Paying attention to details and increasing the level of intensity were high on the priority list at practice this week for the Saskatchewan Roughriders as they prepared for their Saturday game against the Toronto Argonauts.
They can thank someone like Jameer Thurman for that.
“I made sure that we have a shift in focus this week,” the middle linebacker said Friday. “I’m going to put the blame on myself as a leader of the team that we’ve been allowing things to go undiscussed.”
There were plenty of conversations between coaches and individual players this week, as per usual, but there were lots of one-on-one talks between the guys who wear the pads as well. Those chats aren’t always then norm, especially since the tone was mostly direct and blunt.
“You’ve got to understand that you want to keep the team chemistry together, but this is a hard business. Guys are fighting for their job every single week,” Thurman said. “We’re not in the business of caring about feelings too much, especially off a two-game losing streak. Guys got to (be) receptive, and they’ve got to show up each week and execute on game day.”
There hasn’t been enough execution for the Riders over the previous two contests, road defeats to the Hamilton Tiger-Cats and B.C. Lions.
The offence scored a grand total of two touchdowns, one in each game. The defence couldn’t get stops in the fourth quarter against the Ticats and wasn’t any better in Vancouver. Poorly timed penalties and turnovers also hurt the cause.
“It’s disappointing, it’s concerning, regardless of the outcome, Riders coach Corey Mace said. “We just look into working to fix those things. The last couple weeks where we have mental lapses or lack of focus in certain situations, they’ve been costly for us.”
Two subpar performances have resulted in a slew of lineup changes.
On defence, that James Burgess Jr. is in at corner as Nelson Lokombo slides back to safety to replace Jaxon Ford. Seyi Oladipo Jr. will get the start at linebacker for Antoine Brooks Jr.
Given the roster shuffle, all those conversations from leaders like Thurman have been extra important this week.
“That’s what you want,” Mace said. “We talk openly about that from the start of training camp. It’s more than just showing love for each other. In certain situations when adversity hits – it always does – those conversations do come up.
“It’s easy to sit down and look at somebody face to face and have that conversation when you know that it’s coming from a person who gives a damn about the team, who gives a damn about the person he’s talking to. I champion that kind of stuff from our leadership.”
Having more of a sense of urgency has also been a hot topic around the locker room. After all, the Riders haven’t lost more than two consecutive games since they dropped four straight from weeks 10 to 13 in the 2024 campaign.
“We’ve got to play better, and I’ve got to play better. And we will,” quarterback Trevor Harris said. “We’ve made some great strides in practice. We made some great strides in meetings and discussions in what we’re doing. I’m excited to see this version of us and see how we’ve progressed. I think you’ll see an improved version.”
Harris said a point of emphasis has been to “do the next right thing,” whether that’s after a great play or a bad penalty.
That’s a mindset that resonates with Thurman and the defence.
They’re going up against Chad Kelly, a quarterback whose 21 touchdown passes rank second in the CFL, but whose 15 interceptions are the most in the league. They might get beat by Kelly at times, but they want to rebound and get the better of him more often.
“The main thing is to keep the top – no explosions – and then when plays come our way, we’ve got to make them,” Thurman said. “We’ve got to find a way to get the offence the ball a lot throughout this game.
“No better time than on Saturday. The opportunities will be there. It’s been proven on (game) tape all throughout the season. Now it’s on us to go out there and execute and take advantage of them.”
Time to put all those conversations to good use.
