DAVIS TO UNDERGO SURGERY

REGINA — The Saskatchewan Roughriders will have to cover for the absence of their most-accomplished cover man for the remainder of the regular season, and perhaps into the CFL playoffs.

Defensive halfback Eddie Davis is to undergo arthroscopic surgery Wednesday to repair a torn meniscus in his left knee. He isn’t likely to return unless the Roughriders participate in the West Division final on Nov. 22.

“It’s a really big concern because he is such a leader in our secondary and so much of what we do revolves around the communication that he makes with other players,’’ Roughriders head coach Ken Miller said after Tuesday’s practice.

Davis was injured in Saturday’s 33-30 overtime victory over the visiting B.C. Lions. Lance Frazier, the Roughriders’ other starting defensive halfback, missed that game with dehydration but is expected to return Saturday against the Hamilton Tiger-Cats at Ivor Wynne Stadium. With Davis sidelined, Chris McKenzie and Frazier are to be the starting halfbacks.

“Injuries are part of football,’’ Roughriders secondary coach Nelson Martin said. “You always have people who are in a backup capacity who have to be ready to play. For some of these players, this is an opportunity to show that they belong. As a coach, you have to get everybody prepared. It’s difficult as a backup when you’re not getting starting reps, but this is how you earn your keep with an opportunity like this.’’

Without Davis and Frazier for most of the B.C. game, the Roughriders moved Tad Kornegay from linebacker to defensive halfback to address one of the voids.

“Tad’s not a rookie, so he’s pretty comfortable playing any spot in the secondary,’’ Martin said. “Chris McKenzie did an outstanding job. We were very pleased with his positioning, his execution and his aggression. He did what we thought he was capable of doing. He was given the
opportunity and he delivered under pressure.’’

The game was also stressful for the coaches. Consider Martin’s situation after two of his best defensive backs were sidelined.

“My stomach was in knots, but that’s part of the excitement of the game,’’ he said. “You look in the NFL and Drew Bledsoe gets hurt and Tom Brady becomes a legend. He got his start on an injury. For some of these players, this is an opportunity, and they want to make the best of that opportunity.’’

The Roughriders’ secondary as a whole needs to have a strong game against red-hot Hamilton quarterback Kevin Glenn. Glenn has completed 57 of 82 passes — a 69.5-per-cent accuracy rate — for 828 yards over his past two games. He has displaced Quinton Porter as the Ti-Cats’ starter.

“They seem to have done the smart thing by giving Kevin Glenn starting reps,’’ Martin said. “He’s a terrific quarterback. He’s experienced. They’ve got a good receiving corps now and they’ve been very successful, putting up a lot of yards. We’ve got to play sound defence against them, with no blown coverages, and that’s going to be a challenge when you’re putting new people in the secondary, making sure that they’re all aware of their assignments.

“They’re a dangerous team. They’re fighting for their playoff lives. This game has as much at stake for them as it does us. For us, the playoffs have already started.’’

The Roughriders can clinch a third straight home playoff game with a victory over Hamilton. Saskatchewan and the Calgary Stampeders are tied for top spot in the West with 9-6-1 records. The Stampeders are to visit Mosaic Stadium on Nov. 7 in a first-place showdown.

Hamilton and the Winnipeg Blue Bombers are tied for second in the East Division at 7-9-0. Both teams are hoping not to be bumped out of the playoff picture by the Edmonton Eskimos (also 7-9-0), who could earn a crossover berth.

rvanstone@leaderpost.canwest.com
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