Davis: Roughriders O-line learning life's lessons from Edwin Harrison
'Hello, my name is …'
Article content
Popular at reunions and conventions, those fill-in-the-blank badges might be helpful among the Saskatchewan Roughriders offensive linemen, where coach Edwin Harrison has worked with so many players during the past two CFL seasons he sometimes mixes them up.
Article content
'You know, the funny thing is, I do occasionally mess up some names,' Harrison said at Mosaic Stadium following a recent practice spent preparing for Saturday's road game against the Montreal Alouettes.
Article content
Article content
'The guys give me so much crap about it. In a funny way it gives every man in that room a sense of belonging and that they contributed to where we are.'
Article content
Article content
Harrison, a former NFL and CFL offensive lineman who won a Grey Cup as a player with the 2014 Calgary Stampeders and an assistant coach with the 2022 Toronto Argonauts, instructs a group that has been constantly changing since he joined the Roughriders in 2024.
Article content
He treats them like men. He expects them to be accountable. And he wants them to always be ready.
Article content
'Every man who walks into that room, I don't care if you're on the practice roster, the one-game or six-game (injury lists) or you're starting,' said Harrison. 'You have prepare like you're playing.
Article content
'You have to take notes like you're playing. You have to ask questions like you're playing. It really doesn't matter who is physically on the roster, who's actually a starter, they're watching film at home and preparing as if they're playing.'
Article content
Article content
For the six roster positions available each game — two tackles, two guards, one centre and a backup — the Roughriders dressed 13 different players last season and started 12. Because of in-game injuries they also deployed two defensive linemen as emergency replacements.
Article content
Article content
This season they have started three different left tackles, three left guards and two right guards. Right tackle Jermarcus Hardrick has started every game after missing most of 2024 and Logan Ferland, an all-star guard, has shifted to centre because of injuries during training camp. There are six offensive linemen on Saskatchewan's injury lists and three more on the practice roster as general manager Jeremy O'Day and his staff work to keep the pipeline full.
Article content
'Even on our walk-through day, they have their own player presentations of pass rushers and they have player-led meetings to talk out protections,' said Harrison. 'I really don't say anything. They completely do it.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
CBC
7 hours ago
- CBC
Edmonton Elks keep skidding, falling 28-24 to Hamilton Saturday
Not even the threat of lightning could knock the Hamilton Tiger-Cats out of their zone. Tim White reeled in a pair of touchdown passes as the Tiger-Cats continued their red-hot play, defeating the Edmonton Elks 28-24 on Saturday in a game that was delayed more than an hour due to lightning strikes around the Alberta capital. The Ticats (6-2) have now won six games in a row. "It was resiliency and continuing to build the belief in the locker room, no matter what happens, where we are in games, up or down, a lightning delay trying to take away the momentum, we will find a way to win," said Hamilton quarterback Bo Levi Mitchell, who was 30 for 42 for 350 yards passing and three TDs. "It's different people, it's different groups every time. When it matters, we are playing the complimentary football we need to play." Mitchell eclipsed Doug Flutie (41,355) in career CFL passing yards on Saturday, moving into ninth all-time. "He's doing a great job of moving in the pocket and not taking sacks and making great decisions with the football and making the big plays when they are there. He's playing the best football I've seen him play," said Ticats head coach Scott Milanovich. "I didn't feel like we played a full four-quarter, three-phase, game again, but I thought we did in the fourth quarter, which is when we needed it the most." The Elks (1-6) continue to struggle, now with three straight losses. "We're getting closer," said Elks head coach Mark Kilam. "When good teams play each other, it is the team that makes the plays down the stretch that usually wins. We had an opportunity to do that. We did not." Hamilton looked like it meant business right from the opening kickoff, which was returned 75 yards by Isaiah Wooden Sr. Two plays later, Mitchell completed a 24-yard touchdown pass to Kiondre Smith. Edmonton shrugged off the shock and responded on its first possession with a touchdown of its own, as quarterback Cody Fajardo engineered a long drive, capped off by a 10-yard run into the end zone by Justin Rankin. However, Hamilton punched right back with a long drive of its own, culminating in a two-yard TD run by Greg Bell. The Elks once again bounced back as Steven Dunbar Jr. made a nice play shrugging off a defender for a 25-yard reception, setting up a one-yard rushing major by Cole Snyder. Edmonton looked poised to take its first lead late in the second quarter, but the Cats' defence came up huge, stopping the Elks on two consecutive goal-line stands from the one-yard-line on attempts by Snyder to turn the ball over on downs and keep the game tied 14-14 at the half. The Elks responded with another solid drive to start the third quarter, finished by a 13-yard TD pass from Fajardo to Rankin. The see-saw battle continued as Hamilton responded with a three-yard TD catch by White. Then at 3:17 p.m. local time, with just 18 seconds remaining in the third quarter, lightning strikes were reported in the vicinity of Commonwealth Stadium and the game was delayed until almost 4:30 p.m. Edmonton got a huge play with 9:56 left in the fourth as punter Cody Grace was the first to get to his own sky-high kick and knocked it forward for teammate Luke Burton-Krahn to pick it up. The play led to a 33-yard field goal by Vincent Blanchard. After Fajardo was intercepted on a long-bomb attempt by Stavros Katsantonis, the Tiger-Cats marched down the field and completed a 27-yard touchdown pass to White to take a four-point lead with two minutes left. "It was definitely a close game, so being able to grind it out and catch the win definitely feels good," White said. "I feel as a team we keep our composure throughout the process and late in games we are just able to finish." Edmonton had a late chance as Fajardo hit Kaion Julien-Grant in the end zone with a long pass, but he dropped it. The Elks turned over the ball on downs and Hamilton ran out the clock.
Global News
13 hours ago
- Global News
Roughriders soar past Alouettes 34-6 in CFL power clash
A dominant defensive performance and explosive plays allowed the Saskatchewan Roughriders to walk away from Montreal with a 34-6 win on Saturday. It was billed as a clash between the CFL's top two teams, but the Roughriders proved a class above the Alouettes, improving to 7-1 and moving four points up on the 5-3 Calgary Stampeders in the West Division. The Saskatchewan defence held the Alouettes (5-3) to 169 yards and did not allow them to pass their 46 yard-line. They also forced three turnovers, although it could have been even more. 'Through and through that was our best game as a defence,' said Saskatchewan head coach and defensive coordinator Corey Mace. 'I told them, that being said, we dropped so many potential interceptions and turnovers. Really, really proud of those guys.' 'It makes it pretty easy to win football games,' quarterback Trevor Harris said about his defence's performance. 'If they don't get into the red zone and they only kick two field goals, it's tough to lose games. Story continues below advertisement 'It's on us as an offence to make sure we extend our leads and they don't get close. We did that, but obviously still wish we would have done a little more offensively.' 'They're a good team,' said Montreal quarterback McLeod Bethel-Thompson. 'We have to give them credit, but we came out absolutely terrible tonight, myself included. You come out against a good team and play badly, it looks like that.' 2:12 Roughriders fan turns into urban historian Harris threw for 289 yards and two touchdowns against one of his former teams and Dohnte Meyers had 182 all-purpose yards in the win as well but the common refrain from the Riders coaches and players was that they were capable of even more. Get daily National news Get the day's top news, political, economic, and current affairs headlines, delivered to your inbox once a day. Sign up for daily National newsletter Sign Up By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy 'We're just going to continue to keep climbing and getting better. Just because you're 7-1 after eight games, it doesn't mean anything,' Harris said. Story continues below advertisement A crowd of 21,654 at Percival Molson Stadium in Montreal witnessed the Riders improve to 4-0 on the road. It was the Roughriders first win in Montreal since Oct. 30, 2021, snapping a two-game losing streak in Quebec and three games against the Alouettes overall. 'The environment was everything that we thought it was going to be,' said Mace. 'Their crowd showed up, the energy was crazy, but as a football team we were able to keep them quiet.' 'Anytime you get a win on the road in the CFL, it's nothing to sneeze at, especially against a team like this,' Harris said. Montreal was playing its fourth game of the season without starting quarterback Davis Alexander. They are 1-3 in those games. Bethel-Thompson, Alexander's replacement, went 15 for 26 for 126 yards and an interception and was briefly replaced in the third quarter by Caleb Evans. Maas said he tried to find a spark by going to Evans but when it wasn't there, he returned to Bethel-Thompson. The loss drops Montreal two points behind the East-leading Hamilton Tiger-Cats. Saskatchewan opened the scoring with short-yardage quarterback Tommy Stevens' one-yard touchdown run on an opening drive aided by a 46-yard return on the opening kickoff by Meyers and an unnecessary roughness penalty on the Alouettes. It was the only scoring in the first quarter. Story continues below advertisement The Roughriders doubled their lead on their first drive of the second quarter, a nine-play, 69-yard drive ending with a Harris touchdown pass to Tommy Nield with 8:35 remaining. Montreal finally got on the board with 5:15 remaining in the first half when Jose Maltos connected for a 56-yard field goal. Saskatchewan answered right back with a field goal of their own, set up after a long 58-yard pass and catch from Harris to Meyers. Meyers is in his second season with the Roughriders and came into the game among the league leaders with five explosive plays, which is categorized as receptions over 30 yards and kickoff returns over 40 yards. On Saturday, he added three more. 'He's a big-play guy and he's able to help us stretch the field,' said Harris. 'The reputation is that we only throw the ball short, but we've been throwing the ball deep over people's heads quite a bit this year with Dohnte and KeeSean (Johnson).' 'He's an explosive receiver,' Mace said. 'He runs routes as smooth as ever, he's got great hands, and he's got some top-level speed to be able to break away. The kid's just a ballplayer, man, and I think everybody in the country's starting to figure that out.' The game's second half was delayed close to 30 minutes due to a thunderstorm in the area, and the rain continued to start the third quarter. Story continues below advertisement Both teams were dealing with key players missing. Saskatchewan was missing receiver Samuel Emilus. In addition to Alexander, Montreal was without receivers Austin Mack and Tyler Philpot, while defensive back Kabion Ento was a late scratch and safety Marc-Antoine Dequoy left the game with an injury. Montreal head coach Jason Maas did not give an update on Dequoy's status, saying he will be re-evaluated this week. 'Injuries are part of the game,' said Maas. 'At times they're harder to overcome than others. Obviously, you don't ever want to start a game losing a guy and then lose a couple extra guys at those positions.' 'What I give more credit to than anything is them,' he said about his opponents. 'They played very well tonight, whether we were injured or not.' UP NEXT Roughriders: Host the Hamilton Tiger-Cats on Saturday, Aug. 16. Alouettes: Host the Edmonton Elks on Friday.
CBC
13 hours ago
- CBC
Roughriders cruise to a 7-1 season record after dominating Alouettes
A dominant defensive performance and explosive plays allowed the Saskatchewan Roughriders to walk away from Montreal with a 34-6 win on Saturday. It was billed as a clash between the CFL's top two teams, but the Roughriders proved a class above the Alouettes, improving to 7-1 and moving four points up on the 5-3 Calgary Stampeders in the West Division. The Saskatchewan defence held the Alouettes (5-3) to 169 yards and did not allow them to pass their 46 yard-line. They also forced three turnovers, although it could have been even more. "Through and through that was our best game as a defence," said Saskatchewan head coach and defensive coordinator Corey Mace. "I told them, that being said, we dropped so many potential interceptions and turnovers. Really, really proud of those guys." "It makes it pretty easy to win football games," quarterback Trevor Harris said about his defence's performance. "If they don't get into the red zone and they only kick two field goals, it's tough to lose games. "It's on us as an offence to make sure we extend our leads and they don't get close. We did that, but obviously still wish we would have done a little more offensively." "They're a good team," said Montreal quarterback McLeod Bethel-Thompson. "We have to give them credit, but we came out absolutely terrible tonight, myself included. You come out against a good team and play badly, it looks like that." Harris threw for 289 yards and two touchdowns against one of his former teams and Dohnte Meyers had 182 all-purpose yards in the win as well but the common refrain from the Riders coaches and players was that they were capable of even more. "We're just going to continue to keep climbing and getting better. Just because you're 7-1 after eight games, it doesn't mean anything," Harris said. Rare road win A crowd of 21,654 at Percival Molson Stadium in Montreal witnessed the Riders improve to 4-0 on the road. It was the Roughriders first win in Montreal since Oct. 30, 2021, snapping a two-game losing streak in Quebec and three games against the Alouettes overall. "The environment was everything that we thought it was going to be," said Mace. "Their crowd showed up, the energy was crazy, but as a football team we were able to keep them quiet." "Anytime you get a win on the road in the CFL, it's nothing to sneeze at, especially against a team like this," Harris said. Montreal was playing its fourth game of the season without starting quarterback Davis Alexander. They are 1-3 in those games. Bethel-Thompson, Alexander's replacement, went 15 for 26 for 126 yards and an interception and was briefly replaced in the third quarter by Caleb Evans. Maas said he tried to find a spark by going to Evans but when it wasn't there, he returned to Bethel-Thompson. The loss drops Montreal two points behind the East-leading Hamilton Tiger-Cats. Saskatchewan opened the scoring with short-yardage quarterback Tommy Stevens' one-yard touchdown run on an opening drive aided by a 46-yard return on the opening kickoff by Meyers and an unnecessary roughness penalty on the Alouettes. It was the only scoring in the first quarter. The Roughriders doubled their lead on their first drive of the second quarter, a nine-play, 69-yard drive ending with a Harris touchdown pass to Tommy Nield with 8:35 remaining. Montreal finally got on the board with 5:15 remaining in the first half when Jose Maltos connected for a 56-yard field goal. Saskatchewan answered right back with a field goal of their own, set up after a long 58-yard pass and catch from Harris to Meyers. Meyers is in his second season with the Roughriders and came into the game among the league leaders with five explosive plays, which is categorized as receptions over 30 yards and kickoff returns over 40 yards. On Saturday, he added three more. "He's a big-play guy and he's able to help us stretch the field," said Harris. "The reputation is that we only throw the ball short, but we've been throwing the ball deep over people's heads quite a bit this year with Dohnte and KeeSean [Johnson]." "He's an explosive receiver," Mace said. "He runs routes as smooth as ever, he's got great hands, and he's got some top-level speed to be able to break away. The kid's just a ballplayer, man, and I think everybody in the country's starting to figure that out." Rain and injuries The game's second half was delayed close to 30 minutes due to a thunderstorm in the area, and the rain continued to start the third quarter. Both teams were dealing with key players missing. Saskatchewan was missing receiver Samuel Emilus. In addition to Alexander, Montreal was without receivers Austin Mack and Tyler Philpot, while defensive back Kabion Ento was a late scratch and safety Marc-Antoine Dequoy left the game with an injury. Montreal head coach Jason Maas did not give an update on Dequoy's status, saying he will be re-evaluated this week. "Injuries are part of the game," said Maas. "At times they're harder to overcome than others. Obviously, you don't ever want to start a game losing a guy and then lose a couple extra guys at those positions." "What I give more credit to than anything is them," he said about his opponents. "They played very well tonight, whether we were injured or not."
