Arthur Ward/CFL.ca
When the injury bug bites at this time of year, it can bite hard and the impact can derail your entire Grey Cup hopes.
In Saskatchewan, the Riders appear to have the depth necessary to fend off the pesky insect
The Roughriders are down their top offensive lineman, so insert last year’s CFL Most Outstanding Offensive Lineman.
They’re also down two running backs, so in comes a player who holds the CFL record for scoring touchdowns five different ways in one season.
Oh, and a four-time CFL All-Star has recently made his debut on the roster, joining a group of three 1,000-yard receivers.
Depth? The Riders have it.
When Chris Jones was tasked with turning around the fortunes of a team that couldn’t win without its number one quarterback, the Calgary Stampeders were the franchise President Craig Reynolds was looking to model.
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Chad Owens has emerged as a key late-season target for the Riders under Chris Jones (Johany Jutras/CFL.ca)
The Stampeders haven’t had fewer than 10 wins for 10 consecutive seasons and have two Grey Cup Championships over that time. The biggest reason the Stampeders were successful was the consistent changeover of the roster, with little to no impact on their success.
They survived changes and losses of several all-stars and never missed a beat.
The same is starting to show in Saskatchewan.
Going into the Eastern Semi-Final, the Roughriders have had to bench Caleb Holley, who is one of their strongest up-and-coming prospects, to make room for Chad Owens. Owens’ play has been too good to leave him out of the lineup.
The reason Owens landed on the roster was an injury to West Division All-Star Naaman Roosevelt.
The depth at receiver is also an embarrassment of riches. They also have former all-star Chris Getzlaf quietly readying himself in case they need a Canadian receiver.
At running back, we watched Cameron Marshall, Trent Richardson, Shakir Bell and Marcus Thigpen all take reps in practice as Chris Jones pondered which American tail back will play this week.
He simply said he’d go with the healthiest guy, and that just so happens to be Thigpen for the moment.
There is no urgency to rush back Marshall or Richardson, who both have had strong performances this season.
You could likely hear managers around the league say ‘must be nice’.
Then you get to the offensive line and you notice no Brendon LaBatte. Other teams would be greatly impacted by such an injury as the playoffs begin. Jones’ replacement is last year’s top offensive lineman Derek Dennis, who is coming back from an injury of his own.
Up and down the roster, you can find the next man up is right there, ready to take on the increased role, and Jones has no concern of much of a drop off of play.
That is the tell tale sign of a team that is building to become one of the more consistent groups in the league.
It’s why the Edmonton Eskimos were able to win 12 games, with injuries occurring almost on a daily basis at times this season.
The deeper the team, the better they are.
And finally, there is quarterback. The back-and-forth Kevin Glenn/Brandon Bridge tandem in the back half of the season allows the Roughriders to have confidence with either quarterback lined up behind centre.
If you go around the other five teams in the post-season, you’ll find lapses behind their starter, with the exception of Edmonton and maybe Ottawa. But Bridge has climbed the ladder in terms of best backup quarterbacks in the league.
He’s led the team to wins in a few games this season, while other teams haven’t seen that type of ability from their second-string guy.
If the Riders expect a run to Grey Cup, they should also expect injuries to come along with two grueling games to get there. Their depth shows they should still expect a decent shot, no matter who is the next to go down.
