When Glen Suitor looks at the mix in the West Division, the Saskatchewan Roughriders aren’t exactly flashing like a neon sign.
The SportsCage regular and TSN analyst calls the Edmonton Elks the best off the five teams on the left side of Canada. He notes that B.C. Lions clearly the hottest since they’ve won seven of their last eight games.
The Roughriders are no better than the middle of the pack, which makes sense since they sit third in the division with an 8-6 record after losing two straight games and four of their last six.
But it’s not like this season is a lost cause for the Riders. Far from it.
With key players like A.J. Ouellette and Kian Schaffer-Baker back in the lineup, and Samuel Emilus and Tevaughn Campbell potentially nearing returns, Saskatchewan’s still has a chance to make a run in November.
For Suitor, it starts with them having, in his view, a MOP-quality quarterback in Trevor Harris and a solid running game now that Ouellette is taking the hand-offs.
That’s just the start what could make the Riders a strong team in the postseason.
“Can they win against any team in the league in a one-game affair, in a one-game playoff?” Suitor said. “Do they still have the horses to do that? Absolutely they do, especially when they get Tevaughn Campbell back.
“I like their back end – as good a linebacking group as any team in the league, and they can get after it up front, too. There are probably teams with bigger names like Mathieu Betts (of the B.C. Lions). But they’re very capable. And the turnovers will come, and when they come, they come in bunches.”
It’s the player that Suitor singled out that bears elaborating on.
The Riders have been without Campbell since he broke his forearm during an Aug. 1 game in Edmonton. The defensive back practiced Monday and Tuesday in a limited capacity and is expected to return before the end of the regular season.
Campbell is elite, Suitor said, and changes the complexion of the secondary – and the defensive group overall. He also keeps an opposing quarterback “unsure” of himself.
“He can't throw with confidence,” Suitor said. “With Tevaughn, he can go fall off three or four steps, making it look like he’s taking the corner route and still have that burst. When he takes off and comes out of his backpedal, there’s not a faster DB in the league.”
Watch the full segment below.
