Taylor Shire
Regina Leader-Post
Trevon Tate’s last CFL game was against the B.C. Lions on June 28.
His next game could be against those same Lions this Saturday.
After suffering a pectoral tendon tear in Week 4 of the season, the Saskatchewan Roughriders’ offensive lineman has been on the mend following surgery to repair the injury.
And leading up to Saturday’s West final — which features the first-place Roughriders hosting the second-place Lions at Mosaic Stadium (5:30 p.m., TSN) — Tate could return to the starting lineup for the first time in 18 weeks.
“This guy has worked his tail off all year,” said Roughriders head coach Corey Mace. “To be able to get him out here and practising, it is one of those things where it’s another option for us.
“As you guys can predict, there’s going to be some tough decisions, and that potentially could be one so but the fact that he’s out here after going down early in the year, (it’s) awesome.”
For Tate, it was a relief more than anything to just get back on the field after an extensive rehab process.
“This feels good, man,” he said after practice this week. “It’s a blessing and I’m very thankful that they have that type of trust in me to just give me that type of freedom to come out here and get better and practice with the team.
“It was crazy injury just because it was a routine play. It was just very unfortunate when it happened.
“When I went in and talked to the docs, it was just like, ‘You know, these types of injuries can go a certain different type of ways, it just depends on how the person who gets hurt handles it.’
“So I just put my head down, worked hard just to give myself a chance to be available for this part of the season.”
The 29-year-old American started the year as Saskatchewan’s left guard before an injury forced him to the sideline. While Zack Fry, Noah Zerr, Daniel Johnson, Darius Washington and Philippe Gagnon have all started games at the position throughout the season, Tate appears to be poised to take over the position this week.
“If I get a chance to start during a game after taking a limited amount of reps, it means the coaches trust me (and) my teammates trust me,” he said. “And that’s always a great feeling to know that the guys around you, from the higher-ups, including the teammates, just trust and know that if you’re out there, you’re going to make the play when your name is called.”
During the rehab process, Tate noted he didn’t do it alone. Not only did he have Saskatchewan’s training staff behind him but two players — Gagnon and linebacker C.J. Avery — were dealing with similar injuries this year.
“It was peace to just talk to them and hear how they were handling their (injuries),” said Tate. “And then just talking to Greg (Mayer, head athletic therapist), I built a real big trust with (him) and he pushed me.
“Obviously, yeah, I put in the hard work, but it’s just not my hard work that gets everything done. It takes a village and a whole group of people to make sure one person can get back to where they feel like they should be.
“It was very satisfying to know that I had people in my corner who just wanted me to get better.”
Even though he wasn’t able to join his teammates in full gear on the practice field throughout the year, Tate regularly would be on the field in street clothes during his recovery process while also attending meetings, which has helped him transition back into the starting lineup.
“Even when I was hurt, I’m watching film with the guys,” said Tate, a 2022 Grey Cup champion with the Toronto Argonauts who joined the Roughriders last year. “We still talk so I understand how they think (and) they understand how I think.
“That’s just the main thing; if I know what the guy next to me is thinking, I can play way faster because I know where he’ll be at.”
All-CFL team
Nine Roughriders have been named to the all-CFL team, which is a club franchise record that beat the 1976 record of seven.
Receiver KeeSean Johnson, centre Logan Ferland, tackle Jermarcus Hardrick and guard Jacob Brammer earned offensive all-star honours while defensive tackle Micah Johnson, linebacker Jameer Thurman, cover linebacker C.J. Reavis, halfback Rolan Milligan Jr. and cornerback Tevaughn Campbell were named CFL defensive all-stars. Receiver Dohnte Meyers was the only player named a divisional all-star who wasn’t named to the league-wide team.
