Some updates from Regina before the Ticats game versus the Riders:
• Hamilton defensive tackle Ted Laurent will not play versus Saskatchewan. Laurent practiced just one day last week while dealing with an undisclosed injury and couldn’t go. Look for fellow Canadian Hasan Hazime to get the start with Michael Atkinson in reserve. Both are solid players but certainly not of Laurent’s calibre: it’s a significant loss in the face of a potent Riders’ rushing attack that features both Jerome Messam and Anthony Allen.
• Canadian linebacker Frederic Plesius, who plays a significant role on special teams, is also out for the Ticats. He was injured in the loss to Montreal and practiced sparingly this week. The addition of American linebacker David Caldwell, an excellent special teams player, will help. Defensive back Ed Gainey is also dinged up so Donald Washington will fill in. The substitution of receivers of Quincy McDuffie and Junior Collins for Tiquan Underwood and Terrell Sinkfeld is performance related: head coach Kent Austin is still looking for the best line up.
• the Ticats released defensive end Sam Scott yesterday. Scott had been with the Ticats two seasons before being among the final cuts this June. But when Eric Norwood suffered a severed cut and had to go on the injured list, the Ticats hastily re-signed Scott. He play in week one and again last week when Adrian Tracy missed most of the practice week dealing with a personal matter. But Norwood is practicing again and Tracy is back so Scott is cut again. Proving once again that the business of football sucks…
• it’s bright and sunny here in Regina with comparatively little wind (though it will still be a factor.) The Ticats are 0-3 in the coin toss so far this year so…
• it’s impossible to quantify the amount of green I’ve seen today. I passed a bunch people wearing Riders gear on my run this morning. The guy in the bike shop I visited had a Riders jersey on. So did the waiter in the cafe where I had lunch (a chicken waffle panini from a place called Fresh and Sweet. So good.) It really feels like the Riders are a unifying factor in this city and I think that’s pretty cool.