Matt Elam has had an impact on the Saskatchewan Roughriders’ defence since joining it four games ago.
He also has had an impact on some opposing offensive players.
The 5-foot-10, 208-pound Elam has laid a number of big hits during his brief career as the Roughriders’ strong-side linebacker. He’s to get another opportunity to lower the boom Sunday when Saskatchewan faces the Winnipeg Blue Bombers in a CFL contest at Mosaic Stadium (1 p.m., CKRM, TSN).
“I’m very proud of what I’ve done here because a lot of guys come up (to the CFL) and can’t get off the practice roster,” Elam said after Friday’s practice at Mosaic Stadium. “The change is making my game better and it’s making me better.”
The Roughriders added the 26-year-old product of Palm Beach Gardens, Fla., to their practice roster on July 2. Elam had played 41 NFL games as a safety with the Baltimore Ravens, who had selected him in the first round (32nd overall) of the 2013 NFL draft.
Elam faced some legal issues during his time in the NFL, but the Roughriders cleared his signing with the CFL before bringing him on board.
Elam spent two weeks on Saskatchewan’s practice roster before getting a chance to play after Derrick Moncrief was injured. Elam had three tackles in his debut, a 34-22 loss to the Calgary Stampeders on July 28.
He was forced to sit out the Roughriders’ 26-19 loss to the Edmonton Eskimos on Aug. 2 after being left off the official roster due to a clerical error, a turn of events that Elam has said “hurt me a lot.”
But he has played in each of Saskatchewan’s past two games, recording five tackles and two sacks in a 40-27 victory over Calgary on Aug. 19 and four tackles in last Saturday’s 24-21 triumph over the B.C. Lions.
“I’ve learned a lot since I’ve been here,” Elam said. “(The CFL) challenges your athletic ability because there are some different rules than the NFL. It has been a great challenge and a great experience for me.”
Part of the challenge Elam has faced comes from playing in Chris Jones’ defence.
The Roughriders’ head coach, general manager and de facto defensive co-ordinator moves his players all over the field, giving them different responsibilities than their job descriptions call for.
“(Playing for Jones) is just another challenge — and I accept it,” Elam said. “You can tell what he thinks I can do.
“He’s putting me in great situations and I can’t appreciate that more than I do. He’s not putting me in any situations that can hurt me. That’s making my game better and helping me make better decisions.”
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Win or lose Sunday, Roughriders linebacker Sam Hurl will be celebrating a milestone.
The seventh-year CFLer is to play his 100th career regular-season game — and the contest will feature the only two teams with which he has played during his career in the league.
“I get to play against guys I’m friends with and I get to play with a bunch of guys I’m friends with, so it’s very exciting for me,” Hurl said. “It’s cool the way it has all come together that my 100th game is this one.”
Hurl spent three seasons (2012-14) with the Roughriders before signing as a free agent with the Bombers. He played three seasons (2015-17) with Winnipeg before rejoining Saskatchewan as a free agent in February.
On Sunday, he’ll get to collide with the Bombers’ offensive linemen and with tailback Andrew Harris in a battle between the league’s best ground game (Winnipeg is averaging 136.7 yards per game) and the CFL’s second-best run defence (Saskatchewan is allowing an average of 78.3 yards per game).
“It’ll be good; I’m pumped about it,” Hurl said. “They’re a good team, so I’m excited to pit myself against them and play a tough, hard-nosed game.
“I want to see how we match up as two teams that are very good football teams and have a lot of potential to finish high in the West Division.”
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Hurl’s 100th game in the CFL will be his 52nd in green and white. The contest also could be Jones’ third in green.
The Roughriders have won two straight games since Jones put on the green T-shirt associated with the CFL’s “Diversity is Strength” campaign in Saskatchewan. On Friday, he was asked if he was going to wear green again instead of his traditional black.
“The guys have said I’ve got to wear it,” Jones replied. “That’s mandated by our players, so … yes.”
Jones noted he’s not a superstitious individual, but it sounded like he was willing to accede to the players’ wishes for the sake of a two-game winning streak.
“It’s a workman’s kind of mentality that we have,” he said. “It’s fun to go along with it, but we get out exactly what we put in. When we pay attention to details and when we don’t turn the ball over and that type of thing, we’re a very good football team.”
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The Roughriders announced Friday that they had added receiver Lonnie Outlaw to the practice roster.
A 26-year-old product of Rochelle, Ga., Outlaw played collegiately at Miles College. The 6-foot-6, 225-pounder tried out for the NFL’s Atlanta Falcons and Detroit Lions and played in the Arena Football League with the Philadelphia Soul and Cleveland Gladiators.
He also has had CFL stints with the Bombers (2016) and Montreal Alouettes (2018).
