Monday, June 7, 2010

JOE SYKES HOPES HE CAN REPLACE DEPARTED ONES



Defensive end Joe Sykes takes part in training camp at Mosaic Stadium on Sunday, June 6, 2010.
Photograph by: Troy Fleece, Leader-Post

Joe Sykes didn't come into the Saskatchewan Roughriders' training camp looking to replace Stevie Baggs or John Chick.

Instead, Sykes was aiming to beat them out of a job.

"I approached it as if they were still here so I could keep my preparation going in the off-season," Sykes said Sunday after the first day of training camp at Mosaic Stadium. "We're good friends, so I wish them well in the NFL. I just wanted to have my mindset that they were here so I could keep pushing."

Sykes, 27, was mentioned as a candidate to play defensive end for the Roughriders this CFL season as soon as Baggs (Arizona Cardinals) and Chick (Indianapolis Colts) signed NFL deals in the off-season. Sykes claimed Sunday that he didn't hear that talk -- nor did he want to, based on his notion of competing with those players.

Now, he's eager to replace them.

"I can't be those guys, but I'm ready to be that type," said the 6-foot-4, 275-pound product of Grenada, Miss. "They did well for themselves, but I'm a different type of player. I'm ready to play."

If he gets to play a lot, that would be a departure from 2009.
Sykes arrived at Saskatchewan's rookie camp last season with numbers befitting a player in a video game.

During the 2008 season with the af2's Green Bay Blizzard, Sykes led the Arena Football League's satellite loop with 22 tackles for losses, 19.5 sacks and eight forced fumbles in the regular season and added 6.5 sacks and two forced fumbles in the playoffs. Sykes later was named the af2 defensive player-of-the-year and defensive lineman-of-the-year.
But he played in just five games with the Roughriders last season, registering only one special-teams tackle.

"Joe needed to adjust to the Canadian game, both the field dimensions and also the scheme we were running," defensive line coach Mike Scheper said when asked why Sykes didn't play more. "Those things were very much unique and different to the style and what he had been comfortable with and accustomed to in his prior career.

"After a year in the system and grinding through on our practice roster, I think he's ready to assume a leadership role and take his swing at the opportunity that's here in front of him."
Sykes admitted it was difficult to sit out much of the '09 season, but it served a valuable purpose for him.

"I didn't know anything about the game, so I wanted to get my feet wet," he said. "In those five games, I learned a lot. I was playing behind some great players, so I didn't mind sitting back.
"A lot of players sit back a year or two in different positions and learn instead of getting thrown in the water. I embraced that and it prepared me for this year because I know what to expect ... I'm ready to unleash it this year."

He has some work to do before he gets that chance, though. Scheper said Sykes has to improve

his consistency and attain the level of play expected of a professional athlete on a daily basis.
"One day in, so far so good," Scheper said. "Now it's about being consistent and doing it every day so that it's not the exception but rather the rule."

Sykes lost some weight in the off-season in preparation for the competition for a starting job on the D-line. He also plans to use the lessons he learned from Baggs and Chick, both on the field and off, to give himself an edge.

"I love competition and it's a battle," said Sykes, who vowed to work harder this season. "Nothing has been given to me. I'm coming in like I was a rookie; I take the same approach every year. I'm just ready to get out there and shine like Stevie and Chick."

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