Slowly but surely is the approach for Cody Fajardo.
The 27-year-old missed Saskatchewan’s regular season finale with an oblique strain. He suffered the back ailment during a closed practice and said it felt like being stabbed. After a couple of rest weeks, Fajardo played a simple game of catch at practice.
“He’s starting to do some things that indicate that his range of motion is coming back. The advice we’ve given him is make sure you’re ready on game day and don’t do anything beforehand that might jeopardize that,” head coach Craig Dickenson said.
Fajardo’s plan was to throw 10-15 yards and progress as the week goes along towards the West Final. He’s anxious to see how the body feels following passing sessions. But there is no doubt Fajardo will be dressed on Sunday.
“We have six months to recover. It wouldn’t be smart of me to shut it down. Just to be able to play in and start my first playoff game, have a chance to go to a Grey Cup, you can go through a 10-year career and not have this great opportunity,” Fajardo said.
“He’ll be on the sideline in gear, whether he starts or not, a lot depends on how he does this week. But he’ll be dressed and ready to go. We don’t know quite how it’s going to play out, we’re hopeful Cody’s able to go, I think he will be, but if not Isaac and Bryan are ready to go,” Dickenson said.
Rookie Isaac Harker made his first career CFL start in place of Fajardo, completing 23-of-28 passing for 213 yards in the win against Edmonton as the Riders clinched top spot in the West for the first time since 2009. Fajardo was the West Division Player Most Outstanding nominee.
“It’s not going to be 100 percent. That’s what I got to know going into this game, there’s going to be a little bit of something in there. It’s adrenalin, it’s playoffs — I gotta walk this fine line between getting myself ready for the game and not overworking it,” Fajardo said.
“I will play Sunday – it doesn’t matter. Unless something crazy happens in practice where something completely goes haywire and just I physically can’t do it, but as long as I can walk and throw, I’ll be out there.”
When Fajardo presumably takes the Mosaic Stadium turf, the only test he won’t have tried: being tackled at game speed and possibly by multiple defenders. He has not and will not be touched prior to the Stamps.
“I think so, we don’t know until it happens, but I think he’s going to be fine. He’s a warrior. We rested him all last week for a reason to try to get him ready for this game. I think he’ll be able to take a hit, I think he’ll be able to throw,” Dickenson said.
“It’s been very frustrating, I think the hardest thing is I’ve taken a tonne of hits over the year and it’s a non-contact injury that has sidelined me,” Fajardo said.
“There’s nothing you can do to progress it any faster, it’s just time. You just have to wait your body to heal itself.”
