Patterson is set to make his first career CFL start on Thursday night when the Roughriders host the Toronto Argonauts
Shea Patterson is ready for his first career CFL start.
And while it’s his first start, the 27-year-old Ohio native isn’t putting any extra pressure on himself.
“It’s just another thing that happens along the way,” said Patterson. “I like to prepare; I like to be ready to go.
“Whether Trevor is hurt or not, I’m always going to be ready to play.”
While it will be Patterson’s first CFL start in his 22nd career game in the league, the 6-foot-2, 202-pound pivot started five professional games in the USFL in 2022 with the Michigan Panthers.
Prior to that, he played 10 games at the University of Mississippi (2016-17) and 26 games at the University of Michigan (2018-19) in front of 100,000-plus fans at Michigan Stadium, also known as “The Big House.”
“First couple games I played at Michigan, it was like a dream come true,” said Patterson. “I used to go there all the time as a kid and used to take the bus ride and see the guys go into the stadium, so it was like full circle kind of.
“But as the games go on, you kind of get a sense of gratitude right before kickoff, right when the national anthem is playing and I think just being in that atmosphere over the last eight years definitely gets me ready for playing in a place like this.”
Seeing limited action in 21 career games, Patterson has completed 8-of-16 passes for 73 yards, including going 4-of-10 for 41 yards in relief of Harris in Week 3.
He’s mainly been used in short-yardage situations, having ran the ball 29 times for 61 yards and four touchdowns in his CFL career, which included stints with the B.C. Lions and Montreal Alouettes in 2021 before signing with the Riders last year in free agency.
“Extremely pleased with how he’s practised this week,” said Mace. “Just having the full playbook and having the run at every snap, you’re just going to get more comfortable the more reps that you get.
“He’s certainly looked like he’s been doing it a long time, so it’s good to see.”
That increased confidence has also been something Patterson’s teammates have noticed throughout the week.
“Confidence in the huddle,” said running back A.J. Ouellette. “You could just hear the bass in his voice and out there not second guessing, just making plays.
“We’ve seen him since Day 1 of camp and he’s more than capable of coming in here and being the starting quarterback of the Roughriders and winning games.”
Offensive coordinator Marc Mueller is also eager to deploy Patterson, who has shown the ability to use his arm and his legs to create plays.
“He’s a plus-athlete, he’s got great arm strength and he can create,” said Mueller. “And that’s a hard thing to have at quarterback.
“I’m looking forward to seeing Shea operate this offence the best way he can.”
While Mueller said the offence will look similar with Patterson under centre, there will be some tweaks made to fit his style of game.
“The bones of the offence stay the same but everybody’s different based on who is standing there,” said Mueller. “And that’s at any position.
“It’ll morph with who’s in there. It might be the same stuff it just might be ran a little bit differently.”
The Regina Leader-Post has created an Afternoon Headlines newsletter that can be delivered daily to your inbox so you are up to date with the most vital news of the day. Click here to subscribe.
With some online platforms blocking access to the journalism upon which you depend, our website is your destination for up-to-the-minute news, so make sure to bookmark leaderpost.com and sign up for our newsletters so we can keep you informed. Click here to subscribe.