The offensive line may not get the credit it deserves when things are going right. But when the Saskatchewan Roughriders experience success, it’s usually led by the offensive line, especially by their centres.
Mike Anderson spent 12 seasons (1984-1995) in Saskatchewan and played in over 200 games at centre. He was named a CFL West All-Star on two occasions (1988,1994), and a CFL All-Star (1994) and was a member of the Roughriders Grey Cup win in 1989.
Current Roughriders General Manager and Vice-President of Football Operations Jeremy O’Day became a member of the green and white in 1999 and would go on to spend 12 seasons in Saskatchewan as a player, helping the Riders win the Grey Cup in 2007. O’Day was named a division all-star six times and a CFL all-star three times.
Recently, Regina’s Dan Clark was the linchpin for the Roughriders offensive line. The former Regina Thunder would go to play in 131 games over ten seasons and was a member of the 2013 Grey Cup Champion in the early part of his career.
It appears that Peter Godber will now become the man in the middle for the Roughriders offensive line after he agreed to a contract with Saskatchewan in February.
Godber has plenty of respect for Clark’s achievement in Saskatchewan but wants to write his own story.
“Dan Clark is a great player, he’s a legendary player, he’s played over 130 games in our league, an incredible feat. ”
He added, “I’m focused on Peter Godber, I’m focusing on what I can do as a centre, playing physical football here.”
The former Rice Owl will not be the only new name on the Roughriders offensive line. Along with Godber, Philip Blake and Eric Lofton joined Saskatchewan during free agency. The team signed Jerald Hawkins during the off-season and Zack Fry is attempting to make the Roughriders roster after spending last season at Western.
Logan Ferland, Evan Johnson and Logan Bandy also provide Saskatchewan with a veteran presence from last year’s squad.
Godber believes the Roughriders have the tools for a solid group in the trenches.
“You have a lot of starts in that room right now, lots of experience, a lot of very talented players, so it’s very easy for me to fit in with those guys. ”
Even with the players surrounding him on the offensive line, the 28-year-old will assume an important role when he’s on the field as the centre.
“You definitely have to be assertive, you definitely have to step up and call the right plays. ”
Besides the chemistry with his fellow offensive line, another player the Toronto product will have to build a bond with is the starting quarterback for Saskatchewan, Trevor Harris.
Just before camp, the two spent some time getting to know each other with Godber.
“We had a long car ride from Regina to Saskatoon and Saskatoon back, we kind of got to know each other stories.”
Earlier this week, the Canadian Football League (CFL) announced some new safety and health measures this season. One of them was that the league mandated the use of guardian caps for offensive and defensive linemen, linebackers and running backs during training camps and contact practices during the regular season.
The Guardian Cap is a padded shell affixed to the outside of the helmet.
On Wednesday, Godber got a chance to try the guardian cap for the first time at practice.
“Definitely makes the blow a little bit softer, I heard one of the lineman say it’s like having a little pillow on his hand. ”
Godber will get a chance to meet his former team, the BC Lions, next Saturday in the Roughriders preseason opener at Mosaic Stadium at 5:00.
