Roughriders moving on from preseason blunder versus Stamps

It’s tough to pull some positives from the Saskatchewan Roughriders’ opening Canadian Football League (CFL) preseason game against the Calgary Stampeders.

The Riders were beat in nearly every facet of the game en route to a 37-1 loss.

Head coach Craig Dickenson expected more from his team.

“I thought the first quarter we were a competitive team and playing hard, but I thought we got tired,” he said after Sunday’s practice at Griffiths Stadium.

“I don’t know if it’s because of our conditioning or if we just weren’t as physical as Calgary, but they put it to us.”

Saskatchewan trailed 20-1 after three quarters before Calgary took over in the fourth quarter by putting up an additional 17 points.

“I was hoping to see a little closer game, especially when they put their backups in,” Dickenson said. “We’ve addressed it with the team, we’ve told them they need to be better… and we need to be a more physical team.”

One thing Dickenson learned from his team was who is likely to slot in behind Zach Collaros on the quarterback depth chart.

Cody Fajardo completed 10 of 12 passes for 73 yards in the first half to impress his coach.

“Cody took leaps in that game, I felt like,” Dickenson said. “Looks like he established himself as the lead candidate for that number two job.”

The Roughriders have just two more practices remaining in Saskatoon before the team moves back to Mosaic Stadium to prepare for a Thursday game against the Winnipeg Blue Bombers.

Dan Clark returns

Dan Clark practiced on Sunday for the first time this season. The 31-year-old hasn’t taken to the field since he was ejected from his vehicle after a highway collision on May 8.

“It’s been a process. It’s been overwhelming at times,” he said about his recovery and training to return to playing health.

“It’s where I strive to be. At one point I thought I wasn’t going to be able to do it. A lot of doubt crept through my mind.”

Clark refused to elaborate on any details into the accident, but did say his biggest hindrance in returning to the field was a hip impingement.

More than anything, the collision had more of an emotional toll on him.

He couldn’t say if he will play on Thursday or not, but he’s itching to compete once again.

“I was begging our staff to give me one padded practice. There’s so much rust I have to try and knock off in a matter of days,” he said.

Notes

Solomon Elimimian was absent on Sunday once again. He has yet to participate in a full practice.

Dickenson said he is nursing a calf injury and is unable to run. He is doubtful to play against Winnipeg this week.

Rookie Justin McInnes completed his first practice after a leg injury kept him out of the first two weeks of training camp.

Mike Edem was not at practice after suffering a shoulder injury in Friday’s game. He is unlikely to play this week.