As much as Craig Dickenson loves snowboarding, he didn’t want to partake in that activity as a sidelight to the Saskatchewan Roughriders’ training camp.
But now, at long last, the snow has melted. The final Colorado Low has (presumably) come and gone. And players are back on the field at Mosaic Stadium, working out informally and enthusiastically.
“It’s fun to see the guys coming into the building,” says Dickenson, who is heading into his fourth CFL season as the Roughriders’ head coach. “It kind of feels like school is back in session after a long winter break.”
By the time main camp begins May 14 in Saskatoon, 197 days will have elapsed since the Roughriders’ final game of 2022.
“I think it has been a good off-season,” Dickenson says. “We’ve had a complete makeover on offence and I’m excited about what it’s looking like.”
The alterations include the promotion of running backs coach Kelly Jeffrey to the dual role of offensive co-ordinator and quarterbacks coach.
“I’m really confident in the coaching staff that we have in terms of Kelly leading the offence,” Dickenson says.
“I think we’ve got a good staff around him — veteran guys like Andre Bolduc (running backs coach) and Anthony Vitale (offensive line), and good young coaches as well in Drew Tate (receivers) and Naaman Roosevelt (offensive assistant).
“I’m just excited to see how the offence evolves and how they take shape. I think it’s going to be a good group.”
That group will be led on the field by quarterback Trevor Harris, who signed with the Roughriders as a free agent on Feb. 14 after throwing for 4,157 yards and 20 touchdowns with the Montreal Alouettes in 2022.
“I’m as excited about working with him as I’ve been about working with anybody in a long time,” Dickenson says. “I just think he’s the right guy at the right time for this team.
“I’m anxious to get started and see how we look, especially on offence.”
First-year Roughriders will predominate on offence after numerous major free-agent signings.
The infusion of talent includes receivers Jake Wieneke, Derel Walker, Juwan Brescacin and Shawn Bane Jr.
Along the offensive line, free-agent signee Peter Godber will take over at centre. CFL veteran Philip Blake, another off-season addition, can play anywhere along the offensive line.
The Roughriders have also brought in a handful of American-born tackles — Jerald Hawkins, Colton Lamson, Eric Lofton, Jeremiah Poutasi and Jordan Tucker — to compete with returnee Kooper Richardson. The hope is that two book-end starters will emerge from that sextet.
“I would like to just see in general how our offence operates,” Dickenson continued. “I really would just like to see Trevor and that new receiving group and that new O-line.
“It’s probably too much to ask for them to be real polished, but I’d just like to see some chemistry start to develop with that group.
“And I think it will, because Trevor’s here already and he’s got some receivers that he’s throwing the ball to. I would like to see a real chemistry and a real ownership start to happen specifically on offence, because that’s the group that got the major overhaul.
“I expect our defence to hit the ground running, because they’re the same guys we had last year, for the most part.”
The defensive linemen, in particular, could establish a template for how Dickenson wants the entire team to play.
“The vision of the team that I see is dominant people up front and smart, tough guys that are kind of sprinkled in around them,” he said.
“The mindset for our team is, ‘We want to be smart, we want to be tough, and we want to play together.’ There’s lots of ways you can take it, but that’s the goal.”
Rookie camp begins Wednesday at Griffiths Stadium on the University of Saskatchewan campus.
Green and White Day, which includes an intra-squad game, is scheduled for May 20 at Saskatoon Minor Football Field.
The pre-season opener is May 27 against the B.C. Lions (5 p.m., Mosaic Stadium).
The final on-field workout of training camp is set for June 1 in Saskatoon — one day before the pre-season finale against the host Winnipeg Blue Bombers.
The Roughriders’ regular-season schedule begins June 11 in Edmonton against the Elks. Saskatchewan’s home opener will follow on the evening of June 16, when the Blue Bombers are to visit Mosaic Stadium for a 7 o’clock engagement.
