‘Self-taught’ receiver stayed during CFL team’s bye week to work with first-time starter Shea Patterson
Does he know how many?
“I couldn’t tell you to be exact,” Sterns said earlier this week at Mosaic Stadium, where Saskatchewan’s offence was adjusting to another quarterback in preparation for Thursday’s game against the visiting Toronto Argonauts. “Quite a few.”
Four.
“Actually we did work out together,” said Sterns. “That’s crazy you said that. We got a little work in and I just took care of the body.
“All quarterbacks see things a little differently. Their three-step drop might be a little different or they might be looking at something different pre-snap. So I kind of just ask Shea what he wants me to do and where he wants me to be.”
Sterns and Patterson connected once in their last game, a 36-20 victory over the visiting Hamilton Tiger-Cats on June 23. It came after Harris was sidelined with sprained knee ligaments from a second-quarter sack. Harris has been placed on the six-game injury list, so Patterson has moved into the starter’s role.
Trustworthy hands, decent speed and toughness are part of Sterns’ package, but he needed help learning to run his slants, fades and drag routes.
“Honestly a lot of it’s self-taught, watching YouTube, things like that,” said Sterns, who is undersized at 5-foot-9 and 175 pounds.
“Looking up to some guys that are built like me, like (former New England Patriots receiver) Wes Welker, the smaller dudes. I also had a great receiver coach in Cedric Cormier at Houston Christian (University).”
In Sterns’ inaugural game last season against the Ottawa Redblacks, Fine threw to him seven times and he caught all seven passes for 71 yards. Fine was starting because Harris had undergone knee surgery. Two games later, Dolegala replaced Fine. Working with two quarterbacks who are no longer with the Roughriders, Sterns played 11 games in 2023 and caught 44 passes for 449 yards with one touchdown.
This season Sterns has caught a team-high 17 passes for 216 yards with no touchdowns. Shawn Bane Jr., who is second on the Roughriders with 13 catches for 211 yards, will also miss Thursday’s game because of personal issues. They were excelling with Saskatchewan’s starting quarterback, although it was for only 2 1/2 games.
“Injuries are unfortunate, part of football, but for us receivers it’s just doing our job and making plays,” said Sterns.
The Roughriders are undefeated in three games this season. Last year they started 3-1 before Harris got hurt. Asked about any differences between the seasons, Sterns noted he wasn’t in Saskatchewan for the beginning of 2023, but he said the atmosphere differs greatly from the team that last year lost its final seven regular-season games.
“Winning changes the whole morale,” said Sterns. “You build some confidence, you can build some momentum when you get a win.
“Especially the fashion that we were winning some of these games, these comeback wins to show that we were resilient as a group. I’m proud of these guys and hopefully we can keep the winning going.”
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