Roughriders preview: Gale warning for Saskatchewan

Come Friday night, Mitchell Gale will join a growing club in Saskatchewan.

Gale will become the seventh Riders' quarterback to start a game since the Grey Cup Championship of 2013.

More to the point, he'll be the sixth quarterback to give it a try since Darian Durant suffered the first of his three injuries that have knocked him off the active roster.

In order of appearance, they were Tino Sunseri, Kerry Joseph, Kevin Glenn, Brett Smith, and Keith Price.

Coming off consecutive season-ending injuries, Durant suffered another setback last week. However, a sprained ankle should not keep him gone for long.

It's apparently not serious enough to put Durant on the six-game injury list and, according to head coach Chris Jones, Durant is improving daily.

So don't be surprised to see him throwing at practice, perhaps as early as next week.

In the meantime, it's Mitchell Gale's ball. 

So how is it a quarterback who hasn't even been here three weeks is poised to make his first CFL start?

Because he has the utmost respect from the guy who makes the football decisions in Saskatchewan. Jones is not only head coach, but also general manager and vice-president of football operations. 

I've never been 0 and 3 in anything- Chris Jones

Gale's relationship with the Riders' head coach goes back a lot further than three weeks. The two were together in Toronto in 2013 when Jones was the Argos' defensive co-ordinator.

"You know, we can only judge off what we see. The game will determine exactly how well we view Mitchell Gale from the outside. Inside, we know Mitchell Gale is a solid person, he has prepared all his life for this opportunity," Jones said after Thursday's final walk-through.

Since 2013, Gale has been with the Argonauts and the Tiger-Cats. He has been able to pick the brains of experienced CFL minds such as Ricky Ray, Trevor Harris, Zach Collaros, Scott Milanovich, Jason Maas and, for the last few weeks, Darian Durant.

What he threw last week against the Lions (17 completions out of 30 attempts, 104 yards, 1 TD) surpassed his previous career totals.

Gale's got the years, he just doesn't have the mileage

But make no mistake. Gale, who played college ball at Abilene Christian University, is one smart Wildcat.

For all 35 games he has dressed for in the CFL, Gale says he was mentally prepared to start every one of them.

"If I prepare like I'm going to be the guy mentally, well then the only change is physical. Up to the point of starting a game mentally, I'm locked in just as I would be otherwise," said Gale who wasn't about to let the next 31 hours go to waste either.

"We still have time before kickoff. Every second before then will be spent preparing in some way."

But the film room is one thing, playing in a real live game is something else completely.

Previous starting quarterbacks for the Riders, over the last two years, talked a good game too. Sunseri, Smith and Price are now nothing more than footnotes in Riders' history.

Veteran receiver Rob Bagg called it a challenge breaking in a new quarterback, adding they could have handled those previous challenges better than they did.

"It's just the consistency of them getting to know us, and us getting to know them."

But listening to Bagg, the day before Friday's game against Ottawa, Gale could be one worth holding on to.

"Mitchell is not a green-faced rookie. He's been in the league awhile, he understands this offence inside and out, I expect him to have a great game," said Bagg, who hauled in a touchdown pass from Durant last week, one play after Durant suffered his ankle injury. 

Bagg says the best way to help out a quarterback with limited experience is to just do your job.

"If the entire offence does that, he will shine."

Tired of losing

Chris Jones has been around the CFL since 2002. He has Grey Cup rings for every finger on one hand. What he doesn't have is experience with losing.

As a head coach he had never lost three consecutive games until last week. Jones and his entire coaching staff are coming from a Grey Cup-winning program in Edmonton, so this losing streak streak is not sitting well with them.

"Frustration is creeping in with me. It's a long season. We're not used to losing football games. I tell you that," he said.  

"We didn't get here by panicking. Frustration yeah, you don't ever like to be 0 and 3. I've never been 0 and 3 in anything."

"We've got to make sure we keep it light and stay focused on what is the core of the problem, and the problem is between our ears. We have to learn to play 60 minutes and when we get a lead we have to keep the hammer down."

The Riders held leads in two of the three games they lost.

More roster changes

Besides Durant, the Riders also lost offensive lineman Brendon LaBatte and receiver Shamawd Chambers to injury last week. A direct hit to their Canadian content.

LaBatte's spot will be handled by top draft pick Josiah St.John who will make his first CFL start. Backing up the entire offensive line will be former Regina Ram Aaron Picton.