TONS OF RIDERS NEWS ON MONDAY

Collaros on Monday

Monday was an eventful day for the Saskatchewan Roughriders.

The club welcomed Zach Collaros back to practice after the veteran quarterback missed the past five weeks with a concussion.

“It felt great,” Collaros reported. “It’s a beautiful day out, very hot. It was nice to come out here and get a good sweat and be back out here with the guys. As a football player, that’s what you want to do; be out here with your teammates, contributing in any way possible. Again, it’s just good to be back out here with the guys.”

Roughriders Head Coach & GM Chris Jones was pleased with Collaros’s showing.

“It’s good to get him back out here,” Jones said. “It seemed like he threw the ball well. It seemed the ball came out of his hand. He didn’t take any time counts so that’s good.”

Jones said there’s a chance Collaros could play Thursday when the Roughriders visit the Edmonton Eskimos (8:00 pm, TSN, 620 CKRM Radio network). Collaros was asked if he’s preparing to start in Week 8.

“I looovvve these questions!” Collaros laughed. “Yeah, I’m always preparing to start. Even if I’m not dressing, I’m preparing to start.”

The Riders also welcomed back rookie CB Nick Marshall, which afforded the club the opportunity to move Duron Carter back to offense for Monday’s practice. Marshall suffered a broken hand in the Riders’ Week 1 victory over Toronto.


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It’s clear the Roughriders have heard the criticism of their conservative play-calling in Saturday’s loss to Calgary. (How could you not!)

Chris Jones addressed it in his postgame news conference and on Monday, offensive coordinator Stephen McAdoo calmly fielded reporters’ questions on the same subject.

“The strategy’s always been to get first downs,” McAdoo reported. “That’s the biggest the biggest thing; not to create turnovers and things of that nature. Unfortunately we had a few of those but we work everyday, hard, not to turn the football over. So our strategy was to get first downs. Take advantage of what the defense was giving us and keep their offense off the field.”

McAdoo has seen the stats: they didn’t attempt to go deep hardly at all against the Stampeders.

“We had those in our arsenal but only wanted to take those when we needed it,” McAdoo continued. “We didn’t want to throw it up for grabs or anything like that. What I do is try to play to our guys’ strengths. I didn’t want to put them in a situation where we’re throwing it up for grabs and turning the ball over.

“Their defense is going to back off and invite you to throw the ball deep. Our philosophy was to take what they were giving us underneath, keep moving the chains, and eventually get in the endzone.”

Despite Zach Collaros’s presence on the field on Monday, it’s likely that Brandon Bridge will start in Edmonton. McAdoo said the 4th-year pivot continues to improve on a weekly basis.

“Yes. There’s things he’s getting better at,” McAdoo said. “There’s things that he’s gotta improve on. Our biggest thing with him – like I tell all of them – is to be better than you were yesterday. Don’t make the same mistake again. You need to correct it and move on.”

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Meanwhile the Riders released Jerome Messam after it was learned the veteran running back is facing a charge stemming from an incident in November of 2016.

Chris Jones said he’s been instructed to not make any comment on Messam’s situation.

The Riders also added veteran DB Marcell Young on Monday, and released defensive players Will Blackmon and Carl Bradford.

RP
@rodpedersen