The Saskatchewan Roughriders take on the Winnipeg Blue Bombers in CFL action on June 10th, 2017 at Mosaic Stadium in Regina, SK. Liam Richards/Electric Umbrella
Ed Gainey has turned over a new leaf.
The Saskatchewan Roughriders defensive back entered the 2017 CFL season with five interceptions in 60 career games in the league. In 17 games this season, he has 10 interceptions.
That showing earned the 27-year-old product of Winston-Salem, N.C., the Roughriders’ nomination for the award as the league’s outstanding defensive player. Voting was conducted by members of the Saskatchewan chapter of the Football Reporters of Canada and by the Roughriders coaching staff.
“When I was in Montreal my first year, I really wasn’t even dressing that much and when I did, I played special teams,” Gainey, who started his career in 2012 with the Montreal Alouettes, said after Wednesday’s closed practice at Mosaic Stadium.
“(The difference now) is Coach (Chris) Jones believing in me and allowing me to earn my spot, allowing me to make mistakes, get better and perfect my craft. I give credit to Coach Jones for believing in me and trusting that I could be this calibre of a player on defence for him.”
The Roughriders’ other nominees for the league awards are receiver/cornerback Duron Carter (outstanding player), linebacker Henoc Muamba (Canadian), guard Brendon LaBatte (offensive lineman), defensive end Tobi Antigha (rookie) and returner Christion Jones (special-teams player).
The division winners are to be announced Nov. 9.
Gainey signed with the Roughriders as a free agent prior to the 2016 season after spending two seasons with the Alouettes (2012-13) and two with the Hamilton Tiger-Cats (2014-15).
Last season, the 5-foot-11, 190-pounder had 49 defensive tackles, seven special-teams stops and what was then a career-high three interceptions. He went home in the off-season and set a rather lofty goal for himself.
“I told myself I was going to get 10 interceptions, believe it or not,” Gainey said with a smile. “Me and my boy Emanuel Davis (a Tiger-Cats defensive back), we worked out together this off-season and the off-seasons before. He has been the one who has been getting all the interceptions (five in each of the 2015 and 2016 seasons), so I’ve been kind of chasing the rabbit.
“Shout out to him: He’s helping me stay motivated and helping me stay on my game. We talked about this (number of picks) during this off-season, so he knows. He can be my credibility for that.”
Even so, Gainey got off to a slow start in 2017, failing to record an interception through Saskatchewan’s first six regular-season games.
“Early in the year, he missed some opportunities,” Jones said. “He missed two or three (interceptions) that he could have got and then wasn’t in position on a couple more …
“Once he and I met — it was probably around Week 4 or 5 — he just took off.”
On Aug. 13, Gainey set a Roughriders single-game record with four interceptions against the B.C. Lions. He added two picks against the Winnipeg Blue Bombers on Sept. 3, two versus the Tiger-Cats on Sept. 15, one against the Calgary Stampeders on Oct. 20 and one against Montreal on Friday.
He enters Saskatchewan’s final regular-season contest — Saturday’s game against the visiting Edmonton Eskimos — with twice as many interceptions as anyone else in the CFL.
“I’m honestly at a loss for words; I don’t even know what to say,” said Gainey, who also has recorded 43 tackles, seven knockdowns, two fumble recoveries and one special-teams tackle en route to his first nomination for a league award. “I just know I’ve been preparing for this for a while.
“I didn’t get a chance to get a shot to go play down south in the (NFL), so I told myself I was going to come up here to the CFL and make a name for myself before I had an opportunity to do that. It took six years for me to do it, but it feels good.”
Carter, who also was nominated for the most-outstanding-player award in 2014 when he played for Montreal, has 73 catches for a team-leading 1,043 receiving yards and eight touchdowns this season.
In his stints as a cornerback, the 26-year-old from Fort Lauderdale, Fla., has registered four tackles and a 43-yard interception return for a touchdown. On special teams, he has returned 15 punts for 115 yards and one missed convert for 113 yards and two points.
Carter wasn’t available for comment Wednesday.
Muamba, 28, earned his third career nomination as most outstanding Canadian; he also was nominated in 2012 and ’13 when he was with Winnipeg.
This season, Muamba leads the Roughriders with 76 tackles. He has added 11 special-teams tackles, five knockdowns, three forced fumbles and two interceptions.
Muamba was a unanimous selection for the award, as was LaBatte.
The 31-year-old product of Weyburn started the first six games of the season at left guard, moved to centre for nine games and then returned to guard for the past two.
It’s LaBatte’s sixth career nomination for the award. He also represented Winnipeg from 2009 through ’11 and was Saskatchewan’s nominee in 2013 and ’15. He won the award in 2013.
Antigha, a 24-year-old from Tampa, Fla., was a receiver before joining the Roughriders. Converted to defensive end in mini-camp, the CFL freshman has registered 29 tackles, six special-teams stops, five sacks and one fumble recovery.
Christion Jones joined the Roughriders on July 17 and made his debut Aug. 5. In nine games, the 24-year-old from Birmingham, Ala., has returned 42 punts for 618 yards and two touchdowns and 18 kickoffs for 423 yards.
