Riders defensive end Stevie Baggs was recharged and ready to go against the Calgary Stampeders
By Ian Hamilton, Leader-PostOctober 18, 2009Be the first to post a comment
REGINA — Before the Saskatchewan Roughriders’ most-recent road game, Stevie Baggs enjoyed some home cooking.
The Roughriders’ defensive end visited family in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., for a few days last week. He returned to Regina on Wednesday, practised for one day and then had a monster CFL game Saturday when the Roughriders visited the Calgary Stampeders.
“This game beats you up when you’re playing it, but when you’re not playing anymore, your family’s still there,” Baggs, 27, said after the Roughriders returned from Calgary. “That’s important to me. I’m just glad I had the opportunity go home.”
There wasn’t anything wrong at home — “I just had to help out my moms,” Baggs said of his mother, Lola Robinson — but the three-day trip helped recharge Baggs’ batteries.
“Missing those two days of practice (Tuesday and Wednesday), that was pretty good for the body,” admitted Baggs, who had seven tackles and two sacks in Saturday’s 44-44 tie with the Stamps. “But when it’s all said and done and you get between those lines, you’ve got to do whatever you have to do to be at an optimum level to play the game.
“I don’t know if (the break) really made a huge difference in what happened, but I was happy to be able to perform well for my team.”
“He did have a little bit of a kick in his step when he came back, which is natural with those two extra days when you’re not grinding your legs in practice,” noted Roughriders defensive line coach Mike Scheper. “I’m sure that played a part and helped him ... It seemed like he did a good job.”
So will Baggs get two days off again this week?
“I wouldn’t count on that,” Scheper replied with a laugh. “That’s his one shot for the year.”
It has been quite a year for Baggs. In his first full campaign as a starter, the product of Bethune-Cookman has recorded 45 tackles and 11 sacks over 15 games. His tackle tally puts him among the league leaders in terms of defensive linemen, and he was tied after Saturday’s game for the CFL lead in sacks.
It’s all new territory for Baggs, whose previous single-season highs were 18 tackles and three sacks (both set in 2007, when he split the season between the Winnipeg Blue Bombers and Edmonton Eskimos).
What’s also new for him is playing this much. Before the 2009 season, Baggs had played only 19 career games, with a single-season high of nine in ’07 (two with Winnipeg, seven with Edmonton).
What’s also new for him is playing this much. Before the 2009 season, Baggs had played only 19 career games, with a single-season high of nine in ’07 (two with Winnipeg, seven with Edmonton).
Baggs credited a vitamin regimen created for him in the off-season for helping him stay healthy and energized.
“I keep telling people I’m still a rookie in a lot of ways because I haven’t played a full season as a starter yet,” Baggs said. “It’s taking a toll, but everybody’s banged up, everybody’s playing with injuries. But it’s a part of the game. It’s football.
“I’m just blessed and fortunate to still be healthy and, this last part of the season, I want to end it that way.”
Statistically, it appears that Baggs has had peaks and valleys this season — prior to Saturday’s game, for example, he had just one sack over his previous three games — but Scheper said that hasn’t been the case.
“I don’t think statistics are the lone measure of someone’s level of improvement for the course of the season,” Scheper said. “Even though maybe statistically there are games that aren’t as fruitful as others, he’s done what we’ve asked him to do on a consistent basis.”
Statistically, it appears that Baggs has had peaks and valleys this season — prior to Saturday’s game, for example, he had just one sack over his previous three games — but Scheper said that hasn’t been the case.
“I don’t think statistics are the lone measure of someone’s level of improvement for the course of the season,” Scheper said. “Even though maybe statistically there are games that aren’t as fruitful as others, he’s done what we’ve asked him to do on a consistent basis.”
Baggs pointed to the Roughriders’ back-to-back games against Winnipeg as proof. He didn’t have a tackle or a sack in either game, but he noted he had two of his strongest games of the season.
Now he’s focusing on doing the same down the stretch.
“I’m just looking to put together a complete game where I can play well assignment-wise, get some stats in and we get the win — and not in that order,” Baggs said. “We want to get the win first and foremost because that’s what’s important now. Everything else will kind of fall in place.”
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