REGINA — With the Saskatchewan Roughriders coming off their first bye week and heading into Week 6 of the Canadian Football League season with a perfect 4-0 record, one would think things would be especially ebullient on the practice field.
Undefeated, leading the league in points scored and rushing yardage, a resiliency that is undoubtedly the envy of the league, what’s not to like?
But offensive lineman Jermarcus Hardrick is having none of it as the team prepares to face the Calgary Stampeders at Mosaic Stadium on Friday night.
When you’ve been around as long as the 35-year-old, 11-year veteran has been, it becomes rather ingrained that being satisfied with your position at any point in the campaign isn’t a good thing.
“Not happy at all,” Hardrick said when asked by voice of the Roughriders Dave Thomas about the team’s success. “Happy to be on a great team, great organization. Definitely happy that we're 4-0, but not satisfied, not happy at all. Excited to play with my teammates. Excited to get better. Excited to be out in front of the sea of green and let's get better.”
That all starts with himself, as even as one of the rugged veterans of the CFL wars, Hardrick continues to put in the work to prepare and improve as much as possible.
“Some people might say I'm old, so I have to come in here and make sure I'm loose, and definitely, I'm always trying to find ways to get better,” Hardrick said. “I can go back and watch film from 2015, 2016 and see things I can improve on, so I'm always trying to get better — it never stops.”
The effort Hardrick and his offensive line teammates have put in has paid dividends. Despite battling injuries up front all season, the Riders still have the most offensive points in the league (117), are tied with Hamilton for the most touchdowns (17) and are tops in the CFL in rushing yards (554) while gaining a league-best 7.2 yards on first down.
Hardrick has started at right tackle in all four games thus far, but it wasn’t all that long ago that even playing the game again seemed like something that was a million miles away. A quad injury in Week 6 against B.C. last season ended up requiring surgery and left the 6-foot-4, 315-pound Batesville, Miss. product almost completely reliant on wife Sam for mobility, as detailed in a conversation with Thomas during training camp.
It was a long, long road back to the football field, and one that required clearing a few mental hurdles before it happened.
“That was the hardest part,” Hardrick said. “I remember telling myself, you can squat, but it wouldn't squat. Then somebody pushed me down when I was at [physical therapy] and I was like ‘oh, I squatted!’ But the next time I go up there, I still wouldn't even squat. It was so much mental. I have so many people to thank, we ain't got time. Therapy, coaching, a lot went into it.”
One person who’s most certainly happy to see Hardrick back doing his thing is Roughriders’ head coach Corey Mace, who lauded his o-lineman’s constant and consistent effort — especially after Riders historian Rob Vanstone pointed out that teams with Hardrick on the field have a 59-12 record since 2019.
“He does it the right way, he’s chasing the ball in practice. You got a guy that stature sprinting 30, 40 yards down the field each snap, that’s a winner,” Mace said. “I think everybody sees that and he holds himself to that standard every snap. Certainly, knowing his path and his football journey, he had to kind of claw and scratch to get where he’s at and he’s not looked back since. That’s a big part of the reason he’s here and I think we’re better off for it.”
Saskatchewan hosts the Calgary Stampeders on Friday and be sure to catch the pre-game show with Teagan Witko, Justin Dunk, and Wes Cates at 4 p.m. Dave Thomas and Luc Mullinder have the game call at 7 p.m. You can hear and watch all the extensive coverage on the 620 CKRM Co-operators Rider Broadcast Network.