Marcus Thigpen is going back in time.
When the Saskatchewan Roughriders entertain the Edmonton Eskimos on Saturday, Thigpen will line up at tailback — a position he hasn’t played full-time since his college days at Indiana University.
As well, Thigpen is to play his first home game for Saskatchewan since he appeared in a pre-season contest on June 13, 2010, against the B.C. Lions.
And he also is slated to play for the first time this season since Sept. 15, when he injured a collarbone during the first quarter of the Roughriders’ 27-19 victory over the host Hamilton Tiger-Cats. That was Thigpen’s first game of the season.
His return has been a long time coming.
“(The seven-week wait) has been up and down, but for the most part up,” the 31-year-old product of Detroit said after Thursday’s practice at Mosaic Stadium. “I’ve been doing a lot of weight-room training, making sure my body is in tip-top condition. I’ve been doing a lot of running, a lot of studying and just really getting prepared for this opportunity.
“It hasn’t been too bad, but I have been missing the game. Just sitting here watching on the sideline every weekend is tough because I want to be out there contributing. I’m back now and I’m ready.”
Time for a flashback.
Thigpen was signed to the Roughriders’ practice roster for the first time in October of 2009 and completed that season with them.
Saskatchewan signed Dominique Dorsey after that campaign, so Thigpen was released after training camp in 2010. He then signed with Hamilton — and his career took off.
In his first regular-season game with the Tiger-Cats, Thigpen returned the opening kickoff 93 yards for a touchdown. Later in that contest, he returned a missed field-goal try 118 yards for a TD.
After two seasons in Hamilton, Thigpen signed with the Miami Dolphins. In his first career NFL game, he returned a punt 72 yards for a touchdown against the Houston Texans.
Thigpen finished his rookie season in Miami with 38 kickoff returns for 1,040 yards and one touchdown and 26 punt returns for 316 yards with one score.
He spent the 2013 season with the Dolphins as well, but was released prior to the 2014 season. He then had stops with the New England Patriots, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Buffalo Bills, Indianapolis Colts, Oakland Raiders and Buffalo again.
In 50 career NFL regular-season games, he had 107 kickoff returns for 2,525 yards and one touchdown, 95 punt returns for 919 yards and two TDs, nine catches for 112 yards and one score, and eight carries for 25 yards.
His last rushing attempt in the NFL occurred Dec. 20, 2015, when he lost one yard for Buffalo in its 35-25 loss to the Washington Redskins.
The last time he ran the ball in a CFL game was Nov. 20, 2011, when he lost four yards in Hamilton’s 19-3 loss to the Winnipeg Blue Bombers in the East Division final.
Reminded of that Thursday, Thigpen laughed and said: “We’ll see what happens this weekend.”
“Though it has been that long (since he recorded a carry) in this league, I did run the ball in the NFL as well,” he added. “I’m ready for it. It’s like riding a bike: Just get right back in there and get to it.”
Thigpen was out of football for nearly two seasons before he signed with the Roughriders on Sept. 12. Just days later, with Christion Jones sidelined with an injury, Thigpen was Saskatchewan’s returner against Hamilton.
On his third punt return of the game, Thigpen hurt his collarbone — and he hasn’t played since.
“It was tough being injured because I’ve never been the type of person to get hurt,” said Thigpen, who had 77 punt-return yards when he was injured. “To have that injury to my collarbone, it definitely set me back.
“But I feel great now, I’m ready to go and I’m excited to be part of this team and back out there playing.
The Roughriders will deploy Thigpen at tailback because of injuries to internationals Cameron Marshall (knee) and Trent Richardson (ankle). National Kienan LaFrance (hamstring) has been practising this week, but it’s unclear if he’s ready to return to the lineup.
As a result, Thigpen will have to revert to his old habits as a tailback.
“He has played it before,” said Saskatchewan head coach-GM Chris Jones, who also could use national Greg Morris. “(Thigpen) is a 30-something guy who has played a lot of football. We’ll see what he can do.”
The first thing the Roughriders want to see from their tailback is an ability to protect the quarterback.
Jones noted that Thigpen “is a willing participant” when it comes to blocking, so that bodes well. The work Thigpen has done in the film room and with his coaches, along with his grasp of the importance of pass protection, also has created confidence in his ability to keep the quarterbacks upright.
Thigpen’s timing couldn’t be better when it comes to running the football, either. Richardson had 127 yards and the Roughriders recorded a season-high 185 yards rushing in Friday’s 37-12 victory over the Montreal Alouettes.
“I feel like I’ve got a lot to contribute to this game,” Thigpen said. “Being able to get behind the line, they’re doing really well. Even in practice this week, it looked good.
“I’m just excited to see where we go this weekend.”
