Jefferson expecting love/hate welcome in Regina

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 30/08/2019 (2251 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Come on back to Regina.

It doesn’t quite have the same ring as ‘Come on down to Winnipeg’, but that’s exactly what Blue Bombers defensive end Willie Jefferson will be doing this weekend.

The former Saskatchewan Roughrider, who inked a one-year deal with the Blue and Gold in the off-season worth $210,000, will play his former team for the first time Sunday as the Bombers head to Mosaic Stadium for the annual Labour Day Classic.

After winning the Grey Cup with the Edmonton Eskimos in 2015, Jefferson made the jump to the Riders alongside head coach Chris Jones in 2016. Jefferson spent three seasons in Saskatchewan and had a career-high 10 sacks in 2018.

In January, Jones left the Riders to join the Cleveland Browns as a senior defensive specialist. One month later, Jefferson packed his bags and left town to become a Blue Bomber.

“I’m expecting a lot of boos, you know, just because of the way things went down in the off-season and stuff like that,” Jefferson told the media after Friday’s closed practice.

“But on the other side, I know there’s a lot of people in Regina, Saskatchewan that still love me, love the way I play football and just love me for me. Not for the guy that made plays for them the last couple years, but just me being the guy I’ve been off the field and stuff like that. So yeah, I’m expecting a love-hate relationship type of thing when I return to Mosaic.”

It’s speculated the Riders offered Jefferson, who was the club’s nominee for most outstanding player and defensive player of the year last season, a deal worth around $175,000.

So is it really fair for angry watermelon-helmet-wearing Riders fans to view Jefferson as a traitor for joining their Prairie rival?

“It is what it is. It’s a business,” said Jefferson, who helped the Riders win the past two Labour Day games. “I’m just happy to be still in the CFL, still being able to make plays and stuff like that. I’ma go out there and just give it my all and hopefully the fans that were there for me last year still like me this year.”

Jefferson said he’s no stranger to being the villain; it was a role he had when he was a member of the Roughriders

“I’ve always been the guy. Like, one thing (about) me and (Riders running back Marcus) Thigpen, we’ve always been close since we came to Saskatchewan. Always get to the facilities early and stuff like that. Thigpen considers himself Superman. And then like every morning, we’d always make a joke like somebody had to be the villain and it was always me. So, me coming back to Saskatchewan, I have no problem being the bad guy.”

The Bombers got exactly what they paid for with Jefferson.

The 28-year-old from Beaumont, Texas leads the Bombers with eight sacks and five forced fumbles.

Jefferson was named the CFL’s top performer for August, coming off of four straight impressive games, including a monstrous performance in Edmonton last weekend where he registered three sacks, four tackles, two forced fumbles, two tackles for losses, a pass deflection and a fumble recovery in Winnipeg’s 34-28 win over the Eskimos.

It won’t be easy for Jefferson to top that performance on Sunday, or at any point this season.

“Hopefully I can get me a pick-six, you know what I’m saying? Scoop and score. That’s the only way you can really outdo that game,” Jefferson said. “But like I said, it’s not about me, it’s about the team. It’s about playing defence within the scheme and going out there and getting a win.”

With all the success Jefferson’s already had with his new team, he said he’s got nothing to prove to Riderville.

“No, not at all. I’m just here to play football. I made the decision to come here to play ball and I came here and made the best of it. I’ve already matched my stats from last year. I’m just looking to keep improving. I’m not looking to make a statement to Saskatchewan. Hopefully they’re not trying to make a statement to me. I’m just here to play football and that’s exactly what I’ve been doing.”

Jefferson’s task this week will be to make life difficult for quarterback Cody Fajardo. The first-year Roughrider has helped the team to five straight victories, with eight touchdown passes, four interceptions and 2,112 passing yards in nine games. Fajardo also happens to wear No. 7, which was Jefferson’s number during his time with the Green and White.

“Cody already know who I am. I’ll reintroduce myself to him. Take my number back,” said Jefferson with a smile.

taylor.allen@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @TaylorAllen31