One day after a practice session included an unscheduled intermission, the Saskatchewan Roughriders gathered on the Mosaic Stadium turf and conducted a session that was, in many ways, routine.
That in itself was newsworthy roughly 24 hours after Head Coach Corey Mace stopped Tuesday’s practice, directed the team toward the locker room, and delivered a stern message about the lack of adherence to the standard that has been set by those in charge.
On Wednesday, by contrast, a two-part workout was not required. All the players did their part to ensure there was no reprise of the previous day as on-field preparations were completed for Friday’s CFL game against the host Calgary Stampeders.
“I think we responded in a positive manner,” offensive tackle Trevon Tate said.
“Sometimes when you come out, especially after a bye week, you kind of forget the little things that you’ve got to do to be great. Yesterday was an example of the little things that we’ve got to do to get back on the track of being great.
“I feel like today was a great way to respond. There was attention to detail. There were no pre-snap penalties or things like that.”
Nor was there a reason for Mace to lament the manner in which the proceedings unfolded.
“Excellent practice today,” he said. “Right from meetings, everything was on point. I anticipated two steps forward. I thought we did that today.
“I’m proud of the guys’ professionalism and just how they handled that thing yesterday.”
That thing, as Mace put it, was handled without objection.
“That had to be done,” Tate said. “As a head coach and as a person in general, there’s only so much you can do and will allow guys to do before you put your foot down to that level.
“I think it was necessary because you go home and look in the mirror. All day yesterday, when I was back at the house, I just kept thinking, ‘What could we have done to prevent that?’ I know I’m not the only one who thinks like that.
“When a group of guys go home and think about it — especially the ones who want to be great — they want to do whatever they can to not experience that again.
“When you’re on the receiving side of that, it doesn’t feel good. I know as a head coach, it feels worse, because it’s 50-plus players who you’ve got to hold accountable, as opposed to us holding us accountable.”
At one point on Tuesday, Mace stopped the workout to make his sentiments clear. When things did not improve to his satisfaction, it was off to the locker room for a behind-closed-doors discussion.
“Thank God he did take us inside, because the words weren’t too pleasant,” receiver Shawn Bane Jr. said. “We needed to refocus and I think we did that today.”
There was also a refocusing period on Tuesday, when the team’s captains took charge of the decision to return to the field and conclude practice.
All of that took place as the Roughriders, who currently occupy the West Division’s third and final playoff spot, strive to make a push over the remaining five regular-season games and beyond.
“We know it’s the season, pretty much, so we probably needed to be screamed at a little bit,” Bane Jr. said.
Ideally, the most newsworthy practice of the 2024 season will serve as a catalyst for a 5-7-1 team that is on a seven-game winless streak — one in which down-to-the-wire games have been the norm.
“We earned that scolding from Coach,” linebacker C.J. Reavis said. “I think we needed that. We needed that a long time ago, probably.
“We’ve got that out of the way now, so we’re going to go ahead and do what we’ve got to do.”
Words such as that, along with the players’ actions on Wednesday, validated Mace’s opinion of the 2024 Roughriders.
“It’s just about having faith and understanding who we have in this building,” he said.
“I love those guys. I think they know that and I feel the love back from them.
“We just had to get ourselves together and we had to prove it. Today, they proved it.”
INJURY UPDATE
Linebacker Nick Wiebe, who left Tuesday’s practice with a knee injury, will not play on Friday in Calgary.
Wiebe, the Roughriders’ second-round draft choice in 2024, made his CFL debut on Sept. 7 in Winnipeg after injuring a knee late last season with the University of Saskatchewan Huskies. Surgery was required to repair a torn anterior cruciate ligament.
“We’re still getting testing and everything done to get a little bit more clarity,” Mace said.
“There’s a little bit of hope there, though, that it’s not anything crazy. We’ll get some more information, probably, in the next day or two.”
The Roughriders’ injury report, released nearly two hours after Mace met the media, listed Wiebe as out for Friday’s game.
The same designation applies to defensive linemen Malik Carney (ankle) and Anthony Lanier II (knee), offensive lineman Jacob Brammer (knee) and linebacker Justin Herdman-Reed (elbow).
Defensive tackle Micah Johnson, who missed Tuesday’s practice because of illness, was a full participant on Wednesday and is available for the Calgary game.
Defensive back Rolan Milligan Jr. is listed as questionable for Friday after being excused from back-to-back practices for personal reasons.
