Meeting with the media on Wednesday, Ka’Deem Carey was asked: “What do you think it will be like playing in Toronto?”
There was momentary silence — with at least a trace of incredulity — before the curious reporter, representing this very Saskatchewan Roughriders website, hastened to splutter: “… wearing a different jersey!”
(Whew! Close call!)
Carey, who helped Toronto win the Grey Cup last year, is preparing to face the Argonauts on Friday at BMO Field (5:30 p.m., TSN, CKRM).
“I’m pretty used to playing out there,” Carey, who rushed for 1,060 yards last season, said with a laugh. “Wearing that different jersey, I think it’s going to be special.
“This team is one of a kind. I’m just excited to be a part of this group and go out there and show what we can do.
“Against Toronto on that grass, there’s not going to be a better feeling than that.”
Carey isn’t even three weeks removed from being surprisingly released by the Argonauts, with whom he had signed a new contract after earning East Division All-CFL honours in 2024.
“There’s a lot of motivation going there,” said Carey, who signed with Saskatchewan on June 9th.
“I’m with the right team. We’re going to go out there and Coach is going to put me in the right position to make plays. Everybody else is just going to have fun.”
There was fun aplenty on Saturday when Carey made his debut in Green and White. He rushed four times for 26 yards and added a nine-yard reception as a complement to fellow ex-Argo A.J. Ouellette, whose 96-yard rushing performance included a 47-yard touchdown in a 28-23 victory over the host Hamilton Tiger-Cats.
“The fact that Ka’Deem is able to come in when we take out A.J. Ouellette is almost like something you’d put on a CFL game on Xbox,” quarterback Trevor Harris marvelled.
“It would be like, ‘I’m going to put Ka’Deem Carey and A.J. Ouellette on the same team!’ ”
So far, so good.
The Roughriders carry a 2-0 record into Friday’s matchup with the 0-2 Argonauts.
“I’m really, really in the right spot,” Carey said. “It’s about putting all these pieces together at the right time and competing for a championship.”
Another championship.
Carey, a newcomer to the CFL in 2018, was on the Calgary Stampeders’ practice roster when they won it all that year.
He earned a second Grey Cup ring — one that has yet to be presented due to the changing circumstances and resulting logistical complications — with the 2024 Argonauts.
“It means a lot (to get a ring),” Carey said. “Obviously, the meaning changed. It definitely changed dramatically.
“When I get it, it’s going to be something that I put in my box of glory and all the fame that I’ve got and it’s on to the next, because this season and this ring is going to honestly fill that hole and it’s going to be something way more special.”
SAM’S STATUS
Head Coach Corey Mace confirmed on after Wednesday’s closed practice that Samuel Emilus, who amassed 1,000-plus receiving yards in each of the past two seasons, will not play on Friday due to a foot injury.
“We’re not anticipating anything long-term, which is good,” Mace said. “It’s just going to be tough for him this week.”
Emilus is the second top-flight national receiver to be sidelined early this season. Kian Schaffer-Baker is on the six-game injury list after injuring a foot in the June 5th regular-season opener against the visiting Ottawa REDBLACKS.
