Roughriders rookie camp wraps in Saskatoon
Saskatchewan Roughriders rookie camp came to a soggy end in Saskatoon on Friday, with the rain and wind making for slippery and cold conditions.
“Yesterday we were all sunburned, now today we're all here shivering,” said Konner Johnson, a Saskatoon Hilltops linebacker who got an invite to camp as a territorial junior.
The rain didn’t seem to stop connections through the air from being made.
“As a group they did a nice job,” said head coach Craig Dickenson of his quarterbacks.
“I thought we saw more balls completed than I was thinking we might, but it'll only get tougher from here.”
Mason Fine, 25, signed with the Riders in December 2020 and got into one game in the 2021 season, completing five of nine passes for 64 yards.
It’s those snaps and the year of experience with the green and white that could give him the inside track on backing up Cody Fajardo.
“Just being here all last year on the practice roster the majority of the time, just getting those those mental reps behind Cody, watching how everything's done,” he said.
“Coming into rookie camp I’ve felt very confident about the playbook. I still met with [offensive coordinator Jason] Mass last year, this offseason, and felt really good about coming into rookie minicamp, and really that that took a lot of stress off.”
Fine came straight to the CFL after graduating from the University of North Texas, and says he’s trying to soak up all he can from Fajardo in his first taste of professional football.
“Cody is a great quarterback to look up to and he's been awesome mentoring me and showing me kind of the ropes on how to do it,” he said.
“Taking those habits that I've learned from veteran guys and incorporate that into, especially my offseason, and I'll incorporate that into this season.”
2022 eighth round pick from the University of Regina Rams Riley Boersma is already making an impression as a receiver in his first professional training camp.
“He has done a nice job of camp,” said Dickenson.
“We knew he could move, we knew he was a good athlete, but what we saw here was a high level of compete and I thought he picked up the playbook fairly well.”
Boersma, the first Rams receiver drafted by the Riders since Mitchell Picton in 2017, says he appreciated the way Dickenson was on the field giving feedback.
“It feels really good and I kind of like how Craig does that, you know it doesn't matter what kind of draft pick you are, like how high or low you were, he treats everyone the same and he coaches everyone up just the same,” he said.
“One thing he told me is after I catch a ball, make sure I bring it up like this, just ball control and stuff like that.”
“We’ve got to get him to chin the football though, he carries it a little low. Looks like a loaf of bread out there at times,” said Dickenson.
Dickenson says the quarterbacks will be taken to main camp, and the challenge becomes trimming the roster down to 85 when it begins on Sunday.
“We challenged the rookies to give the vets everything they got and to try to beat them out for a job,” he said.
“First preseason game is going to be big for a lot of these guys to hopefully stick around and push some of the vets.”
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
How quietly promised law changes in the 2024 federal budget could impact your day-to-day life
The 2024 federal budget released last week includes numerous big spending promises that have garnered headlines. But, tucked into the 416-page document are also series of smaller items, such as promising to amend the law regarding infant formula and to force banks to label government rebates, that you may have missed.
Which foods have the most plastics? You may be surprised
'How much plastic will you have for dinner, sir? And you, ma'am?' While that may seem like a line from a satirical skit on Saturday Night Live, research is showing it's much too close to reality.
opinion I've been a criminal attorney for decades. Here's what I think about the case against Trump
Joey Jackson, a criminal defence attorney and a legal analyst for CNN, outlines what he thinks about the criminal case against Donald Trump in the 'hush money trial.'
$3.8M home in B.C.'s Okanagan has steel shell for extra wildfire protection
A home in B.C.'s Okanagan that features a weathering steel shell designed to provide some protection against wildfires has been listed for sale at $3.8 million.
Diver pinned under water by an alligator figured he had choice. Lose his arm or lose his life
An alligator attacked a diver on April 15 as he surfaced from his dive, nearly out of air. His tank emptied with the gator's jaws crushing the arm he put up in defence.
Psychologist becomes first person in Peru to die by euthanasia after fighting in court for years
A Peruvian psychologist who suffered from an incurable disease that weakened her muscles and had her confined to her bed for several years, died by euthanasia, her lawyer said Monday, becoming the first person in the country to obtain the right to die with medical assistance.
Mystery surrounds giant custom Canucks jerseys worn by Lions Gate Bridge statues
The giant stone statues guarding the Lions Gate Bridge have been dressed in custom Vancouver Canucks jerseys as the NHL playoffs get underway.
Celebrity designer sentenced to 18 months in prison for smuggling crocodile handbags
A leading fashion designer whose accessories were used by celebrities from Britney Spears to the cast of the 'Sex and the City' TV series was sentenced Monday to 18 months in prison after pleading guilty in Miami federal court on charges of smuggling crocodile handbags from her native Colombia.
Wildfire leads to evacuation order issued for northeast Alberta community
An evacuation order was issued on Monday afternoon for homes in the area of Cold Lake First Nation.