Watch above: Former Saskatchewan Huskie Keenan MacDougall destined for a bright future with the Roughriders. Jack Haskins has the details in this report from training camp.
SASKATOON – After spending his first three CFL seasons with the Calgary Stampeders, Keenan MacDougall jumped at the opportunity to return to his home province, and suit up for the Saskatchewan Roughriders.
“I was looking for a better opportunity to play, a better opportunity to help the team out a bit more than I had in Calgary, and it looked like that might be here., said MacDougall.
“I still have to prove it.”
MacDougall will get a chance to do just that. With two-time CFL all-star Tyron Brackenridge on the shelf with a minor strain, MacDougall will be the Riders starting safety on Saturday’s pre-season game against the Edmonton Eskimos.
“It’s kind of like a job interview really, so I just got to go out there and make no mental mistakes, and make some plays on the field.”
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But no matter how well MacDougall plays on Saturday, he won’t be the starting safety once Brackenridge returns from injury. On Thursday, Riders head coach Corey Chamblin made it clear that Brackenridge is their guy. However Chamblin did say that he wants incorporate MacDougall in different defensive packages during the regular season.
The former Saskatchewan Huskie doesn’t care where he lines up on the field, he just wants to play.
“Some guys have asked me where I’d like to be ideally on the field and stuff, and I don’t really care,” says MacDougall. “If a coach has got a player that can make plays on the field, they’ll find a place for him to play.”
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The 25-year-old may not be ready to become a starter in the CFL just yet, but Chamblin sees a vast amount of potential in MacDougall.
“He has the ability to become a full time starter, but not just a starter, but a CFL all-star. ”
High praise from coach Chamblin. Perhaps a starting job isn’t too far off in the horizon for MacDougall after all.
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