In the month of July, it feels like Roughriders Head Coach Craig Dickenson has faced more curveballs than an average Major Baseball League hitter.
The latest twist and turn Dickenson will try and navigate his team through, is a number a positive COVID tests within the organization. As a result, the Riders have cancelled practice on Tuesday with the expectation that they will be able to resume normal football activities on Wednesday.
On his weekly appearance on the SportsCage, Dickenson says the team tested before heading out to Halifax, with everyone testing negatively. When the team was set to return home that is when the positive tests began.
The Riders Head Coach said he did not test positive, adding it’s not an ideal situation, but noted they should be fine to host the Toronto Argonauts in the back half of the home and home set with practice resuming on Wednesday.
One player who Dickenson confirmed to be affected by the positive tests was defensive halfback Rolan Milligan. The Riders coach noted Milligan was feeling ill the day of the game. It was later confirmed following the game with a positive test. The defensive back was still in Halifax on Monday as he did not fly back with the team.
With the latest blow of adversity, Dickenson believes the leadership core of the team are keeping it together.
“We’ve got just enough good veterans that have been there and done that, your Larry Dean’s of the world, your (Darrell) Sankeys, AC Leonard is good leader for us up front, in the backend Mike Edem, (Derrick) Moncrief, Nick Marshall, offensively we got some good ones as well that have been around and played some football. We feel like we got a pretty good core group of leaders and they do a good job of really controlling the locker room and making sure the guys know when we come out, we’re going to play hard, we might not play well every game, but there is nothing that prevents us from playing hard.”
A big topic for discussion after Saturday’s game was what happened before the contest, as the Riders Duke Williams was involved in an altercation with the Argos Shaq Richardson. There was video evidence that showed Williams tossing a helmet at Richardson. There was also accusations that Williams spat at Richardson. Dickenson says he has spent a lot of time investigating into the incident, he noted he spoke with Argo coaches and players, he also pointed out that Richardson crossed midfield to initiate contact with Williams.
In regards to the alleged spitting incident involving Williams, Dickenson said he everyone who he talked to said Williams didn’t spit at Richardson. The Riders Head Coach said the team will discipline Williams but he is not anticipating a suspension for the receiver.
There appears to be some good news on the way for Saskatchewan. Defensive end Charleston Hughes is expected to be in the lineup when the Riders host the Argos on Saturday. Dickenson says Hughes has met the club’s expectations so far this season and is looking forward to having the veteran back in the lineup.
With the number of last minute changes to the lineup, Hughes would have been a fine last minute replacement but Dickenson noted that he was unavailable for the game. He noted when CFL teams declare their rosters for the upcoming season, the team has to declare players to be placed on the one game injured list, and once the player is placed on the one game injured list, he can’t be removed from the list, as was the case for Hughes.
Another player who could return to the lineup in the near future is Kyran “Swerve” Moore. The receiver began practicing last week and Dickenson is hopeful that Moore is back on the roster for the Riders after the Riders bye in early August.
A big piece of news dropped near the end of Dickenson’s visit to the SportsCage. When asked about possibly sitting Fajardo to allow him to recuperate from his injuries. The Riders Head Coach said that Fajardo’s status for Saturday is questionable and the chances for #7 to start on Saturday are 50-50.
After meeting in Nova Scotia last week, the Riders and Argos will wrap up their season series on Saturday. You can catch the game on 620 CKRM, with an opening kickoff at 5:00.
