Riders return recharged after bye-week respite

The Saskatchewan Roughriders’ bye week might have brought a breath of fresh air to the sliding squad.

Saskatchewan entered its first break of the CFL season on a three-game slide.

But head coach Craig Dickenson said the energy was good Tuesday as the team prepared for a showdown in Edmonton against the Elks on Saturday.

Kickoff for the game is set for 8 p.m. The Green Zone pregame show begins at 6 p.m.

“The guys were happy to be back — kind of like the first day back from winter break for the schoolkids,” Dickenson said after practice. “I think they enjoyed seeing each other and being back around each other.

“(The break) was needed. We were tired. Hopefully they feel refreshed.”

The bye week also appears to have put quarterback Cody Fajardo back on track physically. The quarterback has had his left knee in a brace since Week 2 — a 26-16 win over the Elks — to deal with a damaged medial collateral ligament.

The injury has hampered the usually mobile pivot.

“Physically I feel really good and trying to get my legs back underneath me and just get used to being a football player after taking a week completely off,” he said. “I feel explosive again. I feel like I can get my legs underneath me and add that to my game.”

The bye week also gave players a chance to reset mentally and focus on something other than football. Fajardo flew to the U.S. for a baby shower; he and his wife are expecting their first child in mid-September.

“We got spoiled. Right now, our biggest problem is what to bring up to Canada and what to leave home because we will be up here three months with the little guy,” Fajardo said.

“Just going to bed and sleeping next to my wife and my dog, I came back with a smile on my face and excited to see these guys. I took a lot of things for granted — especially when you’re in a rut or feel like you’re in a slump — but when you come back with that positive attitude, you can see guys smiling and laughing again.”

The bye week also provided some time for reflection, with Fajardo taking time to look at his own play over the past few weeks.

“I found that I created some bad habits with my injury that led to some inaccurate footballs so I really tried to focus on that during the week and in practice leading up to this game,” Fajardo said.

While he wouldn’t give specifics, Dickenson said he and his staff also evaluated the team.

“We realized we have to get better at certain things — I don’t want to share all of them; make the other guys work and find out themselves — but there is some things we can do better and some things we’re going to work on in practice that we’ve identified over the first eight games and hopefully it will pay off,” Dickenson said.

Riders get good news on injury front

With the bye week, a few Riders are feeling better physically to start the week.

Defensive end Pete Robertson is set to return after a sprained foot suffered against the Ottawa Redblacks on July 8. Despite missing three games, Robertson is still tied for the league lead with seven sacks.

Receiver Mitch Picton (ankle) could also return to the lineup this week.