The Saskatchewan Roughriders understand the upcoming assignment of slowing down the Edmonton Elks’ offence is both daunting and multi-faceted.
“It's going to be a tough task,” coach Corey Mace told reporters in Regina. “But for us as a defense, these are the kind of challenges that we look forward to (in order) to be the team that we want to be.”
It shouldn’t come as a surprise that the Elks boast some high-powered offensive weapons given that they’re 5-1 and sit atop the West Division standings, a spot the Riders (4-1) can claim with a win Thursday.
But it’s the uniqueness of those offensive weapons in running back Justin Rankin and quarterback Cody Fajardo that’ll require the Riders defenders to be on their toes and ready to adjust on the fly even more than usual.
That starts with guys at the front.
“Truthfully, I really do believe that defensive line play is crucial every single week,” said Mace, a defensive tackle in his playing days. “But with the way Cody’s been back there, whether it’s pressuring them with four or having to choose more or making the reads ugly from a back end or getting hands up to get some balls knocked down or the run game, it’s definitely crucial leaning heavily on the defensive line for.”
Fajardo’s biggest threat is Rankin, who’s garnered a MOP consideration through the first third of the season.
Rankin has a CFL-high six rushing touchdowns and has carried the ball for 522 yards, second by just two yards behind Calgary’s Dedrick Mills. He’s also caught a TD pass and corralled 32 of the 39 balls that have come his way for 343 yards.
He might be the most explosive offensive player in the league, which is emphasized by all the different ways the Elks can use him.
“All credit to him. He does a great job,” Riders defensive lineman James Vaughters said. “But if you’ve noticed the way that their offensive scheme is, they give a lot of different looks, a lot of different run looks, a lot of different looks with guys outside of the tackles, extra guys coming in behind the tackles. It’s hard to tell exactly what you’re going to get from him. It helps him get bigger holes because teams are trying to figure out how they want to be schemed when you have so many gap exchanges happening on the offensive side.
“We just have to read our keys and be ready for everything they throw at us.”
That’s easier said than done. Nullifying Rankin is no simple job.
“That's been kind of the question about this guy for a while,” Mace said. “When Rankin first came in the league, even when he wasn’t getting all the stardom that he has now, those were some long film sessions trying to figure that same question out. Really good football player, man.
“It’s not just stopping Rankin himself, although he can create some plays by himself. But they do a good job as a unit opening holes for him and or getting the ball to him even without handing it off to him.”
Part of that is Fajardo’s willingness – and maybe even eagerness – to move his feet. The 34-year-old former Roughrider is third among quarterbacks with 1,781 yards passing, but it’s how he’s done it that’s more noteworthy than the mere ranking or number.
“Cody’s been doing it a long time,” Mace said. “He’s still moving pretty good. We’ve just got to be cognizant. With that, it’s two-fold. He’s certainly a guy where you don’t want to let him out of the pocket and extend plays. Also, if he’s running around, you know that you’ve disrupted the timing of whatever play that they’re trying to execute. We’ve just got to be dialled in.
“We’d rather try to keep him in there. But I can assure you, every week that Cody’s played, after his very first game, our coaches have probably been saying, ‘Hey don’t let this guy out of the pocket.’ Yet, he still finds a way to do it. Just being ready for how we react if it does end up happening.”
Vaughters summed it up appropriately: “We have to stay on our P’s and Q’s and stay on our rush lines and make sure we contain him as much as possible but also be ready to run when it comes time to get him.”
The Riders and their defence are preparing for their first game without linebacker Jayden Dalke, who was one of two people killed in a head-on collision on Saturday night.
Defensive back Antoine Brooks Jr. said they’re ready physically for the game even if there are still some mental hurdles to overcome with the loss of their teammate.
They’ll have to be fully prepared for one of the CFL’s best teams, whom they’ll also see next Saturday in Edmonton.
“This is obviously not a Labour Day kind of matchup, but it does kind of have that same vibe of a home-and-home (set),” Mace said. “You know that first one is crucial. We get the luxury of starting off at home and we want to take advantage of that.”
