Saskatchewan Roughriders Jeremy O’Day met with the media on Tuesday to provide an update on the status of quarterback Trevor Harris.
During the fourth quarter of Saturday’s loss to the Calgary Stampeders, Harris was injured after he attempted to rush for a first down.
The quarterback has undergone surgery and was released from hospital. O’Day says Harris is now back home recovering.
O’Day says that most of the damage to Harris’s knee was to his bone, with minimal ligament damage.
Despite the lack of ligament damage, the general manager says Harris will be out of the Roughriders lineup for an extensive period.
“He’ll pretty much be non-bearing weight for six weeks.”
Afterwards, rehabilitation will commence, and according to O’Day, Harris is already enthusiastic about the process.
“He’s already anxious to come back and help the guys in the media room and stuff and we’re trying to get him to sit tight at home and spend some time with his family and let his leg heal up.”
O’Day added it’s a big loss of leadership whenever a team loses their starting quarterback.
“The things you get in a veteran quarterback is them not just playing at a certain level but also raising the levels of the players around them.”
With the door closed for now on Harris, the Roughriders will turn to Mason Fine.
A fiery and fearless attitude are the positive traits Fine brings to the Riders huddle, according to O’Day.
“The game is not too big for him, he’s cool as a cucumber when he’s put in these situations. ”
O’Day added, “He’s got the confidence and a swagger you want from a quarterback.
A tight-knit locker room will serve Fine well, says O’Day.
“The guys will rally around him, they like him, we’re not blowing smoke they like Mason (Fine) and that matters.”
Saskatchewan almost completed a miraculous comeback against the Stampeders on Saturday as Fine connected with Tevin Jones on a Hail Mary pass for a 69-yard touchdown pass that gave the Roughriders a momentarily lead.
There is plenty of excitement to see Fine get an extended opportunity at quarterback.
“Guys don’t become ten-year veterans or all-stars, or hall of famers until they get an opportunity to play right? So you don’t know until he get his opportunity.”
Besides Fine, the other quarterbacks on the Saskatchewan roster are Jake Dolegala and Shea Patterson. O’Day said the team also believes in the other two quarterbacks on the team and doesn’t believe Saskatchewan will be looking to add a veteran addition to the position.
Fine’s first start in 2023 is set for Saturday, when the Roughriders travel to Vancouver to meet the BC Lions. 620 CKRM will have coverage of the game beginning with Countdown to Kickoff at 2:00, Opening Kickoff at 5:00.
