The Saskatchewan Roughriders secondary has its work cut out to match the performance of the front seven. Defensive backs coach Jordan Linnen is acutely aware of that.
The Riders surrendered just 12 rushing yards in a 42-20 win over the Ottawa Redblacks last Friday. That paltry total came after back-to-back weeks of holding electric Edmonton Elks running back Justin Rankin in check with only 57 yards on the ground over two games.
That stinginess means opposing teams are bound to try to throw the ball more often. The Riders have had mixed results in slowing down aerial attacks.
“What it’s done is it’s highlighted that we’ve still got to be a little more consistent when the ball is in the air,” Linnen told Dave Thomas and Teagan Witko on this week’s edition of the SportsCage’s Coaches Show. “On the back end, you want those opportunities for the ball to go up and be in the air. That’s when we get a chance to train through make plays on the ball.
“Have we done that? Not nearly as good as we should or as we would have hoped at this point of the season. But we welcome the opportunity for the ball to go up and continue to get those reps.”
The Riders entered last week’s game with the CFL’s third-best run defence when it comes to yards against per game. They were sixth in average pass yards allowed.
The latter stat was inflated by giving up 510 yards passing to Edmonton Elks’ Cody Fajardo in a home loss on July 23. Since then, they’ve done a much better job. They held Fajardo to 286 yards in the rematch and Redblacks’ Jake Maier passed for 339 yards last week.
“A lot of the efficiencies when we do have successful games, come from the players,” Linnen said. “When those (bad) things happen, there’s a lot of self reflections, a lot of soul searching. That’s even for us as coaches.”
The secondary certainly deserves its share of praise, though. The Riders have allowed just 11 passing touchdowns this season, a CFL best. That’s with a slew of significant injuries to players like Nelson Lokombo, Tevaughn Campbell, and Rolan Milligan Jr.
However, before last week they’d made just two interceptions – both coming from linebacker Josh Woods. The secondary finally got on the board when Jonathan Edouard recorded a pick in the second half.
“To see it all come to fruition was amazing,” Linnen said. “It’s a testament to those guys’ hard work. It’s not for lack of trying. We’ve done everything we can in terms of practice and repetition and communication and mental reps.
“Now we’re hoping that opens the floodgates and we get them in bunches. We’ve got a bunch of guys who can make plays on the ball. They’ve shown that throughout their careers and throughout their time with us. We just needed to get that elephant out of the room.”
It was fitting that Edouard made the interception. Edouard made good on a pregame prediction from defensive coordinator Joshua Bell that he’d get the first pick of the season by a Riders defensive back.
“He comes to work every day, and he’s prepared to continue to ask the right questions and get the understanding to the point where he’s now starting to play at a higher level,” Linnen said. “Things are slowing down for him. You’re seeing him make more and more plays.”
Watch the full interview below.
