Derek Mortensen/CFL.ca
When Jermaine McElveen was traded to Saskatchewan in May from the Hamilton Tiger-Cats he wasn’t sure how he would be received in the Roughrider dressing room.
McElveen had some history with the Riders. He played on the Montreal teams that beat Saskatchewan in back-to-back Grey Cups, including the infamous 2009 game the Alouettes won after the Riders were called for too many men on the field.
“It was awkward at first,” the towering defensive tackle said as the Riders prepared for Sunday’s 101st Grey Cup Championship against the Tiger-Cats. “I used to rub it in Double D (quarterback Darian Durant) face how I got a couple of Grey Cups. Now to be part of them, it felt different at first.
“Now I have got accustom to Rider Nation and they kind of embraced me. I like it.”
Veteran linebacker Mike McCullough didn’t welcome McElveen with flowers.
“It was tough. I just started talking to him a couple of days ago,” McCullough said, before breaking into a smile.
“I’ve been around a long time, you know a lot of guys you played against. You know what they can do. It’s nice to have them on your side instead of going against them.”
| Foley joined Riders with a purpose |
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“A lot of us talk among ourselves in the offseason. We had an opportunity to come here and go all in on a Cup. We weren’t coming here and rebuilding or coming here and making the playoffs. We were talking about coming here and winning a Grey Cup in the home city.” – Riders DE Ricky Foley |
The Rider defence that hopes to shut down the Ti-Cats Sunday was built with one goal in mind, to win the fourth Grey Cup in franchise history.
The blueprint included six free-agent signings and two trades which added veteran experience and six Grey Cup rings to the locker room.
Head coach Corey Chamblin said he outlined his needs to general manager Brendan Taman prior to the season.
“I wanted a championship defence,” said Chamblin. “That’s what I believed would get us this far.
“In order to do that, the biggest thing is linebackers and guys with tough mindsets. It’s not as hard on defence as offence. It’s not so much about chemistry. It’s just about guys having a don’t-quit attitude. That’s what the guys on defence have.”
Besides McElveen, Alex Hall was acquired from the Winnipeg Blue Bombers in October. Hall finished the year with 16 quarterback sacks.
The free agents include defensive ends Ricky Foley and John Chick; defensive backs Dwight Anderson and Carlos Thomas; and linebackers Tristan Black and Weldon Brown.
The overhaul proved successful as the Riders gave up a league-low 398 points during the season and finished among the top three in 16 other defensive categories.
Foley, a native of Bowmanville, Ont., won Grey Cups in 2006 with B.C. and last year in Toronto. He believes the Riders’ potential combined with Regina hosting the championship game helped attract players.
“A lot of us talk among ourselves in the offseason,” said Foley, who collected eight sacks this season. “We had an opportunity to come here and go all in on a Cup.
“We weren’t coming here and rebuilding or coming here and making the playoffs. We were talking about coming here and winning a Grey Cup in the home city.”
Hall said leaving Winnipeg and arriving in Regina was like stepping out of darkness to into light.
“When I was in Winnipeg we were losing,” said the six-foot-six, 256-pound native of St. Augustine’s, Fla. “The moral was down.
“When I came here the moral was more upbeat. Guys held their heads up and were looking forward to practice.”
| 101st Grey Cup Centre |
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The 101st Grey Cup Championship is all set as the hometown Saskatchewan Roughriders take on the Hamilton Tiger-Cats on Sunday night at Mosaic Stadium…Click here for more.
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Some roster experiments end in disaster. Personalities can clash. Teams fail to gel and become dysfunctional. The Riders looked to have found the right recipe.
“When you have veterans it’s easier,” said the six-foot-three, 256-pound Foley. “If we had a bunch of young guys coming in, all new faces on defence, that’s going to be tough.
“We have bunch of veterans who are used to the CFL style of play. They have pretty much seen all the different calls or ways of playing different schemes. It makes it a lot easier.”
Offensive guard Brendon Labatte said after years of battling players like McElveen and Foley in the trenches it was strange to see them in the same uniform.
“Those were two of the guys I was probably beefing most with in the league,” said Labatte, who won the most outstanding offensive lineman award this week. “To have them come in as teammates was good.
“We had our battles during training camp but those guys are committed to winning. The one thing you really see about them is their passion to win, go out and dominate the offensive linemen. Now you are a teammate, it’s something you can really respect about them.”
McElveen rotated into the Rider defence sharing one of the tackle spots with Tearrius George. He still finished the season with 19 tackles and six sacks.
“Nobody likes not playing all the time,” said McElveen. “But when you have a guy like T. George you know he can get the job done. You don’t mind sometimes.”
With George sidelined with an injury, McElveen had an interception and five tackles in Saskatchewan’s 35-13 win over Calgary in the West Semi-Final.
“I like to show up in big games,” said McElveen. “With money on the line you like to play your best ball.”
McElveen will be playing in his fourth Grey Cup Sunday. For Foley it will be his third. No one is taking the game for granted.
“The older you get the more special it becomes,” said Foley, 31. “It never gets old.”
McElveen, 29, has a little extra incentive playing against his old Hamilton teammates.
“I’m glad we’re facing them,” he said. “I’m glad they made it this far. Now it’s going to be fun beating them.”
