Two subpar games filled with undisciplined play and more injury issues resulted in a major shakeup to the Saskatchewan Roughriders depth chart at Wednesday’s practice.
“We’re just trying different things, not just on one side of the ball,” Riders coach Corey Mace said. “We’ve got to find some different combinations that we think will help us push forward. We’ll see. It could be a daily thing.”
The first on-field session since Sunday’s 30-16 road loss to the B.C. Lions – the club’s second straight defeat – saw several notable lineup changes, highlighted by Jaxon Ford taking second-team reps after a particularly poor outing in Vancouver.
Nelson Lokombo slid over to safety in place of Ford, who’s listed as having an ankle problem in the Roughriders injury report, while James Burgess Jr. moved from the practice roster to Lokombo’s corner position.
Lokombo returned to familiar territory since he was the starting safety for most of the previous two seasons.
“It’s something I’m comfortable with,” he said. “Coach felt like he needed to make that decision. The guys have grooved well. The standard doesn’t change. We want to continue to do our job.”
The prominent changes on defence didn’t end there. Linebacker Antoine Brooks Jr. was bumped to the second team with Seyi Oladipo Jr. getting promoted from the practice roster to take his place.
The receiver corps, which has been in a state of flux for weeks, was also altered. Sam Emilus was added to the six-game injured list on Wednesday and Johnny Johnson III missed practice after leaving Sunday’s game early. D’Sean Mimbs and Shemar Bridges, the former Hamilton Tiger-Cat who was signed Tuesday, slotted into starting assignments with Emilus and Johnson sidelined.
Emilus needed help leaving the field late in the fourth quarter in Vancouver after he was hit while in the air trying to catch a pass. He landed on what looked to be his tailbone. Mace called Emilus’ ailment a lower-body injury.
“I don’t think it’s a season-ending (injury),” Mace said. “It was super unfortunate. I know how much this game and this team means to that guy. Football can suck sometimes.”
There were more alterations to the lineup at practice, too.
Zack Fry took reps at left guard in place of Erik Andersen, and Albert Awachie was the most involved he’s been since suffering an ankle injury in Edmonton. The fullback still got just limited work in, though.
Aside from injury considerations, it’s clear the impetus for the vastly different look at practice stemmed from mental mistakes made last game.
The Riders shot themselves in the foot with inopportune penalties and turnovers. Practice was started later than scheduled Wednesday to address those issues.
“Everybody’s just a little teed off,” Mace said. We want to get this thing straightened out and get back on the good side of things. But we’re not ignorant to the work and the things that we’ve been doing to this point to not help ourselves win games. Those are already hard enough.”
The Riders were called for seven penalties and 72 yards on Sunday. Flags negated two touchdowns and an interception, plus Saskatchewan gave the ball away three times while in field-goal range.
“I feel like some of the things from last week, it wasn’t a sense of urgency or lack of effort; it was just a lack of focus in certain situations,” Mace said. “They timed out to be costly for us.
“A lot of teams in this league are good, and you’ve got to show up every week or else you might be on the wrong side of it. We’ve got to get back to playing Rider football. We try to pride ourselves on being a physical football team but also playing within the rules.”
The last comment could have been directed right at Ford. The very next play after missing an interception in the third quarter, he was penalized for unnecessary roughness on a late hit. The Lions got the ball on the one-yard line as a result and scored six points on the next play.
It’s been a particularly tough go of late for the secondary, which is missing Tevaughn Campbell and Rolan Milligan Jr. to long-term injuries.
Ford made an interception in the fourth quarter, just the second pick for a member of the secondary.
“We’ve just got to capitalize on our opportunities,” Lokombo said. “We’ve had a few opportunities that we’ve just got to finish. That’s the biggest thing that we’re trying to go into the next game.”
Perhaps the shakeup will help.
