Super Mario might make the final cut after all.
After rookie Drae McCray put up 156 return yards in Saskatchewan’s first preseason game, speculation ran rampant in Riderville that Mario Alford may not make final cuts this season.
The Roughriders’ all-time leader in kick return touchdowns entered Friday’s final preseason game versus Winnipeg resembling a video game character down to his last life.
The 34-year-old got two touches, a one-yard punt return and a 27-yard kickoff return. After the performance, Alford chose his words carefully.
“I don’t know what goes on upstairs, so we’ll see,” Alford told 3DownNation. “I just do my thing, go out and grind, keep my head down and work, so I feel great.”
“It’s up to the coaches and what they want. I don’t make no calls. I want to play, but I don’t make no calls at the end of the day.”
McCray, meanwhile, returned two punts for 30 yards and two kickoffs for 54 yards, though he left the game due to an apparent injury. Head coach Corey Mace didn’t have a definitive update on it other than to suggest McCray looked like he had got the “wind knocked out of him.” He also indicated it’s possible the injury will force the team to keep an extra return man around.
“It’s still a little bit premature until we watch the film and really dig deep but, just looking at what (McCray) was able to do in that first preseason game, you can’t say the kid can’t return and he’s a pretty good receiver as well,” said Mace.
“There’s definitely value there, if it’s going to be for us ASAP on the roster, on the (practice roster) or maybe not. Mario is a perennial returner in this league as well and we love Mario, so it’s going to be part of the evaluation. Certainly, you guys will figure it out in the coming days here. But certainly, (McCray) definitely has talent and he put it all out there.”
McCray won’t turn 23 until September, making him 11 years younger than Alford. Returner is a young man’s position, possibly putting Alford on borrowed time. Three of the top five CFL punt returners of all-time didn’t make it past his current age.
Alford’s production hasn’t waned much but his game breakers have as he returned only one kick for a touchdown in 2024, a clear drop-off from the seven he scored by in his first two seasons with Saskatchewan.
Final cuts are due at 10:00 p.m. local time on Saturday night, so we should know by the end of the weekend if Super Mario will get another chance to top his highest score or if the man who is arguably the best kick returner in franchise history is about to be put aside like a used Nintendo.
