Ferland deserves to be Roughriders’ most outstanding player

Article content

It’s not gonna happen, but Saskatchewan Roughriders offensive lineman Logan Ferland should be selected as the CFL team’s most outstanding player.

Voters pick quarterbacks, receivers, running backs or, on extremely rare occasions, a defensive player as a team’s outstanding performer. Those high-profile guys have stats — completion percentages, yards, touchdowns or tackles — which attract attention from the Football Reporters of Canada, whose outstanding player votes will be supplemented this year by CFL fans and the league’s nine head coaches.

Article content

Because there are other categories to recognize a team’s top defensive and special teams players, Ferland will certainly be named the Roughriders’ outstanding offensive lineman in 2024. He also earned that honour in 2023 and 2022.

His most impressive statistic: Heading into Saturday’s game against the visiting Ottawa Redblacks, while injured teammates have kept falling around him, Ferland has played all 14 regular-season games and moved from right guard to right tackle to left tackle to centre. There are only five positions on an offensive line and he has played four of them this year, all surprisingly well.

“I don’t think I played left guard,” Ferland said after a recent Riders practice at Mosaic Stadium. “I prepped for a left guard game, but I don’t think I did play there.

“Wherever they need me, I’m willing to go. The important part is we’ve got a lot of guys who can play a lot of different positions.”

The Roughriders have deployed 16 offensive linemen this season while compiling a 6-7-1 record that has them sitting third in the West. Rather than listing everyone and their injuries, it’s easier to say Ferland and rookie left tackle Trevor Reid are the only O-linemen to play every game thus far, although Reid suffered an in-game injury that caused Ferland to shift into his spot for the duration.

Article content

Article content

After back-to-back weeks with the same starting unit, the offensive line is changing again for Saturday’s contest. It’s not because of injuries or ineffectiveness. Indeed, the Roughriders got 207 rushing yards from new tailback Ryquell Armstead in their 37-29 victory over the Calgary Stampeders. And Riders quarterback Trevor Harris wasn’t sacked once.

“Hats off to Armstead,” said Ferland. “He made us look good in a lot of circumstances. He’s a man on a mission and, you know, all our backs have been very good this year.

“It’s really a total offence. Look at sacks. That’s not just the O-line. That’s Trevor, that’s the back. It’s because we all know our schemes. It’s never as easy as seeing the number and saying, ‘The O-line’s doing good!’ It’s the whole offence.”

Jacob Brammer, who excelled before being injured, is replacing right guard Nick Jones while Trevon Tate stays at right tackle. It’s been tough on the offensive linemen watching injuries sideline compatriots Philip Blake, Jermarcus Hardrick, Peter Godber, Zack Fry and Ryan Sceviour.

“It’s hard to watch,” said Ferland. “You know what they put into it and it’s their livelihood, right? One wrong injury and that can be your career. So it really makes you not take it for granted, to really respect each and every play you get to play.”

Article content

Born in Melfort, Ferland played junior football for the Regina Thunder and joined the Roughriders in 2019 as a territorial protection. He started all 14 games during the pandemic-shortened 2021 season, 13 coincidentally at left guard before shifting to centre for the final contest. He has missed only two games since starting his pro career.

“You know what? I think the Thunder helped me out quite a bit,” said Ferland. “I had to move around my last two years, I had to move around a lot.

“That really got me used to playing multiple spots, then coming here to learn from (former) centre Dan Clark, who said to learn everything from a centre’s standpoint. That way you know how to do everything because if you know centre, you know how to play all the positions. From there it’s just physical.”

Credit also goes to Riders offensive line coach Edwin Harrison. A former offensive lineman who spent the past two seasons as a Toronto Argonauts assistant coach before joining Saskatchewan on the staff of first-year head coach Corey Mace, Harrison has deftly pieced together a respectable unit, anchored by Ferland.

Article content

It’s not gonna happen because assistants don’t get recognized with awards, but Harrison is worthy of being coach-of-the-year, too.

The Regina Leader-Post has created an Afternoon Headlines newsletter that can be delivered daily to your inbox so you are up to date with the most vital news of the day. Click here to subscribe.

With some online platforms blocking access to the journalism upon which you depend, our website is your destination for up-to-the-minute news, so make sure to bookmark leaderpost.com and sign up for our newsletters so we can keep you informed. Click here to subscribe.

Article content