‘It’s only up from here’: Sankey ready to build on stellar 2021 season

Darnell Sankey obviously doesn’t rest on his laurels.

The linebacker burst onto the CFL scene last year in his first season in Canada, recording a league-leading 97 tackles while with the Calgary Stampeders.

But during the off-season, the Saskatchewan Roughriders made a splash on the first day of free agency and signed the San Jose product. Now, Sankey believes he can improve on an impressive first year.

“I think there’s always room for improvement,” Sankey said after the Roughriders practised Wednesday at Mosaic Stadium.

“Leading the league is great. It’s always a great goal but I feel like there were a lot of things to improve on. I wasn’t the perfect player. It was a blessing and it’s only up from here.”

Sankey, 27, will work hard to make sure that happens.

One thing that has been noticeable throughout training camp and during practices ahead of Saturday’s home opener against the Hamilton Tiger-Cats has been Sankey’s work ethic. He doesn’t take a rep off and is often around the ball, whoever’s got it.

“Everyone works hard, but it always comes from coming where I’m from,” Sankey said. “I’ve always been an underdog. I didn’t get (taken in) the (NFL) draft and I’ve always had to work my way up.

“I’ve always had that underdog mentality and I want to outwork everyone.”

Although he wasn’t drafted, Sankey did bounce around the NFL between 2016 and ’19. He signed with the Denver Broncos, the then-Oakland Raiders, the Kansas City Chiefs, the Indianapolis Colts, the Baltimore Ravens, the Colts again, the Detroit Lions and the New Orleans Saints. He signed with Calgary in 2020.

Sankey, who didn’t play in the Roughriders’ home pre-season game against the Winnipeg Blue Bombers, suited up in green and white for the first time against the host B.C. Lions in Saskatchewan’s second pre-season game.

He had five tackles, a quarterback sack and a fumble recovery in Friday’s 20-18 loss to the Lions.

Asked after that game what Sankey brings to the Roughriders’ defence, head coach Craig Dickenson replied: “Intensity. Toughness. He’s definitely an Alpha dog on that defence and we’re lucky to have him.”

Sankey will be part of a formidable trio of linebackers on the Riders’ defence, lining up alongside Derrick Moncrief and Larry Dean against the Tiger-Cats.

Kickoff for the game is set for 5 p.m. The Green Zone pre-game show begins at 3 p.m.

“It’s great,” Sankey said of the trio. “Larry Dean, he’s a little bit older, and he related a lot to me because he played down south. Me and him have that different type of connection.

“When I first met him, that was the first thing we started talking about. He was just telling me the changes with the league and we’re starting together now and we’re able to build a bond.

“Now you’ve got Moncrief coming back after missing the pre-season and working just as hard as the rest of us and he’s just an animal.”

Sankey will make his Mosaic Stadium debut Saturday and he believes that when comparing fans of the Roughriders and the Stampeders, the sea of green holds the edge.

“I really believe the fans here are better. I’m just being real,” Sankey said. “It seems like it’s more of a football city from what I’ve seen.

“Calgary fans are great — I’m not saying they are not — but I’ve been feeling a lot of love since I’ve been here and I love it. They have treated me well and welcomed me and I have nothing but positives (to say). From everything they’ve told me it would be, I like it. I’m very impressed.”

Sankey also is eager to play in front of the Mosaic Stadium faithful on Nov. 20, when the 2022 Grey Cup game is played in Regina.

“We don’t want anyone else playing here but us,” Sankey said.