The 13 silver linings of the Saskatchewan Roughriders 2022 season

by

Blaine Weyland

 

The old saying is that every cloud has a silver lining, and even with the metaphorical thunderstorm that ripped through the Saskatchewan Roughriders 2022 season, there were a few highlights for the organization this past year.

With the number 13 synonymous with the Roughriders both on a positive and negative scale, here are 13 “positive” things that took place in 2022 for the Saskatchewan Roughriders.

 

13. A return to normalcy across the league.

Following the 2020 season being cancelled due to the COVID pandemic and a shortened 2021 campaign, this season saw the Canadian Football League return to a typical (as typical as you can get for a nine team football league) 18 game schedule that began in the middle of June and ended off with a Grey Cup championship at the end of November. The results in the win/loss column were not the ones Rider fans were looking for this season, but the fact the province was able to gather nine times at Mosaic Stadium after the events since the end of the 2019 season is something that should be celebrated. Hopefully in 2023, fans will be able to celebrate more victories on home turf.

12. The 2022 Grey Cup Game and Festival.

Even though the Saskatchewan Roughriders were eliminated from contention of playing in the Grey Cup well before the championship matchup, the majority of football fans in the province were delighted with the final result of the big game on November 20. The green and white’s arch nemesis, the Winnipeg Blue Bombers were unable to complete their quest of winning three straight Grey Cup championships when they were defeated by the Toronto Argonauts 24-23, in one of the greatest endings in Grey Cup history as Toronto overcame a nine point deficit in the fourth quarter to claim the championship.

Besides the game itself, throughout the week fans from across the league had the chance to take in the Grey Cup Festival that included live entertainment along with several interactive activities.

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11. Touchdown Atlantic (The experience not the game)

This past season marked the first time the Saskatchewan Roughriders participated in Touchdown Atlantic as the Roughriders met the Toronto Argonauts at Acadia University in Wolfville, Nova Scotia. The Roughriders would like to forget the game itself, which began with Duke Williams involved in an incident during the warmups that saw him toss a helmet at Toronto’s Shaq Richardson. Saskatchewan was defeated by the Argonauts 30-24 in the neutral site game after Toronto linebacker Wynton McManis intercepted Cody Fajardo’s pass and returned it for a 50 yard touchdown with 2:32 remaining on the clock to give Toronto the game winning score.

From a league perspective, the game was a success with the Riders and Argos playing in front of a sold out crowd.

Both teams will return for the 2023 edition of Touchdown Atlantic, as the Riders will meet the Argos on July 29, at Huskies Stadium at St. Mary’s University in Halifax.

10. Derrick Moncrief back in Riderville.

The linebacker returned to Saskatchewan in 2022 after Moncrief spent the 2020 season with the NFL’s Los Angeles Rams and the 2021 season with the Edmonton Elk. This past season Moncrief finished tied for first with the green and white for interceptions as he collected four picks. He also finished fifth in the team with 49 tackles and was named a CFL Western All-Star for his efforts in 2022. Moncrief has one year remaining on a two year deal that he signed back in February.

Riders Derrick Moncrief

 

9. The dependable tackler in the secondary, Rolan Milligan .

After a getting a look with the Roughriders in 2021, Milligan established himself key figure for the green and white both defensively and on special teams in 2022, as he finished third in the team with 71 defensive tackles and was tied for first on the team with eleven special teams tackles. The former Indianapolis Colt also had an interception with Saskatchewan. The sure handed tackler will be back with the Roughriders next season as Milligan agreed to a two year contract extension with Saskatchewan last week.

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8. Kian Schaffer-Baker’s emergence.

In his second campaign with Saskatchewan, Schaffer-Baker enjoyed a breakthrough year with the Roughriders as he led the team in receptions (68) , yards (960) and receiving touchdowns (5). The Roughriders nominee for the Most Outstanding Canadian in 2022 was the one constant in the green and white receiving unit as Duke Williams, Shaq Evans, Kyran “Swerve” Moore all missed a significant portion of the year due to injuries. Schaffer-Baker has been very active exploring potential NFL options this offseason, the Roughriders hold Schaffer-Baker’s CFL rights for the 2023 season so if he is unable to crack a NFL roster, the 24 year old will be back with Saskatchewan next year.

Kian Schaffer-Baker greeting a fan at the 2022 Rider Fan Day

7.  Dan Clark’s resilient return to the Riders lineup.

It wasn’t the season on the field that the longtime veteran would like, as the centre suffered a broken fibula in Week 2 against Edmonton that kept him out of Saskatchewan’s lineup for over three months and limited him to six games overall in 2022. But off the field,  Clark was recognized for his ability to overcome his second serious injury since 2019 and his community work as he was named the CFL’s 2022 of the recipient Jake Gaudaur Veteran’s Award. The former member of the Prairie Thunder  spends a significant amount of time volunteering with various community groups in Regina and across the province. Currently Clark is scheduled to become a free agent in February.

Riders Dan Clark

6.  Pete Robertson and Anthony Lanier’s early season pass rush.

At the beginning of the season, the pass rush of the Roughriders terrorized opposing quarterbacks with Robertson and Lanier  leading the charge for the green and white. Robertson was the league leader in sacks as he racked up seven in the opening five games before being sidelined with a broken foot injury that kept him out of the Riders lineup for over a month. The Texas Tech product ended his season with nine in total.

Lanier was a integral part of the Roughriders run defence. The Savannah Georgia product had seven sacks in eleven games before missing the next six games with a mysterious injury. Lanier was able to return for the Riders season finale against Calgary and was able to pick up a sack.

Both Lanier and Robertson are scheduled to become free agents in February.

5. Larry Dean’s comeback story.

If the CFL handed out a comeback player of the year award, there is a good chance that Dean would have received the award this past season. After suffering a torn Achilles on the first day of the 2021 training camp, the linebacker returned to the green and white in 2022 and formed the league’s top tackling duo with Darnell Sankey (more on him later), as the pair became the second set of teammates in league history to record 100+ tackles in a single season.  Dean finished second on the Riders and third across the league with 101 tackles. The 34 year old is set to become a free agent in February.

Riders Larry Dean.

4. Mario Alford becoming one of the premier kick returners in the CFL.

Acquired by the Roughriders from Montreal in July, Alford developed into  a household name across the country this year after he had four special teams touchdowns with Saskatchewan. The 31 year old was also able to complete the special teams touchdown trifecta as he returned a kickoff, a punt and a missed field goal for touchdowns in 2022. Despite not being named an all-star as a returner, Alford was able to collect some hardware for his efforts  as he was named the 2022 Most Outstanding Special Teams Player.  The West Virginia product was quick to re-sign with the green and white this offseason as he agreed to a new one year contract in November. After experiencing plenty of success in the return game for the Riders in 2022, Alford could become a key contributor on offence as well in 2023.

Mario Alford.

3. Darnell Sankey establishing a new franchise record for tackles.

Back to the Riders dynamic duo at linebacker. There was no doubt that Sankey was the top free agent  signing for the Roughriders during the 2022 offseason. On the field Sankey established a new franchise record with 120 tackles, a mark that should be appreciated especially for his ability (along with Dean) to remain in the Riders lineup all season despite dealing with separate outbreaks of COVID and a stomach flu within the team’s locker room, as well not to mention the daily rigors that come with playing professional football at the linebacker position.

Along with his accolades on the field, Sankey was one of the vocal leaders inside of the Roughriders locker room.

Off the field, the Sacramento State product quickly became a fan favourite with his volunteer work in the community along with him being very interactive with Rider fans on various social media platforms.

The status of Sankey for 2023 is in question as he set to become a free agent in February.

Riders LB Darnell Sankey

2. Jamal Morrow & Frankie Hickson forming an elite 1-2 punch at running back. 

Despite Morrow only appearing in 12 games in 2022 and Hickson suiting up for 13 games, the pair of Riders running backs emerged as the top 1-2 punch at running back in the CFL with Morrow finishing the year third in the league with 666 yards rushing and Hickson ending the year in the fifth spot with 533 yards. The duo also combined for 475 yards receiving and helped out the Roughriders return game prior to the arrival of Alford from Montreal.

With their success in 2022, more will be expected from the Riders running back tandem in 2023. The promotion of running backs coach Kelly Jeffrey to offensive coordinator to replace Jason Maas should signal more of a commitment to the running game next season.

Both players are under contract for next season as Morrow recently agreed to terms on a new deal with Saskatchewan, while Hickson is set to return for his second season in Saskatchewan.

Riders running back Jamal Morrow in a home game against Hamilton in 2022. -Saskatchewan Roughriders

1.  The 2023 Schedule release and looking ahead to better days (hopefully). After a season with a 6-12 record, that ended with seven straight losses, six straight losses at Mosaic Stadium, and a missed playoff berth, there is no doubt a clean slate in 2023 is something that everyone in Riderville will be looking forward to.

Even though there are plenty of unknowns heading into the new season that needs to be settled before the team begins training camp in May, including the starting quarterback position, the fact that the 2022 season is now in the rear view mirror and the calendar will soon flip over to 2023 is something that should be considered a positive for the Roughriders as the green and white head into the new year.

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