REGINA — Any time an athlete suffers a long-term injury, the easiest approach is to sit back and recover and hope everything comes together so you can get back on the playing field. Unless you’re Saskatchewan Roughriders' offensive lineman Payton Collins.
The rookie left tackle slotted into his first Canadian Football League game back in Week 1 against the Ottawa Redblacks but was unable to finish the contest, suffering a knee injury that ended up sidelining him for the next seven weeks.
Collins wasn’t one to take a woe-is-me approach, though. The six-foot-seven, 301-pound Eastern Kentucky graduate did everything he could off the field to improve and develop as a player, even though he couldn’t take to the gridiron. It was all with a plan of being as prepared as possible when the time came to return to action — and with that time coming against the Montreal Alouettes, the hope is it’s all systems go.
“I wanted to stay physically in shape the best I could and physically ready, but I think a big part of it was staying mentally engaged,” Collins told voice of the Roughriders Dave Thomas. “Once you get back in there, if you haven't been paying attention to meetings and knowing the playbook and watching film and stuff like that, it'll be even harder for you to get right back in there. So mentally that was a big factor for me in staying ready.”
To that end, Collins is hoping his efforts have led to continued improvement even without the on-field reps many of his teammates have had.
“I think it's gone pretty well,” he said. “Right now, I'm taking it day by day. I try to get a little better each day, that was the goal before I got hurt and that's gonna be the same goal every day as long as I play football.”
Collins was as durable during his time in college, setting an Eastern Kentucky record by starting 56 straight games. He was named an All-American in his senior season and signed with the Riders on May 2.
Once he hit training camp, Collins immediately began to turn heads. When injuries began to pile up on the offensive line in the lead-up to the season opener, it wasn’t long before Collins found himself getting his first start in his first game of the season. Things were going well in that outing until his injury, and Collins is hoping he’ll be able to pick up right where he left off when he hits the field in Montreal. One of the keys in that direction will be relying on the veteran experience next to him on the offensive line.
“The other o-linemen, my whole team, my coaches, trusting the game plan and making sure I know what to do so I can be the best version of myself and help this team get the 'W' on Saturday,” Collins said.
As much as the Riders are looking forward to Collins’ return given their banged-up o-line, head coach Corey Mace isn’t about to throw him to the wolves with no regard for what he’s been through.
“There's potential for him jumping in, get some reps in there,” Mace said. “Him coming off injury, you want to be smart with that kind of stuff, but if he feels good we'll have an opportunity to get him going again.”
One thing that’s for certain is Montreal will be sure to be less than welcoming. The Alouettes are 5-2 and tied for first atop the East Division and are certain to be a solid test for Collins and what has turned into one of the best offensive lines in the CFL.
“I think what will help me to be ready is doing all the little things,” Collins said. “All the extra little things as an o-line that we have to do, whether that's the film room, whether that's taking care of your bodies, maybe getting extra footwork. I think that's the biggest thing in order to be ready for a game like this.”
The Riders Broadcast Network has all the action on Saturday, with Teagan Witko, Justin Dunk and Wes Cates on the pre-game show at 2 p.m. followed by Dave Thomas and Luc Mullinder with the game call at 5 p.m.
