‘It’s not a mean-nothing game’: Riders players embracing first starts of 2021

“It’s another opportunity to go out there and perform and another opportunity to compete and measure yourself up against a worthy opponent, so it’s a big game,” Riders head coach Craig Dickenson said ahead of Saturday’s showdown, which is set to kick off at 3 p.m. at Tim Hortons Field.

“It does not affect our standing in regards to the playoffs but it certainly affects our psyche and our confidence and our competitive edge.

“It’s not a mean-nothing game. It means a lot and I think it means (even more) to the guys who were given the chance to play for the first time in a long time.”

One of those players getting his first CFL start will be linebacker Michael Pinckney. He arrived in Riders training camp just days before final cuts and was among those sent home.

But the team elected to bring him back Sept. 13 as a member of the practice roster.

“I told them I was upset back then because I got here three days before cuts, which I understood. At the end of the day, it’s a business,” Pinckney said. “Coming back, I think it speaks volumes what they think of me and I’m just grateful for the opportunity.”

While Jamal Morrow isn’t a stranger to being on a game-day roster as a kick returner, it will be his first CFL start at running back.

The second-season CFLer will get the nod as the team rests starter William Powell.

“It’ll be amazing. It’s cool to have guys like Willy P just to sit there and mentor me through everything and make sure we’re doing the right thing,” Morrow said. “He has been coaching me throughout the whole year about when you play running back and what to do to prepare for it.”

Morrow is also looking forward to the challenge Hamilton will bring on Saturday. While the Riders will be resting starters, the Tiger-Cats are rolling out most of their starters as the game could affect their playoff fortunes.

If the Montreal Alouettes beat the Ottawa Redblacks on Friday, Hamilton will need to beat the Riders to host the East semifinal.

“It’s exciting. They are going out there and giving it their best shot and so are we,” Morrow said. “A lot of guys are coming up and we are going to be ready to play.

“We’ve been itching for this opportunity.”

Lynch unvaccinated, can’t travel with the team after West semifinal

While many players are getting their first opportunity of the season to show what they can do in a game, quarterback Paxton Lynch won’t get a shot behind centre.

Rookie Mason Fine, a product of the University of North Texas, will back up starter Isaac Harker in the game. Cody Fajardo is getting the week off.

“One of the things is we really want to see Mason. We’ve been very impressed with him and he has done a good job all year and we feel like he’s got a future up here,” Dickenson said.

“The second thing is — Paxton is OK with this; I’ve visited with him about it — but he’s not going to be able to travel with us after next week so the reality was we wanted to go with the guy we felt like could play for us at the end of the season.”

The federal government is bringing in rules which would require proof of vaccination for different forms of transportation, such as flying. Lynch isn’t vaccinated against COVID-19.

“(Lynch) made his decision and he told us a long time ago what it was going to be,” Dickenson said. “We tried to talk him out of it, but I respect his decision to do what he feels is right.

“He understands we’ve got to play the guys we feel like are going to be there for us at the end. It’s unfortunate but it’s the nature of the beast and I think you’ll see other teams follow suit.”