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CTV News
13-05-2025
- Sport
- CTV News
Riders ramp up intensity on day 2 of main camp
Monday was the final day of practise without pads at the Saskatchewan Roughriders training camp, and the first look for fans and media at the team's 2025 first round draft pick, Ali Saad. After playing four years at Bowling Green, Saad was absent from last week to attend San Francisco 49ers mini-camp, so he admits there was some adjustment to the Canadian game. 'That was my biggest issue was getting used to that one yard off the ball,' said Saad. 'Getting your footwork right, honestly that to me was the main thing. Especially because I like to move around a lot, I like to [hesitate], I'm not a bull rush type of guy. If I have to do it, I'll do it. But today, based on the situation, I had to long arm a little bit more, bull rush a little bit more.' Despite arriving late last night, he impressed coaches in his first practise. 'I thought he showed well today,' said Corey Mace, head coach. 'There's of course going to be a few mistakes, but you give him a little bit of grace. He's only been here less than 24 hours. But he showed really well in the one-on-one pass rush as well, he's certainly the guy we expected to see.' Intensity ramped up during practise despite the lack of pads. Saad's torn jersey tells the story of a team in high gear less than two weeks from its first exhibition game. 'If you're a physical player and you're coming with violence all the time and doing the things you need to, you're going to get ripped jerseys,' said Phillip Daniels, defensive line coach. 'He kind of reminds me of myself. I was a physical player when I played, and my jersey stayed ripped. It's also a sign they're holding us a lot, too.' Phillips only had a couple of hours to spend with Saad on the playbook before his first practise with the team. 'To stay up late with me, learn the playbook and come out to practise the next day and give me what he gave me, that was awesome,' he said. 'It's only going to get better down the road as he gets rest.' Injuries decimated the offensive line in 2024, but Mace says it was a blessing in disguise. 'In that situation, just the gift and the curse of having so many guys play is when you come back to camp the next year,' said Mace. 'Your depth is pretty deep of game experience. So, it's early, we feel really good about it now.' The offensive line that saw 13 different players take snaps had one pillar. West Division Most Outstanding Offensive Lineman Logan Ferland suited up for every game last season, in three different positions. Ferland says he's happy to have a healthy line and to be focusing on just one position in camp. 'One-hundred per cent,' said Ferland. 'It helps mentally. You don't have to have that pressure of possibly having to play tackles, whether it's right or left, having to go centre or go left guard. Being solidified at the right guard spot right now, we'll see what happens after camp, but right now it feels good to sink my teeth in and just be able to really focus on that one position.' Training camp continues from Griffiths Stadium until the Roughriders pack up for their first exhibition game, May 24 in Winnipeg.
CBC
12-05-2025
- Sport
- CBC
Riders 1st-round pick makes debut at training camp
Social Sharing By the end of his first practice Monday at Saskatchewan Roughriders training camp, Ali Saad's jersey was torn down the middle. "That shows I competed today," said the defensive lineman, who was the Riders' first-round pick (fourth overall) in this year's CFL draft. "It shows the guys competed today. " It's been a hectic few weeks for Saad, who just this week signed a contract with the Riders. He opted to attend the NFL's San Francisco 49ers' rookie camp before coming to Saskatoon late Sunday night. "[Defensive line coach Phillip Daniels] took me in, got me in the playbook a little bit, trying to catch me up," Saad said. "They threw me out here today to test the water and I guess everything went well." Saad said the NFL camp experience was invaluable. "There's a lot of great talent down there, great coaches and everything," he said. "I thought I learned a lot … especially that I can use on the field here." Saad was born in Windsor, Ont., but spent his college career at Bowling Green University in Toledo, Ohio, and hasn't played the Canadian game for quite a while. He said getting used to standing one yard off the ball at the line of scrimmage is going to take some getting used to. "I like to move around a little. I like to hesitate," he said. "I'm not a bull rush type of guy, but today I had to bull rush a little bit more than doing some [hesitation] move because of that one yard." Daniels said Saad will be able to use his strength and explosiveness to get the upper hand on anyone trying to block him. "If you don't block him and get your hands on him initially, then he is going to have a good chance of winning," Daniels said. "Those are things I saw him do on film and the same thing I saw today out on the field." Daniels said he was happy to see Saad wanting to get into practice Monday morning, despite only arriving in Saskatoon around 10:30 p.m. on Sunday. "I asked him how much do you want to do tomorrow and right away he said, 'Coach, I'm all in. I'm ready to go,'" Daniels said. "He's only going to get better down the road as he gets rest." Head coach Corey Mace said it was great to have Saad in camp. "There's of course going to be a few mistakes, but you give a little bit of grace. He's only been here less than 24 hours," Mace said. "He showed really well in the one-on-one pass rush as well and he's certainly the guy that we expected to see." Saad said he's ready to soak up as much information as possible in a short period of time. "I love watching film. I love learning new things," he said. "I think my aggressiveness and physicality is something that I can bring to the table for sure."
