Any time injuries occur on a football field, especially to star players, it can be easy to see the situation as a complete negative and detriment to a team.
But former Saskatchewan Roughriders standout and Rider Broadcast Network analyst Luc Mullinder has other ideas.
With the Green and White going through their share of injuries to elite starters through the middle part of the season, they’ve needed players to step up into those roles. And while there’s been a mixed bag of results, the fact so many back-ups are getting meaningful reps is important.
That’s the crux of his argument — when it comes to the end of the season and the games that truly matter, the Riders are going to have all sorts of depth they might not have otherwise had if everyone stayed healthy.
“The last thing that you want is the young guys to never take a snap and then have to be pressed into action late in the season when everything's on the line,” Mullinder said on a recent edition of the SportsCage. “So now you have a bunch of guys for the Riders who have actually played. They've gotten some reps down. They know where their coaching points are. The more weapons you can put back on the field, especially in a game that means as much as this weekend does, the better.”
One player that has made the most of his time since coming off the practice roster is former Saskatchewan Huskies standout Daniel Wiebe. He had his best game receiving against the Toronto Argonauts last week with six catches for 56 yards and 18 returns for 218 yards on the season.
Not bad numbers for a guy who hasn’t seen nearly as many snaps as some of his teammates, and that’s only part of the reason many onlookers — including Mullinder — are high on him.
“He's been safe with the football when he's had to return, he hasn't fumbled it or anything and that’s a big part,” Mullinder said. “Everybody always talks about return touchdowns, but I want consistency in catching the football and just maintaining possession. The most important thing is ball security, and he's been that. Then he's provided some really important chain moving catches. And he’s done it all within the role that he's been given.”
If Wiebe keeps up his solid play, Mullinder has little doubt he’ll be a solid starter in Saskatchewan for many years to come.
“Every time you have a young player in important roles, you talk about not having a job drop-off,” he said. “You want your backups to get in there and just everything be the same as if the starter was in there. Daniel Wiebe checks that box. I think he's done a great job. He’s one of those guys who can contribute in a number of ways, so let's put them out there.”
Mullinder had plenty more to talk about on his SportsCage segment, including plenty of praise for Jeremy O’Day and his work setting up the Riders, and you can see it all in the video below.
The Rider Broadcast Network will have all the action on Sunday beginning with the pregame show at 2 p.m. Teagan Witko and Wes Cates will be joined by plenty of special guests, and Dave Thomas and Luc Mullinder will have the game call at 5 p.m.
