Back in 2020, Shea Patterson tweeted a message that is applicable to today’s circumstances.
“In the middle of difficulty lies opportunity,” he wrote.
The difficulty stems from Sunday’s disclosure that Trevor Harris, the Saskatchewan Roughriders’ No. 1 quarterback, has been placed on the six-game injured list.
That opens the door for Patterson to start at quarterback on Thursday against the visiting Toronto Argonauts.
“It’s an opportunity for me to just step in and lead,” Patterson said after Sunday’s practice at Mosaic Stadium.
“As far as myself and growing as a leader, I’m just going to try to lead these guys down the field and really just be ready for the moment, like I have been.
“Trevor’s done a heck of a job as far as me watching him prepare and seeing how he goes about his day. I’ve learned a lot from him.
“This is kind of what I do. I love the game. I love football. I don’t have too many hobbies outside of football, other than hanging out with friends and family. This is kind of what I’m here for.”
Harris injured the medial collateral ligament in his left knee late in the first half of the Roughriders’ June 23 home game against the Hamilton Tiger-Cats.
Patterson was behind centre the rest of the way as the Roughriders won 36-20 to improve their record to 3-0.
After the first three weeks of the season, Harris was tied for the league lead in touchdown passes (seven). He has thrown for 872 yards while posting a quarterback-efficiency rating of 110.8.
“I think he’s the best quarterback in the league right now,” Patterson said. “Anytime you get a chance to see that day in and day out in practice and then kind of put your own spin to it, it adds that much more.”
Corey Mace is confident Patterson will be equal to the challenge.
“The kid does everything right,” the Roughriders’ Head Coach said. “His vehicle is sometimes here before mine, which is crazy.
“I’m excited for the kid. The team’s excited to rally around him.”
Patterson debuted in the NCAA ranks at the University of Mississippi in 2016. As a sophomore, he threw for 2,259 yards and 17 touchdowns in seven games.
He then transferred to the University of Michigan and was the Wolverines’ primary passer for two years.
In 2018, he threw for 2,600 yards and 22 touchdowns, with only six interceptions, in 13 games.
He followed up in 2019 with 3,061 passing yards, with 23 touchdowns and eight interceptions, in 13 games for the Jim Harbaugh-coached Wolverines.
“Being in that atmosphere really gets me ready for playing in a place like this,” said Patterson, 27. “This is the best stadium, best organization, in the league. I wouldn’t want to play anywhere else.”
Patterson signed with the NFL’s Kansas City Chiefs as an undrafted free agent in 2020 — not long after posting the aforementioned tweet.
In 2021, he had a stint with the B.C. Lions before joining the Montreal Alouettes and appearing in five games as the short-yardage quarterback.
On Feb. 22, 2022, he was claimed by the Michigan Panthers as the first overall selection in the United States Football League draft. He also spent time with the USFL’s New Orleans Breakers in 2022.
He signed with Saskatchewan on Feb. 13, 2023. In 13 games as a first-year Roughrider, he was deployed primarily in short-yardage situations. He carried the ball 15 times for 39 yards and two TDs and completed four of six passes for 32 yards.
Over the first three games this year, he has scored a TD on two of his three carries. He went 4-for-10 for 41 yards in just over a half against Hamilton on June 23.
“I played nowhere near my expectations at all,” Patterson said. “It was a weird situation to go into. I was just trying to go in and manage the game and not do anything too crazy.
“Our defence was playing great. Our special teams were playing great. They forced a turnover on the first play of the game and we went in and scored.
“Our defence is going to make plays and our special teams are going to make plays, so that was kind of my mindset going into the game — to just keep the ball rolling.”
That is the team’s priority in general now that Harris is sidelined.
“He’s dealing with a pretty moderate MCL (injury),” Mace said. “The good news is it’s not a season-ender, but we’re going to be smart with it, as it is a long season. We’re still early into it.
“We’re going to put him on the six(-game injured list) for now. If he ends up being able to come off of that, then we’ll roll with that.”
Harris will continue to be a presence on the team during the recuperation period. His expertise be beneficial as a mentor to Patterson and two first-year CFL quarterbacks — Jack Coan and newly signed Eric Barriere.
“That’s the one thing about Trev — he’s constantly going to be around,” Mace said. “That’s a plus. We won’t lose that, from that standpoint.
“He’s heavy in guys’ ears. He’s heavy in Shea’s ear, he’s heavy in Jack’s ear, and Barriere is now in the building.
“If anything, we just got another coach.”
Barriere attended training camp this year with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers.
At Eastern Washington, he was named the Big Sky Conference’s offensive player of the year in 2020 and 2021.
In the latter year, Barriere threw for 5,070 yards and 46 touchdowns en route to receiving the Walter Payton Award as the outstanding player in FCS football.
