McCullough and Freeman Vie for the Middle

Saskatchewan Roughriders linebackers Mike McCullough (left) and Jerrell Freeman.
Photograph by: Bryan Schlosser, Leader-Post

REGINA — In the early stages of the Saskatchewan Roughriders' practice Tuesday at Mosaic Stadium, Mike McCullough and Jerrell Freeman appeared to be playing "Follow the Leader."
Everywhere McCullough went, Freeman followed. That could be the way things go Sunday, when the Roughriders play host to the Hamilton Tiger-Cats.

With Rey Williams — Saskatchewan's starting middle linebacker for the first six games of the CFL season — out with a damaged medial collateral ligament in his right knee, McCullough and Freeman are vying for the No. 1 job. There's also a chance they could rotate, so the veteran (McCullough) had the rookie (Freeman) in tow during defensive drills.

"I've been around a while," said McCullough, a seventh-year Roughrider who started games in the middle from 2005 through '07. "Jerrell's new. He's confident and he's a good football player, but he just asked me about a couple of nuances of the defence.

"It's a new defence for me, too, but a lot of the things are the same from the last few years — some of the coverages and some of the schemes — so I know it pretty well. I think Jerrell knows it pretty well, but I think he might be a little bit rusty on a few things. I can help him out, no problem."

"Mike and Rey are seasoned vets," noted Freeman. "They've been doing this for a while, they know the ins and outs, they know Canadian football. They can let me know what's going to go on."

In reality, even the coaches claim they don't know what's going to go on Sunday. Defensive co-ordinator Gary Etcheverry said a decision on a starter hasn't been made and head coach Ken Miller suggested a rotation is possible.

"Mike McCullough has maybe more experience going in," Miller said. "Freeman has his own physical assets. His quickness and agility are assets for him. We'll just have to evaluate that as the week goes."

McCullough, 29, made his first start as the Roughriders' middle linebacker in the 2005 season. He started 13 games in '06 and two in '07 before settling into his current role as a backup and special-teams player.

He admitted Tuesday he has been eager to return to the starting lineup.
"Every backup wants to start and every starter wants to stay starting," he said. "Rey's doing a great job, so I can't really complain when Rey's doing so well. I've just got to bide my time.

"This is not the way you want to do it because Rey hurt his knee (during Friday's 35-20 loss to the host B.C. Lions). He should be back in a few weeks and I'll just fill in for him until he gets back and then go back to my usual role."

In the meantime, having 110 regular-season games under his belt would help McCullough if he's given the starting assignment in the middle.

"If it was my first start ever, there'd be a little more nerves, a little more uncertainty," he said. "But I've been around the block and I've seen a few things and most of the offences in the league and know what to expect. I think I'm pretty reliable in there and I don't think I'll get too rattled."

Etcheverry said McCullough's experience would be helpful — if that's the way the coaches go.
"The bottom line is, with whoever plays, what has happened in the past really doesn't matter," Etcheverry said. "It's only going to matter what happens in this game and if that person continues to move in the direction we need."

Freeman, a 23-year-old rookie out of Mary Hardin-Baylor, simply is looking to do whatever he can to help out.

"Playing some on special teams, there's a lot of effort and everything," said Freeman, who has made six special-teams stops through six games.

"Getting all the intricacies and understanding the defence from being on the sidelines is kind of hard. I'm still a little green in some areas, but Mike helps me out a lot and (so does) Rey."

ihamilton@leaderpost.canwest.com