Don’t worry fans, switching to blue and gold was ‘a little awkward’ for Weston Dressler, too

The blue?

Yeah, Weston Dressler admits it was a little bit weird at first, too. So fans won’t be alone in feeling that way when he runs on to Taylor Field in a colour other than green.

“I’ll be honest, the first time I put it on it was a little awkward,” Dressler said Saturday afternoon when he arrived in Regina. “But now I’m very comfortable in it.”

Indeed, it’s taken some getting used to for everyone to not have Dressler in the green and white.  Especially for his friend and former quarterback Darian Durant, who spent this week trying his best not to comment on Dressler’s return as a Blue Bomber.

“I don’t want to talk about that,” Durant said emphatically after walk through. “I’m just happy for him, happy that he’s found some success over there. He’s still an elite receiver in this league and as a friend I’m glad to see that he’s doing well.

Though, undoubtedly, he doesn’t want Dressler to do too well on Sunday. Rob Bagg, who is currently renting Dressler’s Regina home, made no qualms about his feelings about the Labour Day Classic.

“I want to win this game. I want to have this over his head for this whole off season, I want him to be able to know that the Riders beat his team all winter long,” he said.

“Rob’s like a brother to me, and anytime you’re doing something with your brother you want to win,” Dressler said in response.  “If we find a way to win, I’ll let him know about it all winter as well.”

Roughriders fans are certainly hoping that the team will pull out their second win of the season on Sunday, and a win would also mark seven straight Labour Day wins for Durant. But many fans, still fond of Dressler, are hoping he’ll do well, too.

“I’ll be wearing my Rider Dressler jersey on game day, and though the Riders are my team he’s still my favorite player and will continue to support him wherever he goes,” one fan said on Facebook.

“Miss this guy on our team but happy that he’s having success with the (Blue Bombers),” said another.

For his part Dressler said when he comes to Regina – the city he still calls home – the fans have been kind and supportive. Though he said he’s prepared himself for both a positive and negative reception when he steps out on the field.

However, with the number of Dressler jerseys still sported to every Rider game, it’s hard to believe that the fan reaction would be anything but cheers of thank you for a receiver that spent eight years making the Roughriders better.

Dressler has thought about this return all year long, and he said earlier this week that this game will be one of his greatest Labour Day Classic memories.

But there was one other – a leftover from his days in green and white.

“2014 when I came back from the NFL, just the reception that I got at that time was a little overwhelming,” he recalled. “It was a pretty special moment.”