To hear Saskatchewan Roughriders receiver Naaman Roosevelt tell it, Cameron Marshall is “a beast.”
Roosevelt knew that before watching Marshall play tailback for the Roughriders on June 22 against the host Montreal Alouettes. But Marshall proved Roosevelt right during the third quarter of that CFL game, continuing to run the football in traffic despite having his helmet knocked off.
“He loves to run the ball, he wants to get the ball all the time and he wants to make the big play,” Roosevelt said Thursday after the Roughriders practised at Mosaic Stadium. “To see him (running without his lid) was exciting. We want to block for him as receivers and get him those yards and those big plays.”
Marshall kept his head after losing his helmet. Despite the hit that left his head bare, he gained nine yards right up the gut.
“I was just trying to get as many yards as I could,” recalled Marshall, who has lost his helmet before in games. “(In those situations) when I see the defence coming, I try to protect my head under my shoulder pads and then get down. But I was going to get as many yards as I could until they either blew the whistle or somebody tackled me.”
Saskatchewan centre Dan Clark said the first instinct of an offensive lineman when a ball carrier loses his helmet is to run after the play so that the player doesn’t get hurt. The second instinct is to be impressed.
“It’s one of those things where he’s just trying to get every yard he can,” Clark said. “That’s his job and I’m never going to fault a guy for trying to get that extra yardage.”
The game in Montreal was Marshall’s first as the Roughriders’ starting tailback. He rushed 11 times for 84 yards, caught four passes for 17 yards and — in the estimation of head coach-GM Chris Jones — blocked “tremendously.”
Alas, four plays after his helmetless run, Marshall fumbled and the Als recovered at their 21-yard line. The turnover likely cost the Roughriders points in a game that they lost 17-16.
“I did some good things, but I think there were some yards I left out there,” Marshall said. “Then obviously the fumble can’t happen; that goes without saying.
“The O-line did a great job opening up some holes for me and I think we did a good job as a unit in protection. But there’s always room for improvement.”
His next chance for that comes Saturday, when the Roughriders face the Winnipeg Blue Bombers in the first-ever regular-season game at Mosaic Stadium.
Marshall, a 25-year-old product of San Jose, Calif., began his CFL career with Winnipeg in 2014.
He played 19 games with the Bombers over the 2014 and ’15 seasons, rushing 143 times for 629 yards and five touchdowns and catching 32 passes for 378 yards and two TDs, primarily in a backup role.
The 5-foot-11, 215-pound product of Arizona State University signed with the NFL’s Seattle Seahawks in February of 2016, but was waived the following May. He signed with the Jacksonville Jaguars in August, but was released less than a week later.
Temporarily out of football, he got a job with a California-based recruiting firm and was working a 9-to-5 job until the Roughriders called. He signed with Saskatchewan in February of this year and, less than four months later, was back on a football field.
It didn’t take long for Marshall to get back into the swing of things. He fended off challenges from Anthony Allen and Greg Morris in training camp to win the No. 1 tailback job.
“We’ve had so much competition, so many live situations and so many competitive situations (through training camp and the pre-season),” Marshall said. “Coach Jones makes sure we compete every single day to do something great, so I don’t think it took that game (in Montreal) to get the juices flowing again.
“Hopefully I’m better than I was before. I’m another year older and another year wiser. I just want to put good things on film, put good things on the field and do whatever it takes to help the team win.”
He wouldn’t mind helping others, too.
In the off-season, Marshall was set to work with at-risk youth in the Phoenix area. He didn’t get a chance to do that before leaving for Saskatchewan, so he wants to revisit the idea when he gets back to Arizona.
In the interim, he may get involved in some community programs in Regina.
“It would be great to get out there and help people out,” Marshall said. “Anytime you can use your platform for something bigger than football, that’s what’s most important.
“In football, people remember your plays for a little bit, but they remember your impact on their life for so much longer. Anything we can do to get out in the community and help, I think that’s a great opportunity.”
Right now, though, his priority is helping the Roughriders — even if his helmet does pop off at times.
“Football has given me so much over the years,” Marshall said. “I love this game and I’ll play it as long as I can. I’m excited each and every time I get to strap up and go out on the field.”
