‘It’s been the dream’: Riders hold first practice after cuts

A few members of the Saskatchewan Roughriders finally realized their dreams of playing professionally as they hit the field for the first regular-season practice of the year.

“It’s been the dream since I was really little,” rookie quarterback Isaac Harker said Sunday at Mosaic Stadium. “It means everything to have the opportunity to play football and affect people in positive ways and to play a game that I love so much with people I really enjoy being around. I’m lucky.”

Harker was one of the players who were given the good news on Saturday as final cuts were made. A few notables who did not make the team included quarterback David Watford, defensive lineman Chad Geter and defensive back Crezdon Butler.

Harker joins the Roughriders after playing the 2018 season with the Colorado School of Mines Orediggers. He finished the season with 3,858 passing yards with 39 touchdowns against 12 interceptions.

Leading up to camp and the pre-season, Harker did a little research to find out exactly what the Roughriders and their fans were all about.

“I had to research the watermelon emoji and stuff like that,” Harker said. “Also just asking around. Everybody knows about it and (the Roughriders) have such a rich history here.”

Harker said there were some tense moments while waiting to find out if he made the team.

“I’m a nail-biter,” Harker said. “My parents and grandparents were here so I just tried to hang out with them and keep my mind off it for as long as I could.”

Harker helped his case with a solid outing in the team’s second pre-season game against the Winnipeg Blue Bombers on Thursday. He finished the game with five completions in nine attempts for 74 yards and a touchdown. He also completed a 51-yard pass to wide receiver Paul McRoberts.

“(Harker) did little things every day,” head coach Craig Dickenson said when asked how the 23-year-old quarterback cracked the final roster. “He’s been good all camp. We kind of kept looking for a little chink in his armour and we didn’t really see it so he just got steadily better each and every day.”

Harker, who graduated with a master’s degree in mineral and energy economics, admitted he’s not playing football for a chance to make millions of dollars.

“This is the dream job,” Harker said. “It’s about being out here with the people that I really enjoy being around and playing a game.”

Dickenson said he believes Harker can find a place to start in this league after a few years of learning the game.

“We won’t keep a guy if we don’t feel like he’s got the ability to be a starter,” Dickenson said. “The idea is we always want to try to improve the bottom third of our roster and those are the guys that don’t start and don’t dress every game.”

German receiver Max Zimmermann was another player whose dream became a reality when he took the field Sunday.

Zimmermann was selected sixth overall by the Roughriders in the CFL European Draft in April. The 25-year-old played for the Potsdam Royals in the German Football League before joining the Roughriders.

He quit his job as a teacher in order to take part in Saskatchewan’s training camp.

“Back home everyone is saying this is probably something that is not possible for a German guy to come (to Canada) and play,” Zimmermann said. “For them it’s probably an even bigger thing than it is for me because I had it in my mind over the whole year.”

Training camp took a toll on the receiver, who had to battle through ankle and quad injuries.

“I knew from the first day I can’t sit out no matter what is happening,” Zimmermann said. “I have to learn the playbook, I have to stay (on the field). Even if I’m out there just running at 80 per cent, it helps me more than sitting out a week just because of a sprained ankle.”

His toughness caught the eye of Dickenson during camp.

“His ankle swelled up, he couldn’t put his shoe on and still wanted to practise,” the head coach said. “He’s shown the ability to catch the football. Now he has to get a grasp on the offence.”

Zimmermann is joined by offensive lineman Rene Brassea and defensive back Javier Garcia, both selected in the CFL’s Mexico draft, as the three global players on the Roughriders roster.

Solomon Means returns to CFL after two-year hiatus

While Harker and Zimmermann are appearing in the CFL for the first time, defensive back Solomon Means is returning to the league after spending the past two years out of football.

The 26-year-old spent some time with the Edmonton Eskimos in 2016, when he recorded nine tackles in four games. He was released after the 2017 pre-season and a broken metacarpal in his left hand kept him out through 2018.

“A lot of people probably gave up on me but I never gave up on myself. I just kept my faith in God and that was it,” Means said following a practice that saw him taking reps with the first-team defence.

Means managed to catch the coaches’ attention at a tryout in Oakland that led to a chance to perform in training camp.

“I feel blessed. I put my head down and grinded for this,” Means said.

Dickenson said Means’ competitive spirit is noticeable on the field.

“He’s hungry and he’s driven and (football’s) important to him,” Dickenson said. “We want guys (to whom) football means something. They don’t have a backup plan because they want to be football players and he’s one of those guys.”

Dickenson said Means and Elie Bouka are currently battling for one of the starting cornerback roles.

Practice notes

No update was available on lineman Brendon LaBatte’s leginjury. He was previously listed as uncertain to be able to suit up for Thursday’s regular-season opener against the host Hamilton Tiger-Cats.

Dickenson said slotback Patrick Lavoie is a candidate to end up on the six-game injured list.

Wide receiver Emmanuel Arceneaux is about two to three games away from playing with the team. He is recovering from a torn ACL that happened last season.

The Roughriders will use a couple of different defensive packages that will include American and Canadian linebackers as Solomon Elimimian deals with an injury (calf strain).