. Edem also is a proven special-teams performer and, as a national, he has obvious value to the Roughriders.
5. Quinn van Gylwsyk: The sophomore punter-kicker was busy during training camp, handling the punting duties until Josh Bartel returned this week and sharing the kicking duties with Tyler Crapigna. Van Gylswyk spent all but one game on the Roughriders’ injured list in 2016, so he’s no doubt eager to land a bigger role this season. The 26-year-old product of UBC went 4-for-4 on his field-goal attempts and averaged 41.2 yards on four punts in Saskatchewan’s pre-season opener. Jones predicted earlier this week that the punting and kicking battles would force the staff into tough decisions on cutdown day, so another good showing by van Gylswyk tonight could make things even worse for the coaches.
