The Saskatchewan Roughriders turned up the intensity under sunny Saskatoon skies on Day 8 of training camp, and defensive lineman Kendy Charles continued to turn heads.<\/p>\n
With CFL officials on the field assisting with rule interpretation and accountability, the Riders practiced in pads for part of the session as preparations ramped up ahead of Saturday\u2019s preseason matchup against the Winnipeg Blue Bombers.<\/p>\n
Charles has been one of the early standouts along the defensive line after recording a sack and three tackles in Saskatchewan\u2019s preseason opener against Calgary.<\/p>\n
Now entering his second year with the organization, Charles said familiarity with the coaching staff and defensive system has helped him hit the ground running.<\/p>\n
\u201cI was here last year, so I\u2019m pretty familiar with the staff and the scheme,\u201d Charles said. \u201cSo now it\u2019s just about putting it all together and competing.\u201d<\/p>\n
One of the biggest adjustments for the defensive lineman has been seeing former teammate Micah Johnson transition into a coaching role. According to Charles, Johnson\u2019s impact was felt immediately during Monday\u2019s game in Calgary.<\/p>\n
\u201cLike in the game we just played, he just saw something,\u201d Charles explained. \u201cHe told me and I went out there and did it. And that\u2019s how I got my last sack.\u201d<\/p>\n
Charles even joked Johnson deserved part of the credit on the stat sheet.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think so,\u201d Charles said when asked if Johnson should get half a sack. \u201cBecause he should. He definitely saw it. He definitely has an eye for the game.\u201d<\/p>\n
Despite offseason turnover along Saskatchewan\u2019s defensive front, Charles believes the group is coming together quickly.<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t think there\u2019s no concern at all with the guys we have in our room,\u201d Charles said. \u201cEveryone in the group is super tight and we have a good bond. We helping each other get better every day.\u201d<\/p>\n
Charles said one of his priorities is consistently executing within the structure of the defence, something he felt showed up on film against the Stampeders.<\/p>\n
\u201cI pride myself on getting where I need to be, doing my job at a high level and showcasing what I have within the framework of the defence,\u201d Charles said.<\/p>\n
While the defensive line impressed again Wednesday, the offence also generated several explosive moments throughout practice.<\/p>\n
Trevor Harris connected with Samuel Emilus on a 10-yard touchdown pass, while Thomas Bertrand-Hudon ripped off a run of more than 20 yards. Jack Coan found D\u2019Sean Mimbs in traffic for a first down and later connected with Daniel Wiebe in the back of the end zone to the delight of offensive teammates.<\/p>\n
Brayden Schager also delivered one of the throws of the day, hitting draft pick Dylan Djete in traffic for a 40-yard completion, while Emilus added a 40-yard touchdown run on a surprise rushing play.<\/p>\n
Defensively, Rolan Milligan Jr. intercepted a Trevor Harris pass in the flat and Trae Tomlinson stepped in front of a Schager throw for another takeaway.<\/p>\n
The Riders will return to the field Thursday for their final full practice before hosting Winnipeg on Saturday.<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The Saskatchewan Roughriders turned up the intensity under sunny Saskatoon skies on Day 8 of training camp, and…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":682834,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[437],"tags":[3878,49,48,521,522,520,3290,4398,27684,27683,1893,4401,27682,4400,4399,82],"class_list":["post-682833","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-cfl","tag-agriculture","tag-ca","tag-canada","tag-canadian-football-league","tag-canadianfootballleague","tag-cfl","tag-contests","tag-country-music","tag-gx94","tag-manitoba-news","tag-radio","tag-rider-radio","tag-saskatchewan-news","tag-saskatchewan-roughriders","tag-saskatchewan-sports","tag-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/682833","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=682833"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/682833\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/682834"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=682833"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=682833"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=682833"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}