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Hughes, Messam have moved beyond first contact
SASKATOON — Tailback Jerome Messam and defensive end Charleston Hughes haven’t forgotten their first contact as Saskatchewan Roughriders teammates.
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At training camp on May 22, Hughes scraped along the defensive line before slamming into Messam. The sound of the collision could be heard throughout Saskatoon Minor Football Field.
“I didn’t see him coming,’’ Messam said of his former Calgary Stampeders teammate. “He said that he was off-balance and he couldn’t hold up and I wasn’t expecting him to hit me. I was running high and it was just a bad collision.
“He’s still my guy. Everyone asked if it was a Calgary thing, but it wasn’t.”
The tackle was the hardest hit of training camp, which opened May 20 and wrapped up Wednesday.
Charleston Hughes chats with a teammate during the Riders’ training camp. Photo by Michelle Berg /Saskatoon StarPhoenix
“It’s just something that happens in football,’’ Hughes said of the collision with Messam. “I didn’t try to hit him that hard. The thud was a lot harder than I thought it was and that’s the reason why I don’t like to hit in practice.’’
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It was also a collision between two large men — Hughes is 6-foot-1 and 246 pounds while Messam is 6-foot-3 and 230 pounds.
“I found it fun because I was able to get my first hit of the pre-season out of the way,’’ Hughes said. “I usually have to wait for that to happen until I play in my first game.”
Hughes and Messam will both have an opportunity for contact in a game situation when the Riders play host to the Stampeders on Friday in pre-season action.
The two veterans didn’t dress for the Riders’ 35-12 pre-season loss to the Edmonton Eskimos on May 27.
“I’m just excited to get my feet wet because I didn’t play in the first pre-season game,’’ Messam said. “It will be fun to go out there and play against those guys.”
Hughes broke into the CFL with Calgary in 2008. He shared in Grey Cup victories with Calgary in 2008 and 2014.
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On Feb. 6, Calgary traded Hughes and a fourth-round selection in the 2018 CFL draft to the Hamilton Tiger-Cats for fourth-round picks in 2018 and 2019.
A few hours later, the Tiger-Cats sent Hughes to the Riders for backup quarterback Vernon Adams Jr. Hughes told reporters at the time that he was stunned to be traded after 10 seasons with Calgary.
However, he doesn’t attach any special significance to his first game of any description against his former team.
“It doesn’t have any meaning at all because it’s pre-season,’’ Hughes said. “It will take on meaning when we play them in the regular season (July 28 at Mosaic Stadium).’’
The Riders traded Messam to the Stampeders on Oct. 14, 2015 for placekicker Tyler Crapigna and a swap of draft picks. Messam remained with Calgary for the 2016 and 2017 seasons, extending his streak of 1,000-yard rushing seasons to three.
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Calgary decided to go in a different direction after last season and allowed Messam to become a free agent.
Messam, who signed with the Riders on Feb. 14, has only good things to say about his time with Calgary. That’s why he’s more excited about playing in a game than about facing his former team on Friday.
“If it was a regular-season game I would be more amped,” Messam said. “We’re not going to show too much. We’re going to work on what we need to work on as far as our offence and execute.”
Hughes, however, is looking forward to seeing his former teammates.
“I still have friends that I talk to on the team,’’ Hughes said. “I will still associate with people over there. I don’t have any hard feelings against anyone. I saw a lot of the coaches and staff during CFL Week and I talked to them. It was all very cordial.’’
Hughes is expecting a cordial welcome from Rider Nation as he plays his first game at Mosaic Stadium in Green and White.
“That will be exciting because it will be my first game in the jersey and all of that,” he said. “I used to always think they were rooting for me, anyways. This time they will be.”