The Saskatchewan Roughriders are ready to hand the rock to newly signed running back Ryquell Armsted. Although, head coach Corey Mace doesn’t expect the five-foot-11, 220-pound back to suit up in Week 16 against the Calgary Stampeders.
“He’s going to have to learn the playbook from scratch. The kid looked good out there,” Mace said.
If all goes well, Armstead could potentially make his debut in Green and White on Saturday, September 28 when the Riders host his former team, the Ottawa Redblacks.
“I’m very ready to see those guys. It’ll be good to smile at the ones that put you down and tried to belittle you — keep proving them wrong. Some people just don’t see eye-to-eye in a lot of situations,” the 27-year-old said. “It’s a business at the end of the day. Just continue to be positive, grow and learn. I’ve been working on the things that may have been a problem in their eyes. When I did get released, I gave them my all, I gave them everything and the whole world saw it. I was happy, I felt free and I felt relaxed.”
In 11 games in the nation’s capital, Armstead ran for 623 yards on 125 carries with three touchdowns and added 35 receptions for 260 yards. However, he was released by Ottawa on September 3.
“We felt this was in the best interests of the team. We tried, as did he, to make this work, but in the end, it didn’t,” Redblacks’ head Coach Bob Dyce told the Ottawa Citizen.
“I’m big on making my own decisions. Everybody individually has their own way how they handle things,” Mace said. “When we brought him in, we spoke about it. I reached out to a couple other people I trust to understand the man. I know he’s a competitor and wants to win, we like those kind of people. There’s a way we conduct business around here and he’s totally on board.”
Saskatchewan currently averages a CFL-low 78.7 rushing yards per game. Missing A.J. Ouellette has been a major factor, an off-season free-agent signing by the Riders. Ouellette has missed six games due to being “pretty banged up” according to Mace. When Ouellette has been out, Frankie Hickson takes the starting role. He’s carried the football 76 times for 392 yards with one touchdown and caught eight passes for 80 yards. The Riders want to see what Armstead can add to the offence.
“The sample size that he had in Ottawa, I thought he emerged as one of the top backs in the league. He runs well, protects the quarterback very well, can catch out of the backfield. He had a pretty good stretch there in Ottawa,” Mace said.
“I’m going to bring a lot of passion, a lot of energy and effort. Ultimately, I’m here to work,” Armstead said. “I know what I bring, I know my value. I can hit the home run, I can bring power, I can catch it — I can do everything. I’m ready to help this team go win it all.”
The Roughriders are in Calgary on Friday night to take on the Stampeders at 7:30 p.m. The 620 CKRM Countdown to Kick-off starts at 4:30 p.m. Yours truly and Luc Mullinder join in on the Cooperators Roughrider Radio Network at 6:30 p.m.
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