You can add former Saskatchewan Roughriders standout Scott Schultz to the list of CFL onlookers who feel the Green and White have more than a fighting chance in the West Division semifinal on Saturday afternoon.
And the Plaza of Honour member wouldn’t be surprised to see the defensive line play a major role in any success Saskatchewan has.
Schultz joined Barney Shynkaruk on the SportsCage for his Midweek Soundoff segment and when asked if there was a potential breakout player in the contest for the Riders, he pointed to the crew who were so dangerous last week.
“If it’s like it was last week with the (six) sacks, I can see someone on the d-line breaking out and being that guy,” Schultz said. “I got to meet with those guys this week, and man, what a great group, and motivated. These guys were locked in. They weren’t standing around in the corner avoiding, they were engaged and talking, and I believe in them. I believe in this group. You know how crazy it gets in the playoffs.”
Of course, Schultz himself being a former defensive lineman might push his opinion in that direction, but given how utterly disruptive Saskatchewan’s defensive front was in Week 21, it’s a valid point — and part-in-parcel with what he feels the Riders have to do to find victory.
That mainly being once again finding a way to contain Lions quarterback Nathan Rourke in both the passing and rushing game. Easier said than done, but being as confusing as possible might do the trick, Schultz said.
“I'd build a cage, not run a race,” he explained. “If everybody's trying to sack him, nobody's responsible for keeping him in the pocket. So I want my ends rushing high shoulder, try to keep him caged in the pocket and break it off inside when you're at the depth of the quarterback. Then working on collapsing the pocket from the inside with our studs Mike Rose and Caleb Sanders.
"With the linebackers, I present pressure a lot more than you send it. So mugging up the linebackers, showing blitz, and then backing out of there and then creating some opportunities with the confusion.”
On the other side of the ball, finding a way to deal with defensive end Mathieu Betts and linebacker Darnell Sankey will be a priority, as the duo were two of the best players in the league in their respective positions in the second half of the season.
Keeping them from doing much to Riders quarterback Trevor Harris and running back A.J. Ouellette, and the chances of a victory increase substantially.
“Betts is a problem,” Schultz said. “The biggest thing is, you don't have to double team him every snap, but he has to feel somebody other than the tackle, instead of letting him run and run down plays. And Sankey, he finished second in the CFL with 114 tackles. The guy can go sideline to sideline. And he's foaming at the mouth to get to the ball. So limiting those two guys is going to be important.”
Perhaps the biggest thing for Saskatchewan heading into the game is the overall team health. The most recent team injury report released on Wednesday revealed almost every key player at full steam in practice, meaning that for the first time since around midseason, the Riders will have a complete lineup.
But as Schultz says, the stars still gotta perform.
“Being healthy for them, it doesn't guarantee a win, it just removes the alibi. I think our guys are moving in the right direction. The right names are trending towards competing and I definitely think it's probably the biggest man-on-man. Just go out there and do your job going into the playoffs.”
Should that happen, Schultz is confident the Riders will be playing again next week.
“Let’s not forget, when you enter the playoffs in the CFL, it is a totally different season,” he said. “We don't have to repair the last eight weeks, all we've got to do is show up one game at a time in the playoffs, and great things happen. And there's a track record of that for Saskatchewan.
“They're feeling very much in control of their own destiny with a clean slate. Whatever you've got to do to get yourself in that mold and get back on track when they were moving-it-and-doing-it earlier in the season, I think they've made it. They found their way into the playoffs and we can start fresh from here.”
The Rider Broadcast Network will be on the air at 11:30 a.m. on Saturday, featuring plenty of special guests during the pregame show to get everyone up to speed on the contest. Dave Thomas and Luc Mullinder will then have the game call at kick-off at 2:30 p.m.
