Forget perfection and forget the two points in the standings that don’t exist. Jack Coan is still setting out to just win, baby.
“The No. 1 goal is to go out there and get a win for the team,” Coan, listed as the Saskatchewan Roughriders’ starting quarterback for Monday’s preseason game against the Calgary Stampeders, told Riders play-by-play announcer Dave Thomas on Saturday.
“Obviously I don’t know if I’m going to play the whole game or whatever it is but that’s the main goal going in there. Obviously I want to just execute the offence, do my job on each and every play. I know it’s not going to be perfect but I just want to try for that.”
Coan will be backed up Monday by Tommy Stevens and Brayden Schager as he looks to cement his role as understudy to regular season starter Trevor Harris. Over the past two seasons in Saskatchewan he has completed 12 of 29 passes for 138 yards and one touchdown, in addition to 16 rushes for 54 yards and three touchdowns.
“I’ve been in the offence a few years now so I definitely know the offence very well,” he said. “It’s just a matter of going out and executing now and if I like something let ‘er rip. If I don’t, check the ball down. Just try to play the game and do my job.”
Coan will be throwing Monday to a group of starting receivers who, outside of Siaosi Mariner and Dhel Duncan-Busby, have a combined one career regular season catch in the Canadian Football League.
It’s a factor though he sees as more of a feature than a bug.
“I trust all the guys on this team,” he said. “They’ve competed at such a high level. I know nothing’s gonna be perfect. They’re gonna make mistakes, I’m definitely gonna make some mistakes, it’s just a matter of how I bounce back and go about it.”
