The five quarterbacks on the Saskatchewan Roughriders’ roster agree on one thing: Trevor Harris will start the CFL season’s first game.
Shea Patterson, Mason Fine, Antonio Pipkin, and rookie Jack Coan are the quarterbacks vying for the No. 2 place behind Harris; however, it seems like Patterson and Fine will battle it out for the backup spot after both performed well in Saturday’s Edmonton Elks preseason finale. Pipkin will probably handle short yardage, while Coan might be considered for a practice roster slot.
After the preseason is finished, the Riders return to the field in Regina for the last week of training camp before Saturday’s roster cutdown day, which will provide us a better indication of who might be unemployed come Week 1 and how deep the quarterback depth chart is.
Since the first day of camp, all we’ve been told is that Trevor is starting, Patterson said. The coaching staff, working from the top down, has had a month to consider their options and decide what to do.
“Anything we do this week is merely a testament to being ready now that the games are gone.”
Prior to signing the Riders in free agency last off-season, the 27-year-old Patterson played for the B.C. Lions and Montreal Alouettes. In two preseason games this year, he completed 8 of 11 passes for 132 yards and a touchdown.
He was the team’s short-yardage quarterback to start the season last year, seeing just minimal play in which he completed six passes and ran the ball fifteen times.
Because of his great camp this year, Patterson feels he should be considered for the No. 2 spot.
The 6-foot-2, 202-pound player, though, views the challenge more as a general competition than as a fight to be the backup.
“I haven’t actually competed for a second-string job since I was five years old,” Patterson remarked. “I’ve always really just competed with myself or for the starting role.”
In keeping with that perspective, Patterson remembers some guidance he got from former University of Michigan quarterbacks coach Ben McDaniels, who is currently the wide receivers coach for the Houston Texans in the NFL, when he was a senior with the Wolverines in 2019.
“He just mentioned how much you really, truly enjoy high school. You truly, really like your time at college. However, it becomes more of a business once you enter the professional sphere, according to Patterson. “I’ve been here long enough to understand that.
After finishing the preseason 9-of-11 for 75 yards and a touchdown, Fine, who edged over Patterson and Jake Dolegala for the No. 2 spot during training camp last year, has a same mindset of coming to work every day and concentrating on the things he can control.
Fine, 27, has been a member of the Riders since 2020. “All this week, it’s all about the same thing that I’ve done in the past three years,” Fine stated. “Be a pro, do your job and do it to the best of your ability, every single day.”
The 5-foot-11, 190-pound University of North Texas recruit declared, “Every day is essential.” “It all comes down to consistency, regardless of whether it’s a preseason or early season game.
“How do you get at work each day? Each and every day. You can’t take any days off because it’s simple to work one day and then take two days off.
“You have to be present every day, locked in during practices, locked in during meetings, locked in during treatment, and you just have to do everything correctly, every single day.”
Fine, who filled in for the injured Harris last season and completed 94 of 136 passes for 1,043 yards, three touchdowns, and five interceptions, saw his role as fighting to be the team’s top quarterback throughout practice.
He admitted, “I honestly strive to be the starter every single day.” “I’m competing for that every single day, but Trevor is the starter right now and all that.”
“You must prepare yourself both physically and psychologically, and train and practice like a beginner. Being prepared is essential as you never know when an opportunity will present itself.
Riders let go of two
The Roughriders announced on Tuesday the release of American defensive back Holton Hill, who signed with the team this off-season, and Canadian linebacker Matt Dean, a third-round selection in the 2023 CFL Draft.
