Roughriders clean out lockers after heartbreaking West final loss

It was a day that came a week earlier than the 2019 Saskatchewan Roughriders wanted.

The players cleaned out their lockers Monday, with many players still stinging from the Roughriders’ heartbreaking 20-13 loss to the Winnipeg Blue Bombers in the CFL’s West Division final the day before.

The Roughriders were unable to score a touchdown in the game, with their last pass attempt by quarterback Cody Fajardo hitting the north endzone crossbar to end the game.

Defensive back Loucheiz Purifoy said he can’t digest how their season came to an end.

“Not right now at least. It’s professional football and you’ve got to take the blows and we took the final blow,” Purifoy said in the locker room on Monday.

The veteran DB said Winnipeg quarterback Zach Collaros — who began the season as the Roughriders’ starter before being traded — didn’t have an advantage in the game because he had worked against Saskatchewan’s defence in practice.

“(Collaros) threw the ball up in the air and they made their plays,” Purifoy said. “That’s as simple as it gets. They made their plays when he tossed the ball in the air and we couldn’t score.

“They scored one time on us and the rest of it was field goals. That’s just life (and) that’s football for you — ups and downs.”

Purifoy’s contract is set to expire in February and he could be one of the Roughriders heading to free agency when it begins. Purifoy said he plans to go home and spend time with his family before preparing for next season.

“(You’re) looking around and you’re like, ‘Damn, I don’t know who I’m going to see next year,’ ” he said. “I don’t even know if I’ll be here next year.”

Roughriders fans were left questioning the play-calling by offensive co-ordinator Stephen McAdoo in the red zone following the loss.

The Roughriders ran 12 plays from inside the Winnipeg 15-yard line. Only one of those was a rushing attempt by running back William Powell, who tied for the league lead in rushing scores during the regular season.

Powell said he always wants the balls but knows an offensive play-caller has to go with the flow of the game.

“I can’t be selfish and want the ball all the time and ask for the ball all the time because we have a lot of great players across the board,” Powell said. “We trust those guys too.”

Powell said the Roughriders felt like they had enough talent to challenge for the Grey Cup.

“We started out 1-and-3 and we went on a big winning streak and finished the season off good but we fell a little short at the end,” Powell said. “We left some plays out there (Sunday); we could have executed a little better. We had some things that were there and things that we wanted.”

As one of the few Roughriders under contract past the 2019 season, Powell said he’s working on convincing players to stay to help get some redemption in 2020, when the Grey Cup will be played in Regina.

Notable free agents

Below is a list of notable Roughriders players who could be free agents.

The list was compiled based on previous news releases from the Roughriders. The list doesn’t include extensions that haven’t been announced or player/team options that have been picked up.

Quarterbacks: Bryan Bennett.

Running backs: Marcus Thigpen, Kienan LaFrance.

Receivers: Shaq Evans, Kenny Stafford, Cory Watson, Naaman Roosevelt, Emmanuel Arceneaux, Kyran Moore.

Offensive linemen: Philip Blake, Takoby Cofield, Terran Vaughn, Dariusz Bladek, Dan Clark, Thaddeus Coleman.

Defensive linemen: Micah Johnson, Charleston Hughes, Makana Henry, Jordan Reaves, Chad Geter, A.C. Leonard.

Linebackers: Cam Judge, Solomon Elimimian, Sam Hurl, Dyshawn Davis, Derrick Moncrief.

Defensive backs: Elie Bouka, Nick Marshall, Ed Gainey, Loucheiz Purifoy.

Special teams: Jon Ryan, Jorgen Hus.