The Saskatchewan Roughriders not only suffered their first loss of the season Friday night, they may have also lost one of their biggest offensive weapons.
The Roughriders dropped a 40-34 decision to the Toronto Argonauts at Mosaic Stadium. Still, much of the post-game discussion centred around Canadian receiver Samuel Emilus leaving the game with an apparent leg injury after returning a punt in the second half.
Emilus wasn't Saskatchewan's regular returner. He was pressed into the role after James Letcher Jr. exited the game in the first quarter and spent the remainder of the night on the sideline with his arm in a sling.
The decision to put one of the CFL's top receivers back on to field punts quickly became a hot topic on the 620 CKRM Radio Roundtable call-in show.
Ted from Esterhazy questioned the coaching decision.
"There are a handful of players that should never be returning punts, and Sam Emilus is one of them."
Hunter pointed to Saskatchewan's ongoing special teams struggles.
"The special teams were absolutely terrible. The return game, two games in a row, you know, returned for a touchdown. Unacceptable. One, maybe, sure. But the second one? Come on. We've got to do something better than that."
Robin, calling from Surrey, B.C., echoed similar concerns.
Emilus is your star player, and you're putting him in where the whole team can rush down and nail him. He's done nothing but good for Saskatchewan, and you put him in a situation where he could get hurt — and he did get hurt. That doesn't make sense to me."
Following the game, head coach Corey Mace addressed both Emilus' injury and the decision to have him return punts.
"It's pro ball, man," Mace said. "We lost our returner. Sam's done it for us before. And he's a good one."
Mace said the reality of professional football often requires starters to contribute on special teams.
"To say, 'Why is he returning?' Well, why is our starting linebacker playing punt? You know what I'm saying? It's football. It's what we do."
Mace didn't have an immediate update on Emilus' condition.
"Obviously, he didn't come back out there. We'll see. I haven't gotten the update completely, but hopefully it's nothing crazy."
Special teams also came under the microscope after Saskatchewan surrendered its second return touchdown in as many weeks. Toronto's Janarion Grant broke free for a 68-yard punt return touchdown, providing another momentum swing against the Riders.
Mace said the coaching staff has already begun reviewing the breakdown.
"I took a peek at the iPad on the sideline for that one," Mace explained. "Traditionally, Coach Kent and Coach Deuce do a good job of telling us to throw the net out. You want to make sure you're not chasing the same jersey."
He compared the play to last week's costly return touchdown before halftime.
"Janarion pressed it to the field, and we know how dangerous he is with that. He put his foot in the ground, and I think caught us over-pursuing."
While Mace acknowledged that there are lessons to be learned, he said the responsibility lies with everyone.
"We've got to make sure that we're on our P's and Q's, everybody in the organization."
With injuries mounting on special teams and questions surrounding Emilus' status, the Roughriders now head into the week looking for answers after suffering their first setback of the season.
