Friday was Fry Day on this scribbler’s schedule.
Offensive lineman Zack Fry was interviewed after this week’s third and final Saskatchewan Roughriders rookie-camp session at Griffiths Stadium in Saskatoon.
Fry isn’t a complete neophyte in Riderville. He attended Coors Light Riders Training Camp last year, shortly after being selected in the second round (16th overall) of the 2022 CFL Draft.
He then returned to London, Ont., and the Western Mustangs for one more season of U Sports football.
“We felt he needed to get a little bigger, because we wanted to have the versatility to play him across the board,” Head Coach Craig Dickenson said.
“You’ve got to be a big, thick guy to play guard, so we wanted him to put a little weight on and he did. It was a good weight.”
The wait was worth it for Fry as well.
“I put about eight pounds on,” said the 6-foot-6 lineman, who is now 312, perhaps 313, pounds.
“The strength’s up there, because I’ve been working with a lot of CFL guys in London. That was awesome to be around them and to see what they do to get ready for the season.”
Fry also spent some time working on his footwork, which was lauded by General Manager and Vice-President of Football Operations Jeremy O’Day as soon as the second-round choice was made just over a year ago.
“He’s got athletic feet,” Dickenson said. “He looks like he has played basketball. When we ask him to move, he’s able to put his feet up quickly and put them down quickly.”
Fry was serious about another sport, actually, but it wasn’t basketball.
“My goal was to try and play hockey as a pro, but then I realized I was just a little bit too big, so I made the switch to football and I’ve never looked back,” he said.
Innumerable defencemen, forwards and even goalies can be eternally grateful that the transition was made — because, honestly, who would want to deal with an eclipse named Zack Fry in a corner?
“Actually, I was kind of a gentle giant out there,” he noted. “The coaches used to get on me about not hitting enough. I always thought of myself as more of a goal scorer.”
Or a goalie-screener.
“I played defence my whole life and then, in Grade 12, I made the switch to left wing,” Fry continued. “I just stood in front of the net and tried to screen the goalie as much as possible and get those garbage goals.”
Now he is concentrating on blocking defensive linemen instead of a goalie’s vision.
As a second-time training camp attendee, Fry is looking to stick around this season and for several years beyond that.
“I’m just trying to make the team and to improve as much as I can,” he said. “If I’m a practice-roster guy or whatever, I want to push the vets as much as possible and make the team as good as possible.
“I love the pressure and everything and I’m just excited for the opportunity to be here again.”
FRIDAY FACTOIDS
The Roughriders spent a considerable portion of Friday’s 12-on-12, all-pads drill working on the running game.
It seemed, to this observer, that the defensive players were rather energetic as they converged upon the ball-carrier, en masse.
“Agreed,” Dickenson declared. “That’s a point of emphasis. We want to be able to sprint to the football. We want to be able to stop the film and see all 12 guys there.”
The film session will also show a lovely catch by an inviting, 6-foot-3 target named Tabashi Thomas, who snared a Shea Patterson pass deep in the left corner of the end zone during an eight-on-eight session.
Patterson also looked to the end zone for Kendall Watson, who completed a picturesque play.
Defensive players had their moments as well during the final day of rookie camp.
Devin Jones, who is profiled in an accompanying story on Riderville.com, highlighted the defence’s day with an interception-return TD.
Defensive back Jaxon Ford and linebacker Alvin Jones Jr. added pass knockdowns. In each case, though, there was an accompanying, angst-inducing realization that the pass could have been, or perhaps should have been, intercepted.
Ford promptly took it upon himself to perform 10 punitive push-ups.
A few minutes later, it was Jones’ turn.
He was joined by fellow linebacker Kolby Harvell-Peel.
In an impressive show of solidarity, Harvell-Peel voluntarily did 10 push-ups of his own, alongside Jones.
GREEN IS THE COLOUR
Earlier this week, 11th-year CFLer and first-year Saskatchewan quarterback Trevor Harris was asked what it was like to don a Roughriders helmet for the first time.
“I got to do it about a month ago at a pre-season photo shoot and it was kind of weird,” he responded.
“I called my wife and asked her, ‘What do you think?’ She said: “Finally — something that matches your eyes.’
“I was talking more about the whole look, but …”
SHORT SNORTS
- The Roughriders announced on Friday that receiver Jake Parker has been released. Parker was impressive on Day 1 of rookie camp before suffering a broken wrist. Dickenson noted earlier this week that Parker could very well resurface in Riderville once the injury heals.
- Asked about Friday’s padded practice, Dickenson replied: “One of my favourite sounds is the clicking of the pads. It tells you that you’re really into training camp, so it was good. It was a nice day today. The weather was perfect. The guys got a chance to hit each other. For some, that was the first time putting pads on in a number of years.”
- Dickenson said “six to eight” participants in rookie camp would have to be released before main camp, which starts on Sunday. The team will not be on the field on Saturday.
