By IAN HAMILTON, Leader-Post July 2, 2010
REGINA — Like any good receiver, Weston Dressler knows to come back to the football.
He appears to be doing well with a different kind of comeback, too.
In his first regular-season game since suffering a devastating injury on Oct. 10, the Saskatchewan Roughriders' slotback caught 10 passes for 154 yards and scored the game-winning touchdown in Thursday's 54-51 CFL victory over the Montreal Alouettes at Mosaic Stadium.
"It's good for me just to get that confidence back, to get back into game speed," Dressler said. "It's a little different than practice. Things are moving a little bit faster and it's tougher to see some coverages sometimes. But just to be out there again was a lot of fun."
Last fall, Dressler suffered a broken right fibula and severely sprained ankle in a 32-22 victory over the visiting Toronto Argonauts. He didn't play again in the '09 regular season or the post-season as the Roughriders made a run at the Grey Cup.
His 2010 return began on a slightly tentative note, as he took a day off early in training camp after pushing himself too hard a day earlier. Since then, however, Dressler hasn't missed a day or — judging by Thursday's effort — a beat.
When Ken Miller was asked Thursday if Dressler has surprised him at all since returning, the Saskatchewan head coach replied: "Not so much."
"Not after a couple of days when he landed on it pretty hard a couple of times in practice," Miller continued. "From that point forward, he has just motored on and really gotten better."
"Initially, coming into camp, that was something that I had to gauge and take it day by day, see how it was feeling and know when to push it and know when to kind of ease off of it," Dressler added. "The last two weeks now, I've had zero problems with my ankle and I don't think it's a problem anymore."
"Initially, coming into camp, that was something that I had to gauge and take it day by day, see how it was feeling and know when to push it and know when to kind of ease off of it," Dressler added. "The last two weeks now, I've had zero problems with my ankle and I don't think it's a problem anymore."
One of his colleagues in the receiving corps hasn't seen any hesitancy from the 2008 rookie-of-the-year, either.
"I was training with him in Texas in March and he looked great there," noted wide receiver Rob Bagg. "Obviously it shows. What'd he put up today, 250 (yards)? I think he's ready to go."
Dressler had a stellar game going even before Thursday's overtime session began, but he stepped to the fore in the extra periods.
Dressler had a stellar game going even before Thursday's overtime session began, but he stepped to the fore in the extra periods.
His 24-yard reception on a second-and-13 play in the Roughriders' first OT possession helped set up the Andy Fantuz touchdown catch that gave Saskatchewan a 48-40 lead.
The Als tied the game on their first possession and then went ahead 51-48 with a field goal on their second drive in OT. On the first play of Saskatchewan's second possession, quarterback Darian Durant hit Dressler for 32 yards to the Montreal three-yard line — and then found the slotback in the end zone on the next play for the deciding points.
While it may seem like old times for Durant and Dressler, both men suggest there's work to be done to make up for lost time caused by Dressler's injury.
"Chemistry between a receiver and a quarterback can always improve," Dressler said.
"Throughout a full season, throughout years together, you can do different things and get on the same page different ways.
"There were a few situations today where I was thinking one thing and Darian was thinking another. As the season goes on, the more practice time we get and the more games we get together, that will just continue to get better."
"You have to refine your craft and make sure that you know where he's going to be on every play," Durant noted. "When you're working with him every day, you know. When he's gone for five, six, seven weeks and you get used to throwing to other guys, you kind of lose that rhythm.
It's good to have him back out there."
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